ABSTRACT
Spiritual and moral education is a constant theme in the Sacred Texts of the Bahá’í Faith and has many principles that are attractive to societies around the world. Over the past 50 years, the sustained effort of Bahá’ís and their friends to hold neighbourhood children’s classes and Junior Youth (JY) spiritual empowerment gatherings in geographically located neighbourhoods has resulted in significant learning at local, national, and international levels. Inspired by the vision of Bahá’u’lláh for a united and peaceful world, volunteer children’s class teachers and JY animators dedicate three years to a neighbourhood where children learn about practising virtues, guiding their actions with spiritual principles, and initiating collaborative community service projects. At this point 10,000 communities, and many more neighbourhoods within those communities, are actively engaged with this spiritual and moral community-building process with one clear goal: creating a societal foundation for world peace. This chapter addresses the challenges and successes experienced in several country-specific neighbourhoods as the residents learn about neighbourhood moral and spiritual education classes. It also provides direct experience from interviews with local residents engaged with children’s classes and JY gatherings in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
