| Singapore | xx Sept 2017 | Asia Samachar |
The inaugural Sikh Voices Conference, a one-day event next month to provoke some ‘deeper discussions’, have started to capture the imagination of some segments of the Singapore Sikh community.
“We have received many requests from members of the community asking for more details and expressing an interest to participate in this rare opportunity for deeper discussions,” Young Sikh Association, Singapore (YSA) executive committee (exco) Rasveen Kaur tells Asia Samachar.
“We have also received support financially from members of the community and well-wishers and we see this as a firm endorsement of their support.”
SEE ALSO: Young Sikhs to explore future of local Sikh community and Singapore
The Sikh Voices Conference, to be held on 11 Nov 2017, will invoke the provocative and exploratory ‘What If’ theme. Aimed at posing pertinent questions that the community needs to ask itself, the theme hopes to discuss strategies ranging from the existential to adaptability. It will feature panel discussions and activities aimed at catalysing thinking about the future of the local Sikh community and Singapore.
YSA also plans to use the conference to showcase its Young Leaders Programme (YLP). Participants of the programme, which is currently in its second run, are behind the Sikh Voices conference and are organising this as their graduating project from the programme.
“While last year’s participants of the YLP completed three group research projects, which are now in their actionable stages, we thought it would be useful for this year’s batch to gain valuable experience in putting together a conference of this magnitude and significance,” said Alisha Gill, the YSA exco in-charge of the YLP.
“This work will not only give them transferable skills, it will also help shape the future of the community. How many young people can lay claim to that?”
For YSA, the conference is a means to an end and not the final outcome itself.
“This is a really exciting initiative by YSA that we hope will not only enrich the quality of discussions surrounding the nation and the community’s future, but also lead to more tangible and actionable outcomes in the future. We have plans to ensure this conference does not remain a talk shop,” said YSA exco Perin Sidhu, who is also part of the YLP team.
These plans include a youth forum next year that will be built on the key takeaways extracted from this conference to develop implementable solutions.
The efforts put in by YSA in this regard seem to be appreciated by the community thus far with a strong show of interest.
To participate in this inaugural conference, you can sign up for a free ticket at sikhvoices2017.peatix.com. For more information, feel free to contact the organizing committee on Facebook at http://bit.ly/2ykkfhy
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