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YOUTH
GET INVOLVEDI
Atul Shah suggests ways in which young people can participate
centre must provide a modern atmosphere where young people can feel comfortable and welcomed. This does not mean it should have loud music or serve alcohol Jain values need not be compromised but simply adapted.
Only a few years ago during their summer holidays Jain youths in Texas decided to do a video on what Jainism means to them. Pavan Zaveri from Plano was one of the leaders at the time. Most elders discouraged the idea but they decided to go ahead anyway. They used their imagination to decide what to film, whom to interview and they spent a lot of time editing and making the video interesting. What they produced turned out to be spectacular and they got tremendous satisfaction out of it. The elders had to eat their words when they saw the result. The youths did not waste their summer and managed to retain some of the community spirit at the same time. They felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment.
Openness and strong desire to build the future are critical to success in any youth enterprise. It is also important that Jain leaders do not have big egos but big visions and a willingness to invest in the future. The Swaminarayan faith achieves excellent results in terms of youth involvement by following such a formula. At a recent event where Prince Charles was the chief guest, the master of ceremonies was a twenty-year old youth. This helped give a very dynamic image to the audience. No doubt the MC will remember this trust for a long time to come and gain tremendous confidence from it. He is unlikely to forget his community wherever he goes.
We can involve young people if there is a will and a democratic approach. In turn, young people should rise to the challenge of keeping their culture alive and building a vibrant community. Young Jains actively encourage involvement of young people all over the world. To find out more, visit www.youngjains.org.uk
Jain leaders often complain about the lack of youth participation and involvement, and young people complain about how boring the events are. As a result, they donít turn up and everyone loses out. Is there any solution to this predicament? I think so.
Youth events need to involve the youth in their organisation. Otherwise, they will not attract young people. I know it is not easy for elders to involve young people, as they would rather hang out with their own peers. What elders can do is to encourage young people to come up with ideas and suggestions, listen to them and implement them and give them feedback. This is the beginning to any involvement and like all start-ups, tremendous patience is required.
Young people thrive on challenge but we do not give them enough challenges. To encourage them to participate, we can give them tough tasks and incentives for accomplishment. We should enable them to do what they find interesting and not what we want them to do. At times, Jain leaders want young people to put the chairs and sweep the floor while they are on stage. This is no way to attract and retain young people. Elders should put them on stage, and set the chairs and clean the floor. Similarly, if a youth project requires funds, the elders should take on the fund-raising burden and allow the youths to concentrate on the event itself. This rarely happens.
Sacrifices are involved on both sides. Young people today are drawn in many directions, but one thing I have noticed is that they do like to belong to a community. They also like to meet other like-minded people. The Jains could provide a forum for young people to meet, discuss and organise. The Jain
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Get Involved - Text Message
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TEXT MESSAGE
Wots up?
I am going 2 a jain class. Jain - ru serious!
Y =
Yeah, its cool man. Wot exactly do u do there?
We learn about culture... Did u know that Respect and Peace r central 2 Jainism? No Kidding!
Yeah, man, and they said it thousands of years ago! I thought Jainism was all about temples and prayers and fasting.
O no, Jainism is 4most about lifeHow 2 live and njeg
A prescription 4 happiness?
Yes, lasting happiness, not temporary high. Cool man, so wot is this 4mula? Ahimsa-compassion 4 all life. Wot if som1 hits me?
If u have courage, u let them, and they will soon stop. Ru crazy!
Try it - it is a real test of ur own courage. Any] can fight, but only the strong practice Ahimsa! I am not sure I agree, but I would like 2 find out. Can u ask questions in ur class? All the time man, the teachers r very open. U mean u can criticise the religion? Yeah, lord Mahavir encouraged criticism Cool man, can I join u? Course u can, just come along!
To enral in the Jain school in London, please call Mrs. Jyoti Shah on 0208 3493817 or Bharat Doshi in Nairobi on 860660.
June-August 2001 Jain Spirit
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