Sidak Leadership Camp

VANCOUVER - Participants from across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia attended the seventh annual, two-week summer program Sidak, hosted by the Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI), which concluded on 11 July 2009 at the Concept Therapy Institute in the hill country of San Antonio in Texas, US.

This year�s program was the largest to date, with 38 developing Sikh leaders, including high school and college students, and young professionals.

�We try to diversify the instructors, modes of learning, and content to keep Sidak engaging and interactive,� explained Jasmine Kaur, SikhRI�s Director of Education.

�For seven years now, Sidak brings in a focused group of participants from around the world and provides them with the tools and training to become leaders in their communities,� said Dr. Gurvinder Pal Singh, who serves on SikhRI�s Board of Directors and is a volunteer guest lecturer at Sidak. In fact, several instructors at Sidak are volunteers, comprised of past Sidak graduates and notable community members.

Each Sidak participant went through an intense two-week experience from learning and sharing of a Sabad with Viakhia to researching and presenting on a a Sikhi topic with themes as diverse as Ammrit, Disability, Fashion, and Sovereignty. For many participants, it was the first time they presented in public or sang a Sabad. �Sidak challenges participants to go beyond their comfort zone and engage directly in learning,� says Inderpreet Singh, Sikhi 101 instructor who serves on SikhRI Board of Advisors, �Sidak is not about just classroom education, it focuses on experiencing the Sikh lifestyle � learning through direct action.�

Workshops were conducted by successful community leaders including Larry Mills (Senior Executive, Spurs Organization), Stephen Nickle (Reverend and Chaplin, Trinity University), Gunisha Kaur (author, Lost in History: 1984 Reconstructed), and Harinder Singh (Executive Director, Sikh Research Institute & Sikhi 201 instructor) to explore topics on personal development.

Evening divan (Rahiras Sahib) was followed by either personal time or organized activities like Dodgeball, Ultimate Frisbee, Charades, and rounds of �Are you Smarter than a Sojhi 5th Grader�. Additionally, Sidak included some notable features such as a hike to see fireworks on July 4th and a Degh making lab.






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