{"id":5548,"date":"2011-08-09T09:35:12","date_gmt":"2011-08-09T13:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/news\/?p=5548"},"modified":"2011-08-07T09:36:38","modified_gmt":"2011-08-07T13:36:38","slug":"sikh-outdoor-camp-in-californias-sequoias-caters-to-at-risk-punjabi-teens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2011\/08\/sikh-outdoor-camp-in-californias-sequoias-caters-to-at-risk-punjabi-teens","title":{"rendered":"Sikh outdoor camp in California’s sequoias caters to at-risk Punjabi teens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fifteen U.S. boys, ages 13-16, all wearing Sikh turbans, are spending 10 days at California’s Bhujangi Academy, a ten-day outdoor camp\u00a0for at-risk teens.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
New York Sikh youth at a public protest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 15 were chosen carefully from Sikh families living in the U.S. that are worried their young\u00a0teens are\u00a0 having problems with school or family, exhibiting low self-esteem or motivation, making poor peer or relationship choices, defying authority or responsibility, or experimenting with drugs or alcohol, say camp officials.<\/p>\n

The camp\u00a0is designed to\u00a0instill Sikh traditions and provide life skills, goals, and expectations. A major\u00a0goal is\u00a0connecting\u00a0Sikh boys — most whose families come from the Punjab area between India and Pakistan —\u00a0to their roots and heritage, according to organizers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a population no one connects with,\u201d said Deep Singh, one of the camp creators and a founder of Jakara Movement, a group that organizes projects and activities for the Sikh youth of California.<\/p>\n

Most “Khalsa schools”\u00a0that teach\u00a0Sikh youth in America about their heritage and faith\u00a0cater to children under 12, he said. Between 18 and 25,\u00a0young Sikhs\u00a0who have grown to be responsible adults become involved with Sikh student associations in universities, he said.<\/p>\n

But it is in those early teenage years that\u00a0\u201cthere is a critical gap that our community overlooks,\u201d said Singh, a former high school teacher.<\/p>\n

Sikh parents often get frustrated with the cultural barrier and generation gap between them and their children — who are being raised in U.S. culture, he said. The parents worry that they\u00a0don\u2019t have an effective means to convey Sikh culture and religion to the next generation.<\/p>\n

So, this week in the Sequoia Mountains of Kings Canyon National Park, about one hour from Fresno, 15 young teenage boys are being immersed in Sikh heritage. The\u00a0area is self-enclosed and has all the necessary facilities, said Singh.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoys respond well to physical settings,” said staff member Amandeep Kaur Dhillon. “The program is structured with things they like, such as hiking. You have to have something that rings them in, so they do not realize that they are in session eight hours a day.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhysical activities can be therapeutic,\u201d said Dhillon. \u201cThey include bond-building exercises where the physical activity is structured to work with other boys, to recognize other peoples feelings. You take some and get some.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf effective, we hope to keep continuous contact with these young people and create life-long relationships,\u201d Singh said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a pattern in the younger generation, in high school, of behavioral problems,\u201d said Dhillon. \u201cThey need basic intervention at an early state to develop coping skills so thoughts and feeling don\u2019t become counterproductive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some Punjabi boys can use anger management skills,\u00a0Dhillon added. \u201cParents complain that they don\u2019t talk to us, that they are snappy or disrespectful. But they are not aware that other factors are contributing to the outbursts of anger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Substance abuse also creates anger problems,\u00a0Dhillon added. And if they fall into that pattern, they can spiral down and hit bottom.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Some) parents are not teaching the value of working. Their kids get everything. They live lavish lifestyles and expect them to excel in school, but the kids do not see the connection. They are not all ungrateful but it\u2019s frustrating when parents expect something in return.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sikhism considers itself\u00a0the fifth-largest organized religion in the world — after Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Sikhism\u00a0teaches there is\u00a0one God \u2014 V\u0101higur\u016b \u2014 who is shapeless, timeless and sightless. Sikhism advocates the pursuit of salvation through disciplined, personal meditation on the name and message of V\u0101higur\u016b. Sikhs\u00a0study the teachings of ten Sikh gurus, or enlightened leaders, as well as the Sikh\u00a0holy scripture, the Gur\u016b Granth S\u0101hib Ji.<\/em><\/p>\n

The essence of Sikh teaching is said to be summed up by\u00a0the founding\u00a0Guru Nanak as: “Realization of truth is higher than all else. Higher still is truthful living.” Sikh principles do not attach any importance to vows of poverty, instead encouraging the accumulation of wealth.<\/p>\n

Sikh men are traditionally prohibited from cutting their hair or removing their turban in public\u00a0and\u00a0often carry traditional Sikh daggers passed down\u00a0over the generations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fifteen U.S. boys, ages 13-16, all wearing Sikh turbans, are spending 10 days at California’s Bhujangi Academy, a ten-day outdoor camp\u00a0for at-risk teens. 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