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Twenty-seven years after having hosted the 2nd World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in 1997, London once again played host, this time to the 8th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress (8WZYC) which was organized by Young Zoroastrians — a youth platform of Zoroastrians in the United Kingdom — under the auspices of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE). The Congress was organized with a vision of "Reigniting Connections” and under the mission statement "To coexist harmoniously despite our differences.”
For five days, from July 21-26, 2023, the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel, a stone’s throw away from London’s Heathrow Airport, was bustling with nearly 500 young Zoroastrians from 15 different countries. The largest contingent of 234 were from North America, followed by 122 from the UK, 38 each from Australia and India, 32  from New Zealand, 13 from Singapore, 11 from Pakistan, five from the UAE, two from Iran and one each from Bahrain, Germany, Hong Kong, Netherlands and South Africa. The median age of the attendees was 24. More than half of the delegates in attendance were between the ages of 18 and 24; 32% were between the ages of 25 and 30; and 10% were in their 30s, with a perfect 50:50 gender split. The Congress had 30 delegates who were mobeds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"In our eyes, this Congress is a celebration of our shared heritage and a platform to inspire the next generation. Our key message for the 8WZYC is to coexist in harmony even when opinions may differ. In a time when our population is decreasing, it is crucial that we come together, embracing our differences and work towards common goals. Let us seize this opportunity to build bridges, reignite connections, and ensure a vibrant future for our Zoroastrian community!” noted the message from the Congress co-chairs Sheherazad Kapadia and Sanaya Khambatta-Heerjee in the Congress brochure.
Since the organizing committee had opted to do away with printed copies of the brochure due to environmental concerns, two days prior to the launch of the Congress, the registered delegates received an e-brochure by email. The almost 100-page-long brochure promised the Youth Congress would be "a transformative experience, uniting young Zoroastrians from around the world and empowering them to shape the future of their community.” It reaffirmed that "the event will not only celebrate the rich heritage of the Zoroastrian faith but also inspire the next generation to embrace its values and contribute to a more united and sustainable world.”
Over 70 distinguished speakers from around the world with expertise and experience in various fields shared their opinions, findings of their researches, and discussed and debated matters spread across three overarching themes of the Congress, namely Religious Education and Identity: Insights into the rich history of Zoroastrianism; Social Responsibility: Young Zoroastrians tackling issues ranging from Sustainability to Human Rights; and Networking and Opportunities: Creating lasting connections with others. LGBTQ+  (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning and more) relationships and the achievements of young Zoroastrians in media, arts and sports were also covered at the Congress.
The keynote address by Sir Ron Kalifa during the opening ceremony of the Congress, "The Spirituality Fireside Chat” with Nadia Jam and Darius Parekh, and "Your first steps with Money and Investing” by Melwin Mehta drew crowds of young delegates looking for inspiring success stories and work-life balance in this rapidly evolving, competitive world. A synergistic session called "Zoroastrianism 101: Zoroastrianism through the Ages,” where Dastur Khurshed Dastoor delivered a talk and thereafter with Prof Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw Vevaina from Oxford University took real-time questions, generated excitement among the delegates as they expanded their knowledge of Zoroastrianism from an ecclesiastical and academic perspective.
The Congress featured a line-up of speakers from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), experts and budding scholars in various fields of Zoroastrian studies, who offered an academic scrutiny of the historical and contemporary state of Zoroastrians. Prof Sarah Stewart and Dr Nazneen Engineer presented the findings of the recently concluded Gen Z Survey to a packed room of audience. Dr Mehrbod Khanizadeh received a standing ovation from the audience for taking them on a textual and visual tour of Iran and engaging in an interesting round of questions and answers during his session on the "Traditions of Modern Iranians and their Changes.” Burzine Waghmar provided a historical context for the displacement of the Parsis of East Africa and Aden in light of the significant concentration of Parsis in the UK who had to flee the political unrest in the region. The session titled "Becoming Zoroastrian: Beyond the Binary of Parsi and Zartoshti-zdeh” by a PhD candidate at SOAS was popular and piqued the curiosity of the young attendees. Unlike the session on interfaith relationships which is now commonplace, the attendees perceived the one on new-Zoroastrians as introducing them to a different development which is still under researched and less discussed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The evening events were full of merriment and meant to provide a platform for youth "to network, engage and explore different aspects of their identity.” One such frolic evening that the youth enjoyed was a theme-based entertainment event dubbed "A night with Bond, Jamshed Bond,” which gave an immersive experience to the youth through James Bond themed props and decor.  The experience of Persian dancing and instrumental music performances on the last day fostered "connections that transcend borders and amplified the global voice of Zoroastrianism.”
Planned for the third day of the Congress was a gala evening at the historic Guildhall in London, where monarchs and state guests have been entertained for generations. The three course sit down dinner was catered by celebrity chef Cyrus Todiwala and his wife Perveen. The add-on event, which cost £130 (INR 13,726), was advertised among the delegates as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and gave a chance to those who were unable to reserve a spot at the Congress. [The early bird tickets for the 8WZYC, which cost £550 (Rs 57,974) and included lodging and food for the duration of the Congress, had been sold out in the first three hours after the booking opened in November 2022 and the balance in less than seven hours compelling the organizers to accommodate 50 more at a later stage.] Since the larger Zoroastrian community across age groups had joined the gathering there were 324 guests at Guildhall of whom 241 were youth. Among the youngsters present, only, one-third (167/500) had registered for the Congress.
The delegates were greeted on the fourth day of the Congress at the magnificent Grade II listed art-deco Zoroastrian Centre in the London borough of Harrow. The former cinema building now houses a setayash gah (sanctum for the fire) and serves as the secretariat for ZTFE, the UK’s oldest established religious voluntary organization of South Asian origin, founded in 1861 by Muncherjee Hormusji Cama and Dr Dadabhai Naoroji.
Two popular panel discussions — "Relationships, Identity and Our Future” and "Many Voices, One Fire: Zoroastrian Priesthood in the 21st Century” — were held at the majestic Zartoshty Brothers Hall at the Zoroastrian Centre. After a scrumptious Parsi lunch catered by the Todiwalas,  all the delegates headed to central London.
The Congress was the culmination of over four years of diligent work and deliberation by 30+ members of the Congress Youth Committee. When the world was in the grip of pandemic-induced lockdowns and committee members were scattered across the country and globe, Zoom, an online community platform called Slack, and Google Drives became the hub to lay the early foundations of the Congress. It took more than a year for conditions to return to normal, and for all members of the Youth Committee to meet in person during a two-day brainstorming retreat in late 2021 subsidized by the ZTFE at the ASHA Centre in Gloucester, UK. The Congress was effectively a transnational collaboration between communities. This was so not only because the donors who made the event possible came from all over the world, including North America, Hong Kong, Singapore, UK and, most notably, India, but also because the young members of the organizing committee actively sought advice and guidance from their counterparts who had been instrumental in successfully planning previous congresses. 
The registration fee at the 8WZYC had been kept reasonable thanks to billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr Cyrus Poonawalla’s title sponsorship and the generosity of numerous donors, along with other fundraising activities like raffles and dinners in the past two years. The managing committee of ZTFE, which underwrote the Congress, was able to raise almost £150,000 (Rs 1.58 crores) for the event.
"As the host, ZTFE is thankful our youth volunteered to organize the 8WZYC and our adults supported and mentored them. ZTFE is in gratitude to all our generous sponsors, especially the Cyrus Poonawalla Group of Companies,” acknowledged ZTFE president Malcolm Deboo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Past president and current trustee Dorab Mistry was thankful to his trustee colleagues Rusi Dalal and Bapsy Dastoor and the entire ZTFE managing committee team, naming Deboo, treasurer Javid Canteenwala and joint secretary Jesmin Sorab "who worked extremely hard and seamlessly with the Young Zoroastrians committee.” 
The Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA) allocated $ 60,000 (Rs 49,70,130) in their budget for 2023 to provide financial incentives to young Zoroastrian residents of the United States and Canada who were attending the 8WZYC. According to FEZANA president Arzan Wadia, 170 availed of the subsidy. New Zealand’s The Zarathustrian Association of New Zealand Next Gen Youth worked together to raise NZD 10,000 (Rs 5,01,908) and support young delegates to attend the Congress, informed Delshad Sidhwa.
The baton, of the Congress, a figurative atash, was passed to India’s Zoroastrian Youth for the Next Generation (ZYNG), which will host the 9th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in Bombay in four years’ time.