 MITRA is an initiative that has been inspired by the Intervarsity Buddhist Convention 2002, held in UTS in July 2002. Through the convention, it was identified that more formal links between University Buddhist Societies were required to stage more effective joint activities and to provide a rich pool of resources.
Representatives from UTSBMS, Unibodhi, MacBuddhi and a few past executive committee members from MacBuddhi formed the initiating team of MITRA.
MITRA, a Sanskrit word, meaning ‘friend’ was selected as the name as it represented the objectives and the aims highlighted during Intervarsity. MITRA can be thought of as a helping hand for University Buddhist Societies.
MITRA aims to support youth organisations, especially at tertiary educational institutions, that connect young people to the Dharma. We believe it is during youth, and particularly during tertiary study, that we develop fundamental values that guide us through our lives. As youth, we bring our own perspectives to the Dharma, relating it to modern life and making it accessible to our peers. Through MITRA, we aim to reach out and foster friendship between people interested in moral and spiritual values, and to assist in passing the Buddha’s teachings on to future generations.
MITRA aims to provide the network where youth organisations with objectives similar to these can find support, and facilitate the exchange of information and ideas and pool resources. Through this network, youth Buddhist societies will not only become aware of the existence of other like-minded groups, but will be able to grow together through interaction, enabling mutual support and sharing of expertise to enhance their abilities to better serve their members. Furthermore, MITRA can provide the ‘net’ to fall back on when a youth Buddhist society is in need of assistance, exercising our combined efforts to carry them through any difficulties. MITRA also aims to establish Buddhist societies in tertiary institutions where they are not already present, providing opportunities for more young people to access the Dharma.
MITRA also functions as a gateway for the alumni of youth Buddhist societies to keep in touch and to continue to support Buddhism at the tertiary level. Alumni have expertise and resources, financially and in other areas, which are invaluable to Buddhist societies. A network of alumni will also be able to support each other in their transition from higher education to the workforce and maintain their connection to the Dharma long after they have completed their studies.
MITRA’s long-term vision is to establish a Buddhist youth council incorporating all schools of Buddhism, which will represent the voice of Buddhist youth and Buddhist organisations from tertiary educational institutions around Australia. We aim for such a council to be recognised as the first point of contact on issues affecting our organisations as a whole, and to provide an avenue for the views of all Buddhist youth organisations to be expressed, discussed and debated, allowing us to put forth a conglomerate say. It is not our intention to displace the individual identities of any Buddhist group, but rather to foster trust, tolerance and support amongst our societies.
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