2026 Fraser Valley Baha’i School Online Program Booklet

Fraser Valley Summer School: Fostering the Spiritual Health of Families and Communities

With Study and Reflection on Guidance from the Universal House of Justice

Online Program Booklet

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Table of Contents

• First Aid and Emergency Information
• General Information/Housekeeping
• What to Bring
• Program Schedule
• Workshop Descriptions
• Presenter Biographies
• Map of Camp Whonnock and Information

First Aid and Emergency Information

Onsite First Aid – A 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 (identified with blue name badge) or the First Aid personnel with a red name badge.

EMERGENCY CONTACTS

On-site Nurse – 9am – 9pm, Saturday & Sunday – Joe Singh (778) 347-6452

On-site Assistance:
Daver – (778) 229-3283
Sobhan – (778) 700-1811
Hoyaam – (778) 928-4696

For overnight emergencies (9:00 PM to 9:00 AM), please call 911 or go to the nearest hospital:
Ridge Meadows Hospital
11666 Laity Street, Maple Ridge, BC

Emergency Situations: Call 9-1-1 The Camp Whonnock address is 27660 Dewdney Trunk Rd, Maple Ridge, BC.

General Information/Housekeeping

Agreement and Consent Form – We kindly ask that all participants complete the consent form before arriving. This helps us ensure a safe, well-organized, and enjoyable experience for everyone. Link below:

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, recreation times, all ages programming times and during the nights.

Rolley Lake – The team will be available during recreation times at the Lake. Parents/guardians are responsible for their children. It is encouraged that during sessions and workshops, friends should not go to the Lake. There will be a fire pit if campfires are allowed that weekend.

Registration Desk – Please check in and pick up your weekend package in the basement of the Main Hall. Ushers will be available to help you find the registration desk.

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. Portable washrooms have been rented and are an area that requires constant upkeep. Please be sure to clean up after yourself – drying off the counter with your hand towel when you’re finished makes a big difference throughout the day. If you notice more supplies are needed, please let the school organizers know.

Service in the Kitchen – Our hardworking cook and her team 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 by the Registration Desk. Other than volunteers, the kitchen is off-limits to others due to Food Safe requirements. Those with special dietary needs will be served separately through the kitchen, next to the serving area.

Meals – At around 130 attendees, and a limited room capacity during meal times, please help elders, parents with small children, and kitchen helpers to the front of the line. If the weather is nice, you may take your plate outdoors but please return your dishes promptly for washing. If the weather is not nice, please be aware that some of us will need to eat and then make space for others.

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What to Bring

• Bedding: If you are registered for a cabin, please bring your own bedding—such as a mattress, sleeping bag, pillow, and any other personal items—as well as towels for the lake and other activities.
• Please note that the cabins are very rustic: they have electricity only, with no heating, running water, or bathrooms.
• See Image of a Bunk Bed
• Tent: If you are registered for a tent spot, please bring your own tent, as tents will not be provided or available on site.
• Toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, soap, hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, personal effects, etc.
• Sanitizing items: hand sanitizers, disinfecting wipes, etc.
• Flashlights and extra batteries
• Refillable water bottles for the whole family
• Reusable Coffee/Tea Mugs
• Runners/hiking shoes
• Water shoes: we’ll have access to Lake Rolley
• Rain jackets including warm wear (if needed)
• Prayer Books
• Sunblock/Sunscreen
• Mosquito repellents
• ⁠Sports supplies: soccer ball, Frisbees, volleyball, etc.
• Modest clothing: We request all participants to please adhere to the high standards of our blessed Faith by wearing clothing that is modest in nature. We greatly appreciate your help in fostering an uplifting spiritual environment that allows us to immerse ourselves in our community with the least amount of distraction possible
• Last and most importantly, a joyful spirit!
• We also encourage you to bring:
  • A heater if you’re staying in the cabins
  • Camping chairs, extra towels, picnic chairs
  • Quiet games (non-electronic) for kids during down times
  • A journal/pen
  • Reading material for downtime and before bed
  • Musical instruments
  • A copy of the Nine-Year Plan
  • Recreational Equipment’s: football, frisbees, basketball, soccer balls, tennis & table tennis equipment.

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 basement.

Children (ages 1–4) may be in the basement play area but must be accompanied by a parent at all times.

Junior Youth (ages 11–14) will be at the shelter outside.

Children and Junior Youth will be taken from the Main Hall by their teachers at the start of their classes at each workshop/class Block. They will be returned to the Main Hall by their teachers at the end of each workshop/class Block to be reunited with their parents/guardians.

FRIDAY Strengthening the Spiritual Foundations of the Society

5:00-6:00pm	Arrival and Registration
6:00-7:30pm	Dinner
7:30-8:30pm	Welcome and Devotions Announcements about the weekend Participatory Arts – Negin Etemadi
8:30-9:30pm	Campfire and Connection Time
10:00pm	Quiet Time

SATURDAY Empowering Families as Foundations of Spiritual Transformation

7:00 am	Dawn Prayers – meet at main hall
8:00-9:00am	Breakfast
9:30-9:45am	Morning Devotional
9:45-11:45am	Keynote Presenter – Janna Denton-Howes & Dwayne Pond “Fostering the Equality of Women and Men in Marriage”
11:45 am	GROUP PHOTO
12:00-1:00pm	Lunch
1:00 – 2:00pm	Group Activity – Multi-Age Scavenger Hunt
2:00-5:00pm	Activity – Bus Departure to Rolley Lake OR Study of the Universal House of Justice Message – meet at main hall “The Riḍván 2026 Message Through the Lens of the Right of God.“
5:00 – 6:00pm	Free Time
6:00 – 7:00pm	Dinner
7:30 – 8:00pm	Devotions and Musical Presentation by Roya Ravanbaksh
8:00 – 9:30pm	Participatory Arts, Dance Party  Campfire and Connection Time
10:00pm	Quiet Time

SUNDAY Growing together in Faith, Service and Unity

7:00 am	Dawn Prayers – meet at main hall
8:00-9:00am	Breakfast
9:30-9:45am	Morning Devotional by Children and Junior Youth
9:45-11:45am	Keynote Presenter – Richard Hastings  “Attraction & Belonging”
12:00-1:00pm	Lunch
1:00-2:30pm	Marvin Khoshkhassal – “The Riḍván 2026 Message Through the Lens of the Right of God.“
2:30-3:00pm	Break
3:00-4:30pm	Keynote Presenter – Mehrdad Mirza-Agha “Dual perspectives of science and Baha’i teachings”
4:30-5:30pm	Multi Age Team Game by the Hasting family
5:30-6:30pm	Dinner
6:30pm	Closing Remarks, Clean-up and farewell

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Workshop & Presentation Descriptions

Based on the main theme of the Summer School “Fostering the Spiritual Health of Families & Communities”, the sessions will explore each word of the theme as follows:

Fostering: meaningful conversations through faith, learning and service.
Spiritual Health: Cultivating inner well-being through prayer, reflection & consultation.
Family & Community: Empowering children, Junior Youth, Youths and adults to flourish through spiritual principles.

It will draw on message of the Universal House of Justice, as well as the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and `Abdu’l-Bahá and the letters of the Guardian.

The sessions will include a presentation and group discussion and collective art activities.

The aim is to help us understand better how the Divine Plan addresses the needs of our time in history, and what our families can do in this next year to build the kind of communities that can finally bring peace to the world.

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Presenter Biographies

Janna Denton-Howes & Dwayne Pond

Mehrdad Mirza-Agha

Richard Hastings

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Map of Camp Whonnock and Information

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