By Marianna Richardson, Director of Communications, G20 Interfaith Forum
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On April 6, 2026, The International Society held its 36th annual conference in Provo, Utah. Several G20 Interfaith Forum members attended and participated in the event, which explored flashpoints facing the world’s rising generation and the hope that rises with them. President C. Shane Reese, President of Brigham Young University (BYU), opened the conference by noting that 2025 marked the 150th anniversary of BYU’s founding, and that the university’s theme for that milestone year — becoming beacons of light and goodness to the world — is one this conference exemplifies.
Protecting Children
David Kirkham, President of The International Society, introduced the conference theme. He observed that while religious traditions have long sought to shield children from the world’s evils, today’s children face an unprecedented range of threats: one in five children lives in a conflict zone, modern slavery persists, and predatory algorithms can target children with chilling precision. Children, he argued, are the world’s most vulnerable and most precious resource — and yet they are too often left unprotected.
Yet Kirkham’s message was also one of hope. What distinguishes a victim from a pioneer, he asked, is not circumstance but response. Children who have suffered are becoming heroes, leading the effort to rescue and protect others. Kirkham called on all present to protect the rising generation and help them shape the world they will inherit.
Serving Children and Letting Them Serve Others
Sister Susan H. Porter, Primary General President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, illustrated how the Church serves children throughout the world and described the particular power of allowing children to serve one another. She emphasized that as a society, we must put families first, because it is within families that children are best able to recognize their inherent worth.
Sister Porter also highlighted the role of education, vocational training, and participation in sports in building girls’ sense of their own value and capability. When children are invited and enabled to look outward — to their communities and to the wider world — they rise to serve and bless others. Their dignity, she said, is advanced when they feel God’s love for them through acts of service.
A separate Viewpoints blog post reviews the keynote address of Kevin Hyland, OBE, Chair of the IF20 Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Working Group.
Sports, Literacy, and Global Health
The Distinguished Service Award was presented to Lola Ogunbote, Executive Director of Goals for Girls. A Nigerian-born UK resident and globally recognized leader in women’s football, Ogunbote has used sport to unite, educate, and empower girls around the world. Through football, she teaches leadership, builds confidence, and gives girls the tools to achieve on and off the pitch. She has played a leading role in the strategic development of women’s football programs across multiple continents.
The afternoon session turned to challenges closer to the classroom. Prof. Valerie M. Hudson, University Distinguished Professor and George H.W. Bush Chair at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, offered a sobering assessment of artificial intelligence’s growing role in education. She expressed particular concern about the overuse of AI in learning environments and its effects on children’s intellectual and moral development.
A panel discussion followed on the importance of youth literacy and encouraging young people to read more deeply. The conference concluded with remarks from Sarah Bouchie, President and CEO of Helen Keller Intl, who described her organization’s work to preserve and restore children’s eyesight through nutrition programs, access to glasses, and community-level eye care.
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Marianna Richardson is the Director of Communications for the G20 Interfaith Forum (IF20), where she shapes the organization’s global messaging at the intersection of faith and policy. She is also an adjunct professor at the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University, where she teaches management communication, and serves as editor-in-chief of the Marriott Student Review, a student-run, peer-reviewed journal. Richardson’s work with IF20 spans summits, webinars, and publications engaging religious thought leaders and policymakers across the G20 process. She has published research on the IF20’s role as a network of networks and co-hosts the G20 Interfaith Forum Podcast.