Two years ago a series of 114 youth conferences were held worldwide, attracting more than 80,000 youth between the ages of 15 and 30.

Fourteen young people travelled from Bermuda for this auspicious event.

A few months earlier, an invitation was given to youth of all walks of life, regardless of race, gender or religion, extended by the Baha’i governing body, the Universal House of Justice.

The message was clear: “To every generation of young believers comes an opportunity to make a contribution to the fortunes of humanity, unique to their time of life.

“For the present generation, the moment has come to reflect, to commit, to steel themselves for a life of service from which blessing will flow in abundance.”

This perspective instils a hopeful vision for our youth in a world where negative forces are thrust upon them and they do not have the proper tools to combat these forces, which only perpetuates cycles of violence, materialism or apathy.

It asks: “How do you view the role of your generation in society? What high purpose shapes your individual and collective actions?”

Together the youth engaged in studying materials, art, music, drama and much more to explore the reality of their generation and the true nature of their potential to contribute to a spiritually and materially prosperous world.

A focus of their conversations at the conference was on the junior youth, those 11 to 14, and how they have the capacity to greatly empower this age group to become agents of change to transform their lives and their communities.

Together with others in their area, the youth devised plans to reach out to more like-minded youth in an effort to build the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Programme — bringing together groups of junior youth to begin the process of community-building in their own neighbourhoods.

Today, thousands more junior youth and youth are engaged in this programme, the purpose of which is to empower the junior youth to take ownership of their spiritual and intellectual development, to develop a strong sense of purpose and the volition needed to make sound decisions, and to engage them to contribute to the wellbeing of communities.

The older youth, usually between 17 and 25, are becoming trained “animators” that accompany the junior youth to become critical thinkers and identify the moral implications of speech and action. They ultimately help to empower the younger youth to channel their energies towards strengthening their own character and serving their communities.

This programme has already borne fruits of spiritually and materially developing communities, as evident in its contribution to reducing teen pregnancies and gang violence in Bolivar, Colombia, and decreasing gender discrimination in Bihar Sharif, India.

Its effects are also starting to manifest in neighbourhoods in Bermuda where this programme is growing, so too is the unity between neighbours and the selfless contributions of junior youth to beautify their neighbourhoods.

• For more information about the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Programme and how to become a youth animator (ages 15 and up), contact institute co-ordinator Thea Symonds at thea.symonds@gmail.com