Courses
The Summer School vision is to Illuminate Minds and Inspire Hearts...
This applies to all age groups, so the facilitators designing their courses for the adults, or the animators for the JY and the teachers for the children, will all be aiming to create special experiences for their groups. The courses will be a combination of both knowledge for the mind and inspiration for the heart. Experiences that will create unique memories while also inspiring action, that will offer practical as well as spiritual nourishment for the soul.
Find your course
Use the links below to jump straight to the section most relevant to you.
Age group courses
Under 5s
Children’s Classes, aged 5-10
Junior Youth, aged 11-14
Youth Course, 15-25
Adult courses
Course 1 — Building Thriving Communities: The Bahá’í Administration in Practice
Course 2 — Hidden Voices
Course 3 — Work, Wealth and Service
Course 4 — The Tapestry: Weaving Stories into Your Life
Course 5 — A Dedicated Life - Shoghi Effendi
Course 6 — Spiritual Parenting
Course 7 — Becoming Protagonists of the Common Good
Course 8 — Consultation: A Precious Tool for Life!
Course 9 — No Greater Joy and Comfort
Course 10 — Unfolding Frames
Day Visitor Course
For those attending for less than three days.
Under 5’s
The Family room is a large facilitated space for parents and their children under five to relax and spend time with each other. Every child must be accompanied by a parent at all times.
There will be a facilitator present, and a flexible programme of activities for both children and parents will be available.
Parents are asked to bring a few toys, playthings and books to be shared with the group, but there will also be craft activities, games and music plus opportunities for parents to participate in conversations around family life and parenthood, allowing, of course, for the needs of the children.
Where two parents share child care, parents are invited to attend the Day Visitor courses as needed, which will explore a different theme each day, alternatively one parent might choose to attend a course, while the other takes on the child care duties.
We look forward to welcoming you.
Children’s Classes
Children’s Classes aged 5 -10 years:
The children’s courses will be housed in a block of classrooms separate from the adults, to allow freedom of movement and easy access to outdoor spaces for play, without disturbing adult sessions. The class size will be limited to allow for individual attention and care.
The children’s courses will begin immediately after the devotional session, and they will be escorted to their classrooms by their teachers.
The content of the courses for this age group will be age appropriate, and will allow for conversation, active games, creative activities, set tasks, exploration of themes, music, drama, outdoor activities and lots of fun and friendship. All intended to inspire and build confidence, and develop knowledge and understanding.
All those working with the children are DBS checked and Safe Guarding Trained. There will be a dedicated coordinator, whose role is to support the teachers. In addition, there will be two teaching staff per classroom, plus it is planned to have extra assistants to ensure that there are always enough hands to see to the needs of the children.
The children’s classes at Summer School are a unique opportunity for these young people, creating memories, experiences and friendships that cannot be found elsewhere. So please register your children to attend.
We look forward to welcoming you to the school.
Junior Youth
The Junior Youth Programme 11-14 years:
The Junior Youth sessions will take place in the same block as the children’s classes, again to ensure they have freedom of movement without disturbing others.
The JY programme will begin after the devotional, unless it is decided by the animating team that this age group might enjoy or benefit from the plenary session.
This age group have a huge capacity to understand the world around them in a new light and have “a reservoir of capacity to transform society” (Universal House of Justice).
Because of this their sessions will be planned to support them in advancing their knowledge and understanding by applying spiritual principles to real world scenarios, through consultation, drama, music, conversation and plenty of outdoor sports and games. The aim is to create true, lasting friendships and self-confidence as well as build capacities to question, make good choices in difficult circumstances, while also contributing to the transformation of society.
Youth
Youth Course: Come and meet your Spiritual Ancestors:
With Dave Kayani
This course is designed to be of special interest to those between 15 and 25 years, those participants of 18 + may choose between this course and any of the courses designed for adults.
Turn back the clock and meet your spiritual ancestors!
The Dawn Breakers is a book that the Guardian says every Bahá’í must master, not only read, but master!
Acquire the knowledge, skills and tools to help unlock the power of this life transforming book, the greatest story in the history of mankind. Our course starts by looking into Islam, familiarizes us with Persian names and geography, and will leave you not only inspired and electrified, but able to share this exciting story with others.
This course will use powerpoint presentations, videos, reading and plenty of sharing and discussing where everyone can be involved in understanding that we are actually a living part of this story!
The facilitator has been teaching this course for several years now and fell in love with the "Dawn-Beakers" after picking it up some 15 years ago, and was unable to stop reading it, being utterly inspired by our history which is so inextricably linked to our present and future. Since then he has been on a mission to try and master the details going on a deep dive after finding out that the first ever history of the faith was written by His great great great grandad who hosted The Báb for 3 days.
Adult Courses
Courses for Adults: 18 plus
The adult courses are designed to provide for a broad range of interests and needs. The focus of all courses is to provide both the knowledge, the relevant skills and the inspiration needed to apply the learning in home communities, in whatever way is applicable. The aim is to inform, inspire, encourage, and motivate all participants to aim for their own personal excellence, and feel confident and self-assured enough to apply their learning, as part of the world wide process of building a peaceful and prosperous world.
Course 1
“Building Thriving Communities: The Bahá’í Administration in Practice”
With Anthony Fleming
This course will offer an overview of the Bahá’í Administrative Order and explore it in detail through both the study of the writings and various creative processes including inspirational video footage and group tasks used to probe the foundational principles.
We will share inspirational stories that bring to life the history of this amazing tool: The Bahá’í Administrative Order. So please come with your own stories from real life experience that demonstrate its simplicity and effectiveness in practice.
We will spend time thinking about how issues arise in its application and how these might be resolved. Recent guidance will also be investigated allowing the concepts to be shared to understand more deeply meaning, interpretation and application.
The aim of this course is to uncover how the Bahá’í principles of love, unity, consultation, respect and discipline underlying the Administrative Order can be applied to our everyday lives, and thus to the process of building communities.
We will consider how this might become an integral part of our lives on our return home. Come to this course with an inquisitive mind, ready to participate fully and learn together through a combination of study, discussion and group tasks all sprinkled with a touch of fun and laughter.
Anthony became a Bahá’í in December 1979 and has experience in various Bahá’í activities such as overseas pioneering and serving at the Bahá’í World Centre.
He is a Life Coach, a Business Growth Coach and a Trainer who is passionate about self-development and spiritual growth.
He loves to travel and enjoys learning from other cultures. His Persian wife helps him to appreciate the Iranian culture and he loves to connect with people. Ask him about “connecting dots”.
Course 2
Hidden Voices
With Richard Leigh and Fleur Missaghian
Singing with others is a universal community building activity found in virtually every culture, often from oral traditions. Everyone has the potential to be a confident singer regardless of musical ability or experience.
This course aims to build participants’ belief in their melodic voice by providing a supportive learning environment, and avoiding musical jargon.
We will use vocal warm-ups to facilitate vocal health, and songs will mostly be learnt by ear without worrying about having a “good” voice or “getting it right”, so there is no requirement to read music.
We will learn Bahá’í and other sacred songs that can be used in community building activities such as devotionals and spaces for children, junior youth and adults.
Ultimately, we will explore singing with others as an expression of joy and unity.
Richard is a composer, performer and teacher inspired by folk, contemporary, classical and sacred traditions.
Bahá’í inspired vocal works include Seed, Daystar, Myriads (9 settings of The Hidden Words) and Rivers which weaves a choral tapestry of texts exploring the oneness of religion.
He is composer and performer in The Gathering Sound who create immersive sound and music journeys. He directed the Northamptonshire Bahá’í Choir (1999-2013) and he teaches and directs the global fusion ensemble Zingaresque for the Northants Music and Performing Arts Trust.
Fleur is a qualified teacher, singer-songwriter and writer from South Wales. Brought up in a musical family, she learned to sing and harmonise at a young age, developed her skills in choirs in the Valleys and went on to train classically as a singer. She has taught singing for community projects in Wales, the islands of Scotland, England, Ireland, France, Romania, Germany and China. She believes everyone has a voice and that it is a human right to sing! She is inspired by the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who said that music is one of the important arts, which inspires and motivates the material and spiritual part of people. He said, ‘When man is attached to the Love of God, music has a great effect upon him.’ He loved music and encouraged children to learn to sing and play instruments excellently, so that ‘the souls and hearts…may become vivified and exhilarated and their lives be brightened with enjoyment’
Fleur and Richard have been great friends and have created music together since 2000, in a band called ‘Kai’ composing music and songs, in the Northamptonshire Bahá’í Choir and in many summer schools. Fleur sang solo parts on Richard’s beautiful and soul-stirring albums, ‘Myriads’ and ‘Seed'.
Course 3
Work, Wealth and Service
With Diane Profaska and Rob Lawton
Bahá’ís are asked to distinguish themselves by their spiritual qualities, not by their wealth, and their endeavour to acquire a craft, trade, or profession to support themselves and their families.
This course will draw attention to the Bahá’í writings that ask us to consider the spiritual principles related to work, wealth and service, and how they can be used to benefit not only ourselves but all of humanity.
The sacred law of Huququ’llah will be presented and explained, including its implications for the spiritual growth of the individual, its effect on society and how it is an indispensable and personally beneficial discipline to develop over one’s lifetime.
This course aims to create a supportive and inclusive space for conversations and consultation where all views and questions are welcome.
We will explore excerpts from the Bahá’í writings together, and investigate meaning through group activities, discussion, creative tasks and video presentations.
Rob and Di are both long standing Bahá’ís from a public service background. They are both Huququ’llah representatives and have delivered this course previously and get great joy from sharing the ideas and building conversations around the themes presented.
Course 4
'The Tapestry: Weaving Stories into Your Life'
With Sarah Munro
Did you know that telling stories is a major pillar of meaning in our lives? And that everyone does it ALL the time? Understanding and mastering the basic skills of storytelling is as human as talking. And very good for our souls!
We will be exploring the elements of a good story, why they work on mental and spiritual levels, and we will practice telling them. Don't worry if you don't like talking in large groups! We will use a mixture of one on one telling as well as whole group work, so everyone can practice comfortably.
The only thing you need skill-wise is an open heart and an enthusiasm for life. Our source material will be our own lives, as well as the history of the Faith, and more recent community experiences.
Sharing our personal stories and inspiring stories from others' lives is a major way we can contribute to community- and relationship-building, enriching both our own lives, our friendships, and our community.
Sarah is a theatre practitioner - actor, writer, and director - and she has been telling stories since her teenage years in many different settings. She has also taught playwriting (how to construct a good story), acting (how to deliver a good story), and directing (how to guide others to tell good stories). And, most importantly, she is passionate about helping people of all abilities raise their capacity to tell their own and others' stories to enhance Bahá’í community events and growth processes.
Course 5
A Dedicated Life - Shoghi Effendi
With Nabil Khodadad
Are you curious about the life of Shoghi Effendi? Do you wonder how his immense vision became a reality? Then this is the course for you.
You will become familiar with the life and ministry of Shoghi Effendi, the beloved Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, and more fully appreciate:
- His unique and indispensable role in: (a) shaping and unfolding the administrative order of the Bahá’í Faith, the nucleus and pattern for a new world order based on the principle of the oneness of humanity; (b) propagating the Bahá’í Faith throughout the world as contemplated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Tablets of the Divine Plan; and (c) developing the institutions of the Bahá’í Faith at its World Centre.
- The priceless gift of the Covenant and how it has endowed humanity of “undreamt-of potentialities”.
- The sacred duty of every individual “to arise, resolutely and unreservedly, to play [their] part, however small,” in the building of this new world-embracing civilization.
Through study and discussion, in plenary and in groups, we will consider and explore many aspects of the life and ministry of Shoghi Effendi, including:
· the provisions of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá which established the institution and of the Guardianship and its functions,
· key events and episodes in the life of Shoghi Effendi,
· certain writings of Shoghi Effendi, including the letters compiled in The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, and
· Shoghi Effendi’s approach to planning and history.
Nabil is a lawyer whose love and admiration of the beloved Guardian grows with every encounter with his writings and every reflection on his sacrificial life.
Course 6
Spiritual Parenting
With Janita McPharlin
‘Human happiness is founded upon spiritual behaviour.’
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
How do we make the principles of spiritual education the foundation of our family life?
What tools do we need as parents to guide our children?
Designed for parents of young children, this course will take you on a journey of personal reflection not only on your own childhood experiences but also to consider how you might guide and nurture the spiritual development of your children to allow them to have the integrity needed to make the right moral choices in life.
We will be considering: the power of utterance, encouragement of positive behaviour, the setting of realistic boundaries through a blend of love and discipline, what it means to accustom our children to hardship, the art of consultation, parents as role models, the power of storytelling, the devotional character of the home, the role of service and techniques for empathic listening.
The format of the course is a combination of study, sharing and interactive learning through various practical exercises.
Janita is a mother of two boys, 16 and 13 and has spent time developing this course over the past 11 years to assist in building community in her neighbourhood in Southwest London.
As a social action project “Spiritual Parenting” aims to support parents by presenting a series of concepts to enable participants to reflect on the process of spiritual transformation. The course has given families the tools to be able to raise their children according to the principles of the Faith by applying them in the home environment. It has primarily been used as a portal into the Ruhi Institute; more specifically for the starting or expanding of Pre-Grade 1 and Grade 1 classes.
Course 7
Becoming Protagonists of the Common Good
With Tara Hamel-Smith
How can ordinary people help build a more united and just society?
Across the UK and around the world, many people feel concerned about many issues, like division, inequality, environmental pressures and declining trust in institutions. At the same time, new patterns of cooperation and community life are emerging at the grassroots.
This course will explore the theme of “Coordination for the common good”, drawing on a recent statement by the Bahá’í International Community prepared for the United Nations Commission for Social Development. The statement examines how lasting social progress depends on a new relationship between individuals, communities and institutions, one based not on competition or critique, but on shared purpose and mutual reinforcement.
We will explore questions such as:
What capacities do individuals need in order to contribute constructively to society?
What makes a community capable of taking collective action?
How can institutions and citizens work together in ways that build trust rather than deepen division?
What might this look like in my own community?
The course will introduce participants to the Bahá’í approach to community-building and social action, which focuses on developing spiritual and moral capacities alongside practical skills. It will draw on the BIC statement and on the Bahá’í writings. No prior knowledge is needed.
The course will be highly participatory, using interactive discussions, creative activities, videos, stories and opportunities for reflection to explore these ideas together. The course will invite reflection on the question:
How am I developing myself, spiritually and practically, to contribute to the common good?
This course is for those interested in exploring how personal growth, community life and social change are connected.
Tara has been involved in community-building initiatives with children and junior youth for many years, and she loves creating spaces where people can reflect, connect, and grow in their desire to serve others.
Tara works in conflict resolution and mediation in workplaces and community settings, exploring how reflection and drawing on our higher nature can help us navigate and overcome conflict.
She is interested in exploring how spiritual principles and teachings can help us address social issues and guide practical action in communities.
Course 8
Consultation: A precious Tool for Life!
With Lou Armitt and Isis
Limit of 10 participants
‘Consultation bestoweth greater awareness and transmuteth conjecture into certitude. It is a shining light which, in a dark world, leadeth the way and guideth. For everything there is and will continue to be a station of perfection and maturity. The maturity of the gift of understanding is made manifest through consultation’.
(From a Tablet - translated from the Persian)
We will be using ‘pal tiya clay’ to create a sculpture to explore the underlying principles of consultation, aiming to create a ‘circle of friends’ candle holder, each figure representing a different pre-requisite of consultation. The finished piece could become a focal centre piece to remind us during consultation of these spiritual attitudes, whether this is part of daily family life, within the community or with friends.
This course will combine study, discussion & reflection with creative skills - learning, for example how to translate the virtue of humility into a human posture. We will work together to explore how different shapes and forms could express ideas, create initial sketches and then turn these images into 3D sculptures made from tin foil and wire. When we have the forms ready, we will coat them in a special clay to work on the final details. We will work collectively to begin with, then on an individual basis to complete our own pieces.
All materials will be provided. The end piece will air dry and be stronger than concrete when cured! It can be painted at home and does not require firing.
Lou and Isis have always prioritised the use of creativity to deepen knowledge and understanding in community building processes. Whether this is in children’s classes, study circles or work, they have seen how storytelling, drama, craft & music, can bring knowledge to life, cement learning and make it memorable. Lou has a fine arts and film documentary background and is always excited to work with new media. Isis works in education in a local prison, and many of those in her classroom are neurodiverse. Lou & Isis are very excited to deepen their knowledge of this transformative process within the context of a creative summer school.
Course 9
‘No Greater Joy and Comfort’
With Annabel Djalili
“...Looking back over one’s life, there can be no greater joy and comfort than to know that it was spent in acute awareness of the divine remedy, that no effort was spared to proffer that remedy to receptive souls and that during those fleeting years when opportunity was at hand, even in the midst of difficulties, every chance was seized to respond to humanity’s intense need….” (31 December 2025 UHJ)
This course will be an interactive and creative exploration of the 31st Dec 2025 Letter from the Universal House of Justice.
We will together study the letter itself which will inevitably inspire certain creative explorations. The course will rely on making use of a variety of different performance art forms to more deeply understand the content and implications of this important letter.
We will endeavour through various practical exercises to harness ‘acute awareness’ of the time we are living in and consider the ways in which we can respond to humanity’s intense needs.
Annabel has a background in theatre and in education. She currently works as a psychosynthesis counselling therapist. Psychosynthesis is a form of therapy which acknowledges that we are ‘more than’ our material existence, and looks at our troubles and difficulties through a hopeful lens, often using creative techniques to understand the root causes of our difficulties.
Course 10
Unfolding Frames
With Ronnie Y. Bindra
Exploring Baháʼí Community Life and Individual and Collective Transformation Through Creative Media
“Indeed the arts as a whole, so integral a part of the development of a community from the start, stand out in such settings as an important means of generating joy, strengthening bonds of unity, disseminating knowledge, and consolidating understanding, as well as of acquainting those in the wider society with the principles of the Cause.”
The Universal House of Justice, 30th December 2021
We live in a remarkable moment — one in which social media and a new generation of creators have placed the power of storytelling in everyone’s hands. Yet as Baháʼu’lláh teaches, “every word is endowed with a spirit,” and with that power comes an invitation: how might we use it with real intention and beauty? The Bahá’í community has something genuinely worth sharing — and is learning, together, what it means to share it well.
This course invites participants to explore filmmaking and creative media as a means of illuminating Baháʼí community life — not merely recording what happens, but uncovering what it means. It speaks equally to those drawn to longer-form storytelling — documentary, short film, visual essay — as to those navigating social media and digital content. Whatever the format, the question is the same: what does it look like when a community becomes the protagonist of its own story?
We begin by reflecting on our collective identity, explore how this inner reality might be expressed visually, and finally begin conceptualising stories that draw on narrative, metaphor, and symbol to illuminate what resists straightforward explanation.
Ronnie has spent over two decades working with creative media across professional, neighbourhood and national Baháʼí community settings, and comes to this course as a fellow explorer — drawn by the same questions he hopes to explore alongside participants.
By the end of the course, it is hoped that participants will feel greater confidence in capturing the spirit of their community and contributing to the unfolding narrative around them — within the framework for action that guides our collective endeavour.
No filmmaking experience necessary — only curiosity, an attentive eye, and a willingness to see the familiar made new. A smartphone/camera and if possible, a laptop/tablet would be very helpful for the creative exercises on the course, but not a prerequisite.
Day Visitor Course
This course is designed especially for those attending for less than three days, it will provide a different theme each day.
The daily theme will be explored through study, and other creative processes, as relevant to the group attending on any one day.
