On June 14, the bright voices of eight Future Division (FD) representatives conveyed a warm welcome to 15 secondary school students, accompanied by camp facilitators and a teacher-in-charge, who visited Senja Soka Centre as part of “Camp Ignite!”. This is a youth-led initiative supported by OnePeople.sg that provides a platform, which encourages and fosters friendships among students from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
OnePeople.sg is an organisation that champions racial harmony initiatives. The “Camp Ignite!” programme included visits to various religious sites, with the aim of allowing students to understand the different religious practices and belief systems in Singapore. This is the first time SSA hosted “Camp Ignite!” participants.Before taking a tour of Senja Soka Centre, Soka Educators’ Group representatives gave an informative presentation and an engaging quiz, through which the youthful guests gained a greater understanding of Nichiren Buddhism, the SGI and SSA. The tour of the centre included the Hall of Gratitude and An-Le Memorial Hall, a columbarium facility for SSA members. The visit ended with the youth from “Camp Ignite!” having dialogues with FD members to better understand the faith and practice of Nichiren Buddhism from these young practitioners.For many of these youthful guests, who were hearing about and visiting SSA for the first time, their visit was an eye-opener. “It is amazing! I didn’t know that there is so much to Buddhism!” commented one of the visitors, Anushka Prakash. Though the time spent together was short, warm friendships had already been forged between the students and the SSA representatives!
