‘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 gives 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.
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.
Helene Safajou
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.”
Thanks for reading.
Subscribe
Byron
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, bringing together families to explore how to create a vibrant and ever-advancing society rooted in the Baha’i spiritual education process.
Published in April, 2025, in Community Stories > Community Building
Available online at: horizons.bahai.org.au/community-stories/always-with-the-outlook-of-service-artistic-endeavour-introduces-families-to-junior-youth-program/
Related Stories
Sippy Downs: A community cultivating connection and change
Sippy Downs is a dynamic suburb nestled in the Sunshine Coast region of Queensland. A vibrant community experiencing significant growth and change, it has an approximate population of 12,000 ...
West Australian youth inspired to build stronger communities
About 250 youth have come together as part of the West Australian Youth Conference, coinciding with a broader state-wide initiative to mobilise, support, and intensify youth service efforts ...
A self-sustaining system: When our children become children’s class teachers
The Ballarat Baha’i community has witnessed how the Baha’i institute process serves as a an “ever-expanding, self-sustaining system for the spiritual edification of a population”1 with its junior ...
Addressing isolation through coffee and connection in Hampton Park
A social action initiative unfolding in the neighbourhood of Hampton Park is responding to the needs of mothers, fostering connections and boosting confidence while also inspiring women to ...
Summer initiatives solidify young people’s desire to contribute towards betterment of society
Initiatives held throughout the summer months in Victoria are inspiring youth to reflect deeply on their personal contributions to society while also empowering them to contribute towards the ...
Family picnic promotes vibrant community life
The community of Shellharbour in New South Wales recently hosted a vibrant and artistic picnic to attract more families into the local community-building endeavours. Prior to the day’s ...