The Institute Process

Study Circles

Circles of study, open to all, enable people of varied backgrounds to advance on equal footing and explore the application of the Bahá’í teachings to their individual and collective lives.  Bahá’í study circles provide participants with the knowledge, spiritual insights and skills to enable them to contribute to the betterment of society, starting with their own neighborhood. This is done through systematic study of a sequence of courses based on the Bahá’í Writings using the courses of the Ruhi Institute.

Study circles are held all around the region and across the globe. Study circles are held in an uplifting environment conducive to the spiritual empowerment of individuals, who come to see themselves as active agents of their own learning. The role of the study circle facilitator is not to impart knowledge, but to assist discussion, learning, and action. Study circles feature participatory learning, carrying out acts of service, and the use of the arts.

Learn more about the main sequence of courses, for those 15 and older here.

Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program

The Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program channels the surging energies of junior youth. It is open to young people ages 12-14 and assists them to navigate through a crucial stage in their lives.

Those in their early adolescent years possess altruism, a sense of justice, eagerness to learn about the universe, and a desire to contribute to the construction of a better world.

The program helps them form a strong moral identity and empowers them to contribute to the well-being of their communities and the world at large.

By developing their character, intellectual capabilities, power of expression, and capacities for service to society, the participants come to see that they can become agents of positive change in the world.

The groups are facilitated by “animators”, often in their late teens or twenties. The animator and participants learn from each other in a participatory mode of learning. Groups of participants engage in activities such as discussion, drama, artistic expression, cooperative games, study of literature, story telling and acts of community service.

The junior youth program explores themes from a Bahá’í perspective, but is not a formal religious education program. It is open to all, subject to parental approval. Junior youth groups meet on a regular basis and there is no written homework.

Learn more about Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program here.

Bahá’í Children’s Classes for Spiritual Education

Classes that nurture the tender hearts and minds of children are a basic building block of spiritual life, character, moral discernment, and happiness.  They help children learn how to serve others and to advance human society.

Parents everywhere are looking for ways to give their children this spiritual education. Spiritual and moral education for children has a long tradition in the Bahá’í community. In neighborhoods throughout the Atlantic region and around the world, Bahá’ís and their friends offer classes that develop the deeper capacities of the young and supplement the education they receive at school.

These classes are open to children of all backgrounds, ages 5-11, and are often run in collaboration with their families. The classes draw on the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith and aim to inspire in children a love for God, for the Founders of all the great religions, and for living a good life. The classes include short lessons, activities to build social skills and friendships, games, stories that illustrate virtues like love, kindness, generosity, and art and music.

Here, children learn to apply spiritual principles such as love, unity and justice to their own lives. All children are welcome and no child participates without the approval of his or her parents.

“Among the greatest of all services that can possibly be rendered by man to Almighty God is the education and training of children …” — `Abdu’l-Bahá

Learn more about Bahá’í children’s classes for spiritual education here.