Family with Teen(s)
Celebrating Diversity
Almighty God, through your Holy Spirit you created unity in the midst of diversity;
We acknowledge that human diversity is an expression of your manifold love for your creation;
We confess that in our brokenness as human beings we turn diversity into a source of alienation, injustice, oppression, and wounding.
Empower us to recognize and celebrate differences as your great gift to the human family.
Enable us to be the architects of understanding, of respect and love;
Through the Lord, the ground of all unity, we pray.
Amen.
We acknowledge that human diversity is an expression of your manifold love for your creation;
We confess that in our brokenness as human beings we turn diversity into a source of alienation, injustice, oppression, and wounding.
Empower us to recognize and celebrate differences as your great gift to the human family.
Enable us to be the architects of understanding, of respect and love;
Through the Lord, the ground of all unity, we pray.
Amen.
A Prayer for Inclusion
Creator God, we are your people.
We look to the future with optimism and with faith in you,
as we pursue our call to provide justice and fullness of life for all people.
We pray that every man, woman and child
may develop their potential and meet you
in themselves and in one another.
May we enjoy a totally welcoming community,
with you as our center, joined hand in hand with our sisters and brothers.
We ask this in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Based on the Pastoral Statement of US Catholic Bishops on People with Disabilities – NCPD Council (National Catholic Partnership on Disability)
We look to the future with optimism and with faith in you,
as we pursue our call to provide justice and fullness of life for all people.
We pray that every man, woman and child
may develop their potential and meet you
in themselves and in one another.
May we enjoy a totally welcoming community,
with you as our center, joined hand in hand with our sisters and brothers.
We ask this in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Based on the Pastoral Statement of US Catholic Bishops on People with Disabilities – NCPD Council (National Catholic Partnership on Disability)
Why is appreciating diversity important for youth and adults?
The face of the United States and its workplace is changing. A growing number of neighborhoods and communities contain a complex mix of races, cultures, languages, and religious affiliations. At the same time, the widening gap between the rich and the poor is creating greater social class diversity. In addition, the U.S. population includes more than 43 million people with physical and mental challenges. For these reasons, today’s youth and adults are more likely to face the challenges of interacting and working with people different from themselves. The ability to relate well to all types of people is a leadership skill that is becoming increasingly important. Understanding, accepting, and valuing diverse backgrounds can help young people and adults thrive in this ever-changing society.
A Spiritual Understanding of Diversity by Melannie Svoboda
"There is great diversity among human beings. Physically we differ from each other in things such as size, body structure, skin color, and facial features. We also differ from one another mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. One of the greatest challenges of a healthy spirituality is learning to tolerate the differences we find in one another and not to view these differences as threats to ourselves. Moreover, a healthy spirituality should lead us to celebrate our differences and to see them as a reflection of God's beneficence and creativity."
— from Traits of a Healthy Spirituality
What is Inclusion?
Inclusion is recognizing our universal "oneness" and interdependence. Inclusion is recognizing that we are "one" even though we are not the "same". The act of inclusion means fighting against exclusion and all of the social diseases exclusion gives birth to, i.e. racism, sexism, handicapism, etc. Fighting for inclusion also involves assuring that all support systems are available to those who need such support.
--Shafik Asante
The face of the United States and its workplace is changing. A growing number of neighborhoods and communities contain a complex mix of races, cultures, languages, and religious affiliations. At the same time, the widening gap between the rich and the poor is creating greater social class diversity. In addition, the U.S. population includes more than 43 million people with physical and mental challenges. For these reasons, today’s youth and adults are more likely to face the challenges of interacting and working with people different from themselves. The ability to relate well to all types of people is a leadership skill that is becoming increasingly important. Understanding, accepting, and valuing diverse backgrounds can help young people and adults thrive in this ever-changing society.
A Spiritual Understanding of Diversity by Melannie Svoboda
"There is great diversity among human beings. Physically we differ from each other in things such as size, body structure, skin color, and facial features. We also differ from one another mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. One of the greatest challenges of a healthy spirituality is learning to tolerate the differences we find in one another and not to view these differences as threats to ourselves. Moreover, a healthy spirituality should lead us to celebrate our differences and to see them as a reflection of God's beneficence and creativity."
— from Traits of a Healthy Spirituality
What is Inclusion?
Inclusion is recognizing our universal "oneness" and interdependence. Inclusion is recognizing that we are "one" even though we are not the "same". The act of inclusion means fighting against exclusion and all of the social diseases exclusion gives birth to, i.e. racism, sexism, handicapism, etc. Fighting for inclusion also involves assuring that all support systems are available to those who need such support.
--Shafik Asante
These next two videos show us a little bit about diversity and it's role in our world. The Ted Talk uses some music as an analogy for why diversity is so important.
Imagine for second that you are having a party. You are excited to have you friends over so you clean the whole house and make special treats for everyone. When you open the door people start coming in and you say hi to everyone, glad that they are here! Picture the faces that walk through the door. Do those faces look similar to yours? If you are caucasian are they also caucasian? If you are a male are they mostly male? Or mostly female if you are a female? Are they all about your same age or are there more than one genration represented? One culture? Religion? Would you say your party is diverse or not?
We want to see our differeneces as the blessing that they are and learn from others perspectives. This is why our theme for faith formation this year focuses on looking at our faith in the context of other religions. As Christians we are called to celebrate diversity as a gift from God. The video calls us to find an "easy connector" or a way of breaking down barriers and finding commonalities. Sharing our own stories and listening to others is a great way to start. Find your own connector, weather it is sports, fashion, music, art, or dance. Your interests may be more universal than you think!
For this month, anwser these questions and then act on them in a way that best fits you and the communities you are a part of?
*How can I better include those who are different than me?
*How do I treat those who are different?
*Do I use differences to as a way to connect or push appart relationships?
*How can my school, church, home, or other communities I am a part of be more inclusive to all?
