2009 Conference Notes and Updates – Part 2

Dear Jakara 2009 Registered Participant:

As June 18th soon approaches, we are excited to welcome you to this year’s Jakara Movement 2009 conference.  As a general reminder, in this email we include some pertinent information that we hope you look over to make your conference experience enjoyable and rewarding.  In this post, you will find information related to: 1) ACLU Meeting at Jakara for Female Participants; 2)Dress Code; 3) Registration; 4) Conference Commencement.

ACLU at Jakara Conference 2009
For female participants attending the Jakara Movmenet 2009 conference, we have organized a pilot meeting with the ACLU as part of their The Religious Freedom and Reproductive Justice Project.  If you will be arriving in Fresno by 5pm, we call upon our Kaur participants to attend the meeting from 5:30-6:30pm at the Fresno Gurdwara. For more information or interest in participation, please send a note to us.

Dress Code:
The weather in Central California can be scorching, often reaching to 100+ F, during the summer, so during the conference we suggest you dress in cool clothes.  Time spent outside during peak heat hours is minimal and all classrooms are equipped with AC.  During evening socials at the park, temperatures are usually in the mid 80s.  T-shirts are recommended or other appropriate clothing.

While at the conference, there is no specific dress code, for our Saturday evening banquet, all men and women are expected to dress in formal attire.  They may wear Panjabi clothes (Panjabi suits, Kurta pyjama, etc.) or Western clothing.  However, for men, if they choose to wear Western attire, they MUST wear a shirt and tie.  No tennis shoes, no hats, no jeans will be permitted.  This dress code for the Saturday evening banquet will be STRICTLY ENFORCED.

For Sunday’s farewell brunch banquet, we advise business casual dress.  Some women opt to wear Panjabi clothing as many parents from the local community are invited to this ending ceremony, however it is optional.

In addition, there is morning kirtan, evening Rehraas, and some events that we recommend having a chunni or ramaal available.  Although some from the Gurdwara will be provided, you may prefer to bring your own.

Registration/Check-in:
Registration for the conference will begin at 5pm and continue until midnight on Thursday evening.  It will commence again at 10am and continue until noon on Friday.  Unless special accommodations are requested ahead of time, 12pm Friday will be our absolute cut-off for registration.  Those attempting to come afterwards will not be allowed entry and barred from all Jakara events.

Start of the Conference:
In order to maximize your conference experience, we ask all attendees to do attend all events at all times.  The start of the conference is at 7pm with an Ardas at Singh Sabha Gurdwara Fresno.  We humbly request ALL attendees to come to the Gurdwara as we seek blessings for a successful conference.

We thank you for taking the time to read the various responsibilities.  Any additional information will be posted on the blog prior to the conference, emailed, or provided at registration.  We hope to make this the best Jakara experience yet.  We look forward to seeing you in a few days in Fresno.  Welcome to Jakara 2009.

Gur Fateh,
Jakara Staff.