Bahá’í Schools

2026 Program Booklet

Christina Lake Summer School: Fostering the Spiritual Health of Families and Communities

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Onsite First Aid

Medical personnel will be on site and available from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM each day. During session times, please speak with a school organizer/volunteer as identified during welcoming.

On-site nurse:  Fariba Reza ….  604 290-2244           

For overnight emergencies (9:00 PM to 9:00 AM), please call 911 or go to Boundary Hospital, 7649 22 St, Grand Forks

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General Information/Housekeeping

Parent/Guardian Responsibility – Outside of daytime workshop times, children are the responsibility of their parents/guardians. Parents/guardians are responsible for their children during meals, breaks, and recreation times.

Christina Lake – Parents/guardians are responsible for their children if they choose to take them swimming at the Lake. Please note that there is no life guard on duty.

Registration Desk – Please check in when you arrive at the hall.

Cell phones – Please put on silent mode during workshop times.

Spirit of Volunteerism – We rely on the spirit of volunteerism and the proven theory that ‘many hands make light work’. Please help out where you see a need.

Service in the Kitchen – Our hardworking cooks need our assistance. Please share the load and sign up to prepare, serve or clean up for a lunch / dinner meal and snack time and to help with breakfast duties. Sign-up sheets are in the hall. Other than volunteers, the kitchen is off-limits to others due to Food Safe requirements.

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What to Bring

  • Refillable water bottles for the whole family
  • Reusable Coffee/Tea Mugs
  • Runners/hiking shoes
  • Prayer Books
  • Sunblock/Sunscreen
  • Mosquito repellents (although this is not usually a problem)
  • Sports supplies: soccer ball, Frisbees, volleyball, etc.
  • Musical instruments
  • A journal/pen
  • Quiet games (non-electronic) for kids during down times at the venue
  • Last and most importantly, a joyful spirit!

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Program Schedule

All adult programs (ages 15 and up) will take place in the Main Hall.

Children (ages 5–10) are welcome to join the Children’s Class in the side room or outside in the gazebo.

Children (ages 1–4) may be in the designated play area with the Children’s Class but must be accompanied by a parent at all times.

Junior Youth (ages 11–14) will be in the side room, the garden area or the gazebo outside.

FRIDAY evening:

7:00-7:30 pmArrival and Registration
7:30 – 7:45 pmWelcome and housekeeping
7:45-8:15 pmStudy: The purpose of Bahá’í Schools
8:15 – 9:00 pmSocial time

SATURDAY am: Fostering the Spiritual Health of Families and Communities

7:00 amDawn Prayers – garden gazebo
8:00-9:00 amBreakfast
9:30-9:45 amMorning Devotional
9:45-11:45amKeynote Presenter – Dr. Taravat Ostafar
11:45 – 1:45 pmLunch

SATURDAY pm:  Building Friendships Through a Culture of Home Visits – (Demystifying Home Visits)

1:45 pmDevotions
2:00 – 4:00 pmKeynote presenter:  Andrew Munns
4:00 – 6:00Free time
6:00 – 7:00 pmSupper

SATURDAY evening:

7:00 pmGROUP PHOTO
7:15 pmMusic, arts, poetry

SUNDAY am: The Right of God and the Promotion of Social Justice

7:00 amDawn Prayers – garden gazebo
8:00-9:00 amBreakfast
9:30-9:45 amMorning Devotional
9:45-11:45amKeynote Presenters – Donna Hollenbeck and Goli Azizi Ashraf
11:45 – 1:45 pmLunch

SUNDAY pm: Identifying Collaborative Partners in Community-building.

1:45 pmDevotions
2:00 – 4:00 pmKeynote presenters:  Doris Bruno and Shelley Grandy
4:00 – 5:00 pmClean-up

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Workshop & Presentation Descriptions:

Fostering the Spiritual Health of Families & Communities:

The family is often regarded as the first building block and nucleus of civilization. As the fundamental and indispensable unit of society and the foundation of community life, it plays a central role in nurturing spiritual, moral, and social capacities. Within this perspective, families and communities are viewed as key protagonists in the advancement of civilization.

Drawing on the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith, this session explores the interconnected nature of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. It also incorporates insights from contemporary academic research on well-being, resilience, social connectedness, and human flourishing.

Participants will examine practical approaches to strengthening the spiritual health of families and communities, including meaningful family conversations, devotional practices, consultation, service to others, intergenerational learning, and community-building activities. Through both reflection and application, the session seeks to provide a conceptual framework and practical tools for cultivating healthy, cohesive, and spiritually vibrant families and communities.

this session will also offer a mindfulness practice together as a group for those attending.

Building Friendships Through a Culture of Home Visits – (Demystifying Home Visits):

This session seeks to accompany participants through a workshop during which they will be able to discover within themselves the skills to build more face-to-face friendships within a neighbourhood.

Participants will explore what a home visit is, why is it important, what are the reasons people may not home visit, and how can we begin a culture of home visits within our neighbourhoods.

The history, context and successes in Prince George will be used as an example of building friendships through home visits. 

The Right of God and Promotion of Social Justice:

The presentation will introduce the role of the Right of God in advancing civilization.  Three themes will be explored:

  • The challenge of unequal wealth and opportunity and how the Right of  God supports distributive justice
  • The challenge of materialism and consumer culture, and how the Right of God supports moderate consumption
  • The challenge of resource distribution and environmental degradation, and how the Right of God supports sustainable production

Identifying Collaborative Partners in Community-building:

This session will begin with a study of excerpts from letters from the Universal House of Justice on collaborative arrangements that bring like-minded groups together for a common purpose.

Drawing on their learning from this weekend and reflecting on the reality of their home communities, participants will seek to identify potential collaborators with whom they can form a natural grouping in order to improve some aspect of their community. What are the social, economic, or cultural barriers that impede people’s spiritual and material progress? Participants will endeavour to determine an issue/theme around which they could invite others to join in active service.

The session will include an example of a natural collaborative grouping in Grand Forks based on the theme of peace.

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