Junior Youth Program

The Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program

The Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program is a global movement that motivates middle schoolers to work together with parents and community members to contribute to the well-being of their neighborhoods and the world at large. The program is founded on the idea that, to help young people achieve their highest potential, education needs to address both their intellectual and spiritual development.

While inspired by the Baha’i Faith, the program does not approach education in the mode of religious instruction. It affirms that young people have a vital role to play in helping communities grow. In these groups, junior youth are mentored by older teens and young adults, referred to as “animators”, to develop their spiritual qualities, intellectual capabilities, and capacity to serve society. Each week, animators and junior youth study materials based on moral and spiritual concepts and talk about how to navigate a complex world, resist negative forces in their lives, and promote social progress. They engage in meaningful discussions and artistic expression (through drama, cooperative games, visual arts, and storytelling) and community service (helping the elderly, fundraising, community education), all of which help them form strong moral identities.

Animators are a true friend to the junior youth, and strive to awaken junior youth to their own potential, channel their energies, and develop their talents to serve their neighbors, family, and friends. Along the way, many animators discover that the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program makes an impact in their own lives, as well as the young people they serve.