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Jai Jinendra!
Welcome to all the new and returning attendees to the Young Jains of America 13th Biennial Convention. As the co-chairs of the first YJA convention in Chicago, we would like to take this opportunity to briefly share some of our insights and reflections with you.
First, let's take a short journey down memory lane. In 1991 (many of you were not even born!), some of us who were active in our local Jain youth groups met at Stanford University during that year's JAINA convention. We learned, we shared, and we enjoyed the gathering so much that we thought it would be great if we had a chance to reconnect regularly.
The idea was put on the back burner for the next couple of years, as we became busy with college and careers. After reuniting at the 1993 JAINA convention in Pittsburg, we decided to formally launch YJA, with the goal of putting together an inaugural convention in time for the following year. We envisioned this being an organization where Jain youth could come together to learn about their religion and culture in a social engaging environment.
In the summer of 1993, we met in Chicago where we put together an operating structure and a framework for YJA, along with an official YJA convention committee. In early 1994, we met again in Houston to continue the convention planning with full dedication. There were numerous phone calls and emails exchanged, late nights and weekends spent working, and tremendous coordination amongst many volunteers. And yes, this was all achieved in an era when long distance phone calls cost money and connecting to the internet or emailing was done using something called a modem! Believe it or not, registration was submitted on paper, not electronically.
We fretted, we struggled, we were challenged, but we also learned, bonded and above all, we had fun launching the very first YJA convention. Because of YJA, we have made lifelong friends and mentors, and we learned nuances about our religion and heritage that continues to inform our ways of life.
Of course, back in 1994, we had no idea that what we accomplished would continue to grow and thrive so many years later. It is a source of tremendous pride for us to see a new generation of young people now planning and attending this year's YJA convention in Chicago is where it all started!
As you think about the convention theme Reconnecting With Our Roots we hope you will take this opportunity to learn from and engage with other attendees. That you will create memories from these shared experiences. We hope you will challenge yourselves to truly reflect on the core principles of Jainism, such as non-violence, and to think in a new way about its many applications in today's world. We hope that you will make new friends and reconnect with old ones. And that you will lay your own roots down.
Welcome to the 13th Biennial YJA convention. Enjoy your time here and make the most of this incredible experience.
Aashish Vaidya and Seema Jain
Co-Chairs, YJA 1993-1994
12 2018 YJA CONVENTION | CHICAGO, IL
