Junior Youth Camp uplifts spirits, raises capacity

A joyous and uplifting camp hosted by the Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of Hastings was held at Te Poho o Tangiianui Marae on 11-15 July 2023. Reflecting on the ages between 12 and 15 as a key transitional phase for many youth, the camp focused on study of the junior youth texts which aim to help participants establish an identity, work with each other to foster positive peer groups and develop a social conscience that will enable them to serve in their communities.

**Participants attended from** Hawke's Bay, Tairāwhiti, Ōpōtiki and Palmerston North

Careful thought and consideration went into the planning of this event. The theme for the camp was based on Matariki, a time in which God is remembered in a spirit of faith, and inspiration was drawn from two stars of the Matariki cluster: Pohutukawa who encourages remembering those who have passed and have contributed to our lives and Hiwa-i-te-rangi who encourages planning for the year ahead and deep thought about goals and aspirations.

A total of 69 participants from 5 localities across the East Coast took part in study groups, home visits, devotions and a celebratory outing for Matariki. Here is a glimpse of what transpired, including brief descriptions and photos of a few of the gatherings and initiatives that took place during this special event.

Study group: Spirit of Faith - The Spirit of Faith text discusses the nature of the human being, questions of free will and fate and the harmony between science and religion.

Study group: Thinking about Numbers - The Thinking about Numbers text assisted the participants to frame their thinking in terms of mathematical concepts in their daily lives such as accuracy, approximation and correspondence.

Study group: Human Temple - The Human Temple text provides young people with an opportunity to consider the power of the human spirit. Thinking about certain concepts related to language such as the power of human utterance and the nature of spiritual perception.

Study group: Habits of an Orderly Mind - The Habits of an Orderly Mind text addresses mathematical and scientific concepts which enable the participants to identify some of the habits that they want to develop, habits crucial if they are to learn to draw upon their intellectual and spiritual powers.

**Habits of an orderly mind study group**

Home visit: Marewa neighbourhood, Napier - Two teams visited three homes in Marewa. They met with the Puhara whanau and were able to invite them to our upcoming Childrens Festival in Flaxmere. They also picked up two more youth who attended the remainder of the camp.

**Participants in the Marewa outreach group**

Home visit: Flaxmere neighbourhood, Hastings - Two teams led by the Flaxmere youth visited 12 homes in the neighbourhood. Some were visited for the first time, others were follow-up visits to those from existing junior youth groups and others were invitations to parents to attend the Saturday lunch at the camp. Many families were away during the school holidays due to the celebration of the Māori New Year (Matariki). The final visit was to the Flaxmere Park where a gathering of friends took place.

Outing: Celebrating Matariki - On Friday evening the group attended a concert at the Tomoana Showgrounds in Hastings. It was an amazing celebration of the success of Hawke’s Bay over the past year. We were excited as one of our youth was working at this event. The concert was great, lots of music and performances and of course our very own regional Kapahaka champions ‘Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngati Kahungunu ki Heretaunga’ graced the stage. Many of our junior youth and youth are past and current performers in this group. A special thank you to all the adult supporters from Napier, Hastings and Central Hawke’s Bay who accompanied us to this event and helped us with keeping the junior youth safe. A total of 12 adults attended to ensure we all had a great night. The event ended with an amazing tribute to all those who have passed away which was very special, as many of our junior youth and youth had family members honoured, and the evening ended with a spectacular display of fireworks.

**Enjoying the performances at the Ngati Kahungunu Matariki celebration**

Much of the success of this camp resulted from the enthusiasm of the participants, and the devoted efforts of the large team who contributed as organisers, facilitators and hosts. The organising committee make special acknowledgements below:

~ To our Local Spiritual Assemblies in our cluster, who continually support the efforts of the camps and empower us to take charge of the Training Institute within our neighbourhoods and within our groups of families.

~ A special thank you to the friends from Tairāwhiti, Ōpōtiki and Palmerston North for your presence, for travelling from afar to be a part of our junior youth camp. You truly made it special, and many friendships were formed. We look forward to seeing you all again.

~ Thank you to all the animators who gave their time, energy and efforts to the camp.

~ Thank you to the youth and junior youth of Hawke’s Bay for your hospitality to our guests.

This article is compiled from a report prepared on behalf of the team of organisers from Hawke’s Bay.

THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE - Riḍván 2023
“To the Bahá’ís of the World
Dearly loved Friends,
We feel tremendous joy to be addressing a community whose high-mindedness and high resolve are befitting of its high calling. How great, how very great is our love for you, and how our spirits soar as we see your sincere and devoted striving to live lives shaped by the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and to proffer the life-giving waters of His Revelation to a world that is sore athirst. Your strong sense of purpose is plain to see. Expansion and consolidation, social action, and participation in the discourses of society proceed apace, and the natural coherence of these undertakings at the level of the cluster is becoming ever more visible. Nowhere is this clearer than in places where growing numbers are becoming engaged in a range of endeavours, each one a means to release the society-building power of the Faith.”
An excerpt from the Riḍván 2023 message from The Univeral House of Justice

A pdf of the full message can be found here:

Riḍván Message 2023