Photos from the first wave of global conferences in Ontario, Quebec and the Prairies

bahaicanada | 2022/06/06

The series of worldwide conferences called for by the Universal House of Justice are aimed at “inspiring action in the assembled well-wishers of humanity.”[i] “The participants–children and grandparents, youth and elders, Bahá’í families generations-strong, and friends newly associated with the community–will explore themes that build understanding of conditions in the world and offer a channel for the longing to serve.” Over the past two months, 40 of these conferences took place in Canada; the following photos are from the conferences in Ontario, Quebec and the Prairies.

Ontario – North Subregion

The Ontario North Subregion conference brought together 250 participants from the clusters of Nipissing-Timiskaming, Lakehead-Northshore, Cochrane, Algoma, and Sudbury-Manitoulin, with 22 people participating through an online hybrid platform.

Photos taken by Tyrone Davids, Chandyn Hamilton-Bachiu, and Kalila Hamilton-Bachiu.

Breakout groups were prepared for youth, junior youth and children, according to age groups.

During the plenary sessions, junior youth and youth presented concepts in an engaging manner, that were then further explored during the breakout sessions.

A group of youth presented during a plenary session on the topic of the Ruhi Institute process (left). Two youth taught participants the theme song of the conference based on the words of Bahá’u’lláh, “Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship” (right).

Other presentations by youth touched on the theme of transformation (left), as well as material and spiritual progress (right).

During a breakout session, one participant commented, “We as parents would like to join the Bahá’ís and those labouring alongside them. In our discussion today we realized that there are a number of obstacles that we need to overcome to make our community vibrant. One of them is time. We realize that building a consistent pattern incorporates parent’s participation…allowing more people to become involved.”

The artwork above represents the theme of spiritual and material progress.

Here, they painted the question “How do we create vibrant communities?” on a poster board. Throughout the conference, participants added their ideas underneath.

Quebec – Outaouais and Abitibi

Photos taken by Louis Brunet.

The devotional programs and presentations during plenary sessions incorporated the arts.

Breakout sessions were set up both within the facility as well as outside underneath a tent on the facility grounds.

Some themes were explored through the use of clay, and participants contributed collectively to several clay creations.

Participants also explored themes through other art mediums. For example, they created a pair of wings by putting together pieces of paper that were decorated by individual participants (left), and also explored themes through the use of beads (middle and left).

Louise Profeit-LeBlanc, artist and member of the Na-Cho Nyäk Dun First Nation, organized the creation of a prayer lodge, honouring her people who traditionally lived in caribou-hide dome-shaped tents. The dome, made of cedar wood, was a base frame for the collective project, which involved the participants weaving boughs into the structure. They decorated the lodge with ribbons on which they had written their intentions for contributing towards the goals of the Nine Year Plan. “[W]e can do big things collaboratively,” Mrs. Profeit-LeBlanc remarked.

Children also helped create the pair of wings art piece.

Some participants chose to wear their cultural clothing, like these friends who are in men’s style Kurdish clothing (left).

Saskatchewan – Regina

Participants deepened their friendships during the conference meal times and breaks.

Participants of all ages explored the material together in breakout sessions.

A collective art piece was created during the conference.

Ontario – Hamilton, Niagara, and Brant Haldimand Norfolk

Photos taken by Anisa Rouhani and other contributors.

The Hamilton, Niagara, and Brant Haldimand Norfolk conference began with beautiful songs performed by children and youth, as well as Indigenous and Persian chants, which set a reverent tone for the meaningful conversations to come. A group of youth also performed a poem with the spirit of Bahá’u’lláh’s vision for humanity in mind. Some lines of the poem are as follows:

When we come together there are no differences,
It is filled with love and magnificence.
Stranger, neighbour, friend, or family,
To serve all is to help humanity.
Striving for world peace is our goal,
But this is a duty that lasts eternally.

The breakout group discussions offered a space for participants to arise as protagonists in their communities; as a result, one participant planned to have their grandchildren sing to a neighbour in order to kindle a friendship.

The participants in the youth breakout group agreed that junior youth groups and children’s classes are essential to building a vibrant community. They described how true friendship is important in initiating such activities, providing the nourishment to sustain them for years.

A film titled Weaving of Stories was created in the weeks leading up to the conference, which features stories in the lives of members of the Hamilton community. The film was screened during a plenary session, after which a participant commented that the collective effect of the film “spurred the desire to deepen friendships with the people in their communities.”

Ontario – London, Elgin-Middlesex and Essex Kent

Participants at the London, Elgin-Middlesex and Essex Kent conference made cards with their action plans, as well as quotations from the study materials.

Photos taken by Maryam Ahrari, Nur Elmasri, Kangan Mahajan, Mandira Mahajan, Kian Mirzaei, and Neha Munje.

Many forms of artistic expression were included to explore the conference themes, including the making of comic strips, children’s self-portraits and the beautification of quotations on paper.