| Upcoming Events
23-26 August
Banda Singh Bahadur
Camp Chardhi Kala
Bloomingburg, NY, USA
28 August
1947-The Partition
Webinar ID: 448060160
Liv Sikhi Webinar
11:00 am - 12:30 pm CST
29 August
Getting to Know Vahiguru
11:00am - 12:00pm CST
Houston, TX, USA
September 2010
3-6 September
Banda Singh Bahadur
Camp Sehaij
Rindge, NH, USA
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Pass It On!
Could You Help Us Reach New Friends?
SikhRI is asking for your help! We are trying to grow our e-mail list to include new people or organizations who would be interested in learning more about what SikhRI does. We would like to bring in new attendees for our events and reach a larger audience of people who could benefit from our services and programming.
If you know someone who might be interested in updates about SikhRI, would you help us by inviting them to join our e-mail list? You could forward them this newsletter, or just send them this link http://www.sikhri.org/ to our home page where they can sign up on the left hand side! It's easy, it's simple, and it is a huge help to SikhRI!
We'd also love to be your friend on Facebook! Check out our profile and click join at the top to be a part of the Facebook fun! You can post to our wall, get up-to-the-minute news on events and happenings, and connect with our other friends who already follow us!
We have such a passionate, thoughful, involved audience, we'd love it if you'd invite a friend to join in.
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Sevadar
Spotlight: Baljinder Kaur Narang
In the coming months, we would like to introduce newsletter readers to members of SikhRI's Board of Directors and Board of Advisors.
Baljinder Kaur Narang is an occupational therapist who has worked extensively in mental health services specializing in drug & alcohol treatments, and brain injury. She completed her Masters in Health Education from Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, in 2003. Currently she serves on the New Vista Society Trustee Board and is a Spokesperson for "We Can"-end all violence against women-BC Campaign. She has recently been appointed to serve on the Social Sustainability Steering Committee for City of Burnaby and is an Advisor for PICS – Health & Wellness Services. She also serves as President for Sikh Research Institute Canada and Panjab Digital Library Canada. She was elected as School Trustee for the Burnaby Board of Education in November 2008.
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Sidak 2010
Eighth Year of Sidak A Great Success!
On 15 August, SikhRI saw the last of 22 Sidak participants head back to their home cities across North America after 2 weeks of intense leadership training and learning. 2010 marked the eighth year of Sidak, the only Sikh leadership development program in the world.
Held in the Hill Country outside San Antonio at the Concept Therapy Institute, participants in Sidak spent their days in either Sikhi 101 or Sikhi 201 classroom session, getting up early for degh labs where they learned to make parsad, attending guest lectures by members of the community and, of course, gatting to know each other through the fun of Ultimate Frisbee, Sidak Olympics and a trip to the Alamo!
Besides the 22 Sidakers, SikhRI was able to count on 33 volunteers from the San Antonio-area who helped with everything from providing and preparing meals, to organizing and facilitating activities and classroom sessions, to assisting with transportation to and from the site.
To read a complete report on 2010 Sidak, please spend time with our Sidak PR.
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Liv
Kirpan: Faith, Challenges and Solutions
On 7 August, Inder Jit Singh presented a Liv webinar on the topic "Kirpan: Faith, Challenges and Solutions." The webinar explored the centuries-old historical roots of the kirpan as an article of faith for the Khalsa mandated by Guru Gobind Singh, and the questions and debate which surrounds its place today in modern society.
Rich in the thorough use of research and the broad, open-minded approach to the status of the kirpan as both a sacred article of faith, one of five which Sikhs wear, but also an incendiary item to those who are ill informed or confused and see it only as a threat or a weapon. Exploring the evolution of the kirpan through time, the question of its function as both symbolic and utilitarian, safety and community responsibilities in preventing its misuse, there is no way that interested listeners will not learn something from this 75 minutes session.
Liv webinars are now offered free of cost to all attendees. Additionally, past Liv webinars will be available for free streaming, so you can go back into the archives and listen in! To date, we have the most recent webinar, "Kirpan: Faith, Challenges and Solutions" available, but keep checking back, more coming soon!
While the webinars are free for all registrants, they are not free of cost to the institute. Donations are always welcomed and we'd love to give you more information about sponsoring a webinar as an individual or an organization. Liv sessions are an unparalleled opportunity to reach a global sangat of learners and thinkers, and we hope that you will join us for one--especially if it is your first!
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Infinite Wisdom Day
Moving From Religious Tolerance to Acceptance
On 8 August, Sikh Research Institute hosted a panel discussion at the Concept Therapy Institute in San Antonio, Texas. The event, "Infinite Wisdom Day", was free and open to the public and included all of the campers at Sidak 2010. Six panelists, representing a variety of experiences and religious philosophies, spoke for 10 minutes each on their impressions of the night's theme: Moving from religious tolerance to acceptance. Then, the floor was open to audience questions and comments, resulting in a highly interactive session lasting nearly 45 minutes.
To read a complete report of the night, including details on the panelists and quites from attendees, please open our Infinite Wisdom Day press release. The event was part of SikhRI's Global Awareness programming, which brings Sikhs and Non Sikhs together in discussions intending to educate, inform and ultimately increase acceptance and understanding.
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Sikh-Americans
The Sikh-American: Life and Lifestyle
On 8 August, Jasmine Kaur, director of education at SikhRI, presented at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in San Antonio, Texas on the topic of "The Sikh-American." The event was attended by 30 children ages 6-11 and 10 adults and covered the basics of Sikhi: who Sikhs are, where they come from and what their foundational values are.
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Staff Writings
Guest Columns at Sikhchic
This summer, SikhRI staff and a member of our Board of Directors published guest columns on sikhchic.com.
On 5 June, Jasmine Kaur wrote " The Stages of Human Life", exploring the poetic rendering of the life stages in the teachings of Guru Nanak and her own studies in school of childhood development.
Also on 5 June, Inderpreet Singh, a member of SikhRI's Board of Directors and a guest instructor at SikhRI events, published " I Knew Not Then". The essay recounts his experiences over his life time, as he gradually learned about and attempted to come to terms with the events of 1984.
On 31 July, Harinder Singh's guest column was published on sikhchic.com, "Standing at the Annual Crossroads." The essay marked the event of his thirty-eighth birthday, and turned a reflective eye on the past year's events and his growth as a Sikh, as well as his hopes and expectations for the future.
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Job Opening
Hiring: Executive Director
The Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI) is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit organization seeking to develop a principle-driven community by protecting the core values and enlarging the resource pool. SikhRI’s mission is to facilitate training and development while inspiring Sikh values, create global awareness of Sikhi, and deliver strategic solutions to the key challenges faced by the Sikh community. SikhRI is currently seeking to fill the position of an Executive Director. The successful candidate will lead SikhRI and be responsible for providing direction to the staff. The primary task will be raising funds (70%) followed by administration (30%). S/he will work closely with the Board and the Chief Programming Officer to further the mission of SikhRI. Annual salary range will commensurate with experience. Benefits include vacation, holidays, sick days and insurance (medical, LTD, STD, Life & Accidental). Click Here to Learn More
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Thanks Yous
Sikh Research Institute exists to serve the community's education needs. As we strive to fulfill our mission of empowerment through education, we cannot be successful without the endless support of volunteers. Thank you to all of our volunteers this month who continue to inspire us with their strength, dedication, and passion!
Amrita Kaur Dhingra, Aman Kaur, Arpinder Kaur, Avneet Kaur, Arshdeep Singh Khurana, Chara Rodriguez, Deepinder Kaur Khurana, Gurbachan Singh, Gurpal Singh Bhullar, Gurpaul Singh, Gurpreet Kaur, Gurvinder Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Hardeep Singh Raina, Harliv Kaur, Harman Singh, Harvinder Singh, Inder Jit (IJ) Singh, Inderpreet Singh, Jagdeep Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Jasmeet Kaur, Jasmine Kaur Marwaha, Kamaljit Kaur, Larry Mills, Mani Joshi, Maninder Kaur, Namsimar Kaur, Neelu Raman Kaur, Preeti Kaur Malik, Sahara Nembang, Amit Shakya, Kanchan Pandey, Ashesh Pant, Pritam Singh, Pritpal Singh, Ravpreet Singh, and Rajwinder Singh.
We would also like to take this opportunity to extend a special thank you to the entire SikhRI staff and all the volunteers who made Sidak 2010 a complete success!
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