Applicants outside the United States should contact their regional directors for instructions and deadlines.

Please note that the application deadline has been revised. Applications will now be considered on a rolling basis (we will review applications as they come in) beginning February 15. Applications will continue to be accepted after that date until all slots are filled.

If you've already read this material and are ready to apply, click here.

Welcome Letter  |  Program Description  |  Participant Criteria & General Info | Apply

Dear Prospective 2012 U.S. Face to Face | Faith to Faith Participant,

Thank you for your interest in the Face to Face/Faith to Faith program. This innovative and unique program brings together young men and young women from the U.S., Northern Ireland, South Africa and Israel with the common goal of working towards peaceful communities in a world fraught with conflicts.

The Face to Face/Faith to Faith (F2F) program is comprised of three parts:

1. Pre-Intensive (Phase I, March - June 2012): 2 - 4 months in your own country / region.
2. Summer Intensive (Phase II, July 1 - 15, 2012): two weeks in New York (Holmes) for all participants from around the world.
3. Implementation (Phase III: August 2012 - January 2013): 6 months in your home country / region to integrate your experiences and continue your learning.

This is a demanding program that requires you to participate fully in all three components of the program. Please be aware that you must be available for all three phases, including orientation meetings, the pre-intensive phase, the two-week intensive and the follow-up program.

On this page you will find a narrative describing the summer intensive, along with links to the application and letters of recommendation forms. The application will not be complete without three letters of recommendation, which must be sent to our office directly. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis (we will review applications as they come in) beginning February 15. We expect to contact all applicants within three weeks of submission regarding the possibility of an interview.

You will be notified when we receive your complete application. An interview time and date will then be set up. If you have any questions, please call our office at 212-662-4315 x206 or email the U.S. Region Director, Noah Silverman, at nsilverman@auburnseminary.org.

Peace be with you,

Noah Silverman
U.S. Region Director, Face to Face/Faith to Faith
Associate Director, Center for Mulitfaith Education

Program Description

Since 2001, Face to Face/Faith to Faith, a multifaith youth leadership program, has worked with hundreds of Jewish, Muslim and Christian teenagers from the United States, Northern Ireland, South Africa and Israel to engage in dialogue and programs relating to issues of peace, violence and social responsibility. The year-long program works to enhance participants’ knowledge and understanding of their own faith traditions; nurture an advanced understanding of other religions, cultures and people; inform participants about the call of religious teachings to engage in public and world issues; and increase participants’ ability to collaborate across lines of religion, culture, class and ethnicity to make a better world.

Face to Face/Faith to Faith takes its name and inspiration from the biblical text Genesis 33:10 ("For truly to see your face is like seeing the face of God") in which Jacob and his estranged brother Esau, the twin sons of Isaac, reconcile. Face to Face/Faith to Faith is rooted in the belief that young people of different religious faiths and nationalities can find common ground despite differences of religion and culture – something that is particularly necessary in the wake of terror and conflict around the world.

While at the intensive summer program, participants will have the opportunity to learn more about their own faith and the faiths of others. Daily workshops feature dialogue and communication skills, leadership skills, peace building activities and interfaith learning. The program encourages participants to build interpersonal relationships through dialogue, art, creative play, and music programs interspersed throughout the day. Evening programs and guest performers, representing various cultures, add to the transformative atmosphere.

Following the summer intensive, participants will return home and continue to utilize and develop communication and leadership skills learned during the summer program. In addition to engaging in continued interfaith dialogue, they will devise and implement activities in their home communities designed to promote social justice, interfaith understanding and reconciliation.

Participant Criteria and General Information

Eligibility Selection Criteria:

• Applicants must be in 10th, 11th or 12th grade during the 2011-2012 academic school year AND must be 16-18 years old by the start of camp. In addition, applicants must be in a good physical and mental health and be able to fully participate in intense, emotional dialogue and programs..
• Applicants should demonstrate leadership potential and interest in listening, talking and interacting with individuals from diverse backgrounds. The program includes group and individual face-to-face discussion on such topics as religion, violence, religious persecution, politics, conflict and co-existence. Since participants come from varied ethnic, religious, cultural, political, and socio-economic backgrounds, each person must be willing to share his/her viewpoints and to learn from other points of view.
• Applicants must demonstrate a strong desire and commitment to the Face to Face/Faith to Faith program and its stated goals and objectives. This commitment also includes being available to attend all scheduled events during the three-phase program.
• All programs will be conducted in English. Applicants must have competency in speaking English.

Dates: The dates for the summer intensive are July 1st - 15th, 2012.

Program Fees: Participants are not selected based on their ability to pay. Financial arrangements for participants will be negotiated after an applicant is accepted into the program. However, all selected participants are expected to pay some portion of the fees based on a sliding scale. A tuition / financial aid form will be sent to you if you are accepted into the program. If you have questions about tuition prior to applying, please contact the U.S. Region Director, Noah Silverman.

Special Needs: The Face to Face/Faith to Faith program recognizes the special needs of some participants. Face to Face/Faith to Faith welcomes people from diverse religious, cultural, racial, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. Our participant population also includes people with disabilities, alternative sexual orientations and individuals with diverse political views. Dietary and religious needs will be accommodated within reason and ability (see below). Upon acceptance, please discuss your specific needs with the U.S. Region Director.

Dietary Information: During the July intensive, Face to Face/Faith to Faith strives to create an atmosphere in which participants can fulfill their own religious obligations while pushing themselves to encounter individuals who are different from themselves. Food and its preparation is one of the key places where this takes place. Face to Face/Faith to Faith serves exclusively vegetarian food for the majority of its meals. The kitchen is kashered (cleaned and certified by a Rabbi) prior to the start of camp. After it has been certified, nobody uses it except for our kitchen staff, who have been trained regarding our needs for exclusively vegetarian food. The only exceptions to the vegetarian menu is three or four evenings when we have outdoor barbeques. Face to Face owns separate barbeques on which we cook Halal meat, Kosher meat, vegetarian food, and meat that is neither Halal nor Kosher. Each type of food is kept on its own grill and prepared with utensils reserved exclusively for that type of food. Our kitchen staff has worked with us for several years and is very familiar with the needs of each community. If you have further questions, please contact the U.S. Region Director.

To apply to be part of the U.S. delegation to Face to Face 2012:

1. Be sure you've read the preceding Welcome Letter, Program Description, and Participant Criteria & General Information.
2. Download the Application Checklist and read through the instructions.
3. Read the guidelines and compose your Personal Essay.
4. Fill out the online General Application Forms.*

   PLEASE NOTE: The online application must be completed all at once (the application does not allow you to save your work and return). Therefore, please be sure you have identified your electronic photo and prepared your Personal Essay before starting the application.

5. Download three copies of the Confidential Personal Recommendation Form and have them filled out and submitted by three references (see the Application Checklist for further instructions) to:

   Face to Face/Faith to Faith
   Auburn Theological Seminary
   Attn: Noah Silverman
   3041 Broadway
   New York, NY 10027
   Fax: 212-663-5214
   

6. You will receive email notification upon receipt of your online application and again when we receive all three (3) of your recommendation forms. Please note: your application is not complete until we have received all of your recommendation forms.
7. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis (we will review applications as they come in), beginning February 15. We expect to contact all applicants within three weeks of submission regarding the possibility of an interview.
8. Applicants will be contacted for an interview. Parents / guardians are encouraged to attend this interview if they are able. A parent / guardian meeting will be scheduled for all selected participants.
9. Once selected, we must receive a letter of commitment from you and your deposit to ensure placement in the program. Please check your summer schedule and be sure to clear all dates with family and employers.

FILL OUT THE ONLINE FORMS HERE*

*If you have limited internet access, you may fill out and submit a completely paper application by downloading it, printing it, and mailing it in as soon as possible.

Personal Essay Guidelines

We would like to get to know who you are. Please compose a typewritten short essay, no longer than five (5) pages, about yourself.

Please use the following points as a guide when thinking about and writing your essay:

• • Describe your family history and your community (consider including race, religion, culture, neighborhood, and other things you see as part of your community), and please describe how these play a part in shaping who you are.
•  
• • Tell us about some of the following experiences:
  • o Times that you have stereotyped others or that you have been stereotyped by others.
  • o Have you had experiences with interfaith and/or intercultural dialogue? Were they structured (facilitated) experiences or more organic? What was the experience like? How have those experiences shaped your understanding of yourself? Your identity? The identities of others?
  • o Do you currently live with conflict (including in your area, community, relationships with others)? Talk about how a conflict has affected you personally, and how you respond to conflict.
• • What do you think are the goals of interfaith dialogue? How do you see people from different religious traditions working together to create peaceful communities?
•  
• • Describe your interest in applying to Face to Face/Faith to Faith. What do you think you will learn from this program? How do you think you will benefit from it? How will others in your home community benefit from your participation?