Much More in 2011

So, we will need your help, but here’s what’s going on for the rest of the year.

October:

• Jakara Jrs. Kids Camps (all throughout October and November) – we have 21 cities confirmed (and counting this year!).  Make sure your city is part of it.  This year’s camp brings “Kaur Voices” to the next generation, with workshops ranging from body image, to internet safety from possible predators for girls to respecting women and never being violent to women for young boys.  Leave a message and we’ll get in touch with you.  PD/IB
• SAFAR (Sikh Feminist Research Institute) in conjunction with the Jakara Movement are hosting the “Our Journeys Conference” in Toronto, Canada (9/30-10/2). We’ve been in Sweden before, coming to London soon, and even sooner to Toronto.  Come out to SAFAR (if you are in the GTA) and meet some sevadars of the Jakara Movement.  They will be serving and presenting.  For more information, visit here.  DS/SK/SM
• Jakara Movement will be at the annual North American Sikh Medical and Dental Association (NASMDA) (Philadelphia, 10/7-8) – We will be hosting a presentation titled: “The Highest Path: The Aura of Anandpur” and talking about the programs of the Jakara Movement.  DS/GS  SUCCESSFUL!!
  
• The Jakara Movement is being honored at SALDEF’s 15th Anniversary Gala (10/8 in Washington DC). Do we care for the recognition, not really.  We are driven by our work.  We are inspired by our Guru.  Still it is kind of SALDEF to recognize the quiet work we have been doing in California for the past 12 years.  Nice for now, but so much to continue to do!  If you are in the DC area in October, come out and say hi!  We might drag you on stage! DS/GS SUCCESSFUL!!
• Advancing Justice Conference (San Francisco, 10/28) sponsored by the Asian American Center Asian Law Caucus has invited the Jakara Movement to come and talk about  ”Emerging Geographic AAPI Communities“.  If you are in the Bay Area and free on that Friday, register for the conference and come out! DS
• American Public Health Association (APHA) Conference on Healthy Communities (Washington DC, 10/31) – Members of the Jakara Movement will present their findings, data, and experiences on the Ladoos: Pink and Blue project.  The title of the paper is: Combating Gender Preference amongst Punjabi Sikhs in California: Research and Lessons Learned from a Community Based Health Education Initiative.  If you are in the DC area, come on out! SM

November:

• Yuba City Nagar Kirtan Weekend (11/4-6) – As for the past 3 years the Jakara Movement is helping to coordinate and organize the youth together for a united front.  While in the past, we have built a common float together, this year we will be going green and taking on the seva of collecting trash and recycling.  Come join us in Yuba! AG/SM
• Sikhlens (11/18-11/20) – This year as in the past, sevadars of the Jakara Movement will be aiding in the annual Sikhlens film festival.  Check out their website and make sure you come and attend. DS

December:

• Alternative Winter Break (San Diego, 12/19-21) – Last year we partnered with Border Angels to engage with the issue of immigration.  This year we will return to San Diego again.  Read about our experiences last year and come join us this winter.  JD
• Sikhi-Seva-Cinema (12/23-12/26) – Piloted in Fresno, but now we hope to export it throughout California.  This multi-day event brings youth – from 4-40 – together for days of learning, reflecting, and serving in memory of the Shaheedi of the 2 chotay sahibzadays through the various Sikh Cartoon Films, making of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and finally distributing it to members of our local community.  Make sure it happens in your community!  Message us here for more information.  SS/IB

Upcoming in Early 2012

• Kaur Voices Conference – we discussed it at Lalkaar 2011, in January we will hold a full-day conference aimed at young Sikh women, followed by an open event evening celebrating Kaur Experiences (similar to, but not completely like Yoni Ki Baat, but for our voices).  A first event of its kind, it will be held in San Jose.  More details to follow soon.  PD/BK
• Bhujangan Girls Academy – in Summer 2011, we held Bhujangi Boys Academy, the first retreat of its kind.  In early 2012, we will hold an event just for high school teenage girls, ages 13-16.  PD/BK

And Even More Exciting News….

• Jakara Movement will be announcing its first paid position
• Jakara Movement will be announcing internships
• Sikholars 2012 (February 2012) NB

More updates to follow.  Get in touch with us about any of the upcoming events.

Some Notes and Random Musings

Here are some general musings and broader notes/reflections that were sparked by my participation in the camp:

On Parenting – One thing I found quite interesting was changes in parenting styles.  I don’t remember having had many choices as a child, when my parents were going to put their foot down, and it seems my own parents confirm this.  With the camp, I noticed we had so many parents expressed their desire for their sons to attend, only to begin avoiding our calls as the date approached and telling us our son doesn’t want to go.  Many of the same parents often complained – our son doesn’t listen to us and just watches TV all day.  I was left wondering, how do these children have the choice?  A parent has the ability to parent and limit the child’s television viewing, if they so desire.  A parent is not helpless to say our child doesn’t listen so we must accept the status quo.  Many parents desire to be the ‘friend’ of their child, or be the ‘good guy/gal’ and never say ‘no.’  With so many of my friends young parents, I wonder how they will be setting boundaries.

On Consumerism – Now members of our community are part of the broader society and one would hardly expect larger sociological issues such as consumerism to not affect us.  Still the degrees seem far more now than in my youth.  I remember kids having and even getting beat up and their shoes stolen if they had the latest Jordans.  With 13-year olds having iPhones, 16-year olds getting BMWs for their birthdays (Jodha had a reflection on this some time ago), and wardrobe prices that went far beyond our $15 jeans from Marshalls, I wonder what are we teaching our children?  Ask parents to send their children to a Sikh workshop or even Punjabi/Khalsa school at their Gurdwara and parents will begin about fees being far too high.  What do we actually value and what do we wish to teach our children to value?

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Reflections on Bhujangi 2011

The term ‘bhujang’ has a Sanskritic base and is used to refer to a small snake.  The Mughals and Afghans of the 18th century employed the term as a pejorative to refer to the Sikhs as ‘bhujangs.’  Try as they might, they could never completely ‘eradicate’ from the garden these ‘bhujangs.’  In the eternal optimism that defines the spirit of chardikala, the Singhs and Kaurs of the period appropriated the term and endorsed it to give it a new connotation.  Their young were in fact ‘bhujangs’ that would bite the feet of Mughals, Afghans, and other imperial powers.  Today the term is still widely used by Nihang Sikhs in reference to their offspring.  A young Sikh boy is called a ‘bhujangi’ and a young Sikh girl a ‘bhujangan’.

Reviving and reinterpreting our historic terminology were part of the naming process of this unique camp.

With the Guru’s Grace, from August 1-10, I had the opportunity to be a sevadar for the Jakara Movement’s first annual Bhujangi Youth Academy.  Unlike anything else in our community before, the academy specifically served the needs of at-risk young Punjabi Sikh males.

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Bhujangis in the Forest

The following was blogged by PenduPrincess at our sister blog – Kaurista.com

Stick a bunch of Punjabis in the forest and they won’t know what to do.  Mainly because there’s not a chula in the woods to make cha pakore.  Just kidding.  The truth is that urban culture and modernization has placed layers of materialistic stuff between us and the glory of Mother Nature.  However, this August 1^st – 10^th, the Jakara Movement’s Bhujangi Youth Academy ripped apart these layers and introduced a group of Sikh teen boys to the beauty of the ground we walk on.  And as hoped, by way of nature’s magnificence these boys were introduced to themselves.

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150+ Revolutionaries – Answering a Lalkaar

Before discussing the conference, I wanted to strongly encourage our Sikh youth sangat throughout California to come to Fresno/Kerman this coming weekend for an amazing opportunity.  While most Sikh organizations depend on large contributions by high-fly financiers with their own set of pre-conditions, Sikh youth organizations such as the Jakara Movement and the Sikh Activist Network do not.  The Jakara Movement’s biggest donors are its own members, making small contributions and the sweat and blood of its own members that come every year to sell fireworks.  This is truly grassroots, where the youth give their own labor for causes and projects they love.  Check out the video, follow the facebook event page to sign up, and then click below the fold for my report on Lalkaar 20111.

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Fireworks Out-of-Town Volunteers Sign-Up!

Just in case the form below can’t be seen – click here!

Lalkaar 2011 – Recap

New city; new people; same great weekend and success.  We could write a whole new recap of the weekend. and maybe later on we will, in order to give different insights.  For now, “long-haired beauty” from our sisters at Kaurista did a masterful job.  See you at Lalkaar 2012.

For the past eleven years, the Jakara Movement has hosted annual conferences to educate, enlighten and inspire youth from all over the world to become activists and revolutionaries with the aim of making a positive change in the Sikh community. Lalkaar 2011 was no different. The theme was Kaur Voices: Exalt, Express, Empower. This title itself could have been daunting, intimidating; but 150 young men and women ventured out to Sacramento, CA this past weekend to learn and to discuss Kaur issues, Kaur struggles, Kaur victories, and Kaur strength.

The conference began with discussing case studies in groups of about ten people. Topics of the studies ranged from the caste system to rape to domestic violence – issues that are often overlooked and ignored, but whose awareness and eventual elimination are critical to the well being of our Sikh community. Some

were shocked by the scenarios presented – all real situations that have happened to men and women in the Sikh community. Others were used to hearing about these issues and were seeking avenues for change and for justice. This want for change and for progress led to the second workshop – brainstorming concrete ideas to combat issues that Sikh women face in our community. Each group came up with strong, doable ideas – creating a Sikh Women’s Day, strengthening Khalsa School education with Sikh women history, establishing hotlines for Sikh women in need – and the list goes on. It is with the inspiration from this conference and the willpower of individual activists to turn these ideas into realities.

After a day of intense discussion, everyone headed over to Howe Park to relax, get some BBQ and play a little football. But the activities didn’t even end there. Bowling and laser tag were next. And let me tell you, 150 Sikhs at a bowling alley, fueled with the ice cream bar Jakara sevadars had put together, got crazy — the fun, exciting, bonding with each other kind of crazy.

The second and last day of the conference was about introspection – individuals evaluating themselves to assess where they stand as a Sikh woman or as a Sikh man. The day began with Gurbani translation. Here is a line from the vaar by Bhai Gurdas that each group translated:

ਸਣ ਵਣ ਵਾੜੀ ਖੇਤੁ ਇਕੁ ਪਰਉਪਕਾਰੁ ਵਿਕਾਰ ਜਣਾਵੈ।

San Van Vaarhee Khaytu Iku Paraoupakaaru Vikaaru Janaavai.

Hemp and cotton grow in the same field but the use of one is benevolent while the other one is put to evil use.

This obviously a rough translation, but essentially Waheguru equips us with gifts, with materials, with minds, with hearts – these all come from the same “field,” so to say. However, it is up to us to use those for good or for bad, for positive change or for maintaining status quo.Lalkaar means a calling. We use what Waheguru has blessed us with to answer that calling.

The last workshop was about the Kaur and Singh Code. We split up into groups by gender. Our goal was to come up with codes of conduct that would uphold our self-respect, self-esteem, and our love for Sikhi itself. This was all about empowering ourselves and encouraging ourselves to actually be the people we aspire to be.

The conference concluded with a banquet. The entertainment was a milieu of the raw talent that conference participants had kept hidden all weekend. Some sang, some danced, some did spoken word. It was a blatant display of the diversity that our Sikh youth has to offer.

If we could put our talents together, toward a cause greater than ourselves, the things we could achieve are indescribable. We could answer our Lalkaar. So to my fellow Lalkaar 2011 participants and those who attended in spirit, I say this – do not forget the sense of inspiration and motivation that this conference found within you; take that and do something, make your ideas a reality, and never stop thinking bigger and bolder. After all, we are the movement.

To see more photos from the conference, please click here.

xoxoLongHairedBeauty

Conocimiento 2011 – Knocking Down Myths

This past week members of the College Sikhs Collaborative and the Jakara Movement – creating the first Alternative Spring Break – explored the issue of immigration by visiting so-called ground zero – the Mexi/Cali border.  While surge of the Tea Party movement has helped bring nativist sentiments to the fore, the Sikh-American response on the issue has been largely muted.  In 2006, we saw huge protests calling for a more free immigration policy, led largely by our Chicano/a and Latino/a brothers and sisters, as is too often the case, Sikhs, who are also directly affected by issues of immigration – both documented and undocumented – remain passive bystanders to the national debate.  [For those that do not know about the increasing number of Punjabi undocumented workers - including over 1600 that were caught and detained in 2010 alone, see the LA Times article ]  Even worse, is some Sikhs even support candidates that have borderline racist views on such issues.  While groups such as Sikh Coalition and SALDEF have tacitly supported the cause of immigration cause, it is a shame that we have not been more vocal.  Without standing with others (especially on those cases where we have a self-interest!), why should anyone stand with us on the issues we care about?

Day 1 – Orientation
Our trip began with an orientation with our partner organization – Border Angels.

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More News Coming…Lalkaar 2011: Kaur Voices

Come join us at Lalkaar, Jakara Movement’s 12th Annual Collegiate Conference, this summer in Sacramento, CA!!

After 12 years of holding our annual summer conference in Fresno, CA, we have moved our location to Sacramento, CA. This year’s topic will be Kaur Voices. Join Sikh males and females throughout the United States to discuss and work towards ending ending sexism, genderism, racism, casteism, and other social injustices impacting our community. Jakara Movement’s summer conference, Lalkaar, has provided a space, a forum, and a safe place to discuss these issues for over a decade. We hope this is the year you will attend and contribute your ideas to ending the social injustices of discrimination.

Lalkaar provides great networking opportunities for young Sikhs to meet each other and form a sense of unity with their community. The conference will begin on Thursday, June 16, 2011 and will run through Sunday, June 19, 2011. The curriculum of the conference is presented during the morning and afternoon, while during the evenings we provide our attendees with social activities such as, bowling, laser tag, a picnic in the park, an ice cream social, and an evening formal for young Sikhs to build strong networks within the sangat.

A tentative schedule is provided below. However, this schedule is subject to change and will be updated with details frequently so it is important to keep up with us through www.jakara.org!

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Schedule for Conocimiento – ASB 2011

A number of people have asked what will we be doing from March 23-25, 2011.  So here it is:

Wednesday – March 23, 2011

• Set out from Los Angeles at 12pm
• 4pm – meeting with Border Angels, crossing the border and having a workshop at the unmarked cemetery that is the final resting point for a number of people that never make their destination
• 6pm – Understanding Immigration Workshop – “Power to the powerless; Voice to the Voiceless”

Thursday – March 24, 2011

• 8am – arrive at Border Angels site
• 8:30am – drive to Imperial Valley
• 11-5pm: visit the cemetery, see the potter’s grave, create markings for those that died, workshops with immigration advocates, visit barrier wall and talk to law enforcement agencies, put out humanitarian aid and water in the desert, visit Jacuma city, and return.
• 6-8pm: Sneak preview of the Freedom Riders documentary, followed by a Q&A with Freedom Rider Congressman Bob Filner, Civil Rights Activist Harold Brown and Dr. Shirley Weber, Department Chair of the SDSU Africana Studies Department.
• 10pm – following dinner, debriefing

Friday – March 25, 2011

• 7am – make sandwiches for day workers
• 8am – arrive at Border Angels site
• 8:30am – Set off and meet and interview day workers, visit Friendship Park (lunch as beach picnic), visit Chicano Park – park in Hispanic community with murals – tour by mural artist
• 4pm – return and debriefing
• 7pm – following dinner, return to Los Angeles