The Interfaith Leadership Summit (the Summit) is the largest gathering of students and educators with a commitment to American religious pluralism. Join the hundreds of people who care about the future of our religiously diverse society as they learn to bridge divides and forge friendships across lines of religious and worldview differences. Learn new skills and return to your campus inspired and ready to build.
Any undergraduate student or educator at a U.S. undergraduate college or university is eligible to attend the Summit. Graduate students are also welcome and should register as Summit educators.
Interfaith Leadership Summit
The virtual registration fee for the Summit is $75.
Note: In-person registration closed on July 15. Please reach out to leadershipinstitute@interfaithamerica.org with any questions. The registration fee for the in-person Summit is $299. While the fee does not include travel or lodging costs, it covers most meals and snacks. Several discounts and scholarships are available.
Early Bird Discount: If you register before May 27, 2022, at 11:59pm CST, the fee is $199!
New Campus Discount: If your campus *is not* on this list email us leadershipinstitute@interfaithamerica.org to receive two free registrations.
We have a limited number of scholarships available for registration, travel, and/or lodging for undergraduate students and eligible educators provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
Interfaith America (f.k.a. Interfaith Youth Core) has a room block with a discounted rate at the location of the Summit, Swissotel Chicago.
Swissotel Chicago
323 East Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60601
Telephone: 1-312-565-0565
Email: Chicago@Swissotel.com
Rooms are available for the nights of 11-13 August. Rooms will be available for reservation until July 18 or until they sell out. To make a reservation, please use this direct link or call Reservations at 1-888-737-9477 and mention the Interfaith Youth Core group. Please note, ADA accessible rooms are available to book directly online or through calling Reservations.
Friday
10:00 am–12:00 pm: Registration and check-in
12:00 pm–1:30 pm: Opening lunch & welcome
1:30 pm–3:15 pm: Session 1
3:15 pm–3:45 pm: Break
3:45 pm–5:15 pm: Session 2
5:30 pm–8:00 pm: Dinner
Saturday
8:00 am–9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am–11:00 am: Saturday Symposia
11:00 am–11:15 am: Break
11:15 am–12:45 pm: Training session 3
12:45 pm–2:00 pm: Lunch
2:00 pm–3:30 pm: Training session 4
3:30 pm–4:00 pm: Break
4:00 pm–6:00 pm: Unconference session
5:30 pm–Bedtime: Night on the town
Sunday
8:00 am–9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am–10:30 am: Training session 5
10:30 am–11:30 am: Break
11:30 am–1:00 pm: Closing
Crowd listens to the Engaging Religious Difference in Divided Times Panel Conversation at the 2019 ILI.
Alia Bilal, Deputy Executive Director of Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), speaks on the Engaging Religious Difference in Divided Times Panel Conversation at the 2019 ILI.
Two people in conversation at the 2019 ILI.
Students interacting in student training track at the 2019 ILI.
Eboo Patel at the 2019 Interfaith Leadership Institute in Chicago.
Great for: Students beginning their interfaith work. All undergraduate students are welcome to join this track. As an introduction to interfaith cooperation, this track will support students’ understanding of America’s diverse democracy, the challenges it faces, and how interfaith cooperation is an integral part of strengthening it.
Learn moreGreat for: Undergraduate students with interfaith experience interested in civic engagement. Begin to learn the skills that bring communities together across religious identities to provide solutions for shared challenges. Participants in this track will learn the building blocks of making change and leave with an action plan to take back to their own campus.
Learn moreGreat for: Undergraduate students with interfaith experience interested in storytelling. In this training, participants will learn how to construct a public narrative and use stories to inspire action as well as counter disinformation or add texture to incomplete dominant narratives. In their learning, participants will gain clarity about meaningfully contributing to a national narrative that prioritizes bridge building in a religiously diverse democracy.
Learn moreGreat for: Staff or faculty new to interfaith work. This track introduces educators to the fundamental skills, knowledge, and research that underlie effective interfaith work on campus. Educators will discuss how they can promote pluralism in their own role on campus and support student leadership development. Participants will leave the track with a set of resources tailored to fostering interfaith engagement at their institution.
Learn moreGreat for: Staff or faculty with interfaith experience interested in bridging deep differences. Bridging the Gap is committed to supporting campus leaders who see value in crossing lines of difference. We know long-term change on campus is not easy, but productive and meaningful encounters across difference—whether religious, political, or racial—are needed now more than ever. We believe that bridge-builders can be the heroes in our polarized society. Note: This track includes a special Welcome session for participants starting at 10am on 8/12. Both educators and students from the affiliated schools are asked to attend.
Learn moreGreat for: Staff or faculty who have some interfaith experience and are ready to plan facilitation opportunities in their campus community while integrating the lessons from the pandemic. In this “train the trainer” workshop, participants will cultivate the ability to develop and lead interfaith professional development for faculty, staff, and/or paraprofessionals within their campus community.
Learn moreThey [the students] were always open to dialogue, but the ILS is where they learned how to articulate what pluralism meant to them and helped them understand how to do the work they wanted to do.
On the very first day of the ILS, I fell more in love with interfaith work. I had conversations with people I’ve never had the chance to speak with before.
I felt like I was learning substantive things that were also very applicable. The mix of theory and practice was just right and fun to boot. I’m excited to bring these exercises back to my campus.
Campus leaders tend to feel pretty isolated, and it was great to come together for a common cause and to realize that we are not alone and that we are all in this fight together.
Reach out with any questions.
