Youth Program
Open to all, youth groups bring together friends ages 15 and older to advance through a sequence of courses developed by the Ruhi Institute inspiried by the Bahá’í Writings. Through this process, participants walk together on a ‘path of service,’ developing the capacity to carry out visits to neighbors and facilitate children’s classes and junior youth groups. These acts of service assist in building communities inspired by spiritual principles such as unity in diversity, universal education, the equality of women and men, and the elimination of all prejudice.
What is the Youth Empowerment Program?
"The betterment of the world can be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct."
Bahá'í Writings
At the Chelsea Bahá'í Institute, training takes place through study circles—a space where a tutor, a more experienced friend supports and accompanies a group of youth and adults as they study the materials and put into practice acts of service that gradually increase in complexity.
Like a path we walk together, acts of service begin simply—organizing a devotional gathering or visiting a friend to share meaningful conversations—and gradually grow in complexity, such as offering children’s classes, animating junior youth groups, or serving as a tutor for a study circle.
Why are youth at the forefront of community-building?
The period of youth is a dynamic stage of life—a time to make lasting contributions to one's community.
During this period, young people are full of energy, idealism, and a desire to help improve the world, regardless of their social circumstances. They learn to look at the environments in which they interact with others—families, friends, schools, workplaces, media, and communities—and to recognize the social forces at play. Love of truth, thirst for knowledge, and an attraction to beauty inspire them to serve those around them. Yet other forces, such as materialism and selfishness, can distract them and hold back both individual and collective growth.
When life is not approached as a coherent whole, it can lead to anxiety and confusion. Through selfless acts of service, however, young people learn to cultivate a life in which its many aspects complement one another. In this way, they discover how to balance the spiritual and material dimensions of existence and develop a strong sense of purpose.
Youth are called to stand at the forefront of community building work. By becoming teachers of children’s classes and animators of junior youth groups, they contribute to the spiritual education of new generations while strengthening their own capacities for service. In this way, they walk a path of service that advances both their own spiritual growth and the collective progress of society.
What is a study circle like?
Study circles, which usually form in a locality with the assistance of a more experienced participant or “tutor”, provide participants with the knowledge, spiritual insights, and skills to enable them to contribute to the betterment of society, starting with their own neighborhood, and according to their own pace and possibilities. Institute courses build capacities to serve as a host of devotional gatherings, a teacher of children’s classes, an animator of a junior youth group, and a tutor of study circles, among others. In this way, study circles help increase the number of people involved in an expanding process of spiritual and social transformation.
In study circles, participants also learn about the transformative power of the Word of God, prayer, and the life of the soul — and begin having transformative conversations with friends and neighbors. Participants also earn about having conversations on meaningful spiritual and social themes: the role of prayer, the equality of women and men, and many more, as one studies and begins connecting with neighbors and friends.
Contact us to find a study circle in your area or to become trained as an tutor.
