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Next Generation Leaders Host Intergenerational Conversation on “Building Better Together”
As the Next Generation Task Force at the Parliament of the World’s Religions prepared to organize an observance for the 2021 World Interfaith Harmony Week, the Parliament’s youngest Board Member and NextGen lead, Kehkashan Basu had one thought in mind, “How do we acknowledge how different this year’s observances will be from 2020 and how can our community build better together post-pandemic?”
Highlighting the theme “Building Better Together” the Next Generation Task Force brought together Kusumita Pedersen from the Parliament of the World’s Religions and Pragna Vasupal from Green Hope Foundation in a special interactive and intergenerational discussion on the critical need for interfaith harmony as our communities deal with issues worsened by COVID and prepare for a post-COVID world where we must determine how we can continue to work together.
The program featured an intimate discussion between Kusumita and Pragna reflecting on the challenges 2021 bring with it, how this pandemic might serve as an opportunity for building better together, steps to create the new normal for the betterment of our communities, and how WIHW is bringing people together to rebuild better. The discussion highlighted the critical generational experiences of the featured speakers and emphasized the Next Generation’s ongoing commitment to providing young activists opportunities to share their experiences and expertise with the global interfaith movement.
This was followed by an interactive conversation with 30+ live attendees who had the opportunity to share their experiences in observing World Interfaith Harmony Week, the challenges they’ve faced in the midst of the pandemic, and the resilience of their communities. Participants also discussed the importance of education, the Sustainable Development Goals, institutions like the United Nations, and initiatives like World Interfaith Harmony Week will be in the recovery efforts in a post-COVID world.