Jain Digest 2007 11 2

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 17

history, members of the various factions are not only coming together to observe Jain liturgies, but they are also actively engaged in the pursuit for ecological sustainability and the championing for animal rights. As other groups continue to acknowledge the inter-connectedness of life, Jainism has gained tremendous support from the academic, scientific, and activist communities. It is truly a privilege to have been born in a culture that masterfully combines the spiritual pursuit with scientific inquiry.
JAINA CAMPUS
COMMITTEE
America's vast network of colleges and universities is one of the great advantages of raising children in this country. Unfortunately, one of the downsides to this educational system is that our children frequently re-locate far from home, thereby leaving behind their childhood friends and acquaintances. For a multitude of reasons, the majority of our kids who participated in Temple activities or Pathshala prior to enrolling in college simply do not pursue the same activities in their new college locations. Our college-aged children seem to be one of the forgotten groups of the Jain community. Put another way, continuing their association with our Jain culture and traditions is an issue that we simply cannot ignore.
OUTREACH
As parents, we have worked hard to instill our Jain heritage in our children. The time has come for continuing that tradition by encouraging our children to participate in local Jain organizations when they are far from home. Community organizations throughout this country support local college students from various backgrounds. It is time we organize our communities to support our Jain students.
Through the Campus Outreach initiative, JAINA proposes to build bridges between Jain Centers and Jain students on nearby college campuses. JAINA has formed a new Campus Outreach committee and has appointed JAINA Director-at-large Ashok Domadia (San Francisco) as Chairman of this committee.
Program charter is to develop and maintain our children's association to Jain community near their college campus. Local Jain center(s) will be a vital and necessary part of the Campus Outreach initiative. For example, 4 or 5 programs can be organized annually that can bring students to the Temple. In addition, local Jain center(s) can make visiting Jain scholars available to provide lectures to students on campus. Yoga sessions or stress reducing seminars on campuses from our scholars may prove to be
Jain Digest Winter 2007
very popular with entire student population. Frequently all that is required is inviting students to programs at the local Jain Center(s) and arranging transportation. Ultimately, our students will be networked nationally and strengthen YJA.
The success of this initiative counts on the participation of the local Jain community. A local coordinator would be designated. The Coordinator would work closely with local Jain Center(s) to provide assistance with transportation, organizing on-campus lectures in English, and coordinate other events geared towards the interests of the students. Since most colleges encourage diversity in student activities, Indian student organizations on campus would be an obvious starting point to locate Jain students. On-campus programs will be open to all students on the campus.
Campus Outreach initiative can be one of the major success stories for our students, parents, and Jain Centers. This initiative would provide essential continuity with the Jain religion for our children, as well as an opportunity to network with the local Jain community. They can also befriend other Jain students in their new college location. Most importantly, this program will ensure that Jainism will be continued to be a central part of their adult lives. A committee has been formed to kick-off this initiative. Members are Ashok Domadia (Chair), Sandip Shah( Detroit), Gunvant Shah (North Brunswick, NJ), Sunil Jain (Chicago), Harshad Varia (Raleigh, NC) and Mahaveer Jain (Philadelphia, PA).
Nine metropolitan areas have been identified to initiate this program as follows: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, South Jersey/Philadelphia/Delaware, North Jersey/New York, Chicago, Phoenix, North Carolina and Boston
We are in the process of developing a database of Jain college students in above campuses. If you are a parent or a student in a college in any of the above metropolitan areas, please provide your contact information to Ashok Domadia at 510-979-9312 or adomadia@cisco.com. We invite your comments and recommendations to make Campus Outreach initiative a success for our Jain students.
Announcement
International Jain Youth Festival 2007 with Acharya "Shreemad Vijay Hemratna Surishwarji Maharaja Dec. 27-31 2007 Place: Thane, Mumbai Email: mukundsheth@yahoo.com
Website: - http://www.manasmandiram.org
Us Contact: Dipak shah 407-620-2653
EDUCATION
www.jainelig