Why should I consider sending my son or daughter to the "Change for Tomorrow" program?
Is Change for Tomorrow a three year program?
Who sponsors the Change for Tomorrow program, based on Transformation for Peace, in Dallas?
When do I register?
What forms must I complete for my child?
What is the cost of the program?
How do I pay?
Can my child travel by airplane? When should he/she arrive and depart? Which airport?
What do I need to bring?
Do students have a choice for meat or vegetarian meals?
What is the Gala Event?
When is the Gala Event, and where?
The Gala gets out late, and we have a long drive home. Can we leave early?
Who attends the Gala?
What is the cell phone policy?
What about homesickness?
When and where do I pick up my child?
What if my son or daughter is sick or injured during the program?
Can my son or daughter come, but not stay overnight?
Do you have scholarships or discounts?
Can parents volunteer at the program?
We want to go on vacation. Can my son or daughter come a day late, or leave early?
My child will turn 12 after July 16. Can he or she come... please?
How do you choose the staff?
Why should I consider sending my son or daughter to the "Change for Tomorrow" program?
Your son or daughter will have an unforgettable, uplifting, spiritually invigorating experience in an environment filled with unconditional love. He or she will experience the process of building a spiritual community based on Sacred Scriptures of the Baha'i Faith and the Bible. He or she will make friends, usually very easily, because of the interactive nature of the program, the encouragement of the well-trained staff, and the experience of returning students. She or he will be deepened in the necessity of prayer, of turning to the Holy Writings for guidance, of the joy of music, service, and virtuous living.
The Universal House of Justice stated in the Ridvan Message 2010, "The rapid spread of the programme for the spiritual empowerment of junior youth is yet another expression of cultural advance in the Baha'i community. While global trends project an image of this age group as problematic, lost in the throes of tumultus physical and emotional change, unresponsive and
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Is Change for Tomorrow a three year program?
YES! We are designing the curriculum so that students will study, learn, and practice 5 to 6 of the 18 moral leadership capabilities each year of the program. One year, a student may wish to try step dancing for the gala art program, another year he or she may wish to try drama, and the third year choir or a visual art. There is lots of flexibility in the program, and new learning experiences built into the program each year. The knowledge gained is different depending on the level of maturity of the student as well. A 15 year old will learn differently than a 12 year old even when in the same Gala Art class each year. More leadership responsibilities are expected from the older students, and consultation skills are further developed.
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Who sponsors the Change for Tomorrow program, based on Transformation for Peace, in Dallas?
The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Highland Village, TX, Inc., with the permission and support of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Dallas, TX, Inc.
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When do I register?
Registration begins on February 1. Register early to insure your acceptance for the program. Registration should be done using the REGISTRATION FORM on this website.
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What forms must I complete for my child?
The registration form.
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What is the cost of the program?
The total fee for the program is $525. A $100 deposit is due upon registration. The remaining $425 is due by June 1.
The fee includes tuition, accommodation, three meals per day, snacks, art material, and gala graduation event.
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How do I pay?
To pay, a check can be sent to the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Highland Village, TX. Make check payable to Highland Village Baha'i Fund. Mail the check to Scott Hakala, 808 Tree Haven Court, Highland Village, TX 75077. Alternatively, the credit card paypal system on this website can be used, but the fees we pay are so high that we discourage you from using paypal.
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Can my child travel by airplane? When should he/she arrive and depart? Which airport?
Yes, we would love to have students attend the program from outside our region!!! We will have people approved by the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Highland Village, pick up your student at the Dallas/Fort Worth or Dallas Love Field airport on Saturday afternoon, July 16 between 1 and 4 p.m. Please arrange with us to fill out paperwork for the unaccompanied minor program with the airline.
The student should depart between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 24th.
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What do I need to bring?
Clothes, towels, sheets, personal care items, prayer book, other Baha'i books and/or the Bible, musical instrument/costume for the talent show, dress clothes for the gala on the last night of the program. Baha'i books such as Lights of Guidance and Some Answered Questions are helpful. There is plenty of space in the closets and dressers for clothes and extra towels. Some students like to bring a journal and pen to write about their experience each day.
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Do students have a choice for meat or vegetarian meals?
Students need to let us know if they will be eating vegetarian meals all week, or regular meals. The cooks will prepare the appropriate amount of each food type. Meat eaters cannot sometimes choose to be vegetarians because then we will not have enough vegetarian entrees.
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What is the Gala Event?
The Gala Event is a program of music, dance, drama, awards, and short speeches that the students and staff prepare during the week-long program. The scripts are written by the students and staff during the week, in a consultative environment. The students consult together, plan, and rehearse performances to share what they have been learning during the week.
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When is the Gala Event, and where?
On Saturday, July 23, 2010 at from 7:00 to 10:00
Parents, siblings and friends are invited to the
Dallas Baha'i Center
9400 Plano Road
Dallas, TX 76238
The center is located on Plano road, which is east Central Expressway, and south of I635.
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The Gala gets out late, and we have a long drive home. Can we leave early?
Please make arrangements to stay overnight in the Dallas area Saturday July 23, and drive home on Sunday the 24th. It is essential that your son or daughter participate in the whole program. Please give us a chance to say goodbye after the end of the "Close of the Day." It is disruptive and difficult for the students, staff and directors to try to say good-bye during the short break in the program. Please stay until the very end. Thank you.
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Who attends the Gala?
Family and friends of the students and staff, and the general public may attend.
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What is the cell phone policy?
Parents may call Ellen Hakala 214-727-3404 and either leave a message with her for their child, or ask to speak with their child. Ellen will find your child and have him or her call back at the earliest break. If you call during meal time, you should be able to speak with your student immediately.
We prefer all phone calls to take place during lunch noon to 1 p.m., or dinner 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Students are very actively engaged with their peers and staff at all times, including meals. Some of the most educational and memorable moments come during meal time conversations one-on-one with staff members and peers, so please keep conversations very short. One or two minutes should be ample time to hear your child's voice, know that he/she loves you, that you love him/her. There is not time for complete run down on what he/she is doing.
A newsletter will be sent each day to keep parents informed of what the students are doing.
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What about homesickness?
Students that are 12 years old are usually ready for this program. If your child seems less mature than his classmates, attached to his parents, or has trouble sleeping at night, it might be wise to have him or her start the program when he/she is 13 years old. It is a three year program. They can come at age 12, 13, and 14, or 13, 14, 15,... or skip a year and return. Students can come for just one year, or two years, but to get the full benefit of the program it is best if your child comes for three consecutive years.
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When and where do I pick up my child?
Parents should attend the Gala from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 23 at the Dallas Baha'i Center.
The student's personal belongings will be at the Baha'i Center. (Please be sure to stop by the staff room, located next to the room with the luggage, at the Baha'i Center to get your child's medications before you leave!)
Parents can load the personal belongings in their car between 6 and 6:45 p.m., or after 10 p.m.
Many families stay over night in an area hotel or with friends in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, and then drive home on Sunday July 17. This is really best so that the students and staff have a chance to say good-bye after the program.
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What if my son or daughter is sick or injured during the program?
We will administer first aide, and call the parent(s) or guardian. If we feel that medical attention is required, we will take the child to see Doctor Roya Seysan (http://www.DrSeysan.com) or, if necessary call an ambulance. Alternatively, the parent or their designated guardian can take the student to their own doctor or a clinic.
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Can my son or daughter come, but not stay overnight?
NO! Absolutely not. The directors and staff members are well trained to take care of your child. If the parents, or the child, are not willing or ready to commit to staying for the whole week, it is best if the child does not participate.
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Do you have scholarships or discounts?
We ask families to consider petitioning their own Local Spiritual Assembly first, and then petitioning our Assembly for financial support or a discount. In your petition, please honestly share how much your family, the student, and possibly grandparents/local spiritual assembly can afford to pay, and then our Assembly will do everything that it can to help subsidize students. We have some funds set aside for this purpose. We wish to have students from all economic backgrounds participate. Please do not let finances stop you from registering your son or daughter. Discounts for multiple children from the same family is a possibility.
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Can parents volunteer at the program?
No. We have two directors, and many well trained youth and young adults staff the program. The Catholic Conference and Formation Center has a kitchen staff and janitors. Extra volunteers would be a distraction from the program.
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We want to go on vacation. Can my son or daughter come a day late, or leave early?
No! Participants need to arrive between 4 and 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 9. They may not leave before 10 p.m. July 16. It is very important for the students to participate fully in all aspects of the program. They are assigned to special groups for classes, rotational arts, gala arts, etc. Everyone plays an important role in the program. If someone leaves early, it leaves a "hole" in the program, and the student is sorely missed. Please plan accordingly, and know that if you wish us to put your child on an airplane July 17 to "catch up" with the family, we can do that. But your child would probably prefer that you come to see them in the Gala, and take your vacation July 17 or later. Honestly.
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My child will turn 12 after July 16. Can he or she come... please?
Dear parents, a student may not, under any circumstances, start the program until he/she is at least 12 years old. Please realize that many skills are required for the students to fully participate in consultation, problem solving, contributing to group consensus, as well as coping for a full week away from home, living with peers and staff members in a Casa.
Consultations and discussions require life experience as well as intellectual ability and maturity. Your son or daughter will get much more out of the program if you patiently wait until he/she is at least 12 years old.
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How do you choose the staff?
The staff is chosen very carefully based on many criteria. We look for the best combination of skills: people with maturity, enthusiasm, talent, training, commitment to junior youth empowerment programs... Perhaps the most important is the desire of a person to serve as a staff member, and personal recommendations from Auxiliary Board members, former students and staff members, and parents familiar with the program.
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