Zone 2B Sai Young Adults Festival – Recognizing our Divinity.

From September 11–14, 2025, the Zone 2B Sai Young Adults (YAs) Festival was held in Itaboraí, a municipality in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event took place at Sítio Bebele, a serene venue surrounded by trees and birds, creating an atmosphere of harmony and peace. The last YA Festival in Zone 2B was held in Córdoba, Argentina, in 2018; therefore, this was a special opportunity for the Sai Youth of South America to meet once again.

The festival theme, ‘Recognizing Our Divinity,’ invited participants to become aware of their innate divinity and explore ways to manifest it in daily life. The objectives of the festival were to:

Demonstrate the importance of the SSSIO for the spiritual and personal growth of Sai YAs;
Introduce and explain the Sai YA program;
Create bonds of brotherhood/sisterhood and unity among Sai YAs in South America; and
Offer a comfortable and trustworthy space for YAs to connect, share, and learn.

More than 70 participants from the ten countries of Zone 2B attended the festival, including the SSSIO leaders. The festival commenced with a heartfelt offering at the lotus feet of Swami, accompanied by the entrance of the flags of the ten countries. Each day began with Omkar, Suprabhatam, Veda chanting, and bhajans—setting a sacred and uplifting tone for the day.

Program highlights included Agnihotra (Vedic ritual fire), conversation circles, a cultural festival, dance performances, devotional singing, games, group dynamics, icebreakers, study circles, talks, and yoga sessions. Five inspiring talks were delivered under the titles: Sri Sathya Sai YAs Program, Life is a Game, Sai Leadership – Leaders Like Lions, Sai YAs Program – A Unique Opportunity, and Human Development.

The festival concluded with a group reflection activity, where participants contemplated questions such as: “What practice will you commit to in order to recognize your inner divinity?” The closing session featured reflections and words of gratitude from Ms. Dakny Hoffmeister and Ms. Natalia Uehara (National YA Co-Coordinators of Brazil), Mr. Sérgio Espíndola (Zone 2B Chairman), Ms. Divina Chandiramani (Zone 2B Deputy YA Coordinator), and Mr. Brian Jaramillo (Zone 2B YA Coordinator). The festival served to bring together the Sai YA family of Zone 2B, inspiring all to continue strengthening the YAs program.