Dongguk University WISE Campus to hold youth Buddhist festival

Dongguk University WISE Campus will host "2026 Young Camp: The Main Character — Walking Together, Opening the Path," a youth Buddhist festival, at Munmu Hall on campus on Nov. 17 at 3 p.m., the university announced Tuesday.

About 3,000 students and faculty members are expected to attend, with the program featuring a Buddhist precepts ceremony, a scholarship certificate presentation, a community gathering and performances by invited singers.

The first part of the program will center on the precepts ceremony, with Dongguk University Foundation Chairman Ven. Dongwan and other officiating monks presiding over the taking of Buddhist precepts by students and faculty.

A highlight will be the Young Camp scholarship presentation, through which about 2,000 students from Buddhist campus clubs will receive a combined 400 million won ($295,000) in scholarships. The grants will be distributed on a tiered basis according to each student's certification as a young Buddhist practitioner grounded in the six paramitas, with the aim of encouraging religious practice and the university's founding principles.

The second part of the program will feature a community gathering organized by the student planning committee, including a Dongguk quiz competition and prize draws, followed by performances from three invited acts.

The Young Camp is part of the "Main Character Movement," a Buddhist outreach initiative for university students and youth led by Ven. Dongwan, and is now in its third consecutive year.

A university official said the event is intended to give young Buddhist practitioners an opportunity to communicate, build unity and put Buddhist teachings into practice in their daily lives.