Junior Youth Film Festival

In the winter and spring, three local junior youth groups had separately made movies. The members of the groups and the animators wanted to have an opportunity to show their movies together, to have a film festival. One of the animators began communicating with some others about when and where to have this, and with the assistance of the coordinator figured out a date and location. One of the junior youth had suggested having it at a local movie theater, which seemed a bit preposterous at the time, but in pursuing the idea, it appeared to be a logical option.  The date was set to correspond with the Saturday after the junior youth intensive week and the vision started to take shape of showing these films that had been worked on for months and months by the junior youth as a way to set a high standard of excellence for what junior youth can produce. The night before the animators and coordinators were very worried, because the theater had capacity for 230 people and only 40 had replied to the invitation on Facebook.

The day of the festival, junior youth, animators, members of the Baha'i community and many new friends all arrived excitedly at the theater, filling it up! The diversity of the people gathered was beautiful. A prayer was offered for youth followed by a song started by an excited junior youth group. The first and second movies were shown, with time afterwards for the junior youth group that made it to answer questions. There was so much love and enthusiasm poured out in response to the films. Each film spoke for itself with a sweetness evident of junior youth exploring their spiritual reality, probing questions of hope, struggle, storytelling and the power of their group. After the intermission, three live performances were given. Two of dance and one rap piece. These performances really provided a lot of joy, of seeing the talents first hand of the junior youth, and the profound acceptance of effort. Many of the stratifications based on race and class within our community melt away as junior youth all have the opportunity to use their talents and capacities through dignified expressions of culture. Watching the final movie with all of the junior youth and friends was a truly moving experience. It was a story about overcoming fear and the power of prayer and it was legitimately scary! People in the theater were yelling back at the screen, cheering on the characters and gave such sound encouragement to the group that produced the movie. The depth of ideas and the power of expression that junior youth have to offer the world spoke for itself through these movies.

"It's My Bag" SED program assists local children

“As the community grows in size and in capacity to maintain vitality, the friends will, we have indicated in the past, be drawn further into the life of society and be challenged to take advantage of the approaches they have developed to respond to a widening range of issues that face their village.” December 28, 2010- The Universal House of Justice

The Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’is of Lacey, Washington, share with us a report about their most recent social and economic development (SED) initiative, It’s My Bag. These friends are located in the Olympia-Mason-Thurston Counties cluster, which has already launched its intensive program of growth.

Annual Report April 2011, It’s My Bag

Social and Economic Development Project - Lacey, WA Branch

The Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’is of Lacey, WA continue to be blessed to sponsor a local extension of It’s My Bag social and economic project.

About It's My Bag

It's My Bag was founded in 1999 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization by 5 members of the local Auburn, Washington community with the support of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’is of Auburn.

Our mission is simple:

To focus our efforts on children in need and include the strengthening of unity and harmony in the community, the development of individual capacity and the improvement of the social environment. In support of these goals we are forming partnerships with other community groups and seeking ways to expand our projects to aid more children in the community. To conduct its programs and activities, we receive support from individuals and the partnerships we have formed. We continue to hope to add to the list of donors in the future. The Lacey Branch of It’s My Bag formed in 2006. Currently there are three members.

The project provides bags of comfort and personal care items to foster children or other children in crisis in Thurston and Pierce County distributed by the Department of Social and Health Services’ Child and Family Services for the State of Washington.

Items for the bags were donated by Bahá’is, their friends, co-workers, extended family members and facility contacts. We received in kind donations and cash from other Local Spiritual Assemblies in the area.

Items put in the bags are travel sized toys, crayons, shampoo, bar soap, Kleenex, toothbrushes with cases, combs, toothpaste, washcloths, notepads, pencils and pens.

Accomplishments this past year

50 bags were delivered in August 2010 to Mason County DSHS office to deliver to foster children. The Mason County office was delighted to receive them. 25 bags were delivered to the Thurston County DSHS office and 25 bags to the Pierce County DSHS office in February 2011 during Ayyam-i-Ha. 100 empty bags were given to Auburn, WA its My Bag (original group) as they had run out of their bags.

The project continued its community outreach to try something different by making bags of school supplies for Lacey Elementary School. We were able to supply a bag for each school room. The cost of this project was extensive which is why it involved only one school. This project involved multiple very specific items asked for by the school that were needed for each bag. The left over items not put in the bags were given to the Evergreen Village Bahá’i School and items appropriate for the foster child project were put in that inventory. In the future if we should contemplate this project, we would need commitment from communities or individuals to fill an entire bag to make the project viable.

Two bags of miscellaneous toiletries, hats, scarves, and socks were delivered this past year to Rosie’s Place, a center for homeless teens who can shower there and get community resource information and help. These items were donated anonymously, not noted as the SED project because the items really came from anonymous donors and included some items received for the other SED projects but did not meet the criteria for those bags.

“Much will fall on the Local Assembly, not as an executor of projects but as the voice of moral authority, to make certain that, as the friends strive to apply the teachings of the Faith to improve conditions through a process of action, reflection and consultation, the integrity of their endeavours is not compromised.” December 28, 2010- The Universal House of Justice

A Supportive and Warm Reflections Gathering

This is an account from an individual as they think about aspects of a successful reflections gathering:

Our recent reflections gathering was different than previous ones. At times, the reflections gathering can be seen as a bully pulpit, to stress the importance of following the plan, to get more Baha'is involved in the core activities and to try to move forward as a collective. We know and long for the sweetness of the culture developing, one where we see ourselves walking hand in hand, treading a common path of service, learning from each other and rejoicing in the progress and service of others with distinct goals of starting more core activities and building in ourselves and others a vision of individual and collective transformation fueled by the Revelation of Baha'u'llah. But how does this get translated into our reflections gatherings? How does everyone come out with practical steps to take to start new core activities? Strengthen existing activities? Share with new souls the Beauty of Baha'u'llah's Message and Station? Invite new friends to be a part of this process of empowerment?

These were the questions before the friends planning the reflections gathering. A few steps of progress were made and below is an account of what happened:

In preparing for the reflections gathering, it was decided that it could be helpful to have a range of stories shared, as there is a large diversity of experiences in the field of service. So, a broad range of individuals participating in a core activity or teaching experience were asked to share stories. A very sweet account was shared, from an older member of the community. He described his desire to help out with the junior youth program, and the skepticism of his family... since he didn't fit the usual profile of youth animators.  He persisted, however, and began going with a very grateful animator to support his group.  At first, this member of the community was not sure how he could be of service, or if he was even being useful. But he enjoyed being with the junior youth and seeing them study, learn and grow. So, he kept going to the group. Soon, he realized that a major obstacle for the group was having a quiet, calm place to meet. He took it upon himself to help arrange a room for them in a local community center, which they were then able to use throughout the winter. His service on the Local Spiritual Assembly also was helpful in this process, to channel information and resources in the right directions to get access to a room. 

Everyone was uplifted, hearing this account. It gave the gathering a humble, joyful tone that carried through the planning and goal setting activities.

Advancing in Our Understanding

Friends—Bahai or not—around the country are deeply studying the guidance of the Universal House of Justice and seeing its effect on their understanding of the Bahai Faith.  One important concept we’re learning is each human being’s two-fold moral purpose, to educate ourselves and simultaneously contribute to the betterment of society.  Greg describes his experience studying the guidance with his wife and its effect on sharing what they are learning with others:

My wife and I were studying the two messages of the House of Justice very intensely and we both felt our ability to share the Faith was much different and much better for it. I felt I had a much wider and more comprehensive view of the aim of the Faith (the building of the divine civilization of Baha'u'llah, etc.), and I think that perspective translated to our new friend who recently declared her Faith in Baha’u’llah. She really seemed to take on the concept that this is a religion of action and service. By the end of the night her questions were very action oriented, like, ‘What does it mean to be teaching the Faith?’ ‘Does it mean you’re always talking about Bahá’u’lláh ?’ ‘Can it just be inviting neighbors to your home to build community, but not specifically talking about religion?’ etc. Undoubtedly some of this is due just to her own spiritual qualities, but I also feel the guidance of the House of Justice is having effects on people who barely know what the Faith is!

Observations from Colombia, Part 2

Accompanying Tutors

Returning to our report from Colombia, we share this time what our visiting American Bahá’í observed about the measures that were employed to ensure that tutors were accompanied in their vital work.

What is apparent is that there is a consistent pattern of tutor gatherings, accompaniment, and regular reflection at the cluster level. To prepare for tutor gatherings, which are held once or twice a cycle, the coordinators visit the “study circles and tutors to generate the content of the tutor gatherings based on the needs of the tutors.”  In reviewing questions and scenarios at the tutor gathering the friends find that they “always go back to the Sequence for the necessary guidance.”

Each new tutor is accompanied for six months and a tutor packet has been developed to be shared with all the tutors.  It includes “To the Collaborators” from book 1, and sections 12 and 19 from the second unit of book 7.

In at least one of the clusters visited, the work of the institute has become so developed that the cluster institute coordinator has had to appoint assistants in order to meet demands of the expanding process. In this particular cluster the friends have developed a consistent practice of accompanying new tutors.  A description of this practice from the report is provided below.

New tutors are visited at least four times for accompaniment during their initial sessions by the cluster institute coordinator or an assistant coordinator.

There are three meetings before starting a study circle:

· The first meeting gives an overview of book 1 and the institute process– Coordinators and tutors will often do individual visits to homes of future participants 

· The second meeting forms the group and goes over the logistics, the environment of the circle and answers more questions (they give them the book and ask that they buy it even if it takes them a cycle to be able to pay)

· The third meeting is when the studying begins, with emphasis on the service component from the very beginning.   The tutor facilitates with the institute coordinator or her assistant present

Another observation highlights how the tutors are accompanied in support of their goals within the cycle.

Tutors have a goal of completing one book in the sequence per cycle – to assist with this goal, intensives for books 1 through 7 are held during a two week period in the cluster – the institute coordinator sets the dates and all the tutors in the cluster arrange with their Study circles to have at least one or more intensive days during that designated time

That’s it for this post, but there’s more to come from our “Observations from Colombia” series.  Stay tuned.

Observations from Colombia, Part One

"...it is only through continued action, reflection and consultation on their part that they [the friends in a cluster] will learn to read their own reality, see their own possibilities, make use of their own resources, and respond to the exigencies of large scale expansion and consolidation to come."  December 28, 2010- The Universal House of Justice

Keeping Things in Perspective

Our first entry in our new series from an American believer's report of her trip to Colombia focuses on the observation of how some cluster agencies (the institute coordinators and the Area Teaching Committee) in Colombia are keeping the spiritual nature of their enterprise in perspective. 

The following extract demonstrates how the cluster agencies have made it a set practice to put the guidance of the Universal House of Justice at the forefront.

Core Team Planning Meeting started with prayers and then study and reflection on the guidance of the Universal House of Justice with the Auxiliary Board member.  They focused on the recent letter from the Universal House of Justice about Abdul-Baha’s visit to America, linking their work in the cluster to a continuation of what Abdul’ Baha put in motion many years ago. They don’t hurry this portion but really focus to comprehend at a deep level and recharge themselves spiritually. … This focus happens with every planning meeting they have

The report notes that the individual members of the cluster agencies view their appointment as a privilege to serve Bahá’u’lláh and consciously remind themselves to see beyond numbers and “be concerned with the mystical and spiritual nature of this enterprise”.  This understanding helps them to “move from crisis to victories”. 

The friends understand being systematic implies a need for coherence and that all lines of action have to be integrated.  The following simple example was offered to illustrate this point.

 A nucleus of 4 workers had the job to lay pipes in an area – the first person needed to measure the land where the pipe would go – the next person dug up the dirt – the 3^rd person was to lay the pipe but didn’t show up and the 4^th person put back the dirt so no one would get hurt – People observed this process and said it doesn’t make any sense. Sometimes some of our lines of action do well but others do not and we then lack cohesiveness and integration; therefore it is not systematic and sometimes doesn’t make sense.

More observations from Colombia will be shared about how the friends there are experiencing learning while applying the coherent elements of the Plan towards intensive growth.

Observations from Colombia: An Upcoming Series

Benefiting from the Experiences of Others

In its December 28, 2010 message the House of Justice reminds us that “[w]hile the friends in a cluster might well benefit from the experience of those who have already established the necessary pattern of action, it is only through continued action, reflection and consultation on their part that they will learn to read their own reality, see their own possibilities, make use of their own resources, and respond to the exigencies of large-scale expansion and consolidation to come.”  

Keeping this guidance in mind, we feel compelled to share some highlights from the report of an American believer who recently visited Colombia, which examines how the Bahá’í community in that country is learning to meet the requirements of sustained-large scale expansion.  The report shows that the cluster agencies there are using an array of approaches to engage the Bahá’ís in the process of community building in diverse settings.

During her visit, the believer participated in planning meetings for 3 different clusters, a home visit with a new believer, a meeting with a cluster institute coordinator and her assistants, a neighborhood children’s class, a tutor gathering, a book 2 study circle, a junior youth group, and a reflection gathering. There are some common practices highlighted in the report that contribute to unity of thought, consistency of action, and a dedication to learning at the cluster level.  And those are qualities that every Bahá’í effort should have. The report is brimming with observations, which we’ll share over the coming weeks.  Stay tuned for the first post from this report, next.