Young Leaders Connect With Nonproliferation Experts at Nuclear Politics 2025

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Four students sit alongside eachother at a wooden desk and listen intently to a speaker during the Nuclear Politics 2025 summer program.

“Whether we have a nuclear war or not is completely up to us,” Dr. Ira Helfand told his audience at SUA on June 12. “It’s really important that we inform ourselves and mobilize the body politic to take a stand.”

Helfand, a member of the International Steering Group of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, spoke as part of the Nuclear Politics Summer Program, an annual, weeklong workshop on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation that brought together 16 students from six countries and 13 universities, including Harvard, American University, the University of Denver, San Diego State, Korea University, and the Kyiv School of Economics.

Organized by the Soka Institute for Global Solutions, the program featured discussion-based seminars and guest lectures from experts in the field and was held June 9 to 13. Through educating students on topics like the historical legacy of nuclear weapons, current international legal debates, and feasible risk reduction strategies, the annual Nuclear Politics Summer Program aims to build a network of young people who advocate for a world free from nuclear weapons.

In addition to Helfand, guest speakers included three scholars from the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey: Senior Project Manager and Research Associate Masako Toki, who led sessions about civil society movements and global efforts for disarmament; Professor of the Practice Stephen Herzog, who discussed the war in Ukraine; and Research Associate Yanglian Pan, who focused on nuclear risks posed by artificial intelligence. Daiana Cipollone, visiting professor at the U.N.-mandated University for Peace in San Jose, Costa Rica, gave the final guest talk of the week, exploring pathways to careers in international organizations.

“I left every session with a deep sense of urgency,” said participant Nala Thomas ’28, reflecting on the past few days before presenting her final project. “I learned more this week than I ever expected, and it genuinely changed me … I developed a new passion, and I can no longer see the world the same way.”

On the last day of the workshop, participants presented their action plans, outlining the advocacy projects they intend to carry out in their communities and beyond. Students proposed a diverse range of plans, including founding student organizations at their own universities, developing K-12 curriculum on nuclear disarmament, organizing concerts dedicated to peace, applying risk assessment tools frequently used in the fields of genocide studies and atrocity prevention, and expanding networks of policy analysts, NGOs, and civil society groups. Mana Makabe ’26 suggested having medical students practice laparoscopic surgery skills by making tiny origami paper cranes, which are symbols of peace in Japanese culture, as a unique way to raise awareness among the medical community about the public health risks of nuclear weapons.

A closing ceremony followed the final project presentations, and students received certificates to commemorate their participation in the summer program. Dr. Andrea Bartoli, executive adviser to the Soka Institute for Global Solutions, delivered closing remarks over Zoom and reminded attendees that nuclear abolition must be a long-term and collaborative goal.

“It’s impossible for us to think of nuclear abolition as an individual project,” he said. “There must be cooperation among many actors. I think a good example could be the reverse of the Manhattan Project. The atomic bomb was not made by Oppenheimer alone; it was the product of thousands of people, billions of dollars, and extraordinary investment. We need to take on our responsibility contributing to this larger movement.”

The following photos capture some of the meaningful interactions and learning moments that took place during this year’s Nuclear Politics Summer Program. Students interested in participating in the 2026 summer program are encouraged to reach out to the Soka Institute for Global Solutions for more information.

Guest speaker Masako Toki engages in discussion with program participants. As a senior project manager and research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, Toki works to promote disarmament and nonproliferation education for high school students in the U.S., Japan, and Russia, and other countries.

A male student posts a sticky note to a white board while two female students with long brown hair look on. — Students work together in small groups during a learning activity on June 9.

Dr. Ira Helfand wears a tan suit and speaks into a microphone while standing at a lectern and presenting in front of an audience of student participants. — Dr. Ira Helfand, co-founder and former president of Physicians for Social Responsibility and a member of the International Steering Group of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, delivers his lecture, “The Dangers of Nuclear War and What We Can Do About It,” on June 12.

Eight student participants gather around and look at a laptop screen during a break between sessions. — Nuclear Politics 2025 team members and participants gather between sessions.

A student converses with Tetsushi Ogata ’05, visiting assistant professor of peace and conflict studies and managing director of the Soka Institute for Global Solutions, during a session on June 11.

Nuclear Politics 2025 participants listen to Helfand’s lecture on the catastrophic consequences of nuclear war and why young people have an important role to play in the nuclear abolition movement.

A participant shares her experiences during a roundtable discussion on June 11.

A female student speaker wearing a black shirt and red lipstick gestures with her hands while giving a presentation. — Nala Thomas ’28 presents her final project on the last day of Nuclear Politics 2025. She proposed a grassroots initiative to bring discussions about nuclear abolition into underserved communities that are often excluded from the conversation. “I believe education is one of the most important tools we have,” Thomas said.

Mana Makabe ’26 talks with Helfand after the closing ceremony on June 13.