The document outlines an initiative led by Pablo Talavera to mentor at-risk individuals through an interfaith self-reliance empowerment toolkit aimed at preventing radicalization by fostering community ties and self-sustainability. The toolkit emphasizes the importance of faith, providing practical pathways for education, job search, and business growth while addressing spiritual values across different faiths. Central to the initiative is the belief that empowering individuals within their faith context can transform isolation into community support and service.

1. Pablo Talavera
Research Assistant
Religious Freedom & Business Foundation

2. Relationship
and
Community
Building
Self Reliance
Integrative
Business
The Pilot

3. 1. Reach out to and mentor at-risk individuals,
imparting empowering skills and networks.
2. Catalyze sustainable businesses that increase
integration and resiliency of non-integrated
communities where extremism can grow.
Mission

4. Volunteer teams composed of people with
business know-how and sincere spirituality will
use an interfaith self-reliance Empowerment
toolkit to bring those at risk of radicalisation into a
wider group of people who help each other
acquire the key temporal and spiritual skills
needed to be empowered and successful in the
societies where they live.

5. Interfaith Self-reliance Empowerment Toolkit
Volunteer
Groups
Business
Oriented
People
Person at
Risk

6. The Empowerment Toolkit
• The Empowerment toolkit has multiple tracks,
channeling participants to the most
appropriate pathway for them.
• These include:
– Starting and Growing a Business
– My Job Search
– Education for Better Work.

7. Interfaith Self-reliance Empowerment
Toolkit
Education
for Better
Work.
My Job
Search
Starting
and
Growing
A Business

8. Why Faith?
For Person at Risk-
Faith is Very Important

9. Why do you need a Faith Based Pilot?
• The pilot aims to target individuals at the edge of
becoming radicalised. These individuals hold faith
to be a crucial and important aspect of their lives.
• Many are contemplating the question: ‘What does
God want me to do?’
• This question is a threat with a wrong theology and
in an isolated opinion. However, the same question
in a group and with a right theology becomes an
opportunity to do great works.

10. ‘Right Theology’ = Right Praxis
• The Empowerment toolkit is intentionally designed to
be used in a group (eliminating isolation).
• To provide practical results (overcoming desperation).
• To demonstrate acceptance (ending rejection).
• To model the radical spiritual power of serving others
(replacing spiritual anomie with spiritual right theology
and right praxis.)

11. Interfaith Approach
• The toolkit provided from the Church of Latter-
Day Saints holds spiritual values to be translated
to major faiths and humanitarian principles.

12. Interfaith Principles
Love of God and love
of neighbor.
(Mission/Purpose in
life)
The divine dignity of
the human person.
(The human person
has a divine value
established by God)
Faith in God and
His Providence.
(God will
provide)
God’s will and
calling. (Develop
the gifts and
talents that God
has given me)

13. Love of God
and love of
neighbor.
Faith in God
and His
Providence.
The divine
dignity of
the human
person.
God’s
will and
calling.
Interfaith Principles
Self- Reliance

14. How is being ‘Self-Reliant’ a faith
and/ or Spiritual reality?
Self-Reliant = empowered, integrated, contributing, loving,
serving and successful member of society.
- The Empowerment toolkit has as its goal to help
members of society become self-reliant. This is a spiritual
reality because people of faith believe in a God that
wants to provide for his people. In addition, when people
of faith seek God, God challenges people to act.
- The Empowerment Toolkit and the way it will be
implemented (in a community), will provide the right
type of action.

15. Curriculum- Example on ‘Faith in God
and His Providence’ Principle
• In the texts, we can find quotes from the Church
of Latter-Day Saints:
– “It is my purpose to provide for my saints”
(D&C 104:15).
• The New Testament Text will read:
– “And we know that God causes all things to work
together for good to those who love God.” (Rom 8: 28)

16. Example on ‘God’s Will and Calling’
Principle
• In the texts, we can find quotes from the Church
of Latter-Day Saints:
– “For all have not every gift given unto them; for there
are many gifts and to every man is given a gift by the
spirit of God. To someone is given one, and to
someone is given another, that all may be profited
thereby.” (D&C46:11-12)
• The New Testament Text will read:
– “We have different gifts, according to the grace given
to each of us.” (Romans 12:6)

17. Example on ‘Divine Dignity of Human
Person’ Principle
• In the texts, we can find quotes from the Church
of Latter-Day Saints:
– “Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a
good cause, and do many things of their own free will,
and bring to pass much righteousness.” (D& C 58:27)
• The New Testament Text will read:
– “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that
we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2: 10)

18. Example on ‘God’s Love and Love of
Neighbor’ Principle
• In the texts, we can find quotes from the
Church of Latter-Day Saints:
– The poor and the rich must be one. All must serve
one another and love one another. (D&C 56:16-17)
• The New Testament Text will read:
– "A new command I give you: Love one another. As
I have loved you, so you must love one another.
(John 13:34)

19. Interfaith- Curriculum
• We can then imagine a curriculum that can
have the same principles from different
traditions and religions, and different sacred
scriptures:
Book of Mormon
Doctrine and
Covenants
Old Testament
New Testament
Quran Torah Interfaith-
Spiritual
Principles
“It is my purpose to
provide for my saints”
(D&C 104:15).
And we know that God
causes all things to
work together for good
to those who love God.
Rom8: 28