S.O.U.L.
(Soldiers of the Unifying Light)
Orange County Bahá'í Youth Workshop
SERVING THE YOUTH OF ORANGE COUNTY AND BEYOND!
Welcome to the homepage of the S.O.U.L. Bahá'í Youth Workshop! S.O.U.L. is a non-profit group of youth, ranging from ages, 14-25 involved in teaching the principles of the Bahá'í Faith through the performing arts. The Bahá'í Faith is the most recent of the independent religions of the world, originating in 1844, in Ancient Persia. The prophet-founder of the Bahá'í Faith is Bahá'u'lláh, which means, "The Glory of God" in Arabic. According to the 2001 Guiness Book of World Records, the Bahá'í Faith is the most widespread religion in the world, with Bahá'í Writings translated in over 800 languages. Bahá'í principles such as the equality of women and men, oneness of humankind, oneness of religion, oneness of God, harmony of science and religion, abolishment of poverty and social and economic development, and so on, are displayed through various forms of artistic expression. Instead of putting these principles down on paper, the Bahá'í Youth Workshop (BYW) puts them into action . . . A multitude of creativity and talent is vibrant within the souls of these youth, who perform through the use of dance, music, song, rap, poetry, drama and the like.
The very first Bahá'í Youth Workshop was started in 1974 by married actors, Oscar and Freddie De Gruy in their home, in Los Angeles. After a few years, the BYW movement began spread like a tidal wave of fire throughout the fields of the world. Today, youth from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, socio-economic backgrounds, and ages, comprise the makeup of the Bahá'í Youth Workshops on a national scale. As of today, there are over 100 BYW's in the United States, and there are over 50 around the world. This is the time for the youth, because ultimately, "Youth can move the world!"
