Bahai Development Project in Germany

Peoples Theater
www.peoplestheater.de

OFFENBACH, Germany — An award-winning Baha'i-inspired theater project began a new season of performances this week aimed at preventing violence and promoting social skills among school students.

Earlier, representatives of People's Theater outlined the program to the mayor of Offenbach, Gerhard Grandke, who has been a strong supporter of the project.

As well as being well known and appreciated in this city, People's Theater has won favor this year at the highest levels of the federal government.

The German Minister for Family and Youth, Renate Schmidt, awarded two representatives of People's Theater, Curtis Volk and Erfan Enayati, a financial grant to assist the further development of the theater.

People's Theater was one of 25 winners selected from 560 entrants in a competition initiated by the Office of the Chancellor to select the projects with the most promise of benefiting society.

At a reception for award recipients in July 2004, the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder said to the winners: "We need more people like you, people who know how to transfer their knowledge and talents into service for the community."

People's Theater was founded by Erfan Enayati, a Baha'i from Offenbach, who was inspired by "The Happy Hippo Show," a television program in Russia created by Shamil Fattakhov to help youth deal with moral and ethical situations in their everyday lives.

The Baha'i inspiration behind the People's Theater is seen not only in its selection of the social topics that are the themes of its performances, but also because in its guiding principles such as honesty and sincerity, and the decision-making process used on a daily basis by those involved in the project.

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  People's Theater at a primary school.

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  The German Minister for Family and Youth, Renate Schmidt, with People's Theater representatives Erfan Enayati (left) and Curtis Volk (right) at the award… »

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  Primary school children participating in the People's Theater.

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  Students and cast members after a successful performance.

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  People's Theater in action. Elements of the scene are outlined on blackboard.

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  German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder with Erfan Enayati (left) and Curtis Volk (right).

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Called consultation, this method is used by Baha'is to dispassionately examine different points of view before coming to a consensus.

In addition, the Baha'i principles of the underlying unity of world religions and respect for all ethnic groups play a fundamental role in every show.

Presentations by the People's Theater combine the elements of a talk show with those of a theater. A twist is that its outcome is largely influenced by the audience. (See an article about "The Happy Hippo Show" http://www.onecountry.org/e103/e10304as.htm.)

Each show illustrates a conflict that exists in the school where the show is being performed.

The theater portion of the show portrays the problem to the audience. Then, in the talk show section that follows, the audience discusses constructive solutions to the problem through dialog, discussion, and role-play.

The moderator begins the show by explaining the rules. The actors then illustrate a conflict in a scene that focuses on such issues as violence, backbiting, and dishonesty.

The moderator stops the scene and asks the audience such questions as: "What just happened?", or "How do the actors feel?", or "What could be done to change the situation?"

After a discussion by audience members, the moderator chooses a student to replace one of the actors. The student is then encouraged to try to change the situation by using ideas from his or her peers.

The scene lasts up to about five minutes and then begins again. After several attempts by the audience, the scene is then repeated one last time by the initial actors who follow the advice of the audience. The moderator then sums up.

The first performance of People's Theater was at a primary school in 2001 with the support of the Mayor of Offenbach, Gerhard Grandke.

"I was convinced and excited about the prospects of this project and its underlying concept from the beginning so I gladly sponsored it," Mr. Grandke said.

The project also has the support of local government offices dealing with education, community integration and crime prevention, and it has received a warm reception in the public school system.

During the last two years the People's Theater has performed more than 700 shows in more than 40 schools. In the past school year, five youth dedicated their time to working in the theater as a social service, and now more youth have offered to follow them for a year of service.

Participation in the People's Theater is recognized as social and civil service, and as such, it may be substituted for the mandatory military service required in Germany. It is supported by a pedagogical association and has a board of trustees.

A principal at Gutenberg Primary School, one of the schools where People's Theater has performed, Heike Burger, said that working with People's Theater was an enjoyable experience.

"The program was praised by all participants; parents, teachers, and pupils," Ms. Burger said.

A teacher at the Adolf-Reichwein High School, Elke Kunkel, said that the children were inspired to think by the themes of the show and were motivated to search for positive solutions."

"The young actors and actresses have a special understanding of the language which speaks to the youth --they are able to get their attention and motivate them to work with the show," Ms. Kunkel said.

"The work with the young actors and actresses is a worthwhile investment in our pupils," she said.

A teacher at the Helen-Keller Primary School, Christina Kutzmann, said that working with People's Theater is very constructive for the pupils.

"They are able to work with abstract ideas, for example 'Conflicts from Boredom' or 'Dealing with Provocation' in a very creative fashion that realistically brings the problems (to the attention of) the children in an appealing manner."

Bahais offer decision-making model at UN

16 February 2010

UNITED NATIONS — A new model of decision-making among peoples of different cultures would contribute to integration "at this time of transition to a new social order," according to a new Baha'i statement.

The statement was prepared for the 48th United Nations Commission for Social Development, which concluded on 12 February. The commission is the chief UN body charged with following up on the World Summit on Social Development held in 1995 in Copenhagen, where world leaders outlined principles that would characterize a new "society for all." These principles included respect for diversity and participation of all people.

The Baha'i International Community said in its statement that it was offering its experience in the method of consultation used by Baha'i communities around the world – a key component in creating unity among people.

The consultative process, the Baha'i statement said, rests on the understanding that all human beings are essentially noble – "they possess reason and conscience as well as capacities for inquiry, understanding, compassion, and service to the common good."

Mr. Ming H. Chong of Singapore, a delegate to the commission who presented a summary of the Baha'i statement, said afterward that understanding the nobility of all humans prevents people from dismissing others as needy rather than being in charge of their own development.

"If you start with (this) understanding, then you have a different perspective, one that avoids labels like 'marginalized' and 'poor,'" he said. He explained that he was a child of immigrants to Singapore and had learned that such labels create the wrong impression of entire groups of people.

"Language shapes the way we think," he said. "It creates mental pictures of how we see the world. Some of these mental pictures are not always positive – those that dehumanize migrants, for example."

The Baha'i statement to the UN commission suggested that the human body can serve as a model for comparing the integration of the world's cultures and peoples. "Within this organism, millions of cells, with extraordinary diversity of form and function, collaborate to make human existence possible. Every least cell has its part to play in maintaining a healthy body," the statement said.

This image can be used to envision the world's peoples as one human family and understand how each culture plays a part in the functioning of the whole, Mr. Chong explained.

In consultation as practiced in Baha'i communities, great value is placed on the diversity of perspectives and contributions that individuals bring to the discussion.

"Actively soliciting views from those traditionally excluded from decision-making not only increases the pool of intellectual resources but also fosters the trust, inclusion, and mutual commitment needed for collective action," the Baha'i statement said.

A key feature of Baha'i consultation is that ideas belong to the group rather than to individuals.

"Detachment from one's positions and opinions regarding the matter under discussion is imperative – once an idea has been shared, it is no longer associated with the individual who expressed it, but becomes a resource for the group to adopt, modify, or discard," the statement said.

A diversity of opinions, however, is not sufficient – it "does not provide communities with a means to bridge differences or to resolve social tensions," it continued.

"In consultation, the value of diversity is inextricably linked to the goal of unity. This is not an idealized unity, but one that acknowledges differences and strives to transcend them through a process of principled deliberation," the statement said. "It is unity in diversity."