Faithful Friends: On Tour

FAITHFUL FRIENDS-
ON TOUR

Our Journeys, Our Communities, our Future

The Vision:

To build a community of reconciliation in Sandwell, that celebrates our diverse communities and which will endure bringing peace, friendship, understanding and hope for this and succeeding generations.

The Means:

A group of friends from four different faiths in Sandwell will journey together to places of special meaning to members of the group and will share this journey with children and families to inspire a generation to follow the example and build their own meaningful friendships with people different to themselves.

Learn more about the project and hear stories on our YouTube channel.

Our vision will grow by:

Creating a film that documents the journeys the faith leaders undertake, explores the friendships that are formed and unpacks the questions and issues raised.

A social media campaign that will enable schools, faith communities and individuals across Sandwell to follow the journeys of the faith leaders and to interact with them in real time joining in exploration and discussions

Giving the children in Sandwell a deeper understanding and shared experience of the roots of our faiths and how they affect so many aspects of our daily lives.

Developing a programme of reconciliation which will become a feature of our annual calendar in Sandwell.

Producing resources to inspire and equip others to get involved in similar activities.

We recently led a school assembly which explains the trip for pupils and teachers and a video of that is available here.

In summary an initiative started in 2017 which:

Describes the story, motives and journey taken together by eight people, visiting different locations with a camera team to record the learning and experience, share it in real time and later as a documentary learning resource.
Engage a generation of Sandwell children and families in the journey, learning and experience, through regular communication using video, social media and content suitable for learning in schools.
Be the start of a journey and purpose leading to Sandwell becoming the UK’s first ‘Community of Reconciliation’. This happened at Coventry Cathedral in April 2018
Include all communities, of faith and no faith in Sandwell, every community in Sandwell’s super diverse borough including new communities, those for whom worship and faith identities are very important, as well as those for whom it is less so.
Involve people of a number of faith communities, rooted in Smethwick and Sandwell, visiting places of meaning to them in the UK and also in India, Pakistan and Israel.
Working together to understand, respect and appreciate the spiritual and practical significance of such places for each other, including taking meaningful action to support the communities in each of these places
A partnership of civic, business and faith leaders
Recognising the contribution this could make to Prevent, Counter-terrorism and safeguarding programmes
The initiative is endorsed by the leadership of four faiths including the Bishop of Birmingham and Sandwell Council