Julia Pen – The Concordian

Concordia students are evolving religious perspectives

Concordia’s Multi-Faith Fair hosted an event for students to learn more about different religious groups on campus.

For Concordia student Chresley Bazel, practicing Christianity made all the difference in helping him stay motivated and maintain self-esteem during his struggles with his studies.

“School was kind of hard [for me], so I had to find faith toward my goal,” said Bazel. “Having faith in God and his plan really helped me finding motivation.”

Concordia University’s Multi-Faith Fair brought together approximately 50 students on Feb. 8 who were eager to learn about faith and community. The event gave students the opportunity to connect with others and contribute to a more understanding and inclusive environment.

The fair featured a variety of activity stations, including a spiritual tic-tac-toe, as well as tables where students could speak with representatives from various religious organizations, including the Sikh Student Association and the Thaqalayn Muslim Association.

“I think this kind of event is really significant and important, especially for students to know that we, as different religions, represent this diversity that Concordia has,” said Mohamad Abdallah, a 22-year-old Concordia student and a member of the Thaqalayn Muslim Association.

A 2024 Gitnux report on religious trends among Gen Z observed that this generation of students is changing the perspective on religion, making them the most ethnically and religiously diverse generation.

Based on their findings, increased acceptance and understanding of various faiths and beliefs distinguish this generation from previous generations. This creates an approach of openness to the beliefs of others and encourages spiritual exploration and education.

Khelifi Samy, a Concordia student who also attended the fair, said that the younger generation can improve acceptance and understanding of others regardless of their differences through communication, allowing for more diverse perspectives on life and religion. Samy said that events like these allow him to connect, discuss, and learn from others in the community.

“I think on my own part because of […] events here I’m able to connect with many other people and to understand their point of view, and have discussions open to each other. ‘What do you think of this?’ ‘What do you think of different and various topics?,’’ said Samy.

Abdallah has his own perspective on generational differences in religion, pointing out that older generations tend to be more conservative while younger generations lean towards more liberal beliefs.

“I think the younger generation emphasizes more on unorthodox stuff, like untraditional stuff in religion, and maybe they want to liberalize and reform religion in some way […] which is not wrong, but older generations are more focused on conserving values and traditions, and I think we should have something in between,” said Abdallah.

Springtide Research Institute, a non-profit American organization that studies generational trends, calls this new approach to religious and spiritual practice “Faith Unbundled.” This means that younger generations are starting to follow multiple beliefs and practices that they prefer without formal commitment, overall changing the traditional approach to these practices.

With each generation, the perception of religion changes, often with a greater emphasis on spiritual exploration and diversity. As younger generations become more open-minded, their approach to religion reflects a desire to reinterpret and reform traditional values, bridging the gap between preserving traditions and embracing modern perspectives.

Concordia Food Initiatives gathered for their annual Food Fair

Concordia’s food coalition promoted their missions and year-round events at a general annual Food Fair meeting.

Concordia University’s sustainable food organizations are giving out free meals and hosting events year-round to promote community engagement and raise awareness about food justice and system education.

Many food groups, including the Concordia Food Coalition (CFC), CultivAction, and the Hive Free Lunch (HFL), gathered for their annual general food fair meeting on the second floor of the SC building at the Loyola campus on Jan. 25.

Around thirty students and local community members attended the meeting to learn about each organization’s initiatives, receive updates, and ask questions. Roxanna Chadwick, a third-year Concordia student, enjoyed the experience of getting involved with student activities on campus and learning more about agriculture.

“It was interesting to see the different initiatives on campus that are related to food and are trying to make it more accessible for the community,” Chadwick said.

The CFC announced an event series called “Organizing Food Sovereignty,” with the aim of introducing students to food politics at Concordia. Each month, the coalition will collaborate with other food groups to provide students with a variety of activities to engage with others, learn about food systems, and give out free meals to students.

“One of those events are called Dinner and Docs, and it’s a series where we partner up with a food group on campus, and we choose a documentary for dinner, and we eat together, and make food together, and watch a documentary on the themes of food sustainability and community, so those are exciting,” said Maggie Morrison, a food system educator for the CFC.

During the meeting, Improove—a food waste organization— gave away plenty of fresh produce for free, which would otherwise have ended up in the garbage. Their goal is to get rid of all food waste caused by large industries. Bruno Zara, a speaker for Improove, said, “We collect this fruit before it is thrown away to make baskets that we sell on site.” They are now selling $15 boxes full of fresh produce to students every Thursday at the SC building.

CultivAction, the campus community farm, gave away free plants and microgreens. “A big piece of news for us is that we’ve just secured a fee levy at Concordia, which means that we have stable funding and are going to be making our food freely available to Concordia students,” said Caleb Woolcott, a speaker for the organization. He also explained that they are planning to host a variety of workshops and educational opportunities for students. Some of these events will include how to grow your own food in the winter.

In addition to their weekly free lunch program, the HFL promoted their free breakfast program, which launched in September 2023. “We aim to help solve food insecurity for students; I know it’s a big thing, and also help raise awareness about the food scene at Concordia,” said Tony Nguyena, a HFL worker revealed that at the end of this year, the HFL will be publishing a cookbook full of student-favourite recipes to raise awareness and help students facing food insecurity.

These initiatives and activities will be available to students for the remainder of the semester and are intended to promote student engagement and awareness.