About Us

History

In the fall of 2019, students from Madonna Catholic Secondary School (Toronto Catholic District School Board) attended the Parliament of World Religions. This is what they had to say and how they were moved:

"We were inspired by Eboo Patel, the founder of Interfaith Youth Core, and the work they do. We witnessed presentations from speakers of diverse backgrounds, interacted with representatives from many faith traditions, enjoyed a langar meal hosted by the Toronto Sikh community, and celebrated faith traditions through music, dance, and visual arts. From this enriching event, we had the idea of continuing this interfaith experience by bringing together youth of different faith traditions by creating IYAM, the Interfaith Youth Alliance Movement. We hope to model it on the Interfaith Youth Core following that has gained strength and momentum in the United States.

Our goal is to create opportunities for youth to connect and bond with people of diverse worldviews and faith traditions. We hope this will help youth foster a better appreciation of others, make a deeper connection to their own understanding of faith, celebrate our commonalities and differences, and work together on issues to create stronger compassionates communities."

Since the launch of IYAM, youth from various faith traditions have participated in further dialogue and/or events. Please see the Past Events page to learn more, as well Upcoming Events for youth opportunities.