Regional Geography

Cluster Groupings

In its letter to the Counselors dated 29 December 2015, the Universal House of Justice indicated “that progress will be more swiftly achieved in regions where one or more intensive programmes of growth have been sustained for some time, as these offer a valuable source of knowledge and experience and represent a reservoir of human resources as efforts are made to strengthen surrounding areas.” The Atlantic Region created eleven groupings of clusters around stronger “reservoirs” of experience. In this way, resources can be targeted to clusters slated to increase their intensity during the plan.

Clusters

Clusters are geographic areas smaller than a region, most of which consist of a group of villages and towns, or a large city and its suburbs. The boundaries of clusters are determined by social, economic, cultural, linguistic, and other characteristics.

Cluster development

• Non-emerging: Work has not yet begun. Bahá’ís and community-building core activities are non-existent.

• Emerging: Work has begun. A handful of Bahá’ís and their friends begin learning about and starting to implement the framework of the current series of Bahá’í plans, with their core activities of prayer gatherings, children’s classes, junior youth groups, and study circles.

• 1st Milestone: An initial flow of human resources into the field of systematic action begins the process of sustainable growth. For instance, someone who is attending a study circle arises to begin a core activity.

• 2nd Milestone: The elements to accelerate the expansion and consolidation activities for community transformation are in place and functioning with adequate effectiveness to begin an intensive program of growth. (Tens of facilitators of hundreds of participants).

• 3rd Milestone: Activities have reached a level of embracing large numbers flowing into the expansion and consolidation process cycle after cycle. (Hundreds of facilitators of thousands of participants).