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10 / 07 / 26
As I write this, it is my last day as Education and Learning Intern (London) with the Faith & Belief Forum. I can’t quite believe it, but the sun is shining, the temperatures are rising (maybe too much… but that’s a blog for another day) and there’s no doubt that summer is here again!
Summer, for many in the world of education, is a time of goodbyes and of looking forward to new beginnings and opportunities in the autumn — so it feels like the perfect time to reflect on my time with F&BF over the last ten months, and on what I have learned and experienced along the way.
It is only right to start this blog by saying a BIG thank you to all those who shared their story with me, in various forms, and especially to our London volunteers. In the divided times we are living in, building relationships across difference is so important as we try to fight back against hatred and prejudice — inspired by the work of Allport (1954) and Social Contact Theory.
I want to say a particular thank you to those who have been involved in our ‘Faith in Encounter’ workshops at schools across London (more on the project later). I have personally learnt so much and been enriched by hearing people share their stories and experiences in this context, and I know the children who have participated in these workshops have too. One of the biggest lessons I will take away from my internship is the power of storytelling to build understanding, challenge assumptions, and create connections across difference.
The power of storytelling to build understanding, challenge assumptions, and create connections across difference.
Cat WhitehouseI also want to say thank you and welcome to all our wonderful new Volunteer Speakers and Content Creators! One of my first tasks when starting this role was to think about how to recruit new volunteers and to design posters to share online and in local communities. The posters revolved around the idea that we all have our own unique identity and a story to tell — and our faith, belief or worldview is just one part of that. I have been blown away by the number of people we have recruited, and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to meet each one. We all have our own story to tell, and I have felt privileged to hear even just a snippet of theirs, and of what brought them to F&BF.
Finally, I want to say thank you to Amy Ark, who has been my Line Manager. Amy has been fantastic! She has been very hands-on and supportive, but has also given me the freedom to work on things the way I felt was best, putting her trust in me and my abilities. We have checked in almost every week, and I always looked forward to it. I would be very happy to be managed by Amy again.
A large focus of my time at F&BF has been working on the ‘Faith in Encounter’ Schools Project in two schools in London. This is the pilot phase of the project, which has also been running concurrently in the North West and the West Midlands. Being involved at this early stage has been a real highlight of my internship — particularly as it has allowed me to see how the project develops in practice, and to work with the wonderful Education and Learning / Schools team to help shape and refine the workshops before they are shared more widely with schools nationwide.
In practice, each workshop brought together two Volunteer Speakers from different faith and belief backgrounds to share their experiences with a class of primary school-aged children. The speakers were given time to tell their stories before taking part in an interfaith panel, where children could ask questions about what they had heard. Having both speakers together on the panel allowed students to engage with both perspectives side by side, noticing not only the differences, but also the many similarities in their experiences.
What stood out most to me was how quickly the workshops created a safe and brave space for curiosity and reflection. Listening to personal experiences seemed to open something in the room: the children were consistently engaged, thoughtful and eager to respond, and fascinated by the new people they were meeting.
My previous experience with children and young people in school had been as a Trainee Teacher and TA, so it was lovely to be back in the classroom in a different capacity — sharing valuable lessons and conversations, and the opportunity to be curious and ask the questions that are often missed out, or that there is simply no time for in the usual, timetabled school day.
I even had the opportunity to share my own story at one of the workshops. While I initially felt daunted about sharing something so personal with a group of young people, the training provided and the support of both Amy and the class teacher who was facilitating the session made me feel at ease. It was a valuable experience to be a speaker (rather than just training them), and I would encourage anyone to do it!
It was great to see the similarities between me and the other speaker, who on paper seemed worlds apart, and also to see and celebrate the differences in our beliefs and identities. The children were wonderful to work with, and the joy on their faces when they learnt something new, asked a question, or found a similarity between themselves and either myself or the other speaker, is something I will take away and treasure.
There have also been other highlights this year outside of the ‘Faith in Encounter’ Project, with events encouraging love, respect and understanding in interfaith work taking place right across the Capital. These were also a great opportunity to engage with the wider work of F&BF and — as someone who worked remotely — to get away from my desk and see colleagues and members of the wider F&BF community in person. They included:
I joined Amy, Sarah March and a group of teachers from different faith schools for a day of coming together, learning from each other, and building connections that would enhance interfaith learning for the children they teach. It was a great opportunity to see some of the wider work of F&BF in action, and at the end we heard from children who had been part of School Linking before as they reflected on what it had meant to them.
A celebration of faith, belief and interfaith projects in London. It was a great evening that brought people together and recognised the efforts of outstanding individuals and groups, and all they do for their communities. This year marks the 10th year of the awards, and I look forward to hearing about the projects and individuals that will be celebrated to mark the occasion.
Students came together, united by their passion for social change and inspired by their own personal faith or belief, to make the world a better, greener, fairer place. The students I spoke to that day seemed passionate and energised to make real, tangible change in their communities.
I enjoyed the opportunity to see the Education and Learning team in person again and catch up. It was also interesting to hear what is next for F&BF, and to learn more about the Bahá’í faith and the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh from our host and guide — a faith I previously had little knowledge or understanding of.
Organised by F&BF, the Light Foundation and Gurinder Josan CBE MP, this event brought together ParliaMentors participants (current and alumni) and LSE students to listen to the panel and ask how interfaith can help in challenging political times. I personally found the event and the discussions really impactful, and I’m grateful to Amy and Rachel Cohen for inviting me to be involved. A couple of my takeaways: bad times separate us, but they can also bring us together and lead to good times — and one of the most powerful things you can do is show up and make change happen where you are.
We brought together volunteers old and new for an afternoon to celebrate the work F&BF has done and the role they have played in it. It was great to see so many volunteers in the same place (many of whom I had recruited) and to watch everyone interact and share their experiences of F&BF and interfaith in general. The highlights for me were hearing from a volunteer who had been part of our Faith in Encounter Schools Project and, at the end, playing a game together to create a story using random objects. It was a simple activity that turned out to be unexpectedly creative and full of laughter — a lovely reminder of how quickly people connect when given the space to be playful and open with each other. I hope to keep being part of events like this as a trained Volunteer Speaker, and to carry on building relationships and making connections with others.
As I draw this blog (and my time at F&BF) to a close, I want to say one final thank you — I do love saying thanks, apparently! — to you, for taking the time to read my thoughts and reflections. It feels like my last day has come around quickly, but at the same time this year has been rather full-on, both personally and work-wise.
Having this role has been a privilege, and I have learnt so much over the past ten months. Before joining the F&BF team I was working ridiculously long hours in Supported Living Accommodation after finishing my MA in Politics, hoping and praying for my first ‘break’ and opportunity within the political field and/or the charity sector — so to say this internship came at the perfect time is no understatement! I am grateful that this is one of the places where my graduate career has begun, and I hope to stay connected with F&BF, both within the volunteer network and if or when other opportunities present themselves. Who knows what the future holds — our paths may well cross again!
For now, though, I am hoping to do some travelling and see more of the world, before continuing to find work in the field I have come to love, and finding ways to help make the world a better, fairer and more loving place.
Cat Whitehouse
Education and Learning Intern (London), 2025–26
