As we celebrate National Youth Day on 16 June, we are reminded of the contributions our youth are capable of making in building a better world.
Young people can be empowered to draw on the enthusiasm and zeal which characterize the period of youth, and to make decisive contributions to the advancement of both material and spiritual civilizations. They have many wonderful powers, and channelling them properly is important, because when misdirected or manipulated by others, they can cause much social distress.
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 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 adolescence stage that they are apt either to align themselves with positive or negative forces in the society.
Our youth need to acquire both spiritual qualities and useful qualifications. They need to develop a high-minded outlook and an upright character. They need to be guided to acquire professions, trades, arts and crafts which are necessary to the progress of humankind.
It is not enough for them to learn skills and techniques. They should also be assisted to acquire moral values and attitudes. According to the Bahá’í Writings: “The proper education of children is of vital importance to the progress of mankind, and the heart and essential foundation of all education is spiritual and moral training”.
Furthermore, preparing youth for a better future will require new directions in education, that emphasize their role as global citizens and guide them to act in the long-term interests of humanity as a whole. Such education, at the same time, should help to instil in them the awareness of the fundamental oneness of humanity.
The Bahá’í International Community states: “Everywhere the signs multiply that the earth’s peoples yearn for an end to conflict and to the suffering and ruin from which no land is any longer immune. These rising impulses for change must be seized upon and channelled into overcoming the remaining barriers that block realization of the age-old dream of global peace”.
It is also important to educate our youth in the principle of service to humanity, as this will arouse and maintain motivation, and when this is coupled with the acquisition of practical skills and technology, it will open many possibilities for development, and advancement of our communities towards building a better world.
For feedback please contact: tshwane@bahai.org.za; or call 083 794 0819
Website: www.bahai.org, www.bahai.org.za
