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May
2, 2019
GLIMMERINGS
ON DONALD STREET
We
all yearn to live in a happy place surrounded by caring neighbors,
children playing together in safety and joy, trusting the people we
cross on our paths and feeling that we are part of a vibrant
neighborhood. The Bahá’í community has been working on creating such
beautiful neighborhoods for some years now, which is a challenge as it
involves the participation of so many.
In an
apartment building on Donald Street that is home to over a thousand
people, a rhythm of activities is bringing light and cheer to the
neighborhood. When Dan and Lua, the only Bahá’ís in the building, moved
there with their baby Faizi some two years ago, they too yearned for a
great neighborhood for their child to grow up in.
As soon as they moved in, they started visiting neighbors and inviting
youth and families to their house for social evenings and prayer
gatherings. It was clear that the people in the building were very
open, diverse, and friendly. Initial conversations and home visits led
to many entering the institute process, creating a network of
interested families. Children’s classes and junior youth groups also
started. Hervé, a 20-year old neighbor who regularly comes to Dan and
Lua’s house reflected: “There is a strong force that pulls people to
this area in terms of togetherness and companionship.”
With the help of a few young
adults from the neighborhood who expressed
interest in getting involved and a few other young Bahá’ís who came
regularly to serve alongside them, the initial activities started
multiplying. In 2017, a junior youth group began with six young people,
expanding slowly over time. It provided an opportunity for several
families to hear about the program and for several potential resources
to get a taste for service. Then in 2018, one of the younger siblings
insisted on having her own junior youth group and rallied a large group
of her friends together to start that same week. The two groups now
continue in parallel, with four animators and some 10-12 participants
each representing the diversity of countries in the neighborhood:
Burundi, Sudan, Senegal, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Italy, Kenya,
Mauritius, Spain, Comoros, and Nigeria.
The junior youth gather every week and study together to develop their
intellectual skills and spiritual capacities, play and do artistic
activities and carry out service projects in the community. Quincy, a
23-year old who serves in the neighborhood, says: “I think they gain a
greater sense of awareness about the community, but also the activities
help them to be more open, meet their neighbors, welcome new people,
make friendships, and express themselves in a way that is respectful of
others.”
With such a big and constantly changing population, it is hard to
notice the change in the building, but it is heartwarming to hear the
junior youth change their stories from “the neighbor shouted at me” and
“I was chased down the corridor” to “we offered them cookies” and
“there are so many people interested in what our group does.” There is
a glimmering of renewed respect and friendship appearing in the
neighborhood.
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