Advancing spiritual and material well-being through collaborations with local elected representatives

Brisbane Baha’i local governing body, the Local Spiritual Assembly, is witnessing how collaboration with local civic leaders further develops the material and spiritual well-being of the entire population. 

Recently, 19 collaborators from the Brisbane Baha’i community were appointed with the aim to develop and strengthen meaningful relationships with their local elected representatives. The collaborators have been visiting their respective ward councillors, with the meetings providing an opportunity to connect with their local government elected representatives and discuss ways in which spiritual and material well-being in the local community could be enhanced. 

The meetings included conversations focusing on the Baha’i community’s commitment to grassroots initiatives and the potential to transform society through spiritual education programs for children and youth, devotional gatherings, and service projects.  

The conversations not only introduced the activities and their transformative potential but also opened the way for an ongoing meaningful engagement between the councillors and the Baha’i community and the opportunity for both to work together on a common goal in enhancing the well-being, prosperity and social cohesion of their community. 

Pathways for collaboration and meaningful engagement 

The initiative of reaching out to the councillors aims to achieve more than simply informing them about the activities of the Baha’i community in their respective wards. Purposeful conversations help to identify areas of common interest and opportunities for mutual collaboration.  

In one sector, the Baha’is in the Moorooka ward were invited to participate in an environmental tree planting event organised by the Oxley Creek Catchment Association. Those in another sector have also been cultivating meaningful relationships with the Tennyson and Jamboree wards councillors. Through consistent efforts over three years, they have been maintaining an ongoing dialogue and exchange of insights. During consultations and based on the reading of local reality with the Jamboree councillor, the need to support local families whose children often arrive to school without any breakfast was identified. This evolving engagement resulted in a community service project being established at the Carole Park State School.   

After further consultations with the Chaplain of the Carole Park State School, the friends dedicated their time and resources to provide daily breakfasts for these students. This initiative is not only helping address practical needs of the community but also fosters an atmosphere of care and inclusivity within the school, strengthening relationships among the volunteers, school staff and local families and representing a tangible expression of the Faith’s potential for community-building through consistent and meaningful engagement. 

Building relationships 

The Local Spiritual Assembly continues to encourage more local collaborators to be part of this process in a bid to share the Baha’i community’s commitment to fostering social cohesion, ethical development, and practical service across Brisbane. As part of this engagement, the nature of the Baha’i community’s grassroots activities and their impact on the well-being and development of individuals and neighbourhoods is becoming more widespread.