West Coast Sikh Youth Alliance (WCSYA) first started from a meeting in a Surrey basement in 1994.
A group of university students met to discuss the current situation of young Sikhs.They quickly found that there was no real organization or group that focused on youth educating youth on the Sikh religion.
There were many initiatives put forth by the Gurdwaras of the community, however, many young people found that they could not relate to the older generation’s teachings.
They pondered on what can be done to educate the youth about our wonderful Sikh religion and the means to go about doing it.
The university students’ main goal was to find ways to educate the youth about Sikhism in a fun and comfortable environment.
With weeks and months of meeting, the students finally decided that an annual weeklong camp would provide the best solution to their problem.
Hence forth, WCSYA has held week long summer camps for all youth ages 10-25.
Since 1994 WCSYA have grown from an idea to the largest Sikh Youth organization in British Columbia.
The West Coast Sikh Youth Alliance was established to provide a venue in which youth could teach youth.
So far, WCSYA has been successful in maintaining this vision with their annual summer camps.
Our Sikh community needs to focus on the youth because, within them, are the leaders of tomorrow.
They pondered on what can be done to educate the youth about our wonderful Sikh religion and the means to go about doing it.
The university students’ main goal was to find ways to educate the youth about Sikhism in a fun and comfortable environment.
With weeks and months of meeting, the students finally decided that an annual weeklong camp would provide the best solution to their problem.
Hence forth, WCSYA has held week long summer camps for all youth ages 10-25.
Since 1994 WCSYA have grown from an idea to the largest Sikh Youth organization in British Columbia.
The West Coast Sikh Youth Alliance was established to provide a venue in which youth could teach youth.
So far, WCSYA has been successful in maintaining this vision with their annual summer camps.
Our Sikh community needs to focus on the youth because, within them, are the leaders of tomorrow.Mission Statement:
As the youth of the Sikh community, we have experienced many of the trials and tribulations associated with growing up in Western society. Many times youth become targets of the media and are often shown bias images depicting on how one should look or how one should act. Quite often, these and other negative depictions of Sikh Youth lead one astray and create feelings of detachment from one’s community.
- We feel that it is our obligation to strengthen and develop the true identity and heritage of the Sikh Youth.
- When the youth are aware of who they are and where they come from, only then can they separate fact from fiction. Through the effective technique of youth teaching youth, the West Coast Sikh Youth Alliance devotes itself to creating a confident new generation of high-spirited Sikhs.
- The West Coast Sikh Youth Alliance is committed to working together with all communities to ensure that our future generations have access to Gurmukhi, Gurmat, and Gurbani lessons and everything else that the beautiful universal faith of Sikhi has to offer.
Purpose of Camp:
West Coast Sikh Youth Alliance (WCSYA) is a non-profit organization that holds annual events such as a weeklong camp for youth ages 10-25.
The camps are both educational and recreational as the youth are introduced to the Sikh religion, and take part in various activities such as water tubing, canoeing, horseback riding, etc.At this camp we provide hands-on-experience, promote active participation, and always encourage all our campers to ask questions.
WCSYA is based upon the philosophy of youth teaching youth as a means for better communication and understanding amongst our fellow peers.
WCSYA works to build bridges by educating young Sikh and non-Sikh students about each other, in creating more harmony in our larger community.The WCSYA openly invites all youth to attend its twelfth annual Sikh Youth Summer Camp from August 25, to September 1, 2006.
The participants will be split up into three age groups, 9-12 years old; 13-16 years old; and 17 to 25 year old in order to create a comfortable and noncompetitive learning atmosphere.
We will provide a positive and beneficial environment in which Sikh Youth will be able to implement the fundamentals of Sikhi into their daily lives. Our primary goal is to inspire youth Sikh minds and to enlighten them to the beauty of our faith. We use a western approach to expose participants to the Sikh way of life by means of interactive discussions, workshops, and religious darbars.Looking into the future, we are in the process of fundraising to buy our own campsite. The West Coast Sikh Youth Alliance has spent over $50,000 on campsite rentals over the past seven years. This money could have been used for our own campsite but, because of the lack of overall funding, this was not possible. The Sikh community needs its own campsite where annual youth camps and other events can take place and where Sikh Maryada can be taught. As a community, we need to rally together to raise the funds required to build our children's future. To date, we have been successful in raising $25,000 but we need at least $70,000 for a down payment. Please help us reach this goal by offering your help.