Date 13-14 September 2003 Venue: Birmingham University Deadline for Registration: 15 August 2003
To All Study Circle Tutors in Northern Ireland
Dear friends,
“We are delighted to extend the following invitation to all tutors in Northern Ireland: "It gives us great happiness to invite you to the fourth annual Study Circle Tutors' Conference to be held on 13-14 September 2003 at the University of Birmingham. We are confident that this conference will be as full of life and spirit, learning, joy and laughter as the last one - even more so because this year it is to be a national conference, including the tutors from all of the United Kingdom.” (From the Board of the Training Institute for England) We would like to encourage all tutors to attend this exciting event. Group travel arrangements are being investigated at present. For further information please contact your area coordinators.
With much love and appreciation for your valuable services, Training Institute Board for Northern Ireland
Twenty tutors joyously gathered in Omagh on the weekend of 29/30 March 2003 for the first ever tutor residential conference to be held in Northern Ireland. Overall theme for the conference: 'Nourishing the Gardeners of the Institute Process'. Its purpose: to further periodic on-going training, share study circle and course experiences and foster the bonds and fellowship among those who are so directly responsible for the institute process - the tutors, who constitute of this process. On this occasion the Institute welcomed and introduced the tutors to the newly appointed Regional and Area Co-ordinators, whose presence and input added significantly to the tenor of the Conference.
In line with the continual guidance that emanates from the Universal House of Justice and the International Teaching Centre, participative sessions were held on the following themes: Integrating the Three Core Activities: Study Circles, Devotional Meetings and Children's Classes; Arts and the Five Year Plan; Study Circles Open to All; Helping the Group with Memorisation of the Writings; The Relationship of Co-ordinators and Tutors; Stories and Feedback from the Tutors; Movement Through the Sequence of Courses.
The above sessions were highlighted and facilitated by some of the tutors themselves. It was evident that tutors are increasingly taking greater ownership of their own learning.
The Institute is extremely gratified to observe the progress and experience gained by tutors in the first two years of the Five Year Plan. Their dedicated service has now enabled over 135 adults, youth and junior youth to initiate their study and begin to move through the sequence of courses. This process is gradually building that pool of human resources so vital to fulfilling the growing number and complexity of services required in the Five Year Plan.
Another highlight of the conference was the presentation of two excellent AV presentations, which moved and inspired everyone. The first of these depicted the institution of the Training Institute in action, and the second portrayed the life of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Master, and our Perfect Exemplar.
Saturday evening's session was dedicated to the varied use of the arts, particularly story-telling and recitation by most of those present. The entire weekend programme was ably and lovingly co-ordinated by Arjang Agahi, Regional Co-ordinator.
The Training Institute expresses its loving gratitude to all the co-ordinators and tutors who made this event such a memorable and productive one. It looks forward to making this experience an annual event. Such a conference, together with more periodic gatherings of tutors called by the each area co-ordinator, will provide a continual means of learning, sharing and fellowship for this vital component of the institute process
Training Institute Board for Northern Ireland
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