Upcoming Events
19 March
The Environment: Creator in Creation
Liv Sikhi Webinar
11:00 am - 12:30 pm CST
25 March
Nurturing a Sikh Child
7:00 - 10:00pm PST
Union City, CA, USA
27 March
Getting to Know Vahiguru
San Jose Gurdwara
San Jose, CA, USA
April 2011
2 April
The Environment: Volunteer Day
9:00am - 12:00pm CST
San Antonio Food Bank
San Antonio, TX, USA
9 April
Vaisakhi: From Punjabi Festival to Sikh Ideals
4th Seminar on Sikhism
Gurdwara Sahib
Richmond, VA, USA
June 2011
25 Jun - 9 Jul
Sidak: Faith. Courage. Discipline.
San Antonio, TX, USA
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Celebrating the Environment!
As part of our commitment to celebrate Sikh Environment Day, we have put on workshops and released a new set of lesson plans for use in the classroom and the home! And there's still time to sign up for our Liv Webinar "Creator in Creation" designed especially for kids. Registration is free for this engaging and thoughtful webinar, which will be led by Jasmine Kaur and Harliv Kaur on 19 March. Also, if you're local to San Antonio, we'd love it if you joined in our Volunteer Day in the garden at the San Antonio, Food Bank!
We would like to thank those who have contributed to the kid's webinar:
- Zoravar Dhaliwal
- Wattvision & Savraj Singh Dhanjal
- Savneet Singh
Without your donations in support of Liv, it would not be possible to offer free registration. You can still make a gift toward the webinar, or in support of any of our environment resources and activities! Please visit our donation page and indicate any and all areas you would like us to allocate your donation towards. We couldn't do it without our supporters!
Our new workshop "The Environment: Creator in Creation" is really taking off. In the last three weeks, we've been invited to present it three different times! The workshop uses examples from Gurbani and lessons from the Gurus, especially examples from the life of Guru Harirai Sahib to discuss the role and place of nature in Sikh consciousness. There are also great hands-on activities to keep participants engaged and involved. Surenderpal Singh, research associate, assisted in developing the content for this workshop.
On 27 February, Jasmine Kaur, Director of Education, and Harliv Kaur, Educational Developer, presented at the Sikh Center in San Antonio, TX. About 20 young adults attended. On 6 March, Inni Kaur, member of the Board of Directors, gave a reprise of the presentation for 15 middle-school students at the Guru Gobind Singh Ji Academy in Norwalk, CT. Jasmine Kaur reprised the workshop for 35 elementary school and junior high school aged students at Milford Gurduara in Milford, MA, on 11 March.
We would be happy to discuss bringing this workshop, or any of the others that we offer to your area! Please be in touch with us at info@sikhri.org to discuss the possibility.
Also in Massachusetts, on 13 March SikhRI hosted "Sikh Eco-theology & I." Harinder Singh, Chief Programming Officer, spoke on "Kadir-Kudrati," exploring the connections of the divine and nature as well as the ways that our relationship to the natural world is an indicator of personal harmony. Then, Kulvir Singh, member of the Board of Advisors, presented "Global Impact of Sikh Environmentalism" in which he encouraged Sikhs to see themselves as ambassadors for nature, modeling the responsibilities and joys of environmental stewardship. You can listen to recordings of both talks.
On 14 March, Surenderpal Singh joined in a gathering of all Sikh organizations in Chandigarh at the Gurduara of the Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College. After a diwan, each participant planted a sapling on the grounds of the college.
Are you interested in putting on your own day of learning about nature and the environment? Well, the lesson plan "Environment: Recognizing Creator in Creation," and all the supplementary materials and resources available for download through the Sikh Educators Network (SEN).
Many educators have already downloaded the resources and are using them in their classrooms. Some are breaking the ideas up into "mini-units" and spreading the lesson plan content over several days. Sabeena Singh, an educator at a San Jose Khalsa School, wrote to express her enjoyment in using the resources. "The lesson plan you have designed is such an incredible resource. Thank you for making it available for all of us to use and learn from," she said.
If you don't already have an account at SEN, you'll need to create one to access all the materials, but joining is free and only takes a few minutes. Harliv Kaur and Sara Stroo assisted in developing the lesson plan materials. This year we're gearing up for more plans and blog posts to be appearing on SEN regularly, so there's never been a better time to secure your access to everything available on this great site!
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2011 Annual Meeting
Over the weekend of 12-13 March SikhRI's Board of Directors, Board of Advisors and some staff met in Bedford, MA, for the organization's annual meeting. Presentations were made summing up the accomplishments and challenges of 2010 and there was much discussion of future plans, in the long and short term. As always, the main goal of SikhRI's planning efforts is to develop programming, events and resources which serve to promote positive growth and inspiration in our constituents and their communities around the world.
The 2010 Annual Report was presented and, after a few minor changes, will be released publicly. Check www.sikhri.org next week to view it!
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Liv
On 19 February, Dr. IJ Singh presented a Liv Webinar on the topic: Misl Amrika: Role Sikh-Americans Must Play. Surenderpal Singh assisted in developing the content as well.
The 90-minute session explored the evolution of the SGPC and ancillary institutions in Punjab over the last century, as these organizations responded to the sociopolitical needs and realities of the day. In light of changed times and the fact that Sikhs now have a worldwide presence, it is becoming apparent that a new model of self-governance and accountability is needed-- one that will successfully knit Sikhs into a functioning whole. The session thus explored the question: What model could be created that would allow us to remain true to our history and traditions while nurturing our existence in a complex global reality? Thirty-eight people attended the webinar.
Did you miss out? Don't worry! We've been uploading past webinars so you can listen to Misl Amrika, and other archived session, anytime you'd like!
Liv webinars are offered at least once a month, and SikhRI covers all registration costs! So all you have to do is show up for a topic that's interesting to you and join in the global learning experience! Our next webinar, "Creator in Creation" will be on 19 March and is designed especially for kids!
While webinars are offered to the public free of charge, they are not free of cost to SikhRI. Donations of any amount in support of Liv are always gratefully accepted. There is also the option to sponsor a webinar as an individual or organization! A great team-building exercise in the workplace or a gift in honor of someone special!
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Nanakshahi New Year
On 6 March, Harinder Singh presented in Houston on “Nanakshahi: The Sikh New Year.” The talk focused on ways to perceive Guru Nanak as the Shah (Sovereign) and encouraged the audience, through these reflections, to commemorate the Sikh New Year in both letter and spirit. About 600 people attended the presentation.
SikhRI would like to wish everyone a very happy New Nanakshahi Year. If you didn't get in 1 Cet please access it here!
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Sidak
We've set the dates! Will you join us for Sidak 2011, from 25 June through July 9 in the beautiful Hill Country of San Antonio, Texas? Sidak is an amazing opportunity to immerse yourself among a caring and knowledgeable sangat and explode your own leadership skills and understanding of Sikhi! With three tracks to chose from, Sikhi 101, Sikhi 201 and Gurmukhi 101, there's sure to be a focus that's right for you! Our promotional video gives a visual overview of the program, and there's tons of information available on our Sidak page, including a sample schedule of "A Day In the Life...", past-Sidakers speaking candidly about their experiences at the leadership retreat, and all the materials you need to get an application started today!
Would you like to tell a friend about Sidak or post information about this one-of-a-kind leadership retreat at your gurduara or community center? You can print out the Sidak 2011 flyer, which includes all the basic information and help us spread the word!
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Thank 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!
Aman Singh Khurana, Amarpreet Singh Sawhney, Amereen Kaur Anand, Avneet Kaur, Baljit Singh Nijjer, Deepika Kaur Sawhney, Guru Gobind Singh Ji Academy, Harinder Singh Soin, Harliv Kaur, Inni Kaur, Mr. & Mrs. Jagdeep Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Jaspal Singh, Kanwaljit Singh Gandhi, Kavi Raj Singh, Kawaljit Kaur Tagore, Manbir Kaur, Moninder Singh Bindra, Narenderpal Singh, Navdeep Singh, Mr. & Mrs. Prashant Singh, Ranju Kaur Gandhi, Sampuran Singh, Sikh Center of San Antonio, and Taranjit Singh Anand.
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