Jakara Movement at NASMDA 2010

Again, this past weekend, the Jakara Movement made their now annual trip to the North American Sikh Medical and Dental Association Meeting. The Sangat there has always blessed us with their support and love, showering praise for the continued engagement with the Sikh Youth. This weekend was no different. We leave Baltimore excited, inspired, and humbled by the continued support of our community.

Here are some scenes from this weekend’s conference that also included presentations by SALDEF, Sikh Coalition, and the Sikh Human Development Foundation – each doing worthy work.  Enjoy the videos and take a look at a short glimpse of Dr. Sangeeta Kaur’s inspiring presentation on the Zafarnama of Guru Gobind Singh.

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Ladoos Pink and Blue Inauguration

The idea was born in 2005.  At the Kaur Voices conference, groups came together on Saturday five years ago to begin thinking of real solution to address needs in the community.  Ladoos Pink and Blue was born.

This initiative by the Jakara Movement advocates gender-equality and promote health education within the Sikh community. Despite the Sikh Gurus’ clarion call and repudiation of ‘kurimaars’, male preference in the Sikh community is a deep-rooted and thriving practice. Recent reports from NGO organizations in East Punjab appallingly show the steep decline in the female to male ratio. The problem is not confined to Punjab. Numerous medical entrepreneurs in North America, understanding the Punjabi niche-market, actively promote gender testing and advertise in the Punjabi vernacular press.

Although the problem is multi-faceted, one solution is for the community to place value and celebrate the birth all children. To encourage the celebration of both boys and girls Ladoos: Pink and Blue sends ladoos to the family of the newborn, a Gurbani-based Sikh keepsake, the baby’s first kara, health information that highlights gender equality within the lens of Sikhi, and host and promote events celebrating Sikh women. Infused with the message of the Gurus, this project hopes to serve as a stepping stone for change within our community. Beginning the pilot project in California’s Central Valley, the project hopes to grow larger in the coming years.

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Our Beloved – Ajeet Singh Matharu

The following was written by a Jakara Movement sevadar in honor of a wonderful GurSikh activist. Known to many in the Jakara family as Ajeet Singh, he had been part of the movement from its very beginning in 2000. We love, miss, and honor you Ajeet.

I always had a huge extended family in Fresno.  No mamay, chachay, phuas, or thaiys; they were all in Punjab.  Still somehow halfway across the globe my parents and their friends had reunited and created a community.  Those famous ‘batches’ from the 1970s in Patiala, now along with a few others, had all come to settle in California’s Central Valley.

While there was ‘New Years at the Sidhus’, “Father’s Day BBQs at Woodward Park” and “4^th of July at the Ranus’, it was the almost-monthly birthdays, weekly Punjabi school sessions, and other family gatherings where friendships and relationships were formed.  Ubiquitous at all these functions was Jaswant Auntie’s affectionate hugs and Joginder Uncle’s garish Hawaiian shirts.

Their son was a late addition.  However in a world of simple “Abhi’s” and “Arshi’s”, “Neilo’s” and “Paulo’s”, there was only one Ajeet Singh.  It wasn’t that the rest of us didn’t have “Singh” in our name, but somehow it conjoined and seemed most appropriate with Ajeet.  Named after a prince, he, himself, was a prince.

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Restructuring and Retooling

From April 23-25, 2010 Jakara Movement volunteers came together to think about the future goals of the organization.  Restructuring was high on the priority list.  This powerpoint was the combined efforts, based on consensus decisions, of the twenty sevadars that came together.

Looking for a Few Good Sikhs

Jakara Facilitators are THE key component of making the Jakara conference experience inspirational, education, comfortable and ultimately successful. Being a Jakara Facilitator is a duty as you are the ambassadors of the conference. We are looking for individuals that are responsible, can construct an environment for open dialogue, and are committed and passionate about the key issues that effect our community.

Get a very different look at the conference and become a facilitator today!  Apply here now!

Apply Now!

Early Bird Registration is Up, Save Money!

Register by April 30th and save yourself some money!

This year marks the 11th annual Jakara Movement Conference in Fresno, CA.  Come join 175 young Sikhs from throughout North America as they convene together to explore the Guru Granth Sahib: The History of the Sikh Soul.

Tell your friends and make sure you join us June 17-20,2010.  Register now for the early bird special!

We Got It!

It’s in! Again….Congratulations to Everyone!

Monthly Update – March 2010

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa
Waheguru Ji Ke Fateh

Stay in Touch:

• Along with Twitter, Facebook, our website (www.jakara.org), and our blog (www.jakaramovement.org), we have added this “Monthly Movement Update” as well as can be reached via formspring (www.formspring.me/jakaramovement)

Upcoming Projects:

• Jakara Conference 2010 – “The Guru Granth Sahib: The History of the Sikh Soul“. Registration to follow soon.  The Conference will be held in Fresno, CA from June 18-20, 2010.  We need help advertising!
• Ladoos: Pink and Blue – a project for mother’s health and beginning to explore the problem of sex-selective abortions in our community.  The project has received a grant from the Sikh Spirit Foundation and has applied for another one via the Changemakers non-profit support groups.  The project will begin at a pilot stage in Fresno, CA and upon its success, we will seek to expand it.  More information to follow.  The launch date is Vaisakhi 2010.
• Singh Strength – In August 2010, we are organizing a two-week retreat for young boys at risk of gang/drug involvement. The camp will look to build character and leadership through Sikhi.  We are looking into camping facilities and sites.  More information to follow shortly.
• SSA Collaborative – A project to begin towards improving our collegiate SSAs.  A number of students have shown interest in leading the project.  We are hoping to use Spring Break 2010 as a period to get the project really going.

That’s on the table for now. More projects are in the work (DV shelter town-halls, and much more).

Miscellaneous:

• Special Shout-outs to the Fresno Jakara Movement group for its participation and work with Valley Children Hospital’s Kid’s Day project.  The fundraiser earned $400,000 throughout Fresno County in efforts to build a new pediatric hospital in North San Diego County.  The young Jakara Fresno Chapter always does a tremendous job.  Read more here.
• Sikholars: Sikh Graduate Student Conference was held at Stanford University on February 20, 2010 and was a tremendous success.  Special thanks to the Sikh Spirit Foundation and Stanford Satrang Sikh Students Association.  Read more here.
• We have received numerous inquiries with regards to the Chase Bank Community Giving competition.  We have not yet received the funds.  When we do, they will largely go towards funding all of the above mentioned projects.  We will provide regular updates as we receive the money on behalf of the community.
• The April tax season will soon be upon us.  As 2009 marks the first year that the Jakara Movement has acted as an independent 501c3 nonprofit tax-exempt organization, it will also be the first year we file our taxes.  All records will be hosted on our website for easy access and reference to all community members.  We hope to file quarterly reports on the website in our desire to be one of the most transparent Sikh youth organizations.

The next call will be on April 15, 2010.

Gur Fateh,

Das of the Panth
Jakara Movement

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Monthly Movement Update Tonight

Tonight will be the start of the Monthly Movement update conference calls.  All are invited to attend, participate, and find out what is in the works.  Hope you can join us.

The conference call will begin promptly at 9:15 pm PST.  The information is listed below:

Conference Call
Conference Dial-in Number: (218) 844-8230
Participant Access Code: 718910#

Please note this is NOT the usual conference service Jakara uses.

Jakara Fresno Gives Back

Early this morning, Jakara volunteers in Fresno gathered to join efforts to raise money for Children’s Hospital Central California.  For the past 23 years, Children’s Hospital has benefited from the thousands of volunteers that hit the streets every March to sell the special “Kids Day” edition of the Fresno Bee for $1.  This year’s goal was to raise $400,000.

Children’s Hospital treats more inpatient cases than any pediatric hospital north of San Diego, making them the second largest children’s hospital in the state.  The hospital serves nine counties.  Many of us have known someone who has been a patient at Children’s Hospital and highly value the presence of such an organization in the Central Valley.

Jakara Fresno hopes to continue giving back to the community by participating in activities and events that help the Sikh community in many ways.

We want to thank all the volunteers who took the time to spend a few hours (before going to school and before going to work!) to raise money for Children’s Hospital.  It was a cold morning, but giving back through seva never felt so good!