Camp Vikas is an annual, week-long, overnight camp held at the Progressive Sikh Foundation Gurdwara and the surrounding Basra Farm. 2015 marked our first year! For this camp, student volunteers, both from Punjab and the United States, come and teach children Kirtan, Sikh History, Gurbani, Gurmat and practice Gatka (Sikh martial arts). The camp also provides a framework for the creation of a youth community that can rely on each other to maintain shared values.
2015
2015 was our first camp in Punjab and we are proud to say that it was an amazing success. We loved getting to meet so many new people and creating a community of Sikhs!
Campers learned Gurmat, Kirtan, and Gatka. During our afternoon activites, we engaged in discussions that are relevant to Sikhi/Punjabi life. Some topics discussed during 2015 were:
Punjabi Culture and the Idea of Superstitions
1984: A Crucial Dialogue
Drug Abuse and its Rise in the Aftermath of 1984
Gender Perceptions
2016
We had a blast with our second annual camp in 2016! There were more campers than last year which amounted to twice as more learning and fun!
As before, Camp Vikas taught Gurmat, Kirtan, and Gatka. We also added on classes for Sikh history and Gurbani Vichar. During afternoon activities, our 2016 topics included:
Social Responsibility to the Environment
My Career: Gender Perceptions in the Workforce
Sikh Rehat Maryada
State of the Union: Punjab's Drug Epidemic
2018
We loved seeing old and new faces in our third annual Camp!
We continued to learn Gurmat, Kirtan, Gatka, and Sikh History. Our theme for 2018 was Guru Nanak Ji which helped us understand the beginnings of Sikhism and give attention to our core principles. Apart from learning in class, our discussion and activity based topics included:
Individual Responsibility to understand and act on Gurbani
Equality in Punjab
Taking and Upholding Amrit (Rahat)