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On Friday August 22nd, approximately 100 students aged 15 & 16 were treated to a memorable exploration of what faith and religion have to do with living in the 21st century. The Year 10 'Faith & Identity Retreat Day' took place at Christian Brothers College in St.Kilda and was excellent day of learning and sharing for all.

After an introduction from Head of RE Helen Hodson, we got into some thought-provoking Campfire films:

• In the Fall - what will your life be about?
• Rock&Roll - "exploring faith" is not just for when we die, and
• A Common Belief - commission by the City of Port Phillip Multifaith Network we showed to introduce our local religious dignitaries.

Then it was over to the local faith leaders who spent about half an hour in rotating groups with the students, sharing their personal stories of faith and answering questions.

For me, there was something from each of the visitors that I appreciated:

Father Chris Dimolianis (St Eustathios Greek Orthodox Church) got me thinking about the idea of worship "for all 5 senses" - including taste and smell; something often missed in the broader Christian community.

Rabbi Fred Morgan (Temple beth Israel) - his personal story of coming to faith surprised me in that it followed a long path through India to a deeper, well-considered route to a more-than-just-ritual sense of his religious identity.

Bhakta Dasa (Hare Krishna Temple) also made me more aware about the closer relationship between the Hare Krishna religion and Hinduism I had realised, and brought a greater understanding and insight into the place of Jesus, reincarnation and the theology of gods and demigods in the Hindu faith.

The final panel session offered an excellent opportunity for the students to ask honest questions of all three guests together, with questions about evolution, interfaith peace and the place of language and culture in modern religious life being some stand-outs.

Thanks to the City of Port Phillip and the teachers of CBC St.Kilda for helping us at Campfire coordinate this rich learning opportunity, and as always, a very special thanks to our talented filmmakers for helping set the tone for this day of deep questioning. I look forward to feedback from the students themselves on an event I think will stay with them for a long time.

By Richard Leigh
Campfire Film Foundation
www.campfire.org.au