A new opportunity for youth service in Aotearoa
A new initiative is being developed to strengthen the spiritual, intellectual and practical capacities of young people in New Zealand, while placing service to humanity at the centre of their lives. With the wholehearted support of the National Spiritual Assembly, the North Island Training Institute Board is launching a Youth Year of Service Programme. This is an exciting new endeavour that will provide young people, particularly those completing high school, with the opportunity to dedicate a year or more to serving the Cause in New Zealand while continuing a purposeful path of learning and development.
This programme has emerged in response to a reality familiar to many families and communities: the transition from school into adulthood is one of the most significant periods in a young person's life. The choices made during these years often shape future patterns of study, work and service. A Year of Service offers youth the opportunity to establish habits of purposeful living, deepen their understanding of the institute process, and develop capacities that will enrich every stage of their lives.
Importantly, the programme is not intended as an alternative to higher education, employment or other worthwhile pursuits. Rather, it seeks to help young people approach every aspect of life with greater coherence, purpose and a lasting commitment to service. Whether participants later enter university, begin careers, raise families or pioneer in new fields of endeavour, the experience of concentrated service can become a strong foundation upon which the rest of life is built.
The programme will begin this coming summer with a small pilot group of participants. Following an initial period of intensive orientation and study, the youth will be placed in communities where vibrant patterns of institute activity and community-building are already underway, enabling them to serve alongside experienced friends while engaging in an ongoing cycle of study, action, reflection and learning.
Not a youth? You still have a vital role
Although only a small number of communities will host participants during the pilot phase, the success of this initiative belongs to the entire Bahá'í community. Every Local Spiritual Assembly, family and individual believer has an opportunity to contribute to its growth and learning.
Some communities may identify and encourage young people who would benefit from participating. Others may be able to support participants financially, include them in family life, offer hospitality or accommodation for periods of service, or simply provide encouragement, friendship and prayers. Parents may wish to begin conversations with their children about the possibilities that a Year of Service could offer. Families with younger children can help cultivate a culture in which service is seen as a joyful and natural part of life from an early age.
The programme also invites communities to think more deeply about their shared responsibility for accompanying youth as they navigate the important transition into adulthood. Institutions, families and experienced friends all have a vital role to play in nurturing the capacities of the rising generation and creating conditions in which young people can flourish spiritually while contributing meaningfully to the advancement of their communities.
In time, many of those who participate in the programme will return to their home communities bringing with them new capacities, practical experience and insights gained through a concentrated period of service. In this way, the benefits of the programme will extend far beyond those who take part directly, strengthening communities across Aotearoa for years to come.
Further information about the Youth Year of Service Programme will be shared when the programme is officially launched. In the meantime, the National Assembly warmly encourages all to begin considering how they, their families and their communities might support this exciting new endeavour and help foster a culture in which service becomes a natural and enduring centre of a young person's life.
