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Face to Faith local co-ordinators from around the globe gather in London this week

On Tuesday 26th of January Face to Faith local co-ordinators from Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Pakistan, India, Australia and the UK convene for the first time in London to discuss the achievements of the programme to date.

Face to Faith is a global schools programme which connects 11-16 year olds of different faiths and none through video conferencing technology, allowing students to learn directly with, from and about each other.

Since its launch in summer 2009 Face to Faith has grown rapidly. It now operates in 12 countries: India, Pakistan, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Jordan, Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Australia, UK, US and Canada and aims to be working in 30 countries by 2012.

Over 100 schools and 10,000 students are currently registered to take part.

Video conferences have already taken place between students in Jordan and Palestine, Singapore and the US and within India. Last week children from slums in New Delhi connected with a school in Bolton, UK and in the coming months will also connect with schools in Jordan, Palestine and New York.

“The students are getting to know each other, they are discovering things they have in common and their differences too, and, by so doing, are gaining insight into the cultural diversity of our world”

Simmi Kher, Indian Face to Faith Co-ordinator

“There’s a real buzz at school about Face to Faith. The joy of this programme is that our young people are enjoying their experiences so much they forget that they are learning. “

Jo Malone, UK Face to Faith Co-ordinator from Westhoughton High School in Bolton, UK.

“Although Face to Faith is a new programme, it is developing very rapidly, and the enthusiasm that we find amongst students, educators and legislators across the world suggests that the approach we are advocating is very much of the moment - people all over the world recognize the need to prepare young people for a rapidly changing, and richly diverse future, and the Face to Faith Programme sets out to meet that need.

I'm very excited about the potential of this programme as a way of giving young people opportunities to develop relationships with one another across the globe, to establish meaningful dialogue with each other, to face and to overcome prejudices, and to teach and learn from one another about both the rich diversity of their cultures and faith, and the commonalities of human experience.

Tony Blair, Founder and Patron of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation