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 during the summer school holiday break. 

Marking the beginning of a long-term learning process to organise and sustain youth conferences, the three-day event aimed to encourage participants to reflect on the role of the Baha’i institute process in the building of communities, increase engagement in Book 1 and institute camps, and build the capacity of friends to serve as facilitators and tutors. 

Designed for youth aged 15 to 30, the conference featured the study of the 2013 youth conference materials provided by the Universal House of Justice. The topics explored were the unique period of youth, early adolescence, fostering mutual support, community building, and contributing to societal advancement.

Participants were encouraged to reflect on the realities of their own communities and consider practical steps to embrace more individuals into children’s classes and junior youth groups. Teams consulted on ideas, explored their unique contexts, and created actionable plans for their communities moving forward. 

The arts were integral to the overall program, enriching the study process and fostering creativity. Evening plenaries became vibrant spaces for sharing artistic expressions created during the day, including short films, paintings, songs, posters, and more. 

A dedicated session for young professionals also provided a tailored space for full-time workers to strengthen their spiritual identity and explore the integration of the Faith into their professional lives. This program addressed challenges and considerations faced by young professionals entering the workforce, such as balancing work, service, family life, and other responsibilities. Topics included coherence between work and service, spiritual principles for leadership, and contributing to social discourse and action.

One youth shared that the young professionals stream provided the chance to meaningfully “reflect on the application of ‘Abdu’l-Baha as the perfect example in our workplace”.  

“The conference also helped with strengthening our spiritual identity, creating a large-scale vision and having an opportunity to connect our friends together and strengthening coherence in our lives.” 

Another participant said they were excited about the conference, as it was an opportunity to get to know the youth in their community and hear what everyone was thinking about their path of service. 

“This conference was a chance to prepare the youth and their friends for a service-oriented summer, but even for those going back to work or their communities afterwards this was a chance to build a vision for a vibrant community and reflect on what could be done to take steps towards it.”

Another shared that the event allowed participants to “see ourselves as part of a larger vision instead of just the small but mighty efforts happening in our communities.” 

Encouraging greater participation in the Ruhi Institute, strengthening accompaniment and raising the capacity of emerging facilitators and tutors, the event contributed to a growing network of youth equipped to inspire and sustain meaningful change in their communities.