WSC-AR Participates in National Scout Jamboree

P.O. Box 3635, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
Phone: 888-340-1702
Fax: 888-398-1875
                                                    July 28, 2013
Contact: Kavneet Singh, Secretary General, WSC-AR, contact@worldsikhcouncil.org, 888-340-1702
The World Sikh Council – America Region (WSC-AR) participated in the National Scout Jamboree held by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia from July 15 – July 24, 2013. The National Jamboree is held every 4 years. This year over 40,000 Boy Scouts and 12,000 adult volunteers and organizers participated in the event.
WSC-AR participated in the event with a contingent of ten Sikh volunteers, eight adults, and two Sikh Boy Scouts.
WSC-AR had an exhibit at the Jamboree that consisted of a number of posters that highlighted the basic principles of the Sikh Faith (such as ‘ik-onkar’: One God, Khanda, the three main principles of the Sikh Faith, Sikh soldiers in World War I & II, and a Sikh Eagle Scout from New Jersey). A presentation explaining the salient aspects of Sikh principles was running continuously in a loop throughout the event. Three brochures were distributed to the participants. These included a WSC-AR brochure on ‘Sikhs and Their Religion’, one on ‘An Introduction to the Sikh People and Their Faith’, and another one on ‘Sikhs and Scouts’. In addition, a few videos were shown at the event. These included Sikhs in America, Gatka the Sikh martial art, and Gurpreet Singh a recent contestant on American Idol. The Scouts particularly expressed their appreciation of the video on the Gatka performance.
The Sikh exhibit at the National Jamboree attracted tremendous attention, with constant lines of participants waiting to visit and learn about Sikhs. The streams of attendees had lots of questions, and groups of Scouts gathered around Sikh volunteers listening attentively to the presenters. The Scouts waited patiently and enthusiastically in lines, for their turn to get a turban tied on their heads, which many wore with pride around the event grounds. Over a thousand turbans were tied and after wearing the turbans on their head through the day, most Scouts took their turbans with them.
The organizers of the BSA Jamboree expressed their appreciation for the detailed presentations provided at the Sikh exhibit. They complimented the WSC-AR participants for an awesome job, and also made a strong request for continuing and further strengthening the collaboration between WSC-AR and BSA by inviting us for Jamboree in 2017.
The Jamboree provided an outstanding way to bring awareness about the Sikh Faith to a large number of youth. WSC-AR is engaging in further collaboration with BSA, in particular instituting a ‘religious award’ on the Sikh Faith for the Boy Scouts. This will provide a significant opportunity for Scouts from various faiths to learn about Sikhs since there are over 2.6 million active Scouts across the country. In turn, it will help in enhancing inter-faith understanding and harmony among various segments of society in the country and beyond.

More photographs are available here.

The World Sikh Council – America Region (WSC-AR) is the umbrella organization representative of Sikhs in the United States. It is an elected body of Sikh Gurdwaras and institutions. Currently 51 Gurdwaras and other Sikh institutions across the nation are members of WSC-AR. The major governing purpose of the organization is to represent the collective view of Sikhs in the United States. WSC-AR works to promote Sikh interests at the national and international level focusing on issues of advocacy, education, and well-being of humankind.

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Member Gurdwaras of WSC-AR: 
1. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Opelika, AL 2. Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan Society, Stockton, CA 3. Gurdwara Sahib Fremont, Fremont, CA 4. Sikh Gurdwara Sahib, San Jose, CA 5. Guru Nanak Sikh Mission, Livingston, CA 6. Sikh Gurdwara of LA, North Hollywood, CA 7. Sikh Gurdwara Riverside, Riverside, CA 8. Gurdwara Guru Angad Darbar, Bakersfield, CA 9. Colorado Singh Sabha, Denver, CO 10. Connecticut Sikh Association, Southington, CT 11. Guru Tegh Bahadur Foundation, Norwalk, CT 12. Guru Singh Sabha of Augusta, Augusta, GA 13. Sikh Study Circle of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 14. Sikh Religious Society of Chicago, Palatine, IL 15. Sikh Society of South, New Orleans, LA 16. New England Sikh Study Circle, Boston, MA 17. Singh Sabha of Michigan, Canton, MI 18. Sikh Gurdwara of Michigan, Rochester Hills, MI 19. Sikh Society of Michigan, Madison Heights, MI 20. Downriver Gurdwara Sahib, Brownstown, MI 21. Guru Nanak Foundation of Jackson, MS 22. Sikh Gurdwara of North Carolina, Durham, NC 23. Sikh Sabha of Upper Valley, Hanover, NH 24. Garden State Sikh Association, Bridgewater, NJ 25. Guru Nanak Sikh Society of Delaware Valley, Sewell, NJ 26. Siri Guru Singh Sabha, Glenrock, NJ 27. Sikh Sabha of New Jersey, Lawrenceville, NJ 28. Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh, Las Vegas, NV 29. Sikh Cultural Society Inc., Richmond Hills, NY 30. Sikh Cultural & Edu. Society of Western NY, Buffalo, NY 31. Sikh Foundation of Syracuse, Liverpool, NY 32. Guru Nanak Found. of Greater Cleveland, Richfield, OH 33. Guru Gobind Singh Sikh Society, Bedford, OH 34. Guru Nanak Rel. Soc. of Central Ohio, Columbus, OH 35. Sikh Sadh Sangat, Easton, PA 36. Philadelphia Sikh Society, Millbourne, PA 37. Tristate Sikh Cultural Society, Monroeville, PA 38. Mid South Sikh Sabha, Memphis, TN 39. Sikh Center of Gulf Coast, Houston, TX 40. Siri Guru Singh Sabha, Richardson, TX 41. Sikh Gurdwara of North Texas, Garland, TX 42. Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Fairfax, VA 43. Sikh Association of Central Virginia, VA 44. Sikh Religious Society of Wisconsin, Brookfield, WI 
 
Other Sikh Institution Members of WSC-AR:
1. Siri Guru Granth Sahib Found., Anaheim, CA 2. Sikhs Serving America, Topeka, KS 3. Sikh Youth Federation of North America, White Plains, NY 4. Sikh Heritage Foundation, Long Island, NY 5. Sikh Educational & Religious Foundation, Dublin, OH 6. Sikh Youth Federation of USA, Toledo, OH 7. Academy of Guru Granth Studies, Arlington, TX

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