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Vaaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Vaaheguru JI Ki Fateh!

SYANA Gurmat campers had such a blast these past two days! We did a lot of fun and exciting activities and workshops with the campers. On Tuesday, the A and B group campers had the option of participating in the high ropes course and the zip line. The C, D, and E groups had the option of doing reptiles and hikes. Today, the campers participated in water activities! The A groupers went canoeing, the B groupers went tubing, and the C and D groupers participated in inflatable water activities!

Furthermore, our annual Tuesday Keertan Durbar was a HUGE success! We had over 55 campers ready to do their Shabad by the second day of camp!! This was such a huge accomplishment for both the campers and Keertan teachers!

 Lastly, during divans the campers listened to divan talks done by our youth teachers. The first divan talk was on divan protocol where the campers learned about how to behave in a Guru’s Darbar and the purpose of divans. The second divan talk was about Karah Parshaad (Degh). In this divan talk, the campers learned the significance of Degh and the process of making it. The third divan talk was on Ardaas. During this talk, the campers learned what the word “Ardaas” meant and went through the history of Ardaas and all the Shaheeds!

 These past few days have been filled with learning, inspiration, and SO much energy!

 Vaaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Vaaheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

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ਤਿਸੁ ਗੁਰਸਿਖ ਕੰਉ ਹੰਉ ਸਦਾ ਨਮਸਕਾਰੀ ਜੋ ਗੁਰ ਕੈ ਭਾਣੈ ਗੁਰਸਿਖੁ ਚਲਿਆ ॥੧੮॥

Parents – please make sure to share with your children

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

Hopefully your packing is underway as you get ready for #SYANA2016. As you are packing your things – a few reminders:

1. Please make sure to bring your own vaaja. If you want to capitalize on your time with your keertan teacher, it is important you have your own vaaja for class.

2. Don’t forget your water bottles – it is important to keep drinking water all day to avoid heat exhaustion and using a reusable bottle helps save the world one plastic cup at a time 🙂

3. All campers must keep their heads covered. Please make sure to bring enough dastaars, ramaals or chunnis for this.

4. It is expected that every camper will stay the entire duration of camp through July 9th. We will not entertain requests to leave early from the campsite

5.  We do have water activities available at the campsite. Please make sure to bring appropriate swim attire if you plan on participating. We do ask that all Singhs and Kaurs wear shorts and shirts with their swim gear

6. We received input from all of you regarding allergies on your registration forms. If you have any further allergies/dietary restrictions you forgot to mention to us, please send us an email at info@sikhyouthalliance.org

7. Registration begins Sunday, July 3rd at 2:00 pm and Divaan begins at 5:00 pm – please try to arrive on time to give yourself ample time to set up before divaan starts.

We are looking forward to seeing you all soon. Please contact us if you have any questions!

Chardhi Kala!

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Because of campsite rules, parents and visitors will not be allowed on the campsite at any time, other than pickup and drop off times. There are no exceptions, so please be mindful of these restrictions. We appreciate your understanding in this matter.

Not sure how to put them to good use? Don’t fear – SYANA camp is here! Donate your old Dastaars to the camp and receive a momentary feeling of Anand as you help the next generation of Kaurs and Singhs experience the identity and uniform of the Guru.

Please bring washed old Dastaars to the camp so they can be used for our Sunday event: “Its a Pugh’s life!”

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ਤਿਸੁ ਗੁਰਸਿਖ ਕੰਉ ਹੰਉ ਸਦਾ ਨਮਸਕਾਰੀ ਜੋ ਗੁਰ ਕੈ ਭਾਣੈ ਗੁਰਸਿਖੁ ਚਲਿਆ ॥੧੮॥

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

To all #syana2016 campers!

Camp is a little over a week away and we are looking forward to all the upcoming activities, Sangat and energy. Just a few reminders:

1. We will have SPIRIT WEEK this year again at SYANA camp! Look here for the theme of each day’s events – participation is optional but if interested, please come prepared.

2. Please make sure to bring your own vaaja: In order to gain the most from your Keertan classes, it’s important you have your own vaaja or portable keyboard.  We cannot stress this enough.

3. If you are flying by air and haven’t notified of us of your travel plans, please fill out our Google Form by Saturday, June 25, 2016.

4. Please bring a reusable water/sport bottle and make sure to label it with your name – it can become hot around the campsite and it is important that all campers drink plenty of water throughout the day.

5. The theme shabad this year is ਤਿਸੁ ਗੁਰਸਿਖ ਕੰਉ ਹੰਉ ਸਦਾ ਨਮਸਕਾਰੀ ਜੋ ਗੁਰ ਕੈ ਭਾਣੈ ਗੁਰਸਿਖੁ ਚਲਿਆ ॥੧੮॥ – click the links to get the NOTATIONS and TUNE.

6. We are planning on singing “The Song of the Khalsa” at this year’s campfire. If you want to learn the words and tune – listen to the following YouTube video.

7. Camp registration starts at 2:00 pm on Sunday, July 3rd. We will not be able to accommodate registration prior to this time, so please plan on arriving after this time. The campsite address is YMCA Camp Copneconic at 10407 North Fenton Road, Fenton Twp, MI 48430, MI. Please try to arrive on time as Sunday’s program will start promptly at 5 pm.

8. We offer a variety of water activities at camp. If you are interested in going in the water, please make sure to bring appropriate attire. We do ask that both Singhs and Kaurs wear t-shirts and shorts with their swim gear.

9. A list of items to bring to camp is on our FAQ on our website.  Please take a look at this to make sure you are prepared for the week.

10. Counselors have reached out to their campers – if you haven’t responded to them, please try and do so.

11. We have some important information for parents regarding registration at the campsite and the final day program please check it out here.

Again, we are excited to see you all soon! Please let us know if you have any questions, and you can always visit the blog for further details.

Chardhi Kala!

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

DO YOU HAVE OLD DASTAARS LAYING AROUND THE HOUSE?

Not sure how to put them to good use? Don’t fear – SYANA camp is here! Donate your old Dastaars to the camp and receive a momentary feeling of Anand as you help the next generation of Kaurs and Singhs experience the identity and uniform of the Guru.

Please bring washed old Dastaars to the camp so they can be used for our Sunday event: “Its a Pugh’s life!”

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Vaaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Vaaheguru Ji Ki Fateh

With camp just a few weeks away, we wanted to give you a few reminders!

1. Please make sure to bring your own vaaja: In order to gain the most from your Keertan classes, it’s important you have your own vaaja or portable keyboard. We cannot stress this enough.

2. Please bring a reusable water/sport bottle and make sure to label it with your name – it can become hot around the campsite and important that all campers drink plenty of water throughout the day.

3. A list of items to bring to camp is on our FAQ on our website. Please take a look at this to make sure you are prepared for the week.

4. Counselors will be reaching out soon to campers – please be on the lookout for this correspondence!

5. We have some important information for parents regarding registration at the campsite and the final day program please check it out here.

Again, we are excited to see you all soon! Please let us know if you have any questions, and you can always visit the website for further details.

Vaaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Vaaheguru Ji Ki Fateh

#syana2016 #gurmatcamp

TRAVEL INFORMATION

For those of you traveling to camp by air and require a pickup or dropoff, please let us know here.

If you are driving and are able to bring some campers in your car OR are in need of a ride, please click here.

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Vaaheguru Ji  Ka Khalsa Vaaheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

We want to sincerely thank all of you for attending this year’s Gurmat Retreat. As everyone is settling back into their daily routine of life, we hope the recharge, the motivation, the reflection and most importantly, the power of Guru and Sangat from last weekend are deep seated within you. The atmosphere and environment of Retreat provides a sampling of the power of Sangat and we genuinely hope thirst for knowledge and Baani continues beyond this weekend.

We hope by spending the weekend focusing on our theme “The Panth Awakens” you were inspired to start taking those individual steps in moving the Panth forward. We were astounded by the efforts and talents that were shared this weekend as we worked through our first Sikhia Projects. Please don’t let the enthusiasm stop there! We will be in touch as the projects are moved to an online platform, and hope to identify a core group that will help us finish out these projects. If you were inspired to start another project after this weekend and are looking for team members to help you, please feel free to reach out to any of the organizers. We are excited to see what we can accomplish together!

Pictures are posted on our Facebook page.  If you have pictures from this year’s retreat, please share them with us.  Once videos of the workshops and Keertan files are uploaded we will send out the links.

Again, thank you so much for your active participation. The SYANA family continues to grow each year, and we hope to continue our mutual commitment towards progress as the years go by!

Charhdi Kala,

SYANA Sevadaars

Vaaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Vaaheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

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Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

To all SYANA 2016 campers:

Camp is just over a month away and we are looking forward to a fun-filled week with sangat, learning, and keertan! As you know, SYANA Gurmat camp moved to a new campsite last year and are excited to join with our partners at YMCA Camp Copneconic for our 2nd year to provide you with a positive, meaningful experience. We are looking forward to meeting old friends but also encouraging new friendships. We have many new campers this year, and are excited to welcome them to the SYANA family. We have a number of special activities planned for the week and are excited about the time we will all be spending together soon.

This year’s camp will focus on the history and lives of the brave Sikhs that came before us and the struggles they faced in order for the Khalsa Raj to prosper. In Gurmat classes, campers will learn about the importance and purpose of the Sikh Rehit Maryada and the significance of Guru Panth. Through Keertan classes, campers get an opportunity to learn new shabads. Gatka classes will provide exposure to Sikh martial spirit and through a daily parbhat pheri and divaan, campers will learn to experience Sikhi through Sangat. The hope is that with this glimpse of the Sikh way of life, the light that exists within each child will be kindled to continue this journey throughout the year.

Below are a few important details related to the camp this year, so please read in its entirety and parents, please make sure to read the link cited below with specific information for you.

1. All campers should arrive between 2:30 pm and 4:30 pm on Sunday, July 3rd.

2. If you are travelling by air, bus or train, please notify us with your travel plans, no later than June 19th at info@sikhyouthalliance.org so that we can make arrangements for your transportation to/from the campsite. The closest airport is Flint, MI but we can also pick up from Detroit, MI

3. Don’t forget your Vaajaas! In order to gain the most from your keertan classes, it’s important you have your own vaaja or portable keyboard.

4. Make sure to have enough Dastaars, Chunnies/bandanas for the week. It is a camp requirement that your head be covered throughout the day.

5. This year, we will be offering a variety of water activities. If you are interested in going in the water, please make sure to bring appropriate attire. We do ask that both Singhs and Kaurs wear t-shirts and shorts with their swim gear.

6. A list of items to bring to camp is on our website. Please take a look at this to make sure you are prepared for the week.

7. Please bring a reusable water/sport bottle – it can become hot around the campsite and it’s important that all campers drink plenty of water throughout the day. Make sure your bottle is labeled with your name and state.

8. Counselors will be reaching out to you soon as we prepare for camp – please be on the lookout for their emails.

Again, we are excited to see you all soon! Please let us know if you have any questions!

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

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