As we celebrate National Youth Month, we are reminded of the contributions our youth are capable of making in building better communities. According to the Universal House of Justice, the governing council of the Bahá’í international community “the transformation which is to occur in the functioning of society will certainly depend to a great extent on the effectiveness of the preparations the youth make for the world they will inherit.”
The most effective way to prepare the youth for the world they will inherit and help to shape, is by starting early, at the adolescence stage. It has now become increasingly obvious that without proper education and guidance during adolescence, our children could easily go astray, even if throughout childhood they have received spiritual guidance. It is during the few years before the children reach the age of 15 that fundamental concepts about individual and collective life are formulated in their minds. It is during the adolescence stage that they are apt either to align themselves with positive or negative forces in society.
Parents often believe that this is a very difficult age, one of rebelliousness, irrationality and frivolity without looking to see whether the causes of such behaviour are inherent to the stage of growth of the individual or are imposed by social environments and upbringing.
The Bahá’í Writings state that “while global trends project an image of this group as problematic, lost in throes of tumultuous physical and emotional change, unresponsive and self-consumed, the Bahá’í community — in the language it employs and the approach it adopts — is moving decidedly in the opposite direction, seeing in junior youth instead altruism, an acute sense of justice, eagerness to learn about the universe and a desire to contribute to the construction of a better world”.
Teenagers in this age group often referred to as junior youth, have special needs. By developing their inherent intellectual and spiritual potential, they will not only become agents of change for their own generation but will contribute greatly to the transformation of society.
Based on the understanding of the great potential of junior youth and their needs, the Bahá’í communities organize regular programmes for this age group. Such programmes are intended to provide them with spiritual guidance in order to help them develop an upright character, live in harmony and peace, and with understanding and respect for others. It is also intended to instil in them a commitment to serve the best interests of their communities.
The programmes help junior youth analyse the constructive and destructive forces operating in society and recognize the influence these forces have on their thoughts and actions. In addition to sharpening their spiritual perceptions and enhancing their lives, they also help channel their energy and talents towards the transformation of society, advancement of civilization and the construction of a better world.
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