British Columbia seasonal schools

The topic of the Bahá’í summer school season in B.C. was “Nurturing the young for an ever-advancing civilization.” Four summer schools were held in the province this year:

Kootenay Bahá’í spring school

The Kootenay Bahá’í Spring School, held near Castlegar on the May long weekend with 26 participants, kicked off the season. Sohayl and Sholeh Ghadirian made a presentation on the theme: “The influence of one’s social environment and the harmful effects of a materialistic worldview advanced by media.” Current research combined with guidance from the Faith provoked thoughtful responses to the questions discussed in the breakout sessions. Participants also enjoyed creating colourful paper boxes containing a favourite quote, and a wonderful evening of music. It was especially gratifying that a number of children — friends of the Faith who attend children’s classes in the cluster — took part in the children’s program and that some of their parents also visited the school.

In mid-June, the Fraser Valley School, held near Chilliwack, B.C. with 88 participants, included presentations on the power of music, and provided time to consult on the implications of the Faith for our own lives. The junior youth toured an eco-village in Yarrow and helped to weed a section of land that the eco-village was planning to farm. The children learned to lead horses at a horse-rescue farm.

The junior youth and children provided a musical and dramatic presentation at the close of the school.

The Mid-Island Bahá’í School was held on a very hot Canada Day weekend in Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, with 110 participants. The themes explored at the school were: “Historical accounts of the courage and contributions of Canadian Bahá’ís,” “A human being’s two-fold moral purpose,” “Leadership,” “The insistent self,” and “Chanting.” Speakers included Dr. Lynn Echevarria, Ms. Lesley Shams, Ima Rahmanian, Rosemary Graham and Nancy Watters. A group of youth delivered a presentation entitled “Youth perspective on the Right of God.” A highlight of the school was the spontaneous variety show on Saturday evening that featured more than 20 contributions from young people including singing, dancing, musical instrument playing and dramatic story-telling.

Thompson Nicola summer school participants

The Thompson Nicola Bahá’í Summer School was held in Clearwater on the August long weekend with 62 participants. Mary K. Radpour, who works in clinical counselling, spoke on “The stages of the development of the soul,” and Nancy Watters taught chanting. Evenings activities included a play, lively music, and sing-alongs accompanied by ukulele; some of the participants even tried learning to play the ukulele. The two junior youth in attendance hung Bahá’í Writings and beautiful pictures along a nature path for walkers to read while enjoying the surrounding scenery. The children made a delightful presentation on what they had learned, and displayed the crafts they had made.

–Regional Schools Coordinating Committee