Twenty undergraduates from seventeen different universities in Indonesia took part in the Dialogue Institute’s second “Study of the U.S. Institute” on the topic of religious pluralism, January 8 – February 12.  Selected by U.S. Embassy officials as outstanding student leaders, the participants have majors in diverse fields: Political Science, English, American Studies, Islamic History, Communications, Accounting Economics, Management, Theology and Mathematics.

Arriving in the midst of Philadelphia’s snowiest January ever, these student leaders visited numerous historical and religious sites, including the National Constitution Center, Independence Hall, Christ Church, the Arch Street Meetinghouse, the Philadelphia Indonesian Cultural Center, and a local synagogue and Roman Catholic Church. They also had the opportunity to take part in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, and to attend an interfaith worship service at the historic Arch Street Presbyterian Church. Classroom sessions focused on the fundamentals of democracy and freedom of religion, introductions to major religious traditions, and the development of skills in leadership and interfaith dialogue.

As part of their program, the students spent a day in Lancaster County where they met with members of an Amish Mennonite community, and three days in New York City, visiting the Statue of Liberty, the United Nations, the World Trade Center Tribute Museum, the Islamic Cultural Center, the Museum of Tolerance, and the “Three Faiths” Exhibit at the New York Public Library. During the final week, the also group traveled to Orlando and Washington DC.

Students returned home with action plans designed to share their learnings with others, including teaching English to neighborhood children of different religious backgrounds, creating a photography exhibit, working with student leadership organizations, and  leading discussions about religious pluralism in their universities or communities.