Student volunteers from India and Fiji share hopes for young South Asians in promoting religious understanding, anti-bullying and community service
Peacebuilding begins with understanding others through advocating for religious freedom, standing up against bullying and creating stronger communities through service, said three student volunteers who participated in the annual Religious Freedom and Human Dignity Conference (RFHD) at Brigham Young University–Hawaii on April 21 to April 24, 2026.
According to research published by J.L. Tacket and colleagues in the Perspectives on Psychological Science in 2022 entitled, “Understanding the Leaders of Tomorrow: The Need to Study Leadership in Adolescence,” adolescence is identified as a critical period for leadership development where young people begin shaping their traits, behaviors and social skills that influence how they lead others.
The researchers wrote that leadership skills remain flexible during adolescence and can be strengthened through schools, communities and service opportunities. “Rather than seeing leadership as something reserved for adults, the study emphasizes that young people already practice leadership in meaningful ways and should be recognized as active contributors to social change,” the researchers said.
Youth leadership is most effective when young people are meaningfully included in decision-making spaces where their voices influence real outcomes.
According to Forbes, UNICEF USA highlights that youth bring unique insights and strong passion for the issues they care about, helping institutions better understand key priorities such as inclusion, climate change and mental health. “Youth leadership is most effective when young people are meaningfully included in decision-making spaces where their voices influence real outcomes,” the website says.
Diversity and understanding
For Kausalya Arumugam, a senior from India majoring in communication, media, and culture said the importance of diversity and understanding shapes a religion’s identity. “The reason I volunteered is because it is a diverse group of leaders coming up and this conference helps me understand what role religions and religious freedom plays in our lives,” she added.
Arumugam said she came from a Hindu background before joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and said that the experience helped her understand how deeply religion influences both personal and community life. “Having lived in India and studying here in Hawaii, I’ve seen how important it is to respect other religions between communities where we live,” she added.
Arumugam said what stands out the most in South Asia is the willingness of young people to create change despite challenges. “Youth currently are trying to bring people together instead of focusing on differences,” she said.
She emphasized that community service, education and social media are tools young people use to spread awareness and encourage understanding. “They use things like community service or having an education which helps them to give a good balance in their life,” she said.
Religious understanding through youth leadership
Dipeek Reddy, a senior double majoring in business management and intercultural peacebuilding from Fiji said volunteering for RFHD connected him to his academic studies and personal experiences.
“During my missionary service, I met people who wanted to change their religions but were afraid of family disapproval,” he shared. He said he realized traditions hold people back from making decisions.
“They were adults and they feared their parents and I couldn’t believe that those things still happened. It helped me become more aware and made me want to help break stigma,” he added.
Like Arumugam, Reddy said his perspective on religion changed over time as he transitioned from a Hindu upbringing to membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Every religion teaches peace, but we LDS really strive for actual life practice for peace,” he explained. Reddy said youth-led peacebuilding matters because younger generations are more open to change.
“It is more difficult changing old people’s minds, but one can still work on young people’s mindsets, and it helps them do the same for other people,” he added. Today, as a father, Reddy said his hopes for peace are personal. “I want a safe place or space for my daughter as she grows up and I know that bullying is a common thing in schools, but I hope my daughter won’t get to experience that in the future,” he added.
Developing skills through service
Raja Badu, a senior in information technology (IT) from India said RFHD offered an opportunity to step outside the technical world of IT and work directly with people. “I wanted to do something which involves people because working in IT is working with a computer all day, and I wanted to do something where I can talk to people and understand different perspectives on the world,” he explained.
Badu said being a student representative required assisting delegates from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh during the conference, helping host them at the Polynesian Cultural Center, conducting interviews and supporting media production. “It’s working in all three sectors,” he said. “I am using my skills in IT and learning new skills in the process of being with the delegates.”
Badu said one of the most important lessons he learned in observing youth-led peacebuilding is learning how to coexist despite differences. “Religion is one of the sensitive topics and we are usually divided based on culture, our religion and our country,” he added. He said he believes the next generation must focus on bringing people together instead of dividing them. “No one is going to dominate, so we need to come together and live respectfully,” he added.
Badu said strong leadership begins with patience and understanding. “You can be right, but not always,” he said. “Even if you’re always right, you have to understand the other person where they are coming from.”