50th ABS Annual Conference: Full Schedule

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9:00am EDT

How Trust Became Equated with Truth in Modern Media

Saturday August 8, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am EDT

Limited Capacity seats available

Skepticism of mainstream media and uncertainty about which publications are reliable have reshaped how people understand government, society, and community in the modern age. As a result, the media itself is in the midst of a radical transformation in how journalists tell stories and how audiences consume them. The Bahá’í writings offer a variety of insights into the challenges facing the media and how journalists can secure their audiences' trust.

Speakers

Jason Hiner

Jason Hiner is an award-winning journalist and editorial leader who has been running newsrooms for over two decades. He has been at the forefront of digital journalism at leading media organizations, including CBS Interactive and Ziff Davis.

Saturday August 8, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am EDT
211

Media, Breakout

10:30am EDT

1863: A Year of Social Unrest and the Dawn of Hope

LIMITED

Saturday August 8, 2026 10:30am - 11:45am EDT

211

Limited Capacity seats available

My presentation discusses the challenges involved in my new book project. The book features a large swath of events that occurred in that year, a year of social unrest and the dawn of hope, including Bahá’u’lláh’s public announcement. There are unique challenges in writing a world history for 1863, including how to connect the seemingly disconnected events and in their implications. The book provides an opportunity to explore human rights issues -- such as the anachronism of slavery, oppressive colonialism, and the cruelty of war -- in light of the stupendous event of Bahá’u’lláh’s declaration.

Speakers

Will van den Hoonaard

Will van den Hoonaard is Professor Emeritus professor. He has written 15 books including The Origins of the Baha’i Community of Canada. He obtained a PhD in Sociology from the University of Manchester. The Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction awarded him the George Herbert Mead Award for Lifetime Achievement... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 10:30am - 11:45am EDT
211

History, Breakout

2:00pm EDT

Historical Antecedents of an Advanced Cluster: the Example of Ottawa

LIMITED

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT

211

Limited Capacity seats available

Using extensive original, archival and newspaper research and interviews, Heather will discuss how, during the first decades of the Ottawa Baha’i community (1940 – 1970), a growing group of newly enrolled, dedicated Baha’is became protagonists in building a strong Baha’i community with an outward focus, as well as contributing to the wider society. As Ottawa is one of the most advanced clusters in North America, its history is of particular interest. The presentation is based on the newly published Tools for Living: Winnifred Harvey and the Beginnings of the Bahá’í Faith in Ottawa. Winnifred Harvey was Heather’s aunt and first teacher.

Speakers

Heather Harvey

Heather Harvey has lived in Ottawa since 1990. She has a special interest in Canadian and Bahá’í history and holds a B.A. and an M.Ed. from McGill University. After thirty-twoyears as an elementary school teacher, she served as manager of the busy Ottawa Bahá’í Centre. She... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT
211

History, Breakout

3:30pm EDT

Community Building: Striving for Synergies in Approaches and Outcomes

LIMITED

Saturday August 8, 2026 3:30pm - 4:45pm EDT

211

Limited Capacity seats available

Bahá’ís are at the very beginning of the process of community building. While valuable experience has been gained over the past 30 years by drawing on the society-building power of the Revelation, there are also rich insights to be gleaned from community development thinking and practice in the wider society. The goal of this presentation is to correlate these insights with the guidance of the Universal House of Justice about the salient features of community building in the Divine Plan, and to explore practical considerations for synthesizing the two, informed by experience leading a community health agency in urban Toronto.

Speakers

Payam Pakravan

Payam Pakravan has over twenty years of experience in strategy, policy, and program delivery across provincial and community-based healthcare organizations in Ontario, Canada. He holds graduate degrees in Economics from the University of Toronto and the University of Melbourne, and... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 3:30pm - 4:45pm EDT
211

Community, Breakout

50th ABS Annual Conference

9:00am EDT

Jason Hiner

10:30am EDT

Will van den Hoonaard

2:00pm EDT

Heather Harvey

3:30pm EDT

Payam Pakravan

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