The University of Warwick, venue for the conference
The 346 Friends gathered at the Youth Conference in the United Kingdom on 1-3 January 2010 received with gladness the Message of the Supreme Body. The youth, humbled by the expression of admiration and the special responsibilities charged to them by the Universal House of Justice, reflected and earnestly consulted on their call to action.Their energies were galvanized and their resolve was strengthened through hearing heroic stories of their spiritual forbears, and through insights shared from the field of service by their fellow youth.
Anticipating divine favours, they have committed themselves to action, through the following pledges to establish or assist with core activities: 115 devotional meetings, 75 children's classes8, 6 junior youth groups, and93 study circles.
Thoughts shared from the Northern Ireland youth who attended:
“ For the first time, in our memory, the youth conference was addressed directly by The Universal House Of Justice. At the conference, I learned about the core activities in action from the presentations of people all around the UK, which as well as being awe-inspiring, put into perspective the things that I myself am trying to achieve, and also the happiness that the message of Bahá'u'lláh, indirect and direct, brings to both children and their parents. It showed me what a gift we possess, and as the letter from the Universal House Of Justice said:''...you must not refrain from acquainting your peers with the potent, the compelling, the world-embracing mission with which you are charged.''We all need to do what we can no matter how small, because not only is it a gift, but all we are doing is helping our communities and building up the moral standards of young people like myself. I admit that that is one thing that I find hard, especially among my peers and I really hope that I can influence them in a positive way, however gradual. Any fears I had before the conference such as the fear of failure or rejection are still there, but seeing and talking to different people at the conference has focused me a bit more on what we are trying to achieve, which is helping our communities. "...you have arisen to seize the initiative in your immediate surroundings and beyond..”
“This was one of the most uplifting, inspiring and encouraging conferences that I have ever attended. ”
Amongst the wonderful sessions were the following workshops: Year of Service, Life in University, What is the Bahá'í Faith?, Running Children's Classes, The Bahá'í Faith and Politics, Improving your Tutoring Skills, Running Junior Youth Groups, Understanding the Framework for Action, Creating the Best Devotional Meeting Ever, Preparing for Healthy Relationships and Nettiquette (online etiquette).
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