Target Population
Success in developing a course is greatly enhanced when it is geared towards the people or groups who will eventually take the course.
For our general community courses, the single largest audience currently is Bahá'í women aged 50+. However, we want to diversify our participants by attracting young adults and minority populations, and we want our courses to be accessible to people who are not Bahá'ís.
The Wilmette Institute also offers educational programs targeted towards specific audiences. For example, we now offer courses for young adults and high school students. We are open to offering courses for children as resources permit.
Statistics show that as many as 40% of the learners in any Wilmette Institute course are first-timers. There are often non-Baha’is in the courses, and we don’t always know who they are.
Everyone is welcome in a Wilmette Institute course -- there need be no requirement for a certain level of education, occupation, or a scholarly mind-set. For example, courses that are structured as workshops for artists and writers are very popular. Some topics are especially welcome for those serving in Baha’i administrative bodies. The Archives course has a specific target audience, but a very grateful one. Recently the Anti Black Racism and Great Spirit Speaks courses enrolled local study groups that consisted of Local Spiritual Assembly members and Regional Council members. Another example of this is the course on obtaining Consent for Baha’i Marriage.
Revised: 04/01/2022