Upcoming ISGP seminar invites registrations
The Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity (ISGP) seminar for university graduates and young professionals, entitled “Discourse and Social Transformation: Achieving Coherence” will be held at the Yerrinbool Bahá'í Centre of Learning, in New South Wales, Australia from 27 December 2023 to 7 January 2024. The deadline for receiving completed application forms has been extended to 1 September 2023, after which they will not be accepted. See links to more information and the application form below.
The last ISGP seminar was attended by a group of ten university graduates and young professionals from across New Zealand. The main theme of the seminar was ‘Achieving Coherence’ and participants were encouraged to think deeply about their fields of work and study and how they may take steps to participate in discourses relevant to the progress of their fields and in other spaces in which they are present.
During the seminar, the cohort from New Zealand began to deliberate on how they might work together to keep building capacity to participate in discourses and some of them identified Books 9, 13 and 14 as courses in the training institute that they would like to take up as tutors or participants. The group decided that they may come together from time to time to revisit the content they studied and maintain the enthusiasm and support that was cultivated during the seminar. Quoted below are a few participant reflections on the experience of attending the graduate seminar, the impact of the seminar experience on their lives, and the initiatives and plans which were inspired by their attendance.
“The graduate seminar helped me to understand the importance of thinking more scientifically and try to incorporate the scientific method into my work and service. I found it increased my desire to investigate topics that I am not familiar with to see how they would benefit my work and service. Particularly it also increased my understanding of topics that I was more familiar and gave me a greater appreciation of the concepts. The camaraderie was an important part of the seminar for me. It was a space to make new friends that were all conscious of the need to introduce elevated discourses into their work and service.”
“The graduate seminar helped deepen my understanding of how Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings can contribute to and shape discourses in society. Having a better understanding of the influence of particular discourses on society has helped me to approach my work with a more eager desire to collaborate. Where the corporate environment is generally a competitive one, contributing to discourses is inherently collaborative.”
“The seminar also led me to consider the discourses I was connected to in my professional life [such as the topic of co-governance and its relation to the principles of consultation, mutualistic power and social justice] and consider ways in which I could contribute to these or create a platform that can connect groups who are involved in similar areas, with the aim of advancing a discourse. While this has not yet come to fruition it is something that I am still actively pursuing and would not be if it wasn’t for the graduate seminar. Considering my life more generally, the graduate seminar provided me with a new desire to learn about the history and current state of the different elements of society. The seminar showed how essential this knowledge is to participating in discourses. To be able to apply Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings to any aspect of society, we need to first have a sound understanding of it.
“I greatly enjoyed the graduate seminar and found it particularly unique in the academic approach it takes and that it calls on sources of thought and events outside the Bahá'í community. While it has been a challenge to put the learning fully into practice it is a challenge that brings me joy and excitement.”
“Since the graduate seminar, I've set up a discussion space at work, with the explicit purpose of elevating and furthering conversations around the discourse on race, and thinking about how to apply principles to the work environment. The seminar has also greatly influenced my thinking around how I can make career decisions guided by the conceptual framework, and about which opportunities will lead to increasing my own capacity for service.”
“A fellow participant and I started a children's class and we've been actively trying to go through the Ruhi courses too. I think it opened my eyes a lot to more political and cultural agendas, made me think about social issues across the globe more and see the trends that there are. This helped me have more conversations with other people too. I would say it helped me see connections on a global and international scale as opposed to my individual country or community. And helped me see and think more about long term goals (10+ years) in terms of career and community building.”
“The recent graduate seminar was amazing. Besides the trans-Tasman friendships, joy and fellowship that resulted from it, I feel like even more than the content studied, I really enjoyed the structure and nature of the seminar itself. … A conversation that was had at the end/reflection space of the graduate seminar was the idea of holding regular spaces (or conferences) for professionals in their fields exploring discourses related to their professions (or anything really). There is a current regular lunch-time discussion space, as an initiative from a few friends and their colleagues working in and around the offices near me. It feels very similar to the Bahá'í Club we used to run at University, but in a professional context, drawing on Bahá'í International Community (BIC) statements and the like.”
Please click on the buttons below for updated versions of the announcement and application form. Graduates and young professionals are warmly encouraged to participate in the seminar.
