From dialogue to activism: How to get Generation Z and Millennials to participate in the multifaith movement in Australia

Abstract

This article examines why young people rarely participate in the activities, initiatives, and organisations of the multifaith movement in Australia. It will discuss five issues which impede Generation Z and Millennials from engaging in the multifaith movement by drawing on previous studies on these generations and interview data with multifaith activists in Australia. There is a significant portion of Generation Z and Millennials who have hybrid religious identities, identify as nonreligious, and/or stand at the margins of religious institutions. Yet, this is incompatible with the dialogue model which assumes that its participants are unambiguous full members of their religious tradition who are imbued with the legitimacy of their institution and endowed with the role of a representative. If multifaith activists shifted the focus from dialogue to activist, relational, and humanitarian aspects of the multifaith movement, it may empower young people to participate in a way that reflects their experiences, concerns, and goals.