Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

Author(s): Parliament of the World’s Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

Page 234

PROGRAM D
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Sikh Youth Perspectives
Jagjit Singh, Moderator Jessi (Jasjit) Kaur
Kulmeet Singh
Gurpal Singh
Room 210
Panel Discussion
Every faith sustains itself by nurturing its next generation with care and dedication. This session, which includes several young Sikhs along with Sikh youth camp organisers, addresses the needs of Sikh young adults. It will speak to their specific issues in the context of a modern, globalised world. It will also address the future of Sikh youth. This session will present and highlight intergenerational perspectives relating to Sikh youth development.
Jagjit Singh is an auditor who is member of the Sikh community of Melbourne and practices the Sikh way of life. He actively participates in community activities and practices Seva [volunteering selfless service'] in various aspects of life, including participation in activities of Langar (preparing, serving, washing dishes, etc). One of his interests includes meeting people of varied backgrounds to share the values of Sikhism and to encourage harmony between the different cultures of Australia. Jessi Kaur is a frequent speaker at interfaith conferences and has travelled extensively sharing spiritual values taught by the Sikh Gurus. Co-founder of the International Institute of Gurmat Studies and author of 'Dear Takuya, a children's book that promotes acceptance of diversity among young children, Jessi is also Fine Arts Commissioner for Cupertino, CA, USA. She believes that harmony is possible in a diverse world when barriers of ignorance are brought down.
Kulmeet Singh is the Executive Director of the group FATEH, a Sikh youth service organisation that offers Sikh young adults the opportunity to work in Punjab, India for the betterment of the Sikh community.
Gurpal Singh is a software engineer by profession. Religion, faith and belief have stimulated his thinking since childhood. Living in a multicuttural world prompts him to reflect on diversity and to ponder his values. He is a firm believer of 'Unity in Diversity and values the uniqueness of each culture. The Parliament of the World's Religions will surely be a platform for new horizons to share, care and learn from different sections of society.
Our Interreligious Future
Rev Dirk Ficca
Charles Gibbs
Yoland Trevino
Dr William Vendley
Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid
Room 211
Panel Discussion
The interreligious movement is barely a century old, yet it is clear that it will play an increasingly important role in the years ahead. Where is it all going? Will the religions play a larger role in the issues challenging the human community? Is there a potential for greater common action among the world's religious and spiritual communities? What are the next steps in the journey, what is motivating the movement and what are the obstacles to realising its visions? These and other topics will be addressed by directors of leading interreligious organisations, their colleagues and the audience.
230 PWR Parliament of the World's Religions
9:30-11:00am INTRARELIGIOUS SESSION
Rev Dirk Ficca serves as Executive Director of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions. Dirk worked closely with the religious and spiritual communities of the Chicago metropolitan area to plan and organise the 1993 Parliament in that city. After the 1993 event, Dirk continued to lead the Council's efforts to build a vibrant interreligious movement in Chicago and around the world. Dirk is also an ordained Presbyterian minister.
The Rev Canon Charles Gibbs serves as Executive Director of the United Religions Initiative, a global interfaith network for peace active in 72 countries.
Yoland Trevino is a globally respected Indigenous leader of Mayan ancestry and the Global Council Chair of the United Religions Initiative.
Dr William F Vendley has served as Secretary General of Religions for Peace since 1994 and has mobilised and equipped religious communities in war-torn regions worldwide. He was a participant in His Majesty King. Abdullah's historic interreligious meeting in Madrid, Spain in 2008 and has been requested by the Muslim World League to serve on its Follow up Committee. Dr Vendley is also an advisor to US President Barack Obama.
Abdul Malik Mujahid is the founder of Sound Vision Foundation and executive producer of the daily Radio Islam show. He served two terms as the Chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago and is currently Vice Chair of the Council for a Parliament of World Religions. As national coordinator of Bosnia Task Force, USA, he successfully led efforts in collaboration with the National Organization of Women [NOW] to declare rape a war crime.
What Religious Insights Can Bring
to Secular Education
Venerable Jian Tan Bernard Korbman Annette Subhani
Dr Philip Riley
Sri Paramahamsa Prajnanananda Room 212
Panel Discussion
Religion has always inspired and influenced human thought in significant ways. We believe that some ideas and practices from religion can be used to help us understand current deficiencies in secular education and make us rethink what is truly important in school education: teaching us how to be human beings. In this program, speakers from Chung Tai Chan Monastery, the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Melbourne, the grassroots character development program Sharing Circles, and Santa Clara University discuss 'What Religious Insights Can Bring to Secular Education'.
Venerable Jian Tan is the Vice Abbot of Chung Tai Chan Monastery [founded by the Grand Master Wei Chueh, a Zen Buddhist spiritual leader in Taiwan). He earned a PhD in Electrical Engineering from National Taiwan University and a Master's degree in English Education in the US in 2009. He has served as the Vice Abbot of Chung Tai Zen Center of Sunnyvale and has given teachings in San Francisco and Las Vegas. Bernard Korbman is the Executive Director of the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Melbourne. He lectures extensively in Holocaust education, both nationally and internationally, as well as in issues dealing with human rights and effective teaching methods. Before working at the Jewish Holocaust Centre, Bernard was employed in the Government State School system for a 25 year period.
Annette Subhani is the Secretary of the Baha'i Council for Victoria. She is a parent, has a Diploma in Primary Education, holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education, and has participated in numerous professional development programs for various industries. She founded