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Summary of Question:	Sikh Youth Cultural Groups
Category:	General Q's from Non-Sikhs
Date Posted:	Thursday, 6/17/2004 4:59 PM MDT

I would like to join what one might call a "Sikh Youth Group," one that helps out the less fortunate and does a lot of community service and at the same time educates not only Sikhs but others as well...but every time I seach for one on the internet it just shows me ones in India, Canada, England, and Singapore. I live in California and whenever I search for them here I find them, but they are always in cities that are too far or the membership is like 5,000$ a year. I have already looked at sikhseek.com and I didn't find anything near my city. I live in the San Joaquin Valley. I am in the Multi-Cultural club at school which is taught by an Indian teacher and the class is mostly made up of Indian people. We learn about other cultures and religions which is fine, but I'm not really interested in other religions and cultures right now except for the Punjabi culture and the Sikh way of life. I live near our local Gurdwara...Do you think that maybe if I went there they could help me? Who would I ask for or talk to? All I'm trying to do is expand my horizons and educate my self about the Sikh community!

Thanks,
*Erica*

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reply
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Sat SIri Akaal, Erica.
Please feel free to visit the local gurdwara on Sunday during services (wear clothes you can sit on the floor in, and bring a headcover of your choice), and be a little bold. Ask some woman with daughters there about Sikhi and about what you are thinking of doing. (Don't approach the men or boys, to begin with, unless one of your siblings or a parent goes with you. It will look too forward in the wrong sense ...) You might have to attend a couple of times first, so that folks trust your sincerity. That will give you a flavor of what is going on, which I think you will find helpful. Don't rush things. You might find they don't have much of an organized youth group, but then maybe you will be the catalyst for that, or be referred to some other local Sikh youth organization. They are not always easy to find, I know. Not like you can find them easily in the yellow pages, since they are often operated by a couple of gurdwara members and not as formalized, incorporated clubs. Blessings,
-DKK