On 24 March 2024, the SGI New Zealand (SGINZ) Youth Group in Auckland hosted its first event promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in collaboration with representatives from diverse organizations, including The Peace Foundation, the Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand and Seed Waikato. Held at the SGINZ Culture Centre in Auckland under the theme “Creating a Hopeful Future,” the event focused on SDG16: Peace, justice and strong institutions. Some 100 youth, including high school and university students, participated in the event.

Alastair Thompson, cofounder of the Scoop online news service, gave the keynote speech. Referring to the mounting challenges to the current world order, he pointed to all forms of othering as the root of all hatred, violence and war.

Following his speech, Mr. Thompson participated in a panel discussion facilitated by Soumya Puri, SGINZ Young Men’s Group Leader. Other panelists included Youth Programmes Coordinator of The Peace Foundation Olivia Shimasaki, Youth Worker of the Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand Nabeela Ahmed and SGINZ Public Affairs National Coordinator Joycelyn Raffills. Each panelist shared peace activities conducted by their respective organizations. The discussion was followed by an activity report from Jahvaya Wheki and Annika van Driel of Seed Waikato, an organization dedicated to supporting local youth to connect, grow and live purposefully.

The event also featured a mixer activity to discover what actions participants intended to take for the sake of peace. Examples included greeting others with a smile, making new friends and encouraging those around them.

Overall, this event underscored the importance of the SDGs and empowering youth to be the agents of change in their communities.