j.Konferences

Jakara began as an idea, a thought, a vision. It was the hope that the Sikh youth could have an opportunity to come together and openly discuss the issues that they face as individuals and as a part of a greater Sikh community.

Founded in 2000, the first Jakara conference boldly put forth our mission statement announcing “A call to the next generation of Sikhs from all places, backgrounds, and points of view to reflect on our some past and prepare for our future.”  The originators of Jakara felt that Sikh conferences and camps in the past had only focused on theological matters, without taking into account the actual experiences of the Sikh youth living in America.  We wanted to fill that gap.

Over the years, many members of the Jakara Movement have become content innovators, with some even having attained professional degrees in content development.  We have developed a five-year plan.  Every five years topics are revisited, although content does change.  The five topics relate to the Sikh experience.  From the level of the entire community (Sarbat Khalsa), to the local (Gurdwara and Sangat), to the individual (relationship with the Guru Granth Sahib), the conference explores all of these subjects.  In addition, two special topics are included.  The ‘Remember 1984′ topic returns every five years to continue exploring contemporary Sikh history.  The ‘Kaur Voices’ topic also repeats to create a community-based forum that seeks to place questions of gender-inequality at the top of the Qaum’s agenda.  Although the topic of gender is woven throughout each of the other conference topics, during this one, we give it a more prominent place.

In addition to these topics the conference forms a key point for introducing people to the Jakara Movement and Sikh activism.  It was through the conference that most of the other initiatives we are conducting were inaugarated.