‘Always with the outlook of service’: Artistic endeavour introduces families to junior youth program

A creative initiative in the community of Byron in northern New South Wales is providing a “safe space” for families to gather and explore how to create a vibrant and holistic society. 

The workshops, titled Radiant HeArt, were initiated by one of the friends in the community and give local children and their parents the opportunity to learn more about the entire Baha’i educational process.

Byron’s Helene Safajou says the community is learning how to actively transition children into the junior youth program in a joyful way, integrating concepts from the program into the workshops to familiarise families to the language and patterns of learning. 

“The community supports, accompanies and learns through this endeavour,” Helene says. “The personal relationships that we have established over the years provide a feeling that this is a safe space for parents and children.” 

“These children and their friends increase in number every time. Through prayers, service and creativity all are happily engaged over a period of four hours every time, some even staying longer into the afternoon.” 

The Radiant HeArt sessions are just one example of how families in communities around Australia and the world are gathering to explore how to transform their neighbourhoods.

Helene says the sessions were conducted “always with the outlook of service”. 

Service projects have included recycling progams, beautifying the street library at the local school bus stop, learning to weave baskets with the knowledge of First Nations elders, painting river smiles on the local riverbed and building a bridge to cross the river with the help and tools of the parents. 

“We explore and discuss how best we can create a vibrant community. We pick virtues for that task and discuss how this would apply to our realities; we pray together, and we create,” she says. 

“We also prepare lunch on the barbecue, always with the outlook of service. We learn manners, serving others before ourselves and making sure everyone has an equal share of what is available on the day to eat.  

“The children look forward to the next gathering every school holiday with great anticipation and suggest new meaningful activities. We have watched them apply what they have learnt in their relationships with friends and in their service at school. Their families have noticed changes in their behaviour. They’ve also increased their participation in the community garden at school and in their neighbourhood.”

Byron is a small community in the northern part of New South Wales. Since 2004, the Baha’is have been striving to promote a flourishing community amid trials, tribulations, joys and challenges. 

“We study messages of the Universal House of Justice on Sunday mornings, advance through the institute process, and strive to apply this learning to the network and relationships we have built through the years,” Helene says. 

 “We look forward as the new school year starts to see what wonderful opportunities arise with this vibrant group eager to change their community.”