Holy Switch

Holy Switch is a three-part documentary series by Varcha Sidwell and Roar Film. The series examines what happens when young people from religious families switch lives and what Australian Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Anglican, Buddhist and Hindu communities discover about their own religious traditions and practice when they invite a young person from a completely different faith into their lives. Holy Switch offers a challenging exploration of what it means to be a person of faith in contemporary Australian society.

All six participants – Aakash (a Hindu) Anthony (a Maronite Catholic), Freeman (a Buddhist monk), Jordane (a Jew), Kim (an Anglican) and Mobinah (a Muslim) – are at the outset prepared to embrace the challenges posed by the project, but in some cases find themselves unprepared for the differences they encounter. In the religious practices of the communities there are some striking similarities but also fundamental differences for the participants to negotiate.

During the two-week switch, the participants experience both the everyday and significant religious events that are part of the faith of their host family. Kim leaves her parish in Launceston to live with the Chakura family. Her counterpart Aakash finds himself at odds with Kim's friends and their views of an afterlife. Freeman embraces the opportunities offered by his immersion experience at St Charbel's, while his counterpart Anthony struggles with the ways of Buddhism. For Jordane, a Zionist Jew, becoming part of a Muslim community means that she has to cross both religious and political divides. Her counterpart Mobinah spends time with a traditional Jewish family, learning as much as she can about the Jewish faith and how it is observed.

Curriculum links

In Years 7–10, Holy Switch can be used in English, Geography, History, Media, Religion and to teach Intercultural Understanding.

In Years 11–12, Holy Switch can be used to teach English, Media and Religion.