YAD committee members invited to UNESCO workshop

NZ BLIA YAD (Young Adult Division) president Jeremy Tan, committee member Anthony Lung and Andy Hsu were invited by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to attend a workshop with the topic of “Young people of Faith in today’s media” at AUT on 12th February. The meeting was conducted by Brian Pauling (Chair of the UNESCO Culture Sub Commission) and Professor Paul Morris (UNESCO Chair for Interreligious Understanding and Relations), attendance includes 15 members from 8 different religious faith groups, which includes Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Hinduism.
During the course of the workshop, the participants were formed into 3 groups to discuss two key questions:
1. What media do you use in the practice of your faith? This might include: contact with others of your faith group through Facebook, Twitter, E-mails etc; reading online material, television, film, print media.
This topic is further expanded with discussions on how to use social media (facebook, twitter etc) to promote mutual tolerance and understanding between communities of different faith.

2. How is your faith group portrayed by those respective media?
This item is further discussed in details regarding:
 How to express the importance of religious presence within the media?
 How to present and develop each faith group’s image and values with the media?
 How to strengthen religious unity, values and positive influence on society in an age of increasing media outlets?

After the discussion, all youth in attendance expressed their confirmation of the positive influence created by wholesome use of the modern media. They also expressed their desire to diligently support their respective faith by making use of their own unique career skills.

A recording of the workshop will be shown at the National Interfaith Forum at Hamilton on 18th February.

Please find link below another report on the above workshop event:
http://www.hrc.co.nz/newsletters/diversity-action-programme/te-korowai-whakapono/2012/02/young-people-of-faith-in-today%e2%80%99s-media-workshop/