September 25, 2018

Dear fellow Convener Khalsa jee,

Waheguru Ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji ki Fateh!

I am sending you the 2019 Symposia Announcement letter, Latest General Guidelines for Judges & Conveners, Judging Presentation and the Registration form for the forthcoming Symposium. Please send me your request for the books before November 25, 2018, so that we can ship your order of books right away. Sikh Youth Symposium Conveners, in their recent meetings have approved some changes in the rules. I have listed below some of the important and significant rules for the benefit of our Local and Regional Conveners:

1. Local Conveners are requested to make sure that the youth of any group, who obtained first position at the International Symposium do not register himself/herself in the same group this year. They may register themselves in the next higher group. Only exception is the 5th group winner, who will skip one year before participating again.

2. 5th group participants are required to deliver their speeches at the local level even if there is only one participant. If there are two youth participating, they will compete and the first position holder will go to the regional level.

3. The Symposium books for only 1st Group is available in English as well as in Punjabi. Group 2, 3 and 4 are available in English only. Participants are entitled to get only one version of the book – Punjabi or English. No particular book is specified for Group 5 this year.

4. We have limited number of books for all the groups. I would request you to please order the books only after guessing the number of youth participating (in each group) as close to the actual number as possible.

5. You are advised to go through each and every line of the attached documents especially the General Guidelines and 2019 Symposium announcement.

6. An important Reminder to the Judges’ coordinator, Judges and the Convener: If any of you are related to a participant of any group, you should excuse yourself from totaling the scores of that group.

7. I would also like to remind you to go through a number of significant changes that were made in 2014 and are still effective. I have jotted down these changes under item #s 7, 8 & 9 below for your benefit and convenience:

Time of the speech for all groups will start as soon as the participant starts his/her speech. This means that the initial greeting of ‘Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh’, as well as the material presented before this greeting, will also count towards the time taken by the participant.

8. Following rules apply to those, who are advancing to the Regional level from Local level:

1. First prize Local winners from all the five age group participants will go to regional
2. Second prize winners from first four groups will go to regional if 6 to 12 have participated at the local level
3. Second prize winners from fifth group will go to regional if 4 to 6 have participated at the local level
4. Third prize winners from first four groups will go to regional if 13 or more have participated at the local level
5. Third prize winners from fifth group will go to regional if 7 or more have participated at the local level

9. Following rules will apply to those, who are advancing to the International level from Regional level:

1. First prize Regional winners will go to the International Sikh Youth Symposium from all the five age group if 1 to 8 youths from groups I to IV and 1 to 3 from group V have participated at the regional level
2. Second prize winner will also go to International Sikh Youth Symposium if 9 or more from groups I to IV and 4 or more from group V have participated at the regional level.

10. Please go through all the attached documents and let me know if I have committed any error in reproducing them before distributing a copy of this cover letter as well as all the attached documents to the participants, parents, volunteers and judges.

If you need any further information, please feel free to call or email me. Thank you.

With best wishes for the Charhdi Kala of Khalsa Panth

In the Service of Guru-Panth,

Kuldeep Singh

Download ਸਾਕਾ-ਚਮਕੌਰ (Punjabi) here.

Download ਸਾਕਾ-ਚਮਕੌਰ (English) here.

Download Sikh Sakhis for the Youth (English): here.

Download The Message of Gurbani (English) here.

Download The Turban (English) here.

To join or start a new region email us at: info@sikhyouthalliance.org