Spiritual Diversity Week invites students to explore and celebrate difference

Spiritual Diversity Week, Oct. 16-22, will offer events and activities focused on celebrating the richness of Virginia Tech’s religious, secular, and spiritual community.

Organized by Student Affairs’ Interfaith Initiative and co-sponsored by partners across campus including VT Engage and the Cook Counseling Center, the week is dedicated to fostering a sense of understanding and belonging among students of all beliefs.

“All students deserve to be able to show up in college as their full, authentic selves,” said JillAnn Knonenborg, assistant dean for interfaith leadership. “That includes their religious, secular, and spiritual identities. Spiritual Diversity Week is time set aside to celebrate that part of who they are and to learn from students who are different from them. In doing so, we hope to create a campus where everyone can belong as they are.”

In addition to pop-up tables on the Blacksburg campus on Oct. 16, the week will feature three primary events:

• Election Connection on Oct. 16 at 3 p.m. at 1060 Torgersen Hall
  
• Do I Still Believe That? on Oct. 18 at 4 p.m. at Gilbert Place
• Interfaith PhotoVoice on Oct. 21 at 4 p.m. at Squires Student Center, Brush Mountain A

While all events are centered around helping students learn from and engage with one another, each offers a different type of experience and atmosphere.

“We've been intentional about creating some spaces with bigger crowds and higher energy and some smaller, more reflective, emotive spaces where students can connect with peers,” said Knonenborg.

Election Connection

Election Connection is a student-led panel that will invite students to engage in an open discussion about the intersection of religious diversity and the upcoming presidential election. The panel is co-sponsored by VT Engage and will have counselors from Cook Counseling Center present. The event is open to all, and students are invited to voice their opinions and beliefs while being respectful and mindful of others.

Do I Still Believe That?

Do I Still Believe That? will be a deconstruction workshop that offers students who are questioning their beliefs or going through a faith change to process their experiences in an intimate, relaxed setting. Also supported by Cook counselors, the workshop offers good conversation on cozy couches.

“We're partnering with Cook so there’s a safe space for students to be vulnerable, where they know they can trust the other people in the room because they're going through the same thing,” said Knonenborg.

Interfaith PhotoVoice

Interfaith PhotoVoice is a nonprofit organization founded by Michigan-based photographer and sociologist Roman Williams. The organization focuses on helping people tell their stories with the goal of building peace with others. The Interfaith PhotoVoice presentation will examine personal storytelling through cellphone photography. The presentation will be interactive, with every student able to leave having created something. 

Building a more understanding future

According to projections made by the Pew Research Center, as the global population increases, the share of individuals who do not identify with a religion will shrink. By 2050, only 13 percent are expected to be religiously unaffiliated.

Knonenborg said when students make an effort to understand religious diversity, they set themselves up to become better leaders and global community members.

“We have to learn how to live together,” she said. “If you want to be someone who is building a better world, you need to be able to understand people whose religious, secular, or spiritual perspectives are different than yours.”

Knonenborg hopes that Spiritual Diversity Week will not only foster a sense of belonging in students, but also will make them excited about the richness of their community.

"I hope it helps students understand that our lives are better because not everyone is the same,” she said.