A major report commissioned by the Church of England and supported by many of the main faith communities in the UK, published today offers a tutorial in the valuable work of university and college chaplains up and down the country.
It calls on Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and the government to continue to invest in chaplaincies to help them further their significant contribution to social cohesion, at a time when 43 per cent of young people in England and Wales have experienced higher education.
Chaplains actively demonstrate how religious communities can work alongside each other in an environment of mutual respect that promotes dialogue, builds community cohesion and so in turn challenges extreme perspectives, argues Chaplaincy for All: Faiths in Higher Education Chaplaincy, written by the Rev Jeremy Clines, chaplain of York St John University.
Examples of good practice highlighted in the report include setting up inter faith societies, organising visits to places of worship, or mounting a 'faith week' to raise awareness about different world faiths.
The report points to the key role such projects play in fostering good relations between the future leaders of different faith communities in the UK.
As part of the project, Rev Clines undertook a wide-ranging survey among 111 of the 128 HEIs in England and Wales, supplemented by seven regional practice workshops. The findings illustrate how chaplaincies assist their institutions in shaping their vision, particularly in relation to internationalisation, widening participation and increasing community engagement.
The results of the year-long study were launched today during a conference in London addressed by Bill Rammell MP, Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further Education and Higher Education, in the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills.
Rev Clines' report urges the Higher Education sector to support the creation of a national 'Faiths in Higher Education Forum', to include senior representatives of faith communities and supported by a working group.
The report also recommends that training materials and guidance should be produced to assist those working in the sector to navigate this complex subject.
The report recommends that the working group work in collaboration with national chaplaincy advisors, chaplains, and a number of educational bodies including Universities UK, the Equality Challenge Unit, and the National Union of Students and the Inter Faith Network.
The working group will provide further advice on how to determine the best provision for a range of faith groups, appropriate to the local context.
