On Tuesday 17 November 2009, The Swaminarayan School participated in an interfaith day called ‘Faithful Nurture’ at the London Inter Faith Centre as part of National Inter Faith Week (15-21 November).
The School, located opposite BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, was one of eleven faith schools from London selected for the event. The other schools were representing different traditions within Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism.
Upasana Chag, Shraddha Patel and Tanuj Srivastava represented The Swaminarayan School – Europe’s first and only independent Hindu school. During the morning, all the students interacted with each other in mixed faith group workshops to share their thoughts on pertinent issues facing young people of faith.
Later, in the presence of senior staff from the participating schools and the Archbishop of Canterbury – religious head of the Church of England and worldwide Anglican Communion – the students presented their reflections on the distinctive elements of their own religion which make a valuable contribution to society’s common good.
Following the presentations, the Archbishop shared his views of the presentations and the event.
Mr Savjani, Headteacher of The Swaminarayan School, commented: “It was an enlightening day for our students and even us staff. I believe it is important to allow our students the opportunity to engage with and learn from young members of other faiths. This can be a valuable growing experience – helping strengthen and enrich one’s own faith as well as appreciate Faith in general. This is absolutely vital if we are to see the next generation grow up to build and thrive in a peaceful, harmonious and productive society.”
To learn more about The Swaminarayan School, visit its independent site here.