The humble seed was the symbolic centrepiece of a junior youth concert that attracted a full house to the Brisbane Baha’i Centre on 2 December.
The end-of-year concert was held to showcase what the seven Baha’i junior youth groups in the city have been learning in 2007.
As members of the audience entered the hall, they each received a seed, the meaning of which soon became apparent.
During the devotional program which preceded the concert, the members of the junior youth groups rose from their seats and planted a seed at the front of the stage.
Every junior youth is like a seed, explained one of the organisers, Saphira Rameshfar.
“With water and sunshine in the form of junior youth groups, these seeds will grow into mighty trees,” Ms Rameshfar said.
Baha’i junior youth groups welcome anybody regardless of religious affiliation.
Combining spiritual and moral education with artistic and sporting activities, they cater for those between the ages of 12 and 15 years.
Red Carpet
One of the groups, “The 3S’s of Kenmore”, performed “Catwalk” on a red carpet complete with neon lights to describe their projects, goals and dreams for a better world.
Another group wore colorful costumes when they presented a play, “The Wonderlamp”, which outlines spiritual teachings.
One of the groups, comprised of Year 7 students who meet after school, presented their art work “Garden Arch”, which showed the deployment of virtues and a vision of a brighter future overcoming such ills of the world as poverty, war and pollution.
The Brisbane Baha’i Youth workshops presented their energetic and amusing theatre piece, “Slow Talkin’ Jones,” and a song and dance number paid tribute to junior youth leaders, who are called Animators.
At the end of the evening the seeds planted earlier had been transformed into vibrant flowers, and these were presented to the Animators.
Plans were announced to expand and develop junior youth activities in Brisbane next year.