In my high school, there was a dedicated classroom for religious education classes. Its walls were covered with large posters created by students about remarkable thinkers and activists. I still remember clearly that one of them displayed a quote that had a profound impact on me: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
I had always carried many quiet reflections about the world and the society we live in, though I had rarely shared them. After encountering that quote, which touched me deeply, I began to look for small ways to take part in things that might help others and make our community a little better.
Encouraged by that moment and decision, I joined the Student Council of the János Zsigmond Unitarian High School, where I had the honor of serving as secretary for two years. During that time, I learned a great deal and gained valuable experience in teamwork, all with the goal of serving our student community. We introduced several new events and traditions, such as the Nations Days, where each high school class represented a different country from around the world on a designated day of the year, wearing traditional costumes, sharing food from that culture, and playing its music.
During my BTheol years at the Protestant Theological Institute of Cluj-Napoca, I was elected twice as Student Representative for the Unitarian Department. This role gave me the opportunity to gain valuable experience in leading a community, advocating for youth, raising funds, and organizing events. Being in a position that bridged the aims and visions of students and professors, I learned what it means to represent both individual and community concerns authentically, and to convey and connect intentions with integrity. Those years taught me empathy and equality, as my work aimed to give every student under my care the chance to grow and to feel that their voice mattered.
In my first year at university, I felt called to become involved in the work of the Dávid Ferenc Unitarian Youth Association. This organization holds more than ten national events each year, reaching over a thousand young people in total. I believe its work is invaluable, as it seeks to present authentic ways of living for younger generations and to connect them with society, culture, nature, and religion.
After several years of volunteering with the association, its General Assembly entrusted me with the position of vice president, which I held for four years. Afterward, toward the end of my time in youth work, this role became that of Presidential Advisor, for which I remain deeply grateful.
In parallel, I was also elected as vice president of the Hungarian Youth Council of Romania, a position I served in for three years. In both organizations, I was responsible for external relations. Those years provided me with a wide range of experiences in networking, travel, representation, dialogue, and collaboration.
For me, the most meaningful part of my youth work was the opportunity to contribute to its cultural activities. After the Unitarian Youth Conference had lain dormant for several years, I was given the opportunity to take part in its transformation as re-founder and main organizer. This event dates back to 1928 and has always played a vital role in creating a platform for young thinkers to discuss important issues.
After two years of preparation, together with a wonderful team, we completely rethought the concept of the UYC and transformed it. Until then, its structure had centered around renowned speakers invited to give talks to young people. We changed this approach, believing that it should be young people themselves who deliver presentations in the fields they are most passionate and engaged in. To support this vision, we established a mentoring network designed to assist each student in developing their interests and projects. In this way, the UYC became a forum where young people could share their research and creative work with their peers, gaining valuable experience in presentation and academic writing.
Building on the transformation of the UYC, we also re-founded the long-standing youth journal The Sheaf, which had originally been published between 1930 and 1936. I was entrusted with the role of chief editor for the first issue of the newly revived journal, through which we provided young people with the opportunity to publish their work, both academic essays and literary pieces such as poems and short stories. I am deeply grateful for these years, during which I gained experience in public speaking, event organization, and journal editing.
After finishing my seminary years, I was called to serve as assistant minister at one of the largest Unitarian congregations in Transylvania. At the Unitarian Congregation of Sepsiszentgyörgy, I had the opportunity to experience what it truly means to serve a community of around two thousand members, with countless activities and events every day for people of all generations, from children to elders. During that year, I was blessed with the best mentor one could hope for, who taught me empathy, attentiveness to people’s lives, and true dedication.
Our greatest shared project was a long-cherished dream that, after two hundred years, finally became reality during the very year I served as assistant minister. The Unitarian Congregation of Sepsiszentgyörgy has a sister congregation in Covasna, which has only about fifty members. Although this community has existed for nearly two centuries, it had never owned its own building. My remarkable mentor, Ágnes Péterfi, launched a fundraising campaign and invited me to take part in it. Through more than thirty charity events, including concerts, performances, runs, and balls, and after raising tens of thousands of euros, we were left speechless to see this small community, after two hundred years of statelessness, finally purchase a property and begin their church building project.
All these years of social activity would not have been possible without the wonderful people around me with whom I formed a team. I feel deeply grateful to the predecessors, colleagues, and mentors with whom I had the pleasure of working.
Szilárd Nagy, Orsolya Mátó-Székely, Róbert Csis, Ilona Popa, Rita Szekeres, Botond Andrási, Brigitta Barothi, Zita Emese Magyari, Árpád Ilkei, Zsófia Lőrinczi, Zsuzsanna Kondert, Levente Szabó, Balázs Szabó, Márton Veres, Réka Horváth, Tímea Tóth, Ágota Mátéfi, Dávid Mihály, Lucas Apetroae, Ágnes Péterfi, Sándor Péterfi, Géza Gazdag, Ildikó Gazdag, Ildikó Czimbalmos, Rozália Tóth, Emese Varga, and my one and only Ilka.
