Susan Lewis Wright
A professional
singer-songwriter, musician and author; Susan is chair of the Global
Visions Arts Alliance, an SED project for the Arts. She has been
an Assistant for Protection in the arts for more than 10 years. A
frequent travel teacher, she has taught classes on the Arts at Bosch,
Green Acre, AK, Louhelen, and numerous Baha’i schools and communities
around the US., U.K. and Ireland. |
Creativity and the Core Activities:
Attracting the Community of Interest by Thinking Outside the Box
A Workshop
Abstract:
Plan devotions and
firesides that you want to attend. How to keep it
simple, make it creative. What will attract not-yet-Baha’is to attend
devotions or firesides? A brief review of the Writings followed by a
participatory workshop. Attendees will break into small groups to plan
one of these activities, then commit to doing this at home.
Description:
Attendees will receive a
handout that covers a brief review of the Writings and guidance
regarding devotional meetings and firesides, and will discuss them
briefly (about 20-25 minutes).
They will then break into small groups
five to eight people and plan a fireside or devotional meeting (about
30-35 minutes). They will be asked to define their community of
interest, for example, who are the people they will invite, and what
will attract them? They will be encouraged to think of innovative ways
of presenting devotions, and unique fireside topics and presentations
that will be of as much interest to Baha’is as to their friends.
Each group will then present its plan
to the other groups (about 30 minutes). This can be extremely useful
because it means everyone leaves with more than their one group’s idea.
A final handout will include ideas for
Feast and firesides that have proven successful in other communities, as
well as sample invitations, posters and so on. For those with fewer
resources, attendees will be encouraged to “keep it simple, make it
creative.”
Older children, youth and adults can
participate in this class. Suggestions from young people can be
extremely creative, and if devotions or firesides attract families with
children, it is especially important to have their input.
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