A summer school with a Kiwi DIY spirit
What is especially notable about this summer school is that anyone, anywhere in Aotearoa can participate.
As previously announced, the forthcoming summer school breaks new ground by being decentralised with both online and offline activities that will enable local communities to organise their own events locally, or for friends to join with others and create their own gathering. Contributing to summer school by initiating activities at the local level will generate a flourishing of many gatherings of varying sizes around the country.
The latest full information, including resources for activities to use with children and junior youth is published on the website, see summerschool.bahai.org.nz. Teachers and parents can use the resources to start planning their activities for these age groups.
What is especially notable about this summer school is that anyone, anywhere in Aotearoa can participate. The power to contribute to the experience of summer school is in local hands, so events are being organised on many levels— by families, teams, neighbourhood groups, communities, and even clusters. We can leverage the experience we gained in organising local bicentenary events to create a happy social, spiritual, and educational experience that gives a powerful impetus to the Plan in its final months.
Typical limitations of “traveling out of town” or “staying home” no longer apply. In the mornings, adults and youth can tune in to the streamed talks and workshops that are going to be offered. In the afternoons and evenings, friends can find ways to engage meaningfully with residents wherever they are, to bolster existing activities, and even practice applying something they were inspired by during morning sessions.
Parents looking for positive holiday-time activities for their children may like to draw on the children’s class activities mentioned above. Groups of families holidaying together in the same spot can create “mini-summer schools”.
Programme
Again, extensive programme information can be found on the summer school website, which is being updated often as new details come to hand. Also, a handy summary is contained in a flyer for anyone interested in participating and can be freely shared with contacts and friends of the Faith who may be interested in joining.
As things can change, including any changes to alert levels caused by COVID-19, the website will provide the most up-to-date information and details.
If you have planned an event and you have room to spare to welcome “guests” from other parts of the country who may be visiting your area at the time, please send details to the National Office, which will curate a directory on the website. The basic details would be: contact name and phone number, location, and mention of any special locally-led activities. (National Office contact details are on the Contacts page.)
How do we watch online?
A YouTube link will be provided leading up to the event. This will be published on the summer school website. You will simply click the link and be directed to the live stream. Naturally this requires a good internet connection and a device such as a smartphone, laptop, or desktop computer. For larger groups, a sound system with good volume is important.
How will the workshops function?
Workshops will be offered on Zoom for speakers of Tongan, Samoan, Māori, Persian — and for isolated friends, in English. Youth will be able to join online workshops with other youth. Links will be made available on the day. Facilitators are being appointed for “real life” workshops in many localities. Small groups that wish to conduct their own offline workshops will be able to obtain the workshop documents through a process that is being worked out at this time.
