Conferences strengthen relationships and build hope for the future
The effectiveness of the World Conferences was vibrantly demonstrated at 12 conferences around the country last weekend.
In the photo galleries that follow, click on any image for an enlarged “slideshow” view.
Central Auckland (Mt Eden, Epsom, Onehunga, Ellerslie)
21 – 22 May, Future Skills Campus, Royal Oak
Central sector called their conference the “Maungakiekie Conference” (Maungakiekie is the name for One Tree Hill whose slopes touch all of the above-named suburbs). It brought together 74 participants for a unified and joyful experience at a perfect venue, generously provided by Future Skills.
Junior youth involved themselves strongly in the programme, which included giving a presentation on the environment and teaching the conference participants a song. Diverse artistic activities occurred, including Tongan art and abstract art. Māori tikanga featured strongly.
A participatory space focused on the group learning together. Nearly all the activities and sessions were facilitated by friends within the sector, except for generous assistance from two friends with the junior youth programme. A participant observed that there was something about the intimacy of the conference that provided a different spirit to a larger conference. This spirit generated attendance at a Holy Day celebration the following evening by new friends and indications by two individuals that they wished to be recognised formally as members of the Bahá’í community.
Dunedin
Saturday 21 May, Arai Te Uru Marae, Wakari, Dunedin
On Saturday morning around 40 people, Bahá’í adults, children, junior youth, youth and their guests, gathered outside the Araiteuru Marae to be greeted and invited onto the marae with a pōwhiri. Although the weather was cold and windy, the welcome and the marae were warm and our waiata joyful.
After morning tea in the wharekai, the participants returned to the wharenui for the first session of the day. The MC did a fine job of explaining the proceedings and the purpose of the session and after a short film, groups were formed for interactive sessions. This format was carried on throughout the whole day, with plenty of breaks for more kai along the way. A special programme was run by the youth for the children, and at the end of the day they treated the adults to a waiata that they learnt.
Some of the feedback received related to the participants: “it’s wonderful to see how many friends of the Faith are here.”
Some comments related to the programme: “It was good that it was interactive, with opportunities to participate, rather than just listening to speakers all day.”
There were also opportunities for networking and establishing relationships to be built upon after the conference.
In summary, almost everybody stayed for the whole day and there was a very warm, spiritually charged and happy environment. This provides a good basis for strengthening relationships between the Bahá’ís and their guests in the future.
Franklin and Papakura
21 – 22 May, Pukeoware Hall, Waiuku, Auckland
A total of 29 participants attended — 21 adults and 8 children. Some impressions of the sessions were as follows.
Day 1 - Bahá’u’lláh’s vision for humanity
The group was split into two and were handed out art supplies to come up with learnings from the session. It was interactive and engaging. The sheets of art were hung on the wall for everyone to see and remained there till the end of the conference.
Day 1 — How far we have come
The video “Glimpses of a Hundred years of Endeavour” was streamed while parts of it were played and elaborated on by the presenter. The audience were very captivated by the knowledge and history of the Faith. Participants then broke up into their respective sectors (Papakura and Franklin) to discuss the history of their areas and how far they have come, and future plans.
Day 1 — Contributing to social transformation
This third session of the conference included a video presentation and a slideshow presentation. The video displayed the house of Klara & Bayan which demonstrated the social transformation they have both endeavoured to undertake. Their video presentation was truly inspirational to all present. There was a short question and answer session following the video presentation about their social transformation journey.
The PowerPoint presentation that followed the video presentation alluded to the same message and reinforced the concept of social transformation to the already captivated group.
Day 2 — Educational Endeavours
The educational endeavours presentation was followed by an art and craft activity. This activity got participants to create a culturally themed banner. They were asked to write down the activities and ideas they would endeavour for a better community that would thrive and prosper. There was a great deal of participation and everyone enjoyed the activity.
Day 2 — Children's class performance
With the help and guidance of their teacher, the children too gave a presentation and a song that they sang which spread further joy and delight into the conference.
There were songs sung among the participants which stirred up love and harmony among everyone present, namely “We are drops of One Ocean” and “Let your Heart Burn with Loving Kindness”.
Conclusion
The Papakura and Franklin sectors would like to carry forward the joint efforts of this conference and endeavour to have more of the core activities. Overall it was a successful two-day conference. It was well received and the participants thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks to all those who contributed to its success.
Photographs from this conference are expected next week.
Manurewa
20 – 22 May, Waimahia Intermediate, Manurewa, Auckland
There was a good turnout of friends from the wider community who were family members of children and youth involved in the institute activities and first-time invitees. There were 132 participants: Tangata Whenua, Pasifika, Indian, Pākehā and Persian. Most of them were keenly interested in the concept of engagement in social development and discourses of society.
By the end of the day, one of the participants decided to sign the declaration card. Another participant (who was introduced to the Cause through her sister) was inspired to go up on stage and share a few words about her experience, stating that she had gained a more profound understanding of the collective goals and objectives of the various activities of the Faith.
In general, everyone left exhilarated with a sense of wanting to engage further in the activities discussed at the conference. Those who were first-timers to a Baháʼí gathering expressed gratitude for being invited, as it was an eye-opener, they said.
Children that attended left the conference wanting more and suggested they were held more often. They discussed and clearly articulated the concepts they grasped during the discussion in subsequent children’s sessions.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the portion at the end of the day where various workshop groups went up on stage to share music, arts, and crafts, which reinforced a sense of joyful fellowship and camaraderie.
The conference was called a whānau hui and was held at a school rather than at the local Bahá’í Centre, making for a very welcoming environment for participants from all backgrounds, who were interested in engagement in social development and neighbourhood activities but may have been apprehensive about attending at a venue owned by a religious group.
The classrooms provided spaces conducive to holding break out sessions. There was also an art workshop room with helpful furniture for creative activities like arts and crafts.
Participation:
Total participants: 132
Children: 35
Junior youth: 20
Those from the wider community comprised 30-35%
Nelson-Tasman — Te Tau Ihu cluster
21 May, Founders Park, Nelson
On Saturday 21 May the Bahá'í friends from the Te Tau Ihu cluster hosted one of the Bahá'í World Conferences at Founder's Heritage Park in Nelson.
In the spirit of joy and friendship, the two main topics presented were “Bahá'ulláh's Vision for Humanity” and “Building Vibrant Communities”.
There were plenty of meaningful conversations on the topic of consultation and during the art session the friends took part in making a collage while strengthening their bonds of friendship.
The total of conference attendees were 37, 13 of those were friends of the Faith and as many as 17 different ethnicities and nationalities were represented.
Queenstown-Lakes
21 – 22 May, Te Kura Whakatipu o Kawarau Primary School, Queenstown
Given that the majority of the Bahá’í community has only recently moved to Queenstown, the past year has been an important period of developing friendships. There are several families in the wider community who have been participating in various community-building activities. So this conference was an important next step to give them all a picture of the global spiritual movement that they are already a part of. As a direct result of the conference, the community has already had four new children join their children's class and they are starting a Book 1 study circle with three of the parents.
Overall the participants loved the conference, with a few even explicitly saying that they have a renewed hope for the future.
As the community is so small, they felt very lucky to have friends from Invercargill and Oamaru come to run their children's programme. This was vital to the success of the conference.
In reading their reality with this small group of families in the wider community who have only recently begun engaging with Bahá’í activities, the friends made a few modifications to the sample programme materials from the National Assembly. They kept their programme to one day with three main sessions:
Session 1: Bahá’u’lláh’s vision for humanity — the Bahá’í perspective on our current reality and the future of humanity
Session 2: Building vibrant communities — what Baha’u’llah’s vision looks like in action around the world
Session 3: Educational endeavours and the training institute — the process by which these vibrant communities around the world are being raised up at the grassroots
For each session, they edited down an existing video that would help advance the understanding. These videos were extremely successful and several participants asked for links to the videos to re-watch and share with their friends.
The conference also shared a visualisation of how the institute process starts and grows in a community as friends advance through the courses and engage in acts of service. This was extremely helpful for the participants and directly led to the new study circle forming.
After the large group sessions, small group sessions were a great opportunity for participants to discuss and really explore the ideas being presented. There was a great mix of discussion and creativity. During the large session on the institute process, it was natural to point to the small group sessions as an example of the spirit of a study circle.
In addition to 100% participation from the Queenstown-Lakes Bahá’í community and the friends visiting to help with the children's class, the majority of participants were parents of children and junior youth. While we wish there was more diversity in the participants, it is an accurate subsample of the wider Queenstown population, so not a surprise.
The conference was held in the gym at the new school in one of the neighbourhoods where some of the Bahá’ís live. It was beautiful to use this building which is already the physical centre of the community. Since the hall is quite large for the number of people we were expecting, the friends created a more cosy atmosphere by hanging strips of paper and fairy lights across the main space.
Participation:
9 adult Bahá’ís from Queenstown
6 adult Bahá’ís from other communities
5 children from Queenstown Bahá’í families
3 junior youth and youth (Bahá’ís) from another community (helping with the children’s programme)
13 adults from the wider Queenstown community
10 children from the wider community
Tāmaki
21 – 22 May, Bahá’í Centre, Glen Innes, Auckland
The Tamaki conference was one of vibrancy, love, unity, family, children and most of all, an abundance of kai! There were around 90 that participated over the weekend.
Families came together in union and joy as they spent two days together learning a range of music, from Spanish all the way to Tuvaluan. The day consisted of games and arts with the children, as well as a wonderful song taught by the two junior youth which brought vibrancy to the closing devotions on Saturday night a lot of joy.
A group of parents gathered in the kitchen, making delicious kai for the community. This included delicious fried bread, delicious Persian dishes, and the most spectacular umu, organised days in advance.
The junior youth were able to deepen on the importance of community building, and think about how they themselves could make a change. This led to the start of a service project consulted on and planned by the junior youth, in which they went as a group to interview members in our community about what changes they see are needed in the community. This not only gave them motivation and exposure to what’s possible, but has also started uplifting conversations within the community!
The conference surpassed expectations, and is a weekend that is not to be forgotten.
Tauranga
21 – 22 May, Otūmoetai College, Tauranga
A report on this conference is being prepared for publication next week.
Thames-Coromandel
21 May, Jack McLean Community Recreation Centre, Thames
The beaming faces of around 30 participants tell a story of a joyous conference and give a snapshot of a small radiant community in all its diversity.
Karakia and waiata, woven with focused consultation and art activities, charged the Jack McLean Community Recreation Centre, Thames with a vibrant spirit and set the tone for earnest, thought-provoking discussion on the restructuring of humanity’s priorities.
One friend experiencing her first gathering outside of small devotional meetings was especially taken by the maturity and competency of young people who took the lead in facilitating the conference. She was particularly touched by the way te reo Māori and universal participation were seamlessly incorporated into the programme. The inclusivity impressed her. Since returning from conference, she has been sharing her experiences in her hometown where she has numerous networks, hoping to pique the interest of others to become involved in the Faith’s community-building activities and promote the concept of Building our Future Together, a theme which really resonated with her.
Other friends were enriched by the conference and its themes and made valued contributions to the consultation. Art activities were full of happiness, song naturally arose, and prayer and music at the open and close of the day dispensed spiritual fragrances.
Taranaki
21 – 22 May, Marfell Primary School, Marfell, New Plymouth
This cluster shared a few reflections on their conference by responding to questions as follows.
What were some of the highlights of your conference?
Acceptance and feeling of unity among the participants.
Safety to share during workshops and plenary and informal settings.
Amazing food (catering to diverse requirements).
Commonality among people of various backgrounds in their desire to contribute to the betterment of humanity.
People wanting to come back for the second day even though they only registered for one.
Great diversity among those who attended.
Wonderful Junior Youth and Children's programme.
What has your community learned through hosting the conference, in terms of capacities built and challenges overcome?
Courage and confidence to speak about the person of Bahá’u’lláh and the principles of the Faith and the training institute
Involving the Māori community and the wider community
Caring for all and generosity
Reaching out and inviting people
Planning a large scale event
Facilitating workshops
Excellence - all helpers strove for excellence
Coordinating help with other communities
Working in unity
Technical ability
Capacity to interview others to represent/reflect experience in community building efforts
Logistical capacity to collate material and present them to the needs of every workshop
Capacity to develop workshop content based on the material given
The capacity to unify our vision through reliance on God (needs to be further developed)
Have there been any immediate outcomes from your conference?
A participant showed up for a devotion for the first time immediately following the conference
A participant is moved to start a devotional gathering in his area (Waitara)
A new relationship is being developed with the New Plymouth Police as a result of the Race Unity Speech Awards and conversations related to the conference.
Wellington
21 – 22 May, Johnsonville Community Centre, Johnsonville, Wellington
Over the two days, 70 or more people attended, including friends of the Faith and members of Wellington’s interfaith community, which is a relationship that has been cultivated over the decades. There was a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere which supported learning and imagining a better future.
Highlights included the interfaith devotions and four young women Samoan dancers from Tawa College. A junior youth and children’s stream added to the richness of the event.
Lower Hutt community catered the food so that the rest of the participants could focus on the educational and social aspects.
An article on the World Conference appeared in the “Independent Herald”, a newspaper for the Western and Northern Suburbs Wellington, the May 26, 2022 edition.
Whangārei
21 – 22 May, Hihiaua Cultural Centre, Whangārei
The Conference helped many understand more about what the Bahá’í community is doing in service to others and how they can join with it in those endeavours. They enjoyed meeting new friends and loved the spirit of the gathering — feeling uplifted and inspired towards service. Some were surprised at the comprehensiveness of what the Faith offers towards community-building. Some expressed happiness at learning how the Teachings of the Faith are so in harmony with Māori tikanga and whakapono.
The group discussions on all of the themes went well — with lively participation from all.
This conference was attended by around 70 adults and 20 children and junior youth., including a number of friends of the Faith. They represented a diverse range of ages, cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds — including Māori, Iraqi, Persian, German, Samoan, Tongan, Argentinian, Dutch, Fijian, American, and Pākehā New Zealanders. Friends of the Faith enjoyed the diversity.
The Hihiaua Cultural Centre is a conveniently located cultural centre and gallery. Its beauty was enhanced by works of art displayed on the walls. A separate spaces were available for the activities of the children and junior youth — who all had a great time and produced some beautiful works of art.
