The problems caused by ignorance and prejudice are very real, and when one person in our community is affected, it ripples outward. Events like "Infinite Wisdom Day" where we bring together leaders of different faiths to promote understanding and tolerance for diversity, our program on "Sikh Americans" which is designed as an introduction to the basics of Sikhi, and speakers who explore Panjabi Culture for the general community are all steps toward bringing Sikhi into the mainstream of the cultural dialogue. Our participation in Martin Luther King Junior day and Cesar Chavez celebrations of multicultural observations of the sacrifices and successes of struggles for justice and equality and September 11th interfaith memorials, put a Sikh face into the civic conversation. These types of activities define our Global Awareness efforts to make safer, more tolerant communities for Sikhs everywhere.

As with any work done by a nonprofit though, we need your support to ensure we have the means to plan for more Global Awareness work in 2011. Please spend some time with our website, to see in more detail what the Global Awareness aspect of our mission means to us. For the good of Sikhs everywhere and the dispelling of ignorance around the world, consider a donation today!

Inni Kaur is the author of "Journey with the Gurus," an illustrated children's book based on the life and teachings of the Guru Nanak Sahib. She is also Vice President of Spectrum Communications, an advertising and corporate design firm based in Norwalk, CN. A published poet, she is an active participant in Sikh community affairs, raising awareness on many key faith and women’s issues. She is on the editorial board of Nishaan and is a board member of the Interfaith Council of Southern Connecticut. She also serves on the boards of the MBSK Foundation, the Kaur Foundation and the Namaskaar Foundation. 

Born and raised in Kuwait, Inni Kaur lived in New Zealand, Australia and Greece before moving to the United States in 1982. She resides with her husband and family in Fairfield, Connecticut.

The workshop is designed especially for young children, between the ages of six and ten years old. Children walk through a Sabad by Bhagat Kabir Ji incorporating material that is readily available from nature. The workshop is intended to be interactive and engages participants with lots of questions that result in children picking up new vocabulary, developing thinking skills and and wanting to learn more when they get home!

In their feedback, attendees expressed their delight with the workshop and many asked for something like this, specifically for young kids, to be offered on a regular basis. "It taught me not to just go into the gurdwara and come back... I would recommend this to other kids too, because they will become closer to god!" wrote Dilpreet K. Bharaj, from Surrey. 

The second event, also on 9 October, took place in Santa Cruz, CA, where 75 people attended "Sikh Rahit Maryada". Modeled after the Liv webinar on the same topic, Inderpreet Singh led participants through a collective reading of the Sikh Rahit Maryada and then attendees practiced consensus building by discussing changes and modifications to the text. 

The third event, on 10 October, was held at Hayward Gurdwara Sahib in Hayward, CA, where Inderpreet spoke on the topic of "Guru Ramdas - Sovereign of Spiritual and Political Realms". 

The three presenters broke the session into three parts, bringing a Sakhi, a Kavita, and a Sabad to life for the children in the online audience. First, Inni Kaur took the youngsters into the land of Bhumi, followed by Harliv Kaur who engaged listeners in a poem about Seva. Finally, Jasmine Kaur wrapped up the presentation by talking about love and examples of love that we find in nature and elsewhere. 

Generally, the reaction of the nearly 60 people who tuned in that morning was very positive. Many asked for a future webinar that was designed for even younger children, with lots of pictures and shorter Sabads. Parents sent in comments expressing their happiness at being able to attend the webinar with their children and asking for future session which would address other challenges of being a Sikh child. 

Liv webinars have been offered free to all registrants since July of this year. However, we always welcome donations of any amount as the sessions still have many costs associated with producing them. We have been working to update the archived sessions which are available on our web site. If you missed a Liv that you'd been curious, check out our Recordings page in the Training & Development section of sikhri.org and see if it's available for streaming yet!

Events included presentations on the role of women in Sikhi, rekindling the Sikh spirit, and a 10-year plan of action tailored for Sikh-Kenyans. The tour was sponsored by Siri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara. To read more about the tour, check out our press release, "Cultivating the Next Generation of Kalasingas".