UNITED SIKHS Projects in North America:

UNITEDSIKHS-NA is actively recruiting volunteers to run the programs below in Washington DC, NJ, NYC, Connecticut, Michigan, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle.

SEEK

Sikhs Educating and Enriching Kids (SEEK) conducts a High School Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) preparation class that is taught by 2 volunteers who are accomplished Princeton Review instructors in subjects such as the SAT, MCAT and GMAT. Class attendance for this program is high. 20 high school youth, some travelling from as far away as Coney Island, attend regularly.

Advancement Through Information and Technology: (ATIT)

Computer programs especially tailored for minority communities are run for all nationalities. This computer project was started at the Makhan Shah Lubhana Gurdwara on Jan 26, 2002. The program is aimed at adults who have little or no prior computer knowledge.

The first batch of 8 students graduated from the program on Mar 30, 2002. In addition to the MS suite of programs (MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Excel, MS Outlook) the 10week course also taught the students how to use the internet and Resume development.

A computer lab was set up using 8 donated computers. The lab was set up by Harjit Singh. Even though this was the first time it was tried, we did not have as many glitches as we had expected.

The classes ran from 10am-12noon every Saturday and the tutors were volunteers who chose the topics they wanted to teach.

UNITED SIKHS bought 10 copies of a MS book and each tutor was given the book prior to his/her class. The books were also loaned to the students. All in all it was a wonderful experience and we hope to be starting the course again in May/June.2003

Sikh Martial Arts Classes (SMAC)

Martial arts are an important part of the Sikh philosophy of empowerment. Training in the martial arts builds self-confidence, discipline, peace-of-mind, personal growth and humility.

UNITED SIKHS has actively sponsored a mixed martial arts training program for its youth. Training in boxing, kick-boxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for both sexes has been provided every Saturday afternoon since 2002.

Health Fairs/Blood Drives

Queens, New York – A Health Fair was organized by the UNITED SIKHS at Gurdwara Makan Shah Lobhana, Sikh Center, 113-10 101 Ave, Richmond Hill, New York 11419 on June 20, 2004. A variety of health and safety information was made available to the public. In addition to this the Health Fair focused on Women’s Health where speakers were invited to give their views on Health and Nutrition, Early detection of Cancer, Domestic Violence and Alcohol Abuse as well as how to manage emergencies. A Blood Donation Drive was also arranged as part of the Fair on the special request of Long Island Blood Center to meet the blood shortage in the tri-state area.
For the last four years UNITED SIKHS has been bringing health care to immigrant communities by organizing health fairs. Health fairs have been held at two Gurdwaras for members of the community in Queens, New York City. The health fairs provide free preventative care screenings, which included tests for blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, dental health, vision health, hearing and breast cancer screening. About four hundred members of the community have been present at each of these health fairs.

UNITED SIKHS organized a blood drive on November 4th, 2001 in collaboration with the New York Blood Center. UNITED SIKHS members participated in orientation courses to serve as translators for the New York Blood Center during the health fair. UNITED SIKHS plans to organize more health fairs in the near future to serve the health care needs of our communities.

Leadership Workshops:- Sikhs Bridge Effective Leadership Across Cultures:

UNITED SIKHS has regularly participated in Building Faith Across Cultures, which are reading groups organized in local communities . These reading groups serve as conduits for a broader understanding among the diverse faiths represented in the larger American family.

UNITED SIKHS helped in setting up a workshop with the Unitarian church of Glenrock where a link was formed between different faiths.

Faith Across Cultural Standings (FACTS):

UNITED SIKHS helped to set up a reading group at Glenrock that has monthly discussion on various cross-cultural and religions findings. We have worked with the Jewish Community Relations Council and had regular meetings with the Tenafly Interfaith Association Service Remembrance meeting.

UNITED SIKHS co-ordinator Harkishen Singh has played a formidable role in running this program for the past 1.5 years. The objective is to use the FACTS program as a vehicle for creating social/political activists. This program also helps to expose a wide array of what’s out there in the world of communal politics, and to show them what it takes to deal with the outside world as a Sikh activist.

Community Relations Advisory Board (CRAB)

UNITED SIKHS helped to set up a reading group at Glenrock that has monthly discussion on various cross-cultural and religions findings. We have worked with the Jewish Community Relations Council and had regular meetings with the Tenafly Interfaith Association Service Remembrance meeting.

UNITED SIKHS co-ordinator Harkishen Singh has played a formidable role in running this program for the past 1.5 years. The objective is to use the FACTS program as a vehicle for creating social/political activists. This program also helps to expose a wide array of what’s out there in the world of communal politics, and to show them what it takes to deal with the outside world as a Sikh activist. UNITED SIKHS has represented the Sikh community by participating in the Community Advisory Board (CRAB) of Ridge Wood, New Jersey. We also organized a rally with CRAB that began with a march through town with various other New Jersey area communities.

We welcome an inclusive and sensitive approach to the challenges of a multicultural society. Our mission with CRAB is to develop educational and other programs that promote intercultural communication and understanding; to encourage the regular use of sensitivity training for police, school personnel, and other community employees; to support victims of bias related crimes, and to encourage the reporting of such incidents. Our vision is a society where all are able to build lives of dignity and self-respect.

Human Rights Abuses:

UNITED SIKHS conducted a rally against Human Rights Abuses and Violations in Gujarat.

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) Partnership with UNITED SIKHS :

We help to reach out to members of immigrant communities whose rights have been under attack since September 11th. We are seeking volunteers to help spread the word about the services that AALDEF is providing to people detained by the INS and to victims of anti-Asian violence and other forms of discrimination. In addition to other outreach activities, AALDEF staff, with your help, will be conducting weekly leafleting events in communities in and around New York City.

Among the activities for which we are seeking help are outreach, translations, and general office work.

Inquiries: Contact the UNITED SIKHS office nearest to you.