 | The text below this notice was generated by a computer, it still needs to be checked for errors and corrected. If you would like to help, view the original document by clicking the PDF scans along the right side of the page. Click the edit button at the top of this page (notepad and pencil icon) or press Alt+Shift+E to begin making changes. When you are done press "Save changes" at the bottom of the page. |
Creating a
CULTURE OF ROWTH
The Institute Process in the Bahá’í Community
The Bahá’í sacred writings say, “Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom,”1 and “Knowledge is as wings to man’s life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon everyone. The knowledge of such sciences, however, should be acquired as can profit the peoples of the earth, and not those which begin with words and end with words.”2 Bahá’ís see education as the means for all people to achieve their potential, and they believe that knowledge should be used in service to humanity. For the past six years, since 1996, the administrative institutions of the Bahá’í community have been engaged in guiding the development of an action-oriented distance education system that aims to train individuals, institutions, and communities around the world to become more effective agents of social transformation. This effort, which has fostered a
1 Baha’u’llah, Tablets QfBahd it 7162/? revealed after the Kitdb—i-Aqdas (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1997), p. 162.
3 Baha’u’llah, Epistle to the Son offhe W0!/‘(Wi1mette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1995), pp. 26e27.
191
[Page 192]
TILE Bahá’í WORLD
culture of learning and growth in the worldwide community, is known as the institute process.
Training institutes have been set up to develop the capacity of large numbers of participants to express the Bahá’í teachings in their personal lives. A sequence of courses, With each course building on the previous ones, is the method generally adopted. Programs seek not only to impart knowledge but also to provide spiritual insights and to endow participants With skills and abilities of service, building their capacity to look at the world and its conditions from the point of View of the Bahá’í teachings rather than from the perspectives offered by their diverse backgrounds.
While different materials will be produced around the world as the process takes deeper root, many institutes are currently using courses developed through some 15 years of experience at the Ruhi Institute in Colombia. The material, Which has proven to be useful to people from a wide variety of cultural and educational backgrounds, is based on connecting participants to the Bahá’í sacred writings, and the sequence of courses offers a coherent approach to topics such as the development of spiritual qualities, prayer, the soul and the afterlife, carrying out acts of service, training teachers to promote the spiritual education of children, understanding events in historical perspective, and teaching the Faith.
Some courses are held in central locations, but in many countries decentralization has proven to be key to the effective extension of the institute process to the grassroots. This has been accomplished through extension courses, institute campaigns, and
In the Democratic
- Republic of
‘ Congo,
Bahd ’z's study the sacred writings of the Faith as part Of their study Circle.
[Page 193]
CULTURE QE GROWTH
Bahá’ís in the Nicobar Islands study Ruhi materials as part of the courmjv ls institute program.
fir,“ :é, » _
we;
study circles. In extension courses, Bahá’ís from an area comprising a number of nearby Villages and towns come together to take part in the national or regional institute’s program, working with a trained tutor from the institute, or the tutor may travel to the different Villages and towns to conduct courses. Institute campaigns offer a more intensive approach to the study of the courses, with a series of classes offered over the period of a few weeks. In study circles, small groups gather in their own localities on a regular basis, progressing through a sequence of courses in collaboration With a trained tutor.
Study circles, which are the most flexible and low-cost delivery systems for providing institute courses in each locality, have been particularly effective. They have been used successfully in settings ranging from isolated rural Villages to large urban centers and have involved people from many different educational levels. In addition to meeting regularly to study together, circle participants engage in service and other extracurricular activities that promote unity and fellowship. Membership of the group is neither exclusive nor static. Bahá’ís and others are welcome to participate, and the composition of the circle may gradually change as people join or drop out as the group progresses through the sequence of courses. Experience has shown that study circles have a catalytic effect on community building.
To achieve a balance between the quality and quantity of endeavor in all their activities, communities are encouraged to engage in a process of reflection on what they have accomplished, assessment of approaches taken, and modification of those approaches, if
193
[Page 194]
THE Bahá’í WORLD
needed, in light of their experience or new circumstances. Such an action-reflection model contributes to the ongoing evolution and improvement of the institutes’ overall effectiveness. In this way, people become active participants in their learning and in charting their own path of development.
This kind of educational process differs in important ways from other models, seeking as it does to ensure that the energies generated are channeled into active service. It aims to increase the number of Bahá’ís who are able to teach their Faith with dedication and knowledge, to train participants to acquire specific capabilities, and to offer courses open to all on subjects such as the meaning of spirituality in the modern world, moral leadership, the spiritual education of children and youth, the dynamics of prayer, and the nature of the soul and the afterlife.
Institutes’ efforts to train community members in development work and in the administration of social and economic development projects focus initially on learning about the fundamental spiritual qualities with which all human beings have been endowed. F urther training conveys knowledge and skills necessary for effective action. The result is the empowerment of participants to chart their own path of progress on a firm basis of spiritual principles. Such efforts in social and economic development will evolve further as Bahá’í communities acquire experience and strength in this area.
By April 1998 the effects of training institutes were becoming evident in the strengthened faith, the conscious spiritual identity, and the deepened commitment to Bahá’í service of followers around the world—a demonstration of “the importance of knowledge of the Faith as a source of power for invigorating the life of the Bahá’í community and of the individuals who compose it.”3 Attention being given by institutes to literacy, primary health care, and the advancement of women was both contributing to a global process of learning about social and economic development and increasing institutional capacity to administer development
3 Message of the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World, Riḍván 155 BE (April 1998).
194
[Page 195]
Bahá’í's [I
studyng Ruhi
course
materials in
the Bahá’í
institute ,
building in
Santo,
Vanuatu.
t_ programs. It was clear that the Baha” is were learning how to apply the Creative Word, the transformative source of the institute concept, to the process of community building.
By February 2000, 350 institutes had been established in 170 countiies, with some one hundred thousand people having, at that point, completed at least one course. In April 2000, the Universal House of Justice stated that the development of the system of training institutes around the world was “the single greatest legacy” in the field of expansion and consolidation of the Four Year Plan that had just concluded. By increasing the capacity of individuals to teach the Faith, improving the ability of Local Spiritual Assemblies, regional councils, and committees to guide the community, and by introducing new patterns of thought and action that influenced communities’ collective behavior, institutes had promoted a “change in the culture of the community” as more and more members had become involved. Now, the House of Justice stated, the process must be augmented.
In a letter to the members of the Continental Boards of Counsellors in January 2001, preparing them for the launch of the community’s new Five Year Plan in April 2001, the Universal House of Justice wrote, “The continued development of training institutes in the diverse countries and territories of the world. . .must be a central feature of the new Plan.”4 Envisioning the institute as
4 Letter of Universal House of Justice to the Conference of Continental Boards ofCounsellors, 9 January 2001, paras. 2, 4.
195
[Page 196]
Try; Bahá’í WORLD
“a center of learning intensely engaged in the spiritual education of the friends from the tenderest age through adulthood” and as an agency that promotes a “combined process of action, learning, and training,” the House of Justice described it as contributing to “a culture of growth” in which “mutual support, commitment to learning, and appreciation of diversity of action are the prevailing norms.”5
The number of active, confident workers whose capabilities have been nurtured through the institute process is steadily increasing in Bahá’í communities all over the world. By April 2001, the number of people who had completed at least one institute course had risen to 120,000.
As Bahá’ís look ahead to the further evolution of the institute process, a glance at representative changes that it has already brought to Bahá’í communities in different parts of the world provides some illuminating snapshots of progress made to date.
In Ecuador, at the outset of the Four Year Plan, the training institute began by working with several rural communities in one region, focusing both on their development and on the transformation of a number of youth who had arisen to give a year of their lives in service to their Faith. To meet the needs that grew out of this effort, the institute developed a three-level, two—week basic training course for youth and adults, offered twice a year; a twolevel year of service training course for the youth, offered at the beginning of their service and after six months; special junior youth camps; and formal training courses for members of Local Spiritual Assemblies. After four years, trained youth volunteers were serving in local communities in nine regions of the country.
Materials from the Ruhi Institute have been used, and others have also been developed and integrated into the curriculum, as needed. The institute has taken on responsibility for a number of social and economic development activities and is facilitating a Higher Studies program for Bahá’í youth who have completed their year of service to continue their formal academic and spiritual training while simultaneously staying connected to and serving their Faith.
5 9 January 2001 letter, paras. 7—9.
196
[Page 197]
CULTURE Of GROWTH
In the highly urbanized setting of Canada, after experimenting with the development of its own materials, the National Spiritual Assembly decided early in 2000 that the six training institutes across the country should adopt the Ruhi Institute curriculum. Initial skepticism that the materials might not be sophisticated enough for an educated Western population was quickly allayed at a national meeting held in May 2000 for those interested in the institute process. The gathering brought together several hundred members of the Canadian community with a number of Counsellors and facilitators from Latin America who had deep experience with the Ruhi Institute materials. The clarity of Vision and energy generated by this meeting gave impetus to the formation by April 2001 of at least 405 study circles with more than 2,200 participants. As a consequence, Bahá’ís have reported deeper understanding of and connection to the Bahá’í sacred writings, greater fellowship and energy in Bahá’í communities, involvement with people of other faiths and backgrounds who are studying with them, an increase in a wide variety of service activities initiated by individuals and Local Spiritual Assemblies, and community growth. Some communities have reported improvement in their ability to plan systematically, take action, and then evaluate their actions and make appropriate adjustments.
India, with a Bahá’í population of some one and a half million, faced a tremendous challenge in developing training institutes that would meet the needs of tens of thousands of people. The success of the community’s efforts thus far is evident in the fact that by April 2001 approximately fifty thousand participants had completed at least one institute course. Key to the process has been the spirit of collaboration among all the institutions and agencies involved. The National Assembly, consulting with the Counsellors, has defined the nature and direction of the institute process throughout the entire country and tracks developments in the states and regions, while State Councils look after the administration of the institutes, setting broad policies, appointing governing boards, approving institute plans, and allocating resources. The governing boards appointed by the Councils see to the detailed month-tomonth activities and the delivery of courses, and coordinators and
197
[Page 198]
TH_E BAHA’l WORLD
assistant coordinators deal with issues connected to the practical, day-to-day management of the institute. Throughout the development of this mode of functioning, Counsellors and members of the Auxiliary Boards have offered their support at every level, and the whole organizational structure has allowed all institutions and agencies to draw on each other’s strengths and abilities to grow in maturity, capacity, and experience, While avoiding clashes over power or jurisdiction. This “careful but flexible” manner of operation has also provided room for changes and adjustments, where required.
The institute process has encouraged a great deal of creativity at the local level. Throughout the F our Year Plan, the Swindon Bahá’í community in the United Kingdom made significant advances in planning systematically, then acting and reflecting on actions taken. All of this has promoted a culture of learning. Seeking an effective way to reach the population of their town, the Bahá’ís tried a number of approaches. They eventually found that they could provide a useful and welcome service to the wider community by hosting gatherings called “Tranquility Zones” that allow attendees to experience the Bahá’í sacred writings in peaceful, beautiful surroundings. Through the years, in response to the needs and experiences of the community, these devotional programs have undergone many changes and have expanded to include outreach programs in local schools, hospitals, and businesses—all well received by the local residents, government, and other organizations. A recently developed six-week “Discover your own Spirituality” course at the college of continuing education has been popular, as has a project called “Discovery Zone” for youth with problems at home or school who are referred by social agencies to a ten-week series of sessions that helps them understand their spiritual nature. Participants in the “Tranquility Zones” Who wish to study the Bahá’í teachings more intensively are welcome to join study circles sponsored by the training institute. As a result of all of these activities, the Swindon Bahá’í community has become known as a group capable of identifying and addressing the needs of the town’s citizens in a creative, uplifting way.
198
[Page 199]
CULTURE OJ GROWTH
These examples offer a glimpse at the wide-ranging process of systematic growth and development in which the worldwide Bahá’í community is currently involved. Similar progress has been made in many other countries, regions, and localities, and no doubt the coming five years will see even greater advances as the Bahá’ís further develop the culture of learning, transformation, and grth that they have been nurturing through the institute process.
199
