Bettering the San Diego Region Through Multireligious Cooperation
Past Gatherings
Gatherings are SDRIC’s neutrally convened events that give opportunity for religious leaders, including lay, and leaders of relating organizations to meet each other, share a time of fellowship, and consider ways to strengthen the network of relationships and the collaborative actions that can emerge. Twice a year SDRIC hosts events to bring together faith leaders from the region to discuss topical issues important to our San Diego community. These events serve to inform and inspire action, encourage collaboration and connections, and provide opportunities to take action.
Recordings of this and our other events are available on our YouTube channel (link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_NSqn-ISp0pBfq_9gftKKw). Please subscribe!
Celebrating Together: An Interfaith Dinner, April 20, 2022
SDRIC invited members of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths to join us for an interfaith dinner to celebrate the three major holy days of the Abrahamic faiths in April.
Buffet Dinner
Speakers: Imam Taha, Msgr. Mikulanis, Rabbi Levora
Wednesday, April 20, 6:30 p.m.
Sufi Restaurant
5915 Balboa Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111
Government Innovations to End Homelessness and How Faith Communities Can Help
When: March 29, 2022 from 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Where: In-Person and Facebook LiveStream
Speakers:
Hafsa Kaka, MSW (she/her)
Director, Homelessness Strategies and Solutions
Office of Mayor Todd Gloria
City of San Diego
Omar Passons, Esq., MPH (he/him/his)
Director, Office of Homeless Solutions
Department of Homeless Solutions & Equitable Communities
County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency
Q&A
Optional Breakout Discussions
Responding to Traumatic Events: A Toolbox for Faith Leaders
When: September 14, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon
Where: Zoom Meeting and In-Person
This presentation will provide information and practical suggestions for faith leaders to increase their understanding of root causes and impacts of trauma, ways to strengthen resilience across the lifespan and how we can continue to build trauma-informed/responsive environments in our faith communities. Many causes of trauma often begin in childhood, and the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACEs) will be discussed to help inform best practice for recognizing trauma symptoms and increasing awareness of common causes of trauma, including short- and long-term effects. Historical trauma and the intergenerational transmission of trauma, post-traumatic growth and resilience will be highlighted as will the importance of cultural humility in understanding and responding to different types of traumatic events. After the training, participants will meet in one of two breakout sessions to discuss in small groups how to respond to trauma in children/adolescents and adults/elders.
The Institute on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma (IVAT)
The Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma (IVAT) is a 501(c) (3) organization that condemns violence and oppression in all its forms. We stand with all who work for equality and peace. IVAT is a leading international resource and training center, founded in 1984 as the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Institute (FVSAI) and is headquartered in San Diego, CA with satellite offices in Hawai`i and Maryland. IVAT is a one- stop shop to address and end violence. We host 2 international summits annually, house 3 academic journals, maintain several research databases, provide program evaluation, consultation, a wide array of training, continuing education and offer vital professional and clinical services to San Diego county and beyond. We believe collaboration across systems is key to putting an end to violence and abuse and helping people heal from traumatic events. (www.ivatcenters.org)
Speaker Bio – Sandi Capuano Morrison
Sandi Capuano Morrison, MA, has worked with victims and offenders for 27 years in CO, MA and CA and has been with IVAT since 2008. Sandi received her BA from the University of Colorado-Boulder in Psychology with a focus in Women’s Studies. Sandi was a victim advocate at Boulder County Safehouse and then a Children’s Counselor at Alternatives to Violence DV shelter before moving to Boston in 1998 and graduating from Boston College with her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. It was at BC that Sandi became certified as a Batterer Intervention Program (BIP) Facilitator and assisted with research on the process and efficacy of DV offender programs. She became the Program Director of the IMPACT Batterer Intervention Program and ran offender groups for 5 years in Boston suburbs. After moving to San Diego in 2005, Sandi managed the county-wide DV and sexual assault 24-hour hotline and volunteer program and then the city of San Diego’s Rape Crisis Center. She was a member of both the San Diego Sexual Assault Response Team and the Sex Offender Management Council and became certified by CA’s Office of Emergency Services as a DV and Sexual Assault counselor. She was also a Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) volunteer. Sandi serves on the Executive Committee of the National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence Across the Lifespan (NPEIV) and was a board member of Stop the Silence, Stop Child Sexual Abuse Inc. (STS) until January 2021 when STS became a department of IVAT. She has presented nationally and internationally on violence and trauma across the lifespan and is committed to empowerment-based, survivor-informed programs and processes as well as offender accountability. Sandi has interests in restorative justice, holistic healing, cultural humility, human rights, race and gender equity and social justice.
Recordings of this and our other events are available on our YouTube channel (link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_NSqn-ISp0pBfq_9gftKKw). Please subscribe!
A PDF of Sandi Morrison’s presentation is available here.
Family Violence: A Pandemic Within the Pandemic
When: Tuesday, February 23, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon
Where: Zoom Meeting
Recordings of this event are available on our YouTube channel (link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_NSqn-ISp0pBfq_9gftKKw). Please subscribe!
An article about this event was in the San Diego Union Tribune, “Online interfaith event addresses domestic violence during the pandemic” by Lisa Deaderick (link: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/health/story/2021-02-21/online-interfaith-event-addresses-domestic-violence-during-the-pandemic
PDF resources on domestic violence can be found on this page of our Resources section:
https://sandiegointerfaith.org/domestic-violence/
Equity in Climate Justice: A Religious Response
When: Tuesday, September 29, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon
Where: Zoom Meeting
Featured Speakers: Dr. V. “Ram” Ramanathan, Professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Sonja Robinson, Environmental and Justice Committee, NAACP San Diego
Recordings of this event are available on our YouTube channel (link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_NSqn-ISp0pBfq_9gftKKw). Please subscribe!
Building Inclusive Communities in an Era of Hate, Isolation and Radicalization
When: Tuesday, February 18, 2020 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Optional additional workshop (registration required) will begin at 1:15 p.m.
Where: Good Samaritan Episcopal Church
4321 Eastgate Mall San Diego, CA 92121
Keynote Speaker: Cindy Cipriani, Director of Community Outreach for the U.S. Attorney’s Office
The February 18, 2020 event sought to deepen the understanding of faith leaders about isolation, its causes and effects. Faith leaders also learned how to identify individuals at risk for radicalization in their faith community.
This event included a keynote address from Cindy Cipriani, Director of Community Outreach for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, who spoke about violent extremist recruitment tactics and ways to collectively prevent and address such public safety threats. Additionally, she discussed opportunities for bystanders to identify warning signs and recognize points of intervention.
An optional workshop (registration required) followed the main event. It was led by Pastor Greg Bostrom (Christ Presbyterian Church), who spoke about his experience as one of the organizers and leaders of the “Sister Faiths Group” which has been bringing together Christians, Jews, and Muslims in San Diego for more than five years to foster fellowship, mutual understanding, and collective service.
Event Agenda
| Time | Event |
| 10:15 | Registration |
| 10:30 | Welcome |
| 10:40 |
Panel Discussion – building inclusive communities in an era of hate, isolation, and radicalization with representatives from diverse faith traditions including:
|
| 11:40 | Pick-Up Lunch |
| 11:50 | Small Group Discussions |
| 12:20 |
Keynote Cindy Cipriani, Director of Community Outreach for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, will be speaking about violent extremist recruitment tactics and ways to collectively prevent and address such public safety threats. Additionally, she will discuss opportunities for bystanders to identify warning signs and recognize points of intervention. |
| 12:50 | Closing Remarks |
| 1:15 |
Optional Workshop (registration required) This optional workshop (registration required) will be led by Pastor Greg Bostrom (Christ Presbyterian Church), who will be speaking about his experience as one of the organizers and leaders of the “Sister Faiths Group” which has been bringing together Christians, Jews, and Muslims in San Diego for more than five years to foster fellowship, mutual understanding, and collective service. |
Religious Communities in the Borderlands: What is Our Responsibility?
September 17, 2019
When: Tuesday, September 17, 2019 from 10:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Where: First United Methodist Church of San Diego’s Linder Hall
2111 Camino del Rio South, San Diego, CA 92108
Keynote Speaker: San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer
September’s event focused on immigration, broadly defined to include refugees and asylum seekers, and the responsibility of San Diego’s faith community in responding to and engaging with the immigration system and the people it affects. The event, which included a keynote from San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, took place on Tuesday, September 17 from 10:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church of San Diego’s Linder Hall (2111 Camino del Rio South, San Diego, CA 92108). There were also small breakout groups with discussions involving faith leaders and local organizations working on issues tied to immigration.
The three key themes of this event were:
- Human Rights: Focused on legislative and policy activities (i.e. advocacy) that impact immigrants with a particular focus on human rights like movement, due process, etc.
- Human Needs: Meeting the immediate needs of refugees and immigrants who arrive in San Diego
- Community Resilience: Helping newly arrived individuals integrate into their communities and set them up for long-term success.
Event Agenda
| Time | Event |
| 10:15 | Registration |
| 10:30 | Welcome – SDRIC Board Member |
| 10:35 | SDRIC Overview – Daren Erisman, SDRIC Board Member |
| 10:40 | Welcome Address, “Setting the Context” – Dinora Reyna, Executive Director of the San Diego Organizing Project (SDOP) |
| 11:00 | Transition to breakout groups |
| 11:10 |
Breakout Group Discussions
|
| 11:55 | Pick up lunch and transition to central space |
| 12:10 | Organizational Presentations – How can you get involved? |
| 12:30 | Keynote Address – San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer |
| 1:00 | Visit resource tables and continue discussions and networking |
| 1:30 | Conclude |
Challenges and Opportunities for Law Enforcement in Building Community Relations
February 26, 2019
This event sought to deepen the understanding of faith leaders about the perspectives of law enforcement regarding the state of police-community relations and to share information about initiatives that are being implemented to successfully strengthen those relationships.
Keynote: Walt Vasquez, Chief of Police, City of La Mesa
Resource: Daniel Orth, Building Trust Partnership, University of San Diego
Tuesday, February 26, 2019 10:45 am to 1 pm
Good Sam Episcopal Church, San Diego
4321 Eastgate Mall, San Diego CA 92121
Explore Troubling Experiences of People of Color with Law Enforcement: An Interfaith Conversation
October 30, 2018
Tuesday, October 30, 2018. 10:45 AM to 1:00 PM.
Good Samaritan Episcopal Church
4321 Eastgate Mall, San Diego, CA 92121
PRESENTERS
- Ms. Tasha Williamson, Justice for Earl McNeil
- Dr. Darwin Fishman, Racial Justice Coalition (RJC)
- Pastor Cornelius Tshobe Bowser, Community Assistance Support Team (CAST)
and
Resource: Daniel Orth, Building Trust Partnership, Kroc School at the University of San Diego
Breakout Sessions following the Presentations
What You Don’t Know About Homelessness and What You Can Do To Help
February 27, 2018
Tuesday, February 27, 2018. 10:45 am to 1 pm. Location was First United Methodist Church, Mission Valley, 2111 Camino del Rio South, San Diego CA, 92116.
Bridges to Action on Human Trafficking
September 26, 2017
Tuesday, September 26, 2017. 10:45 am to 1 pm. Location was First United Methodist Church, Mission Valley, 2111 Camino del Rio South, San Diego CA, 92116.
Bridges to Action
February 28, 2017
Topics included the refugee situation in San Diego, a special Habitat for Humanity interfaith project, and the San Diego Interfaith Disaster Council.
Building Bridges to Hope and Healing
September 27, 2016
Building Bridges to Hope and Healing was the third gathering of religious leaders sponsored by the San Diego Regional Interfaith Collaborative. It was held on Tuesday, September 27, 2016, at the Islamic Center of San Diego of San Diego, and featured a talk by Imam Taha Hassane and follow-up table conversation.
Videos of Imam Taha’s talk can be found on Youtube:
Crossing Bridges
February 23, 2016
Crossing Bridges was the second gathering, held on February 23, 2016. It featured a panel on civility in discourse and breakout sessions in the areas of fellowship, issues, and community need. The pdf below has the contents of the flash drive that was given out at the Feb. 23 gathering of religious leaders. Contact us at sdricinterfaith@gmail.com if you would like specific items from the pdf.
Building Bridges
October 27, 2015
Goals of the first gathering on October 27, 2015 were to:
- hear newly installed Catholic Bishop Robert McElroy’s thoughts on “Building Bridges” among us in San Diego
- become acquainted with each other so that we as leaders of the San Diego region may offer common understanding, support and collaboration in the midst of crisis and disaster
- identify key issues and areas of concern in the greater San Diego region that require more than any one group can accomplish by themselves
Edited Excerpts of the Keynote at Building Bridges
Videos of the keynote, Q&A, and Peggy’s song are on the SDRIC Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=san+diego+regional+interfaith+collaborative
Email us at sdricinterfaith@gmail.com to know about upcoming opportunities to join the conversation.
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