"O Lord! I am a child, enable me to grow beneath the shadow of Thy loving-kindness. I am a tender plant; cause me to be nurtured through the outpourings of the clouds of Thy bounty. I am a sapling of the garden of Thy love; make me into a fruitful tree. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful, and Thou art the All-Loving, the All-Knowing, the All-Seeing." --'Abdu'l-Bahá, (Prayers for Children, BPT, UK)
Global Citizenship Awareness Activites
Map and Atlas in the Home
Make sure you have a world map and an atlas in your home. Refer to them with your family whenever you hear about city or country.
Carol Bowie, a Baha'i from Canada, said: "Having a world map on a wall, or having a globe in our homes is a fundamental tool for fostering the consciousness of the globe/planet earth, and from there can begin conversations about what Baha'u'llah means by world citizenship, and the oneness of humanity, etc."
Put up a large map of the world at your Baha'i Center, or Sunday School. Make a list of all the National Spiritual Assemblies (NSAs) and then divide the names evenly amoung the participants (or teams). Have everyone try to locate the countries. If any group is unable to find a country have the other participants assist them.
Display a world map at Feast and have everyone place a sticker or tack on the part of the globe where they were born, then put a tack or pushpin on your city and string yarn out to every spot indicated. You can then add small pins for countries that have been travelled to or lived in. Serve refreshments while each person has a short period of time to talk about a country they love and why.
Display a world map at your Baha'i Center or home along with a container of pushpins, and have each guest place a pin on the map where they were born or travelled from.
Host an international dinner, have all guests bring a dish from a country of origin, a country they have visited, or a country they know nothing about but have researched for the dinner. Decorate the room with pictures of people, animals, and lanscapes from around the world.
Investigate all the programs that UNICEF is involved in and discuss them with your children. Carol Bowie submitted the following excerpt from the Nov. 1997 issue of Canadian Living Magazine:
"June MacDonald made a commitment to children around the globe on Halloween in 1957. Distressed by photos of children in developing countries and aware of UNICEF's work to improve their health and quality of life, she obtained a UNICEF Halloween coin collection box for her son Michael. She eventually recruited her Sunday school class, and at Thunder Bay's Lakeview High School, where she taught art until 1984, began overseeing annual fund-raisers that inspired other schools. Last year - MacDonald's fifth as city-wide coordinator of a now 200-volunteer campaign - Thunder Bay raised $31,098.15 for UNICEF. She still has that first Sunday school class receipt for $3.67.On her 40th Halloween as a UNICEF volunteer, MacDonald is proud not only that school alumna Ellen Liman has inherited the role of coordinator but that her grandchildren (three of seven pictured) share her commitment. 'It's important to teach young people to think of themselves as citizens of the world and to embrace children everywhere as their brothers and sisters.' says MacDonald. 'From each of us to whom a lot is given, a lot is required.' " - Julia Armstrong
Visit the UNICEF Website: http://www.supportunicef.org/ for more information.
- have children make themselves a World Citizen passport as an activity in children's class. Have items listed inside which they could complete details about, or simply check off a box, as they had done/seen/read about, etc. Such as reading folk tales from other cultures, eating foods from other cultures, meeting people from different countries, attending events which included multi-ethnic entertainment, visiting other countries, (others could come up with other ideas, I am sure).
- obtain a desk-size flag of the United Nations to have as decor in your office or home.
- have a photograph of the earth from outer space on a wall in your home or office - having it close to the *flat* world map would be helpful to lend perspective.
In the Peace Statement the House of Justice writes: "...In keeping with the requirements of the times, consideration should also be given to teaching the concept of world citizenship as part of the standard education of every child."
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