Jem Jebbia: I am a 21-year-old Mahayana Buddhist from Los Angeles, California. I am paired with a Jewish Fellow in Boston, Massachusetts at Interfaith Action, a non-profit organisation that works with high school students to build interfaith bridges. I am very excited to represent the Tony Blair Faith Foundation as one of the first Fellows in Australia.
So far the highlight of the Parliament for me has been meeting the many different Buddhists from around the world. It came as a surprise to find that Buddhism is the second largest religion in Australia after Christianity. So one of my goals at the Parliament is to take this chance to learn more about my own faith. Buddhism is one of the most diverse faith traditions in the world. I am getting the chance to learn about the different denominations so that I can better call Buddhists to our work- creating Interfaith leaders back in Boston at the Interfaith Action where I am based.