YJA Convention 2014 07 Washington DC

Author(s): Young Jains of America (YJA)
Publisher: Young Jains of America YJA USA

Page 19

ABOUT YJA "Leading into the 21st century, the future of Jainism wil lie in the hands of the youth. It will be the youth's mission to preserve Jainism's rich
heritage and insure its growth for future generations. Young Jains of America will aspire to impart the Jain heritage to the next
generation." -The First YJA Convention: Chicago, IL 1994
Young Jains of America ("YJA”) is an entity of Federation of the Jain Associations in North America (“JAINA"), a non-profit religious organization. YJA puts emphasis on projects relating to Jain youth from ages 14-29. YJA was first established in 1991, and held its first youth convention in 1994.
Throughout the years, YJA's membership has grown substantially. Today, YJA serves over 10,000 members. Our mission is to be recognized nationally and internationally as an umbrella Jain youth organization for establishing a network for and among youth to share Jain heritage and religion.
Our objectives are:
• To raise awareness about Jain ideals and principles in North America and the world; • To create a forum for sharing Jain religion; • To instill a sense of pride among youth about Jain heritage; • To address the problems, difficulties, and concerns facing Jain youth; • To assist and to promote charitable community activities; • To prepare youth, who ascribe to Jain values, to become successful leaders of tomorrow; • To develop friendships among the youth, who ascribe to Jain values; and • To foster and strengthen local Jain youth groups.
YJA hosts a number of events throughout the year: the annual National Dinner, movie or bowling nights, community service activities (such as serving vegetarian meals at homeless shelters and helping package food items at food banks), and our annual regional retreats. Members of YJA also take part in activities at their local Jain centers, such as serving meals for Paryushan and helping host Mahavir Jayanti celebrations.
Each event, whether a group dinner, volunteer or social activity, aims to bring Jain youth together to collaborate on their views on Jainism but also meet similar minded individuals in their state/region. Youth are encouraged to communicate regularly with their Regional Coordinators and Local Representatives to suggest or help plan events they wish to see in their state/region.
YJA conventions are organized and hosted every two years for over 600 Jain youths, aged 14-29, from across the globe. Each convention is organized by a team of 30-35 individuals - students and young professionals - from across the United States. The goal of each convention is to inspire Jain youth to understand life experiences through the lens of Jainism.
We invite you to attend any one of our local or national events. For more information, or to sign-up for our e-mail marketing list, please visit www.yja.org or e-mail info@yja.org.
YOUNG JAINS: TODAY'S LEARNERS, TOMORROW'S LEADERS