DATES FOR REGIONAL WORKSHOPS FOR "YOUNG SIKHS"

Many of you may have read about the setting up of "Young Sikhs" by the Sikh Federation (UK) at the National Sikh Convention a few weeks ago. The hope is that Young Sikhs will provide an opportunity for the younger generation to get proper recognition and become more actively involved in the full range of activities carried out by the Federation. This development builds on the excellent showing and support provided by youngsters earlier this year on Sunday 6 June at the "Rally and march for remembrance, justice and freedom" in central London and increased activism in recent months.

The members of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Sikh Federation (UK) who are born and educated in the UK will work with a number of other Sikhs falling into the same category that have volunteered or already work to develop and help younger Sikhs by taking forward specific projects. A promise was made that a series of workshops would be organised in the coming weeks in different regions to consider and decide on the specific projects to be taken forward by the younger generation in the next twelve months.

Due to an excellent response and significant demand the following provisional dates have been agreed for the regional workshops. The aim should be for Sikhs that are interested to try and attend one or more of the workshops.

• East Midlands - Saturday 9 October
• London & West Midlands - Sunday 17 October
• South East - Saturday 23 October
• West of England - Saturday 30 October
• North - Saturday 6 November

The exact venues and times for each workshop will be communicated as soon as possible via email, Sikh egroups, the web site www.sikhfederation.com and via newspapers such as Awaze Qaum.

The first workshop for the East Midlands to cover towns/cities like Derby, Leicester and Nottingham will take place on Saturday 9 October at 2.00pm at Guru Arjan Dev Gurdwara, Derby. The workshop will last for around two hours.

For further information contact:

Lakhwinder Singh - 07970 643946
Rajkiran Singh - 07821 558827
Kushkaran Singh - 07812 741797
Bhupinder Singh - 07967 8717384

Those that are interested in attending any or all of the workshops and being involved in activities associated with younger Sikhs are encouraged to join the "Young Sikhs" egroup by emailing youngsikhsuk-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

The projects agreed at the workshops will be determined with reference to the eight-point Sikh Agenda for the UK Government and the following four areas of work:

• promoting the Sikh religion, philosophy and way of life - working within the Sikh community and with local and national government;

• promoting sporting and educational activities as well as relevant cultural issues directly associated with the Sikh way of life;

• campaigning for human rights issues impacting on Sikhs in the UK and abroad - working with human rights groups, non-governmental organisations and politicians; and

• arguing the case for the Sikhs right to self-determination and lobbying politicians, the UK Government, official representatives of foreign governments in the UK, the European Parliament and at the United Nations for the establishment of an independent sovereign Sikh State of Khalistan.