"Poetry Pals" Bringing Together Local Students Of Different Faiths

(CBS) -- Some Chicago children of different faiths are finding common ground today through poetry.

Chicago-based Poetry Pals brought together nearly 100 students from the Muslim Community Center (MCC) Full-Time School and Sacred Heart Schools from the Edgewater neighborhood for a poetry "slam."

Wednesday's event featured students aged 8-12 and was held at the MCC Academy in Morton Grove and featured kids singing, rapping, writing haiku in small groups, poetry performance and a mosque tour.

Habeeb Quadri is the principal of the Muslim Community Center Full-Time School and told WBBM that such a gathering is "very vital more than any other time, that we need to have these young programs starting at a young age. Me being a second generation Muslim, going through and living here and one of the greatest experiences I've had is meeting individuals of different faiths."

Nat Wilburn, principal of Sacred Heart, says "part of our mission is to build these bridges of common understanding, to help children build relationships."

Quadri says that children learn that, "now at a young age where you've gone to their sacred place, their school, you've interacted, you've talked about things we all know, sports, clothing, food and at the same time talk about God you realize there aren't too many differences, we're all just trying to be good individuals with good values."

Wilburn says some parents are reluctant to have their kids interact in such events but overall, "I can't say there's been any downside or negativity. In fact, the children have been our bridge for what I think is the hope of the future."