Jakara Movement

The Bhujangi Youth Academy (BYA) is a Jakara Movement initiative to address the growing concern of violence in our community. The goal is to create a forum for young Sikh high school boys to reflect, learn, and become inspired by Sikhi and a new Sangat. The Bhujangi Youth Academy aims to not only introduce Sikh culture through Gurbani, Tarikh (history), Philosophy and Rehat but also provides a safe place for kids to learn basic skills needed in the real world, from tying a tie, making a budget, cooking dinner, cleaning, and more. Upon graduating from the Bhujangi Youth Academy, BYA alums return to their home communities and continue their engagement in the Jakara Movement's community chapters (misls). Through this they recognize their self-worth and have a nurturing environment to build strong, healthy, confident young men.

Nishaan is a 3 day conference designed to expose high school students to higher education, leadership development, and social justice through a Sikh lens. Students have an opportunity to learn more about the university experience, while networking with current college students and young professionals. The conference consists of workshops and lectures, covering topics applicable to the Sikh high school students, which have included gender inequality, cultural norms, exploring the Gurbani and Gurmat tradition, Sikh history, mental health, the prevalence of alcoholism within Punjabi household. Nishaan is an all-encompassing conference aimed at educating and equipping the Sikh youth with the information and tools to conduct their everyday lives, encouraging knowledge and enrichment.

The Lalkaar Conference is the longest running Sikh conference in the US.This 3 day conference creates a platform where difficult, thought provoking, and inspirational conversations take place on topics ranging from but never limited to, The Guru Granth Sahib: The History of the Sikh Soul, Kaur Voices: Exhalt, Express, Empower, Gurudware: Empowering Local Democracy, Remembering 1984, and Building Begampura:Confronting Caste. Our Sikh youth come together and create a forum in which these conversations flourish as we expand on and openly discuss issues that affect us as individuals and as a greater Panth.

Since 2010, the Sikholars: Sikh Graduate Student Conference has been bringing together advanced graduate students working on a variety of subjects related to the study of Sikhs. Pairing a community organization with Stanford University’s Center for South Asia and the Sarbjit Singh Aurora Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies, the conference has hosted students from Pakistan to Canada, India to France from over 25 universities. With topics ranging from Gurmukhi fonts in Unix Coding to sex-selective abortion, from Nihangs in the court of Ranjit Singh to diasporic literature, from the Khalistan movement to the North American bhangra circuit, from Sikh sculpture and architecture to representations of masculinity in Punjabi films, we encourage the widest possible range of those pursuing graduate studies on Sikh-related topics.

Soojh is an annual, alternative break program. While targeted at Sikh students, all collegiate students, of any or no religious background, are invited to apply to be part of this exploration over Spring Break. Soojh is an experience in service, advocacy, learning and spiritual reflection. Participants begin discussions to prepare for the trip, exploring the apartheid that is ignored in plain sight - the issue of caste. With reading literature by some of the leading thinkers on the subject prior to the event, the attendees then visit the Guru Ravidas Gurdwara in Rio Linda, CA, sitting and meeting with members of the sangat. The goal is for an in-depth understanding that goes beyond theological assertions, to understand the way that this apartheid takes away from our own humanity. We explore the goals of Baba Nanak in light of the reality that continues to fester in our villages, towns, homes, and even hearts.

Through the Sikhiya iinitiative, we aim to provide support, mentoring, and application counseling for individuals applying to undergraduate and graduate and professional schools. Utilizing a network of Sikhs who are successfully pursuing masters degrees, JDs, MBAs, and doctoral degrees in most every field, our goal is to increase the overall quality of our applicants' profiles to promote Sikh representation in undergraduate and post-baccalaureate education.

Open to current high school, college and graduate students! The Fellowship aims to provide Fellows with a platform and access to resources in order to design, implement, and evaluate yearlong projects. The Fellowship is a one-year interdisciplinary program focused on projects that address the unmet needs of the community and are centered around direct services. This Fellowship aims to promote diverse projects that keep in mind the principle of sarbat da bhala, the Sikh value of the welfare of all. The Fellowship aims to seed projects designed with the understanding of the root causes of social injustice, which can be implemented in local communities to provide innovative solutions to pressing issues.Upon completing this Fellowship, participants will walk away with a greater investment within one's own local community as well as a larger Sangat.

In Fresno, CA, the Jakara Movement operates the first and only Youth Center aimed at the Sikh youth. The Paaras Youth Center has become the central hub for local Sikh youth, where they partake in daily tutoring services, weekly events such as Movie Nights, workshops, various classes, and connect with their Sangat (community). The Paaras Youth Center is ran by Simranjit Singh.

Jakara Juniors is a Sikh Children's Camp, it is an initiative that engages our young Sikh youth children through a one-day camp, focused on a topic central to the Sikh tradition. This includes Growing with our Gurdwara, Building Begampura, or Environmental Consciousness. With volunteers and mentors facilitating the camp, Jakara Juniors is a space where the young connect with their older brothers and sisters in learning the Sikh tradition and values, exercising their part in our larger Sangat. Moreover, Jakara Juniors allows for Sikh children to internalize the Sikh values of seva, sangat, and simran from a young age, creating habits that will carry on into their lives.
Jakara Juniors camps have spanned across the United States, including Toronto, Canada.