A Santa Fe Teen’s National Award For Interfaith Dialogue
In a city known for adobe walls, high desert light and layered histories, one Santa Fe teenager has shown how a careful conversation can travel far beyond a school campus. Her project brought Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Indigenous and secular students together to discuss belief, belonging and the assumptions that often keep communities apart.
The national award recognised more than a polished presentation. It honoured a sustained effort to make interfaith dialogue practical for young people. The story has particular resonance in Australia, where school communities in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and regional centres are finding new ways to build trust across religious and cultural lines.
The Moment Santa Fe Began Listening
Leah Rosen was sixteen when she noticed that students at her Santa Fe high school could discuss music, sport and social media with ease, yet often became cautious when religion entered the conversation. Some worried about saying the wrong thing. Others had absorbed simplified ideas about Judaism, Christianity or Islam without ever meeting someone from those traditions.
Rather than organising a debate, Leah proposed a series of small listening circles. Each gathering began with a personal object: a family recipe, a prayer book, a photograph, a piece of jewellery or something connected to home. Students explained what the object meant to them, while everyone else listened without interruption.
The format soon attracted attention from teachers and local faith leaders. The project was eventually nominated for a national youth award for interfaith dialogue, recognising a teenager who had created a respectful and repeatable model for religious literacy.
A Project Built Around Shared Questions
Leah’s approach was grounded in curiosity rather than competition. Participants were invited to discuss questions such as what makes a place feel sacred, how families mark important life moments and how young people respond when their identity is misunderstood. No one was expected to speak for an entire religion.
That distinction mattered. The Jewish students could talk about Shabbat, family history or antisemitism from their own experience, while Christian and Muslim students could describe their own practices and uncertainties. Secular students were equally welcome to explain why community, ethics or cultural tradition mattered to them outside formal religion.
The sessions also included a short agreement: speak from personal experience, avoid stereotypes, allow silence and challenge ideas without attacking people. These simple rules gave students language for difficult moments, including conversations about Israel, racism, religious prejudice and the lasting impact of the Holocaust.
Why Her Method Crossed Religious Lines
The strongest feature of Leah’s project was its scale. She did not begin with a large public forum or ask students to become experts overnight. She began with eight people in a library room, then refined the programme after every session. That patience helped participants feel that the project belonged to them.
Her mentor, a social studies teacher, helped the group distinguish between dialogue and debate. Debate usually asks people to defend a position. Dialogue asks them to understand how a position was formed. Both can be valuable, but they require different expectations and different measures of success.
The project also made space for disagreement. A student could say that a comment felt hurtful, ask for clarification or explain why a historical reference carried particular weight. The goal was not artificial harmony. It was the ability to remain in the room, listen carefully and respond with responsibility.
The Work In Practice
Students described several features as especially useful:
- Small circles where everyone had time to speak
- First-person stories rather than religious generalisations
- Clear ground rules for difficult subjects
- Follow-up meetings instead of one-off events
The programme also used creative activities to lower the pressure. Students cooked family foods, created a shared map of meaningful places and recorded short reflections for a school assembly. These activities made interfaith learning feel connected to everyday life rather than restricted to a formal religious studies class.
A second set of habits helped the project continue after the award ceremony:
- Checking facts before repeating a claim
- Naming antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism directly
- Inviting families and community leaders into selected sessions
- Making room for students who prefer listening to public speaking
An Award With A Wider Audience
When Leah accepted the national award, she spoke less about winning and more about the students who had taken part. She described the honour as recognition for a group process: teachers who protected the time, families who shared stories and teenagers who chose patience when an easier response would have been silence.
That message travelled well because many communities are dealing with the same challenge. Schools want students to understand religious diversity, yet educators may hesitate to discuss belief for fear of controversy. Leah’s example suggests that the answer is careful preparation, age-appropriate language and a strong distinction between learning about a tradition and endorsing it.
For readers following Jewish community news in New Mexico, the story also reflects the importance of local institutions. Congregations, museums, schools and cultural organisations can provide trusted settings where young people explore identity without being reduced to a label. Those interested in sharing a related community event or story can use the publication’s community contact page.
The award has therefore become a beginning rather than a finish line. Leah has continued speaking with youth groups and educators, encouraging them to treat dialogue as a habit. Her central point is straightforward: a meaningful exchange is built through repeated contact, not a single calendar date.
Lessons For Australia’s Interfaith Classrooms
Australian schools have their own opportunities for this work. Harmony Week provides a familiar entry point, while local councils, libraries and multicultural organisations often support community events. A secondary school in western Sydney might draw on Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Christian families living within a few suburbs of one another. In Melbourne, a programme could connect students with congregations in Caulfield, Carlton or nearby suburbs.
The local setting matters. Australian teenagers may say they will meet “this arvo”, and a school coordinator may need to work around sport, casual jobs, public transport and family commitments. A successful programme cannot assume that every student has the time or confidence to attend a formal evening forum. Short sessions during school hours, with clear permission processes, are often more realistic.
There are also lessons for regional Australia. A town in Victoria, New South Wales or Queensland may not have several religious centres nearby, but it may have families with diverse backgrounds, an active library and links to a larger city. Digital visits, recorded interviews and shared resource packs can widen access without pretending that an online meeting replaces face-to-face trust.
| Santa Fe approach | Possible Australian adaptation |
|---|---|
| Small student listening circles | Tutor-group sessions or lunchtime gatherings |
| Personal objects and family stories | Bring an item, photo or recipe connected to culture |
| Teacher-supported ground rules | Co-write discussion agreements with students |
| Local faith and cultural partners | Work with councils, libraries and congregations |
| A gradual programme over several meetings | Link activities to Harmony Week and school wellbeing plans |
Australian organisations also understand the practical realities of community engagement. Public liability requirements, child-safety policies, transport and venue access all shape what can happen. A modest programme that is properly supported will usually achieve more than an ambitious event arranged without enough time for preparation.
Keeping The Conversation Local
Leah’s achievement has a distinctly Santa Fe character. The city’s public life brings together longstanding Jewish families, artists, Indigenous communities, newer residents and visitors from around the world. That diversity can create friction, but it also offers young people daily reminders that history and identity are rarely simple.
Her work has also given local Jewish teenagers a constructive way to respond to antisemitism. They are not asked to hide their identity or become spokespeople for every Jewish experience. Instead, they can explain what they know, challenge false claims and seek support when a conversation becomes unsafe.
For Australian readers, the practical takeaway is clear: begin with a small, well-prepared group; centre lived experience; and give students time to meet again. Whether the setting is a Santa Fe classroom, a Melbourne library or a community hall in regional New South Wales, interfaith dialogue becomes credible when listening is treated as a skill that can be practised.