CommuNIqué - Newsletter of the Bahá'í Community in Northern Ireland
Issue 134 - 14 Sultán 164 BE - 1 February 2008 CE

 

QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY BAHÁ’Í SOCIETY

 

At Queens
Sometimes the strain of being a student takes its toll....

Quicker than you can say “freshers’ week”, a semester has almost finished and exams loom large for all students alike- some things never change. However, this year, Queen’s University Bahá’í Society and its members (new and old) have seen quite a bit of change in the way things are done with events becoming increasingly regular yet varied and members taking a far more active role in the society. With almost 24,000 students enrolled at the Queen’s University of Belfast, the Bahá’í Society is a unique way of reaching out to a massive student population and despite Bahá’ís being small in number at the university and clubs and societies often not being high in an average student’s priorities- this semester, our society has indeed made itself noticed.

With the arrival of two new students at Queen’s: Soha Graham, local Bahá’í society veteran and Claire Parris, Bahá’í Society specialist from Edinburgh, the semester started off with a bang with a beautiful, well-positioned stand in an overcrowded Freshers’ Fair. Rather than bombard people with leaflets and invitations that would invariably get lost among thousands of other flyers, we decided to approach people on a one-to-one basis, taking time to speak in depth with those students who showed real interest. And it seems to have worked! Over 50 people signed up and our introductory meeting was equally encouraging with Bahá’ís being outnumbered by eager enquirers! Our first event saw us applying the principles of “Collaborative Art” with everyone working together to produce an amazing creation which incorporates skills such as an appreciation for beauty, creativity, detachment, humility and cooperation.

Our first tranquillity zone on The Power of Good Deeds saw the Bahá’í members outnumbered threefold with everyone really enjoying the concept and getting involved in discussion. We followed this by showing the film “Pay it Forward” which demonstrates the transformative potential of good deeds. Our events have followed this format: holding an inspirational tranquillity zone one week, followed by a different activity the next reflecting the theme of the tranquillity zone. This approach seems to have worked so far- students are exposed to the Creative Word as well as writings from other religions and inspirational sources while also having the opportunity to get involved in creative, dynamic activities they might not otherwise have tried.

Our International Food Fair, the proceeds of which went to War on Want, reflected the importance of unity- the theme of the previous week’s tranquillity zone and was a major success with masses of food from as far as Kenya, Mexico, China, Poland, India and Iran (thank you Mahvash!) being happily eaten amongst a sea of balloons (thank you Tony and Nari!) and chancellor’s party hats! Another tranquillity zone on the subject of “Oneness of Religion” was followed by a thought-provoking talk on “Religion in Northern Ireland: the Problem or the Solution?” by Edwin Graham (thank you Edwin!). Society members also took part in tranquillity zones on subjects such as “The Immortal Soul” and “True Happiness and Joy” as well as getting to know one another through games nights and social outings.

And as we come to the end of a pretty hectic semester and new society members are gearing up for their first Chocolate Party (thank you Coleraine!)- it’s clear that we’ve come a long way but there is still plenty more to be done. The personal approach that we’ve taken to teaching in the society has meant that members have become friends of ours, not just people we see once a week: they too have become actively involved and concerned with the running of the society.

Members have suggested service projects, donating money to charity, they’ve helped advertise events, put up posters, prepare food, tell their friends about the Faith and one particularly enthusiastic member is at present writing an article about the Bahá’í Society for Queens biggest student publication. Check out http://www.qubsu.org/index around the beginning of February

Our tranquillity zones have grown and discussion had improved through use of sets of questions to get people talking and sharing their views. Next semester, our aim is to get a study circle going with the members who come regularly to events, building on the relationships developed so far. Overall, things have gone surprisingly well and a big THANK YOU must be made to Lua, Adib,Jamie, Afnan, Mahvash and Edwin who have consistently supported our events. Please keep the endeavours of our fledgling society in your prayers and if you have any suggestions or know of any students who might be interested in hearing about what we do, contact queensbahaisociety@hotmail.co.uk

EK

 

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