Exploring Religious Literacy and Inclusion

Description

Come and learn about three major religions via exploratory and educational site visits that will help you develop the religious literacy skills to create a more inclusive environment in your workplace.

We will visit a Hindu temple, a mosque, and a synagogue, hearing from community leaders in each location.

The day will begin with a talk exploring what defines religious literacy and how it helps us to create inclusive workplaces and to better connect with colleagues, customers, and the public. When we treat religious/spiritual identities as taboo, we are treating colleagues as taboo. This leads to silencing and self-censoring, which hurts individuals and hurts our organizations — in employee engagement and productivity, in attracting and retaining top talent, in business and organizational development, in authenticity for our DEI initiatives, and in effective decision making.

During this offsite session, you will have the chance to learn how to bring religious literacy to your organizations and to actually grow your own literacy in an experientially rich day as you witness Hindu ritual, observe prayer time at a mosque, and learn about Jewish ritual life and the impact of antisemitism. This day will help you at work — and to better understand your colleagues, your neighbors, and the evening news.

SCHEDULE
10:00–10:30 am Why Religious Literacy Matters
10:40–11:10 am Bus
11:15 am–12:15 pm Hindu Temple of Minnesota, Maple Grove
12:15–12:40 pm Bus
12:45–1:45 pm Northwest Islamic Center (includes prayer time at 1:19 pm)
1:45–2:10 pm Bus
2:15–3:15 pm Temple Israel (includes discussion of antisemitism)
3:20–3:30 pm Bus to Hilton

Learning Outcomes:

• Learn about the ways religious literacy and inclusion can impact your staff and enhance your organizations
• Understand why our cultural norms prevent us from having meaningful conversations around religious identity and learn how to overcome them
• Align your intentions with your culture and set the stage for a more religiously inclusive workplace with some simple tips to get you started