Soha Graham is now serving on a year of service, assisting the Training Institute Junior Youth Coordinator Edwina Agahi, in establishing and promoting Junior Youth Courses in Northern Ireland.
This is a new post funded by the Training Institute and supported by the Baháí Council for Northern Ireland. The post arose as a result of the perceived need in Northern Ireland for investing time and effort in establishing junior youth courses, and training human resources in order to accelerate this process in Northern Ireland. Soha took up her post in August 2006, and has moved to Belfast in order to be able to fulfil her role more efficiently.
Below are a few questions and answers regarding this fourth core activity:
The role of an Animator is similar to that of a tutor. Animators facilitate Junior Youth Courses, and are encouraged to befriend, nurture and support the junior youth in their care. It is a role that requires commitment, genuine respect and concern for this age group and recognition of their enormous capacity.
In order to be trained as an Animator you must be at least fifteen years of age. There is no upper age limit and some adults make excellent Animators. However it is well established that youth are in an excellent position to perform this act of service. They seem to find it easy to treat the junior youth as equals and not as children, to create an environment in which they can ask questions, express their doubts, to engage in the investigation of reality. Anyone can assist with the running of a Junior Youth Course and as Bahá'ís we are encouraged to complete Book 5 as this will further advance our understanding of both the sequence and the significance of this fourth core activity.
Anyone wishing to be trained as an Animator needs to have completed Ruhi Books 1 to 4. The future Book 5, which is in fact the Animator Course, reflects on the characteristics and potential of junior youth, the forces that impact on them, our attitude to this age-group and the qualities that Animators need to develop within themselves to effectively perform this role. In addition, Animators are trained in the appropriate use of the current junior youth material.
The first step is to identify a junior youth or group of junior youth in your area. Possible sources may be your local youth club, after-school club or perhaps a junior youth who resides in your street. It is intended that these courses be run, if possible, on a neighbourhood basis and as such can help to establish links with parents and younger brothers and sisters. This makes it an excellent vehicle to foster the multiplication of other core activities. Due to their emphasis on literacy, these courses have also proved successful if conducted with minority groups where English is a second language. You may also contact the Junior Youth Co-ordinator who will liaise with you regarding venues, resources, and the provision of trained Animators, and will be happy to provide on-going support.
You do not need to have Baháí junior youth in your community. The junior youth courses are not intended for Bahais only. They are a service that the Baháí Community is offering to the community at large which will equip the junior youth with the spiritual and intellectual skills, which are essential to survive in an ever-disintegrating society.
No. Junior youth Courses are designed to bring spiritual empowerment Junior youth from all backgrounds and therefore have a global application. The texts developed by Baháí Institutes for this purpose can be divided into two broad categories. Those belonging to the first category provide material for the continuation of spiritual education received in Baháí Classes. Such classes are open to all junior youth irrespective of their religious background. The second category of material may be best described as Baháí inspired and are designed to develop spiritual perception, enhance the power of expression and build a sound moral structure that leads to spiritual empowerment. The Junior Youth Co-ordinator will be able to advise you on which materials will be most appropriate for your specific group of Junior youth and their needs.
The material is organised for three age-groups. These are 11 to 12, 13 to 14 and 14 to 15. Where possible it is best to group junior youth according to age, as the materials have been devised to cater for specific developmental requirements. Ideally junior youth should enter the programme around the age of 11 or 12 and complete the Books in the junior youth sequence by the time they are fifteen. These courses also prepare the young people intellectually and spiritually for the Institutes main sequence of courses.
Some key points about the courses are:
A junior youth group is not like a childrens class. It has some features of a study circle but its primary function is to provide an environment of mutual support for its members to explore ideas, and afford them a measure of autonomy to engage in service projects they choose to undertake.
Report by Junior Youth Coordinator Edwina Agahi
We started off with a song to relax us and get us into the mood for yet another enjoyable blend of reflection, arts, discussion and planning. People were invited to share their inspiring teaching stories. It was great to hear people sharing their stories and how they always looked to the Concourse on High for assistance, and each of them felt they received their portion in those instances. The arts kept people on their feet and lively with a traditional Irish band playing some tunes. There was also a moving account of the story of Mirza Mihdi (The Purest Branch).
Report by Cluster Coordinator Mahan Hashemi-zadeh
Cluster 1 (Northern Lights): Mahan Hashemi-zadeh
Cluster 2 (Stars of the West): Vida Lake
Cluster 3 (Hainsworth): Anne Munro
Cluster 4 (Seven Valleys): Sina Rezvani
Junior Youth Coordinator for Northern Ireland: Edwina Agahi
Childrens Class Coordinator for Northern Ireland: Pat Jamshidi
Regional Coordinator for Northern Ireland: Arjang Agahi
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