Together With Friends, They Create Infinite Hope

A Place to Build Lifelong Friendships

Held June 26–29, the Junior High School Conference offered future division members an opportunity to gather at the Florida Nature and Culture Center (FNCC) during its 30th-anniversary year. The conference was designed around a simple prayer: that every participant would feel welcomed, relaxed and able to build lasting friendships.

Opening the conference, Erin Lee and Siraput Jongaramrungruang, national future division young women’s and young men’s leaders, welcomed participants who had traveled from across the country and acknowledged the efforts their families had made for them to attend.

“Our hope,” Lee said, “is that everyone feels like they are able to really enjoy, relax, be their most authentic self and, most importantly, develop friendship with one another.”

Eight junior high school planning committee members met weekly for months leading up to the conference, helping design many of its activities. The conference schedule focused on relationship-building. Alongside gongyo, Buddhist study and discussion sessions, participants enjoyed a nature walk around the FNCC grounds, junior high olympics, pool time, movie night, special-interest groups, an open mic, a talent show and dance party.

Among the conference’s content, presentations returned to one central question: What is true friendship?

Drawing on guidance from Ikeda Sensei and Nichiren Daishonin, presenters explored how genuine friends empathize with one another during difficult times, encourage one another not to lose heart and continue growing together.

That spirit was reflected in the experiences shared by the students themselves.

Mason Jofre, who will enter sixth grade this fall, described chanting each day for a classmate who was often isolated and treated unfairly by other students. Rather than focusing only on his own goals, Mason began praying for his friend’s happiness.

Over time, he saw remarkable changes. His friend began getting into less trouble, classmates started including him in activities and, most importantly, “he looked happier and more confident.”

Aarushi Arunkumar shared how an 18-month separation from her father left her feeling lonely. During that time, she relied on chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and the encouragement of other future division members. After reuniting with her father on April 1, 2026, she expressed gratitude for everyone who had supported her, concluding with a passage from Sensei: “Even a feeble person will not stumble if those supporting him are strong” (The Victorious Teen, p. 121).^[1]

During the weekend, students at the FNCC joined a nationwide webinar introducing SUA. Junior high and high school students from around the country, along with their parents, heard from SUA alumni and student leaders, watched videos about campus life and participated in a Q&A session about the university.

For many in attendance, the weekend demonstrated that the friendships they were beginning to form were part of something much larger—a lifelong journey within the Soka family.

By the final morning of the conference, students who had once been anxious about meeting their roommates found themselves reluctant to part ways. Each departed with new friendships and a copy of Sensei’s Discussions on Youth—a reminder that the encouragement they found during the conference would continue long after they returned home.

Friendship Becomes the Foundation for the Future

Three weeks after the Junior High School Conference, the same spirit emerged—this time on the SUA campus, where 137 high school students gathered from July 17 to 20. 

Eight high school students, supported by future division leaders, met weekly for months as members of the planning committee. Together they developed ideas and shaped what organizers hoped would be the most enjoyable and memorable conference yet.

Rather than focusing solely on lectures, the conference intentionally balanced Buddhist study with opportunities for attendees to build friendships naturally. Organizers introduced several new activities, including a Soka Fair, where the students explored different aspects of university life, a High School World Cup featuring team-building activities, an evening hangout in the Bowl^[2] and a pool gathering—all designed to help students interact across chaperone groups and get to know one another.

Welcoming the high school students to the conference, Lee admitted that as a future division member, she had once been reluctant to make friends in the SGI. Growing up, she experienced bullying and feelings of isolation. Even after meeting the young woman who would become one of her closest friends, her first impression was that they had little in common.

Over time, however, the two discovered that they were both struggling with similar challenges. Together they attended meetings, supported one another through Byakuren activities, chanted for their goals and celebrated life’s milestones side by side.

“I almost missed the chance to have such a wonderful friend in my life,” she said, encouraging participants to look beyond first impressions, honestly share their struggles and support one another through them.

The conference’s main Buddhist concepts session addressed situations that teenagers experience in their daily lives. How do you make friends in a new environment? How do you share Buddhism with classmates when you are afraid of being rejected? How do you repair friendships after conflict?

Using relatable scenarios and guidance from Nichiren Daishonin and Sensei, student presenters emphasized that confidence begins not with trying to impress others but with believing in one’s own Buddha nature. Genuine friendship, they explained, grows from sincerity, inclusivity and the courage to initiate dialogue.

One presenter encouraged the attendees to stop worrying about whether others would accept them and instead focus on becoming the kind of person who naturally encourages those around them. Another reminded the audience that every person possesses the Buddha nature and deserves respect, while a third challenged participants to not let the fear of rejection prevent them from reaching out to classmates or introducing others to Buddhism.

The experiences shared throughout the conference illustrated those principles in action.

Lily Park, a New York student entering her sophomore year, shared how the excitement of starting high school gave way to academic pressure and declining mental health. Inspired by classmates who openly shared their own struggles, she began chanting for others’ happiness and resolved to become someone her peers could turn to for encouragement. “Rather than feeling helpless,” she said, “I was going to be a person who anyone could just come up to and feel comfortable talking with.”

The conference’s closing open mic session reflected that same spirit. The students reflected on the changes they had experienced over the course of the weekend, sharing how hearing others’ stories inspired them to begin practicing gongyo consistently at home and expressing gratitude for the friendships they had formed. One participant, who had been nervous about meeting her roommate, said she left having “made so many friends,” while another called the conference “the best experience of my life.” 

Many participants were inspired to apply to SUA after learning about its educational philosophy and hearing from current students and alumni.

By the conference’s end, the participants returned home with more than memories of a joyful weekend. They left with renewed confidence in their Buddhist practice, friendships that transcended geography and a shared determination to encourage others. 

Together, the junior high and high school conferences embodied their theme, proving that when young people unite with courage, compassion and hope, they can create a brighter future for themselves and everyone around them.

August 7, 2026 World Tribune, pp. 6–7