arthra
Baha'i
YOUTH PROGRAM IN TOUGH TOWN OFFERS KEY INGREDIENT - HOPE
PORTICI, Italy, 15 September 2008 (BWNS) --
Alberto Liccardi, 12, lives in the southern Italian city of Portici and says he has some advice for friends that hang out in the streets.
"Instead of doing nothing in the middle of the road, come to the Baha'i Center. It is better for you," he offers.
Alberto is one of a handful of youth in Portici, a city of 60,000 just southeast of Naples, who have signed up for a Baha'i program for young teens that operates around Italy and elsewhere.
There are about 25 such youth groups in Italy with more than 130 participants. Three-fourths of the youngsters come from outside the Baha'i community.
Designed for youths aged 11 to 14, the program aims to help participants understand their spiritual nature, respect themselves and others, and be of service to the society around them.
Yes, say organizers, the program may help keep kids off the streets where they can get into trouble, but the goals are loftier than that.
Through discussion, service projects, the study of certain texts, games, and music, the youth gain an understanding of their nobility as human beings, said Antonella Demonte, the Baha'i in charge of the program in Italy.
This in turn helps the youngsters resist negative peer pressure and can offer hope and a pattern for a life of service to others, she said.
This is especially important where unemployment, crime, teen pregnancy, and other problems contribute to hopelessness among youth, she said.
"Also, Portici is densely populated and faces economic problems - it is a challenging place to live," she continued.
Like Alberto, Anna Deluca is only 12, but she is old enough to see what goes on among many of her peers.
"They live in a bad situation," she says. "They are always on the street, they fight, they smoke.... They live like they were already adults.... At 12 years old they already go dance in other cities, in discos."
Anna joined the Baha'i program last year, and she talks about responsibility and respect - two key themes of the curriculum.
"Kids don't have a sense of responsibility for their actions," she says, "and they don't respect anybody."
In Portici, organizers of what Baha'is call the "junior youth" program - in Italian, Attivita' per giovanissimi - this month are starting their new year and, like last year, expect at least a dozen youngsters to sign up.
To view the photos and additional features click here:
http://news.bahai.org
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PORTICI, Italy, 15 September 2008 (BWNS) --
Alberto Liccardi, 12, lives in the southern Italian city of Portici and says he has some advice for friends that hang out in the streets.
"Instead of doing nothing in the middle of the road, come to the Baha'i Center. It is better for you," he offers.
Alberto is one of a handful of youth in Portici, a city of 60,000 just southeast of Naples, who have signed up for a Baha'i program for young teens that operates around Italy and elsewhere.
There are about 25 such youth groups in Italy with more than 130 participants. Three-fourths of the youngsters come from outside the Baha'i community.
Designed for youths aged 11 to 14, the program aims to help participants understand their spiritual nature, respect themselves and others, and be of service to the society around them.
Yes, say organizers, the program may help keep kids off the streets where they can get into trouble, but the goals are loftier than that.
Through discussion, service projects, the study of certain texts, games, and music, the youth gain an understanding of their nobility as human beings, said Antonella Demonte, the Baha'i in charge of the program in Italy.
This in turn helps the youngsters resist negative peer pressure and can offer hope and a pattern for a life of service to others, she said.
This is especially important where unemployment, crime, teen pregnancy, and other problems contribute to hopelessness among youth, she said.
"Also, Portici is densely populated and faces economic problems - it is a challenging place to live," she continued.
Like Alberto, Anna Deluca is only 12, but she is old enough to see what goes on among many of her peers.
"They live in a bad situation," she says. "They are always on the street, they fight, they smoke.... They live like they were already adults.... At 12 years old they already go dance in other cities, in discos."
Anna joined the Baha'i program last year, and she talks about responsibility and respect - two key themes of the curriculum.
"Kids don't have a sense of responsibility for their actions," she says, "and they don't respect anybody."
In Portici, organizers of what Baha'is call the "junior youth" program - in Italian, Attivita' per giovanissimi - this month are starting their new year and, like last year, expect at least a dozen youngsters to sign up.
To view the photos and additional features click here:
http://news.bahai.org
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