By Rachel Weiss
Twenty four high school students await instructions in a circle. Some wear kippot, some wear hijab, others are dressed in three-piece suits from church that morning. Their task: to move a soda can from one side of the room to the other. The rules: everyone must be touching the can at all times, and everyone is only allowed to use one finger.
As this group initiative begins, students call out suggestions and strategies. Others sit quietly and wait for instructions. As the conversation continues, they uncover problems to solve: some students are taller than others; some move at different speeds; some must keep body parts covered; others may not touch a person of a different gender. They must work together to figure out how to accomplish the task.
Five minutes later, the group is a laughing mass of activity, cheering as they look out for one another and encouraging each other along the way. Applause erupts as they set the can down on their target. As we discuss, moving a soda can from one side of the room to the other is not going to change the world. But working together, listening to one another, taking into considerations practices and observances that are different from one’s own… this is exactly what will change the world.
Walking The Walk, an interfaith service learning program for high school students, is a program of The Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia. Our 24 participants are Jewish, Muslim, and Christian. They are African-American, African, Indian, Caucasian, upper middle-class, lower socioeconomic class, college bound and vocationally directed. Most had never set foot in a house of worship that was different than their own. Through community services, reflection, and dialogue about Shared Values such as Hospitality, Loving Your Neighbor, and Helping Those in Need, our Walking the Walkers have built more than a dialogue group, they have built a network of friendship and support.
Oops, Ouch, and Wow are our dialogue words. Oops – I said something offensive. Wow – that’s an amazing thing you just shared. Ouch – something you said offended me. Where in the Qur’an do Muslim Terrorists base their terrorist activities? Ouch. Why are Jews still upset about the Holocaust? Ouch. By first working together to build community, our students create a safe space for asking hard questions, risking insult to achieve understanding, and moving toward growth. They engage in questions of identity and heritage, faith and belief, asking one another to share intimately with the goal of understanding both of the Other and of the Self.
Moving a soda can across the room won’t affect global peace. But asking hard questions and listening to responses, sharing one’s self and building a group – that will most certainly move us toward that goal. And as these high school students remind us, laughter is a crucial ingredient.
