Dear *|FNAME|*,
Happy New Year, and happy Pongal and Makar Sankranti in advance to all who will be celebrating next week!
We're excited to be kicking off 2021 with a new Sadhana initiative: online progressive Hindu children's classes for children aged 6 to 12! Read on to learn more and sign up for our meet and greet this Saturday, January 9th.
Also, thank you to everyone who gave to our A Decade of Sadhana giving campaign over the holidays. With your help, we were able to raise over $2,500! We have quite a way to go to reach our goal of $51,000 by October, so please spread the word and make a gift to Sadhana today if you are able. Any amount helps!
Pranams,
Sadhana Board
|
|
Sadhana Kids Samudaya is a new, online, progressive Hindu religious education program for kids ages 6 to 12. We will be offering all the classes virtually via Zoom in order to welcome kids from all over.
There is no cost for participation. We are thankful for any voluntary donations from parents and community members to sponsor these classes. We can’t wait to have fun and learn about Hinduism together!
We begin with a Meet and Greet on January 9th at 12:30 PM EST (9:30 AM PST) and will continue biweekly, beginning with a celebration of Bhumi Devi. The classes will be for one hour.
|
|
|
FAQs:
Q: I worry about indoctrinating my kids. This is the reason why I have hesitated about sending them to other youth groups in the past. How will this be different?
A: Our goal is to provide resources regarding progressive values and Hinduism. This includes an openness to questioning beliefs and traditions, acceptance of differences of opinions and beliefs, and learning about other religious traditions. Also, we always appreciate interactive participation by parents. If you have specific concerns or questions, please let us know.
Q: My children do not speak an Indian language. We are concerned that the education will be inaccessible to them.
A: Our goal is to provide an education that is not centered on a specific language tradition, religious order, or sampradaya. We want to give children and youth the tools and the information to learn about the diversity of views and ideas that exist within Hinduism and offer them this knowledge in English.
Q: I have hesitated about sending my kids to youth groups in the past due to our family structure (LGBTQ+, single-parent, mixed-race, interfaith, etc.)
A: Sadhana as an organization welcomes people from all backgrounds. Families come in many shapes and sizes, all are welcome in this Samudaya.
Q: I worry that my child is too young to learn about anti-racism and other larger socio-political topics.
A: We believe there is value in sharing simple and basic concepts of social justice that can be a strong foundation on which they can build the values they will have as adults.
|
|
Since 2011, Sadhana has been building a progressive Hindu movement centered in social justice through community transformation, advocacy, and seva (selfless service).
We have been recognized by the White House for our environmental justice work; featured in outlets like the New York Times for helping to establish the nation’s first sanctuary temple; and are often still the only Hindu voices in progressive interfaith movements like the Poor People’s Campaign.
In 2020 alone, we have stepped up this work in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. We mobilized Hindu leaders and temples in New York City to increase participation in the 2020 Census. We are the only Hindu organization represented on NYC Mayor DeBlasio’s Faith Sector Covid-19 Task Force. We have joined coalitions to provide hot meals, free groceries, and more to community members in Queens, NYC. And we’ve been reaching broad audiences nationwide through our virtual Satsanghs, covering issues from mental health to anti-Blackness.
As we enter our tenth year, we hope to transition from being a fully volunteer-led organization to hiring our first Executive Director, who will help us take this work to the next level.
However, we can’t do this work without your help. With your support, we hope to raise $51,000 by our ten-year anniversary in October 2021.
We hope that 2021 will be a year of tremendous growth and energy for our progressive Hindu movement. If our mission, vision, and values are meaningful to you, please consider making a donation of any amount to Sadhana today.
|
|
|
You can also donate a portion of your online shopping purchases to Sadhana through Amazon Smile.
|
|
|
|
|
