Junior youth groups are for youth between the ages of 11-15. The Universal House of Justice describes junior youth as a “special group with special needs, as they are somewhat in between childhood and youth”. (Ridván 2000). Groups are open to all junior regardless of faith, and are run at the neighbourhood level. Groups are facilitated by an older youth or adult, known as the ‘animator’. To train as a junior youth animator, there is a 6-7 day training course available, suitable for those who have completed Books 1-4 of the main sequence of courses.
Whatever the nature of the cluster, it is imperative to pay close attention to children and junior youth everywhere. Concern for the moral and spiritual education of young people is asserting itself forcefully on the consciousness of humanity, and no attempt at community building can afford to ignore it. What has become especially apparent during the current Five Year Plan is the efficacy of educational programmes aimed at the spiritual empowerment of junior youth. When accompanied for three years through a programme that enhances their spiritual perception, and encouraged to enter the main sequence of institute courses at the age of fifteen, they represent a vast reservoir of energy and talent that can be devoted to the advancement of spiritual and material civilization. So impressed are we by the results already achieved, and so compelling is the need, that we will urge all National Assemblies to consider the junior youth groups formed through programmes implemented by their training institutes a fourth core activity in its own right and to promote its wide-scale multiplication.
Universal House of Justice 27th December 2005
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