InConversation

BAHÁ’Í WORLD CENTRE — In the latest podcast episode of “In Conversation,” guests from the United States describe how young people are learning to foster strong bonds of friendship across diverse backgrounds and discovering ways to serve together.

At the heart of these efforts are Bahá’í moral and spiritual education programs that help young people strengthen their ability to contribute to the development of their neighborhoods and villages.

Janis Vandendool, a member of a Bahá’í office at the national level, describes her own experience of moving from a rural community to a larger city, where she and her family began the simple practice of visiting neighbors and building relationships in a diverse neighborhood.

She observes: “It is really striking how even people that live very closely together do not necessarily know each other...And just that act of building bridges, forming friendships, has had a profound effect on how it feels to be in that neighborhood.”

Farah Guchani-Rosenberg, a member of the Board of Counsellors in the Americas, describes that as community-building initiatives advance in a locality, many neighbors develop genuine bonds of friendship, “sharing prayers with one another..., and creating conditions for transformation” where diverse people unite around worship and find hope even in trying circumstances.

This spiritual foundation has a profound effect on young people’s sense of purpose and identity, says Ken Bowers, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States.

Mr. Bowers shares the example of a group of youth from Atlanta who visited the Legacy Museum, which documents the history of racial injustice in the United States. After that experience, one youth reflected how her participation in moral education programs had shaped her understanding: “Learning that the unity of humankind is essential to effectively solving the ills that plague the world today becomes evident from studying the [Bahá’í] writings.”

This expanded vision of humanity finds expression in communities nationwide. Yovania Dechtiar, also a member of a national Bahá’í office, explains that many young people are recognizing “that their true purpose lies not only in bettering their own selves, but also to contribute to the life of society.”

Mrs. Guchani-Rosenberg reflects on the broader implications of these developments, describing communities where long-standing divisions are being overcome. In neighborhoods where she has observed this process unfold, diverse groups who previously had little interaction are “now becoming one large family” through shared participation in collective action. She envisions the possibility of “a society so diverse, … yet concerned about each other’s well-being.”

The podcast episode is part of the “In Conversation” series, a collective exploration by several individuals of the practical application of Bahá’í principles to the building of peaceful societies.