More than 200 dedicated yuvaks and yuvatis
from across North America gathered at the BAPS Shri Swaminaryan
Mandir in Houston, TX from March 19-22, 2009. Inspired by Pramukh
Swami Maharaj, the National Yuvak-Yuvati Karyakar Conference,
or KarCon, centered on the theme ‘NAVYUVANO: The Future
is Now.’ Primarily, the message conveyed that as we progress
to the future, the leadership practices of today will shape
that outcome. So that the karyakars could best discover the
importance of the theme, sadhus from across North America came
to offer their guidance and expertise at the convention.
This seminar included informative workshops on networking, public
speaking, and management skills. “Seminars such as this
give everyone the necessary tools and skills they need. It allows
participants to network with each other and learn best practices,”
said Dolly Swaroop, from Washington, DC.
Centered on shaping the future, this seminar
focused on developing soft skills and decision-making tactics
that allow for practical solutions which can be readily applied.
KarCon fostered the idea of an interdependent, communication-driven,
and supportive team environment. Through various workshops,
interactive discussions and invigorating lectures by senior
karyakars and saints, the attendees better understood that the
decisions that are made today have a broad ranging impact.
The theme resonated over the two and half
day conference, and was the message everyone was eager to bring
home and share with others. “The theme not only kept everybody
focused on what they hoped to achieve from the seminar, but
also energized and motivated everybody,” explained, Amal
Patel from Houston, TX.
“It was great learning from my peers
from around the nation. I learned many things that I can take
back and readily implement,” mentioned, Hina Darji, Tampa,
FL. “Everybody put forth a lot of effort in organizing
this seminar. It was a joy to attend,” added, Darji.
Hundreds of volunteers spent the last few
months planning this seminar paying attention to every minute
detail from presentations to even the meals served. “Having
planning committee members from throughout North America provided
unique challenges to planning this seminar, but with the endless
dedication of all involved, we were able to succeed in accomplishing
our goals for this KarCon,” said Ushma Lakhani, from
Chicago, IL.
Hosted at the mandir in Houston, Texas, the event enabled attendees
to also have the opportunity to simultaneously participate in
the daily mandir rituals of arti, thaal, and abhishek. “Having
the event in a beautiful peaceful place such as this mandir
added an incomparable element!” explained Rachna Patel
from Dallas.
Overall, the success of the event and the
resounding impact of the theme was driven home as Pramukh Swami
Maharaj gave ashirwad in the concluding session to the karyakars.
Attendees and organizers alike praised the manner in which information,
awareness and fun were integrated in just three short days.
It is obvious to all those that attended that the vision for
a bright future can be a reality.
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