________________
YJ International Young Jains of America
Submitted by Neepa Shah on behalf of YJA team
YJA Timeline
July 1991 - YJA is born!
oung Jains of America (YJA) is a committee of Federation of Jain Associations in North
America (AINA) who puts emphasis on projects relating to Jain youth from ages 14-29. Started in 1991, the mission of YJA is to "be recognised as a national and international umbrella Jain youth organisation for establishing a network to share Jain heritage and religion through young people."
July 1994 - First Convention organised in Chicago, IL
July 1995 - YJA unveils its website - www.yja.org.
July 1996 - Second Convention organised in San
Francisco, CA
The Young Jains of America Executive Board is comprised of 15 individuals from all around the continent. There are 6 Regional Coordinators, 7 Directors and 2 Co-Chair persons. The roles of each person vary according to their position, but in the end everyone comes together to form the core group of people that initiate activities and stimulate the youth of the country
July 1998 - Third Convention organised in Houston,
TX
July 2000 - Fourth Convention organised in Los
Angeles, CA.
April 2001 - Mahavir Jayanti 2600 Celebration Play: The Past Lives of Bhagwan Mahavir is played around
nations across North America
YJA organises many events and activities tailored to youth and young Jain professionals. These include ski trips, picnics, and regional conferences, just to name a few. Most important of these events includes a biannual youth convention, to which approximately 600-700 Jain youth from across the nation and even globe!) attend. YJA also promotes education in Jainism through developing materials for youth, in print and online at www.yja.org.
June 2002 - Annual Habitat for Humanity projects
organised.
July 2002 - Fifth Convention organised in Mahwah, NJ
December 2002 - YJA partners with Veerayatan to
send youth to needy places.
July 2004 - Sixth Convention in the Bay Area, CA
July 2006 - Seventh Convention hosted in Stamford,
CT
July 2008 - Eighth Convention hosted in Chicago, IL
Bottom left: American delegates at the Young Jains convention
held in 1994 in UK
Above: Kirpa Shah, Shilun Shah and Saggar Shah with friends from Young Jains America at the JAINA Convention, July 2007
Bottom right: A few familiar YJ UK faces at the /" Y convention
in America, 1994.
NG JAINS
Jain Education International
30 For Personal Private Use Only
www.ainelibrary.org
