Mission

Iona Pacific Inter-Religious Centre is the inter-religious and multi-cultural context for Vancouver School of Theology’s core work of preparing leaders for tomorrow’s world. The Centre researches and implements new ways of facing critical local and global challenges to the well-being of the next generation of our shared communities. It draws upon the world’s wisdom traditions in order to foster a common sense of purpose, respect for differences, and socially engaged learning with academic and lay leaders, elders and youth, from North America and beyond.

Focus

Iona Pacific addresses how religious traditions illuminate and enhance productive responses to complex social problems of this era, such as trans-generational urban and rural poverty, climate change and environmental degradation, alienation and despair among youth. Iona Pacific partners with First Nations and other ethno-religious, cultural, and secular communities, leaders, scholars, and institutions keen to pursue inter-religious social action and research. Iona Pacific models dialogical, constructive, and innovative research, learning and social engagement.

Iona Pacific is an inter-religious centre where education and praxis meet. Our research and teaching informs our social action projects, and our social action projects inform our research and teaching. Our goals encompass education and advocacy, social action, dialogue, and leadership development.

EDUCATION: Our educational initiatives include:
• 2 new graduate degree programs in Indigenous and Interreligious Studies at Vancouver School of Theology in collaboration with VST’s Indigenous Studies
• 1 new postdoctoral research fellowship
• two summer courses in 2010 and two in 2011
• 3 winter term courses
• developing a collaborative course on “Religion, Spirituality and Social Action” with SFU’s Wosk Centre for Dialogue, to be launched in the Fall of 2011
• public wellness programs on suffering and spirituality
• public lectures at Vancouver School of Theology
• presentations at universities, colleges, and various religious communities
• intensive studies of indigenous and other wisdom traditions by our own leadership team

SOCIAL ACTION: Our social action initiatives, which focus on poverty, women and children’s health, the environment, and youth leadership, include:

• successful grant applications for Muslim-Christian-Jewish mothers parenting and dialogue programs
• a sustainable food initiative in partnership with a local indigenous community
• leadership development programs, including a dynamic interreligious and multicultural university youth team, Iona Pacific Youth
• a bridge-building university student-produced documentary production on student religious life
• a youth-led social action program to assist young learners to stay in school
• support for a music team of two friends – one Jewish and one Muslim
• guest speakers on religion and environmentalism
• inter-religious micro-development and micro-credit projects
• an innovative project reaching out to refugees
• a new initiative addressing vulnerable women’s and children’s health
• participating in Jewish-Christian, Muslim-Jewish, and Muslim-Christian dialogues, and Muslim-Jewish-Christian trialogues

COMMUNICATION: For more information about these initiatives, see the articles inside or contact our staff at info@ionapacific.ca. In order to communicate more effectively with you about your inter-religious Centre, we have created print and social media platforms, including a website www.ionapacific.ca, a Facebook page, a Twitter presence, and Iona Pacific Compass.

LOCATION: To support our programming, we have relocated to new offices on the second floor of VST’s Iona Building, including our Iona Pacific Lounge, home of Iona Pacific Youth, and an office for our Interns.

PEOPLE: Our Iona Pacific Team includes a Director, a Postdoctoral Fellow, a Senior Intern, a Development and Communications Associate, Iona Pacific Youth, two Practicum Placement Interns from the Adler School of Professional Psychology, and conversation partners like you.

VST’s Faculty, led by its Principal and Dean, and its Board of Governors established Iona Pacific. We need your support to guide and to sustain the work of the Centre. We hope to see you in the weeks and months to come.

Sincerely,
Robert A. Daum, Rabbi, PhD
Director, Iona Pacific Inter-Religious Centre