Many young people are beset by a host of fears, worries, anxieties and insecurities that make for superficial and discouraging relationships, lack of motivation and confused, escapist or hedonistic lifestyle choices that can determine a future riddled with problems. There is increasing statistical evidence that society has a problem with its young that defies being rectified by established interventions.

From the author of Nurturing a Healthy Human Spirit in the Young, Viv Bartlett, the opportunity came in 2000 to join with a group of Bahá'ís in the United Kingdom to devise and pilot programs for disaffected youngsters, and so the Swindon Young People’s Empowerment Programme (SYEP) came into being. Huge successes were experienced with over 1,000 dispirited, vulnerable youth who were referred to the Empowerment Programme.

The Programme focused on two ideas from key Bahá'í scriptures, as encapsulating all others-that the individual is full of potential, a “mine rich in gems of inestimable value”; and that individuals need to be focused on service to others. The journey towards this is not simple.

Parents, caregivers, educators and anyone interested in the well-being of young people will find this book not only principles of nurturing healthy human spirit in the young, but also an array successful down-to-earth, practical ways of doing so.