June 29 – July 12, 2008
Edison, NJ

The Bal National Summer Training Camp 2008 was held at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Edison, NJ from June 29 to July 12, 2008. With the theme, Ădarsh: Now and Forever, the camp aimed to guide the 66 participating balaks in music, multimedia, writing and public speaking. The camp also focused to enhance their satsang knowledge.

Starting with Yogasan and Samuj Puja in the morning the balaks had a day filled with lots of activities which included participating in classroom sessions and various workshops. Each day of the camp had a different theme, such as Dharma Din, Seva Din, Samarpan Din. The satsang knowledge classroom sessions were related to these themes. Each balak also received training in playing classical Indian instruments, either tabla or harmonium in the talent development workshops.

During the last 5 days of the camp, the balaks were taken to a campsite in New York where they could participate in a variety of games and activities like swimming, boating and hiking to help them get better acquainted with one another. A team of 13 sadhus and volunteers made sure that the participants enjoyed the camp and made the most their vacation.