Education empowers us to build vibrant communities

The Northeast Regional Training Institute

The Northeast Regional Training Institute’s educational programs help children, youth, and adults to acquire skills, develop habits, and learn to be active participants in building vibrant communities.

These efforts stem from the beliefs, espoused in the Writings of the Bahá'í Faith, that all of humanity is one, that every person can be a protagonist in creating a better world, and that the education of young people, particularly moral and spiritual education, is essential for developing our capacities to be of service to our communities.

Below are some examples of how participants in the training institute contribute to the spiritual and material progress of their communities. There are hundreds of groups — children’s classes, junior youth groups, study circles, and more — with thousands of participants in grassroots efforts that take place in neighborhood settings, community centers, schools, and homes across the Northeast.

The spiritual and moral education of children is a vital issue for all of society. Although parents and family have the greatest responsibility for children, children are also the trust of the community. Their well-being and moral development is the shared concern of all of us.
Children’s classes offered by the training institute are open to all children in a neighborhood. The classes promote virtues and capabilities that help children grow up free from prejudice, recognizing the unity of humanity and appreciating everyone’s innate dignity and nobility.

Bahá'u'lláh, the Founder of the Bahá'í Faith, calls us to consider one another as “the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch.”
Between the ages of twelve and fifteen, young people begin to leave childhood behind and develop and consolidate fundamental concepts about their identity and the role they will play in society. Not yet in the fullness of youth, individuals in this age range are sometimes referred to as junior youth.
The Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program is founded on the idea that, to help these young people achieve their full potential, education must address both their intellectual and spiritual development. Junior youth groups help young people develop their spiritual qualities, intellectual capacities, and potential to serve society. In groups, they are accompanied and motivated by an older youth mentor, referred to as an animator, to serve their neighbors, families, and friends, and to contribute to the well-being of the community.
Junior youth groups are usually weekly sessions that incorporate workbooks that develop literacy and powers of expression through stories and activities, as well as community service projects, art, and friendship-building games and activities.
In study circles, groups of friends meet to study passages from the Bahá'í Writings and perform acts of service. Through this study of the sacred Word and action, members of study circles develop capacities that allow them to contribute to the material and spiritual well-being of their community.
Many study circle participants go on to themselves become teachers of children’s classes, animators of junior youth groups, or tutors of study circles as part of the institute process. Others host devotional gatherings where friends and neighbors come together to pray and have meaningful conversations. In time, groups of friends might undertake projects of social and economic development in response to the unique needs of their neighborhood or social circles.
Summer of Service is a region-wide program that invites youth over the age of fifteen to an intensive month of study, service, arts, and fellowship. The program’s aims are twofold:
- To ensure that youth across the region are advancing in their study of institute materials and in their personal spiritual growth
- To help them build capacity for service through helping to form and facilitate children’s classes and junior youth groups in neighborhoods across the Northeast
Participants of the program feel transformed in their capacity to contribute to their communities, grow in their understanding of profound spiritual concepts, and learn to set goals and make plans for their future with increased confidence and assurance.