Camp Sikh Virsa May 2013 Theme: Asa Ki Vaar Camp in Review CSV May 2013 Asa Ki Vaar Class 1 – Duality Day 1 We started class by defining some key words from Asa Ki Vaar that would be the foundation of our class. The first word we discussed was Dubidhaa meaning duality (Buzzword – Divided). In order to teach this word and demonstrate the concept of being in Dubidhaa or in a state of duality we played a played the clip from the movie Krunk’s mission. The next vocabulary word was Bhagthi meaning behaving in a way to show God’s qualities (Buzzword – Lovotion [love + devotion]). To explain this word we showed a slideshow with examples of different people who were devoted to other people and other things which campers could relate to such as Aladdin and his carpet, Simba and Mufasa, etc. Dubidhaa Board – we referred to the Dubidhaa board after each sakhi or concept in order to outline the two forces in opposition. Janeu Sakhi We had the campers who knew the Sakhi retell it to the class. Using what was said we added to our board, the opposition of wearing the Janeu and not bettering yourself versus wearing the Janeu and also continuing to show Waheguru’s qualities through your actions. Superhero Dress Up Up and Away We asked the campers about any famous superheroes they knew and how they knew they were a superhero and many of the students said, “we recognize superheroes because because they wear a costume.” So we had a volunteer come up and wear a superhero costume. The students discussed what powers they should have based on the costume pieces he/she wore. Students learned that looking a certain way on the outside doesn’t automatically make you that way on the inside. Next, we discussed rituals. We explained that rituals are actions we do without proper purpose and without an aim to learn the purpose behind them. For example, we may Matha Tek when we are younger without understanding but as we get older we must strive to understand meaning. Another example we discussed was Namaaz. When guru Nanak saw people participating in Namaaz, he explained that your actions have no worth if your thoughts did not match. We all have to strive to align our actions and thoughts. Day 2 Day two our focus was to provide campers with more examples of Dubidhaa and introduce new words from Asa Ki Vaar. Chitay Andar – Waheguru remains in our thoughts (Buzzword – Heartmindfully) Paukhand – Someone who says/thinks one way but acts in another (Buzzword – Hypocrite) To explain Paukhand we told the Sakhi of Sajjan Thug. This Sakhi helped to define Hypocrite. Pg. 1 Camp Sikh Virsa May 2013 Theme: Asa Ki Vaar The Good, The Bad and The Actions/Thoughts Skits: We broke the campers into four groups with each group getting a different topic to act out. The topics were Good Action -­‐ Good Thought, Good Action -­‐ Bad Thought, Bad Action -­‐ Good Thought and Bad Action -­‐ Bad Thought. After the campers presented their skits we discussed Dubidhaa again and how our actions and thoughts should be aligned and that we should strive for Good Actions and Good Thoughts. Thank Waheguru Cards The last part of class we reflected on all the things and people we have in our lives due to Waheguru’s Will. We wrapped up class by writing thank you cards to Waheguru. Class 2 – Maya, Falsehood, and Kirpa Day 1 During day one of our class our goal was to teach the campers that materialistic things are temporary and cannot provide you with long-­‐lasting happiness. We started day one with a prize activity in which we asked the campers to pick different prices from a box and tell us what they would do with it. We also allowed campers to trade with each other to get the “best” prize. This activity showed the campers about how maya can cloud our thoughts and make us lose focus of things that are important which causes us to forget about Waheguru. In order to bring ourselves closer to Guruji, we must not let materialistic things take over our lives. The next activity taught the campers that we cannot trick Waheguru about who we really are and that even though we may act differently than what we say, Waheguru always knows our true intentions. For this activity we referred to the Simal tree example that is found in Pauri 14 of Asa Ki Vaar. The Simal tree is very nice looking from the outside but the fruits do not taste good.. This shows that even if we look a certain way and say things, if our actions are not good and pure, the way we look will not matter. We showed the campers a visual example of this by showing them a treasure box that looked beautiful from the outside but was filled with dirt. The campers learned that our outer appearances don’t necessarily show your inner intentions; you need to have a clean mind and soul both inside and out. Lastly, we covered the concept of falsehood by asking the campers to write down examples of things that make them happy, why, how long it lasted and what they gain from it. Through this activity the campers learned that most things that provide them with happiness are only temporary but if you keep Waheguru’s virtues in your heart and start living with those virtues in our mind, you will always be happy. We ended the class by going over the example of a lotus flower and we taught campers the phrase, “sit within, rise above”. The lotus flower has maya all around it but it rises above it all the floats in the water. Day 2 In day two our main objective was to go over the meaning of kirpa and how we can receive Guru’s Kirpa by living a truthful life. We started the day by playing red rover with the campers. We lined up some of the campers/counselors in a line and then gave the rest of the campers ridiculous rules like, you have to cross through without touching anyone. After a few failed attempts, we told them Pg. 2 Camp Sikh Virsa May 2013 Theme: Asa Ki Vaar that there are "keys" hidden around the classroom area and if they find those “keys” they will be able to break through our wall. The keys represented Guru’s Kirpa and the wall represented maya. We realized that we need Guru’s kirpa/blessing to overcome the vices and other difficult things in our life. Which will help us live a truthful life that is free of the burdens of maya. We then went over the concept of truthful living with the campers by putting on a play to show the campers that truthful living is not an action but a mindset. The campers played the characters, and teachers were the “inner voices” and the narrator. We went through multiple scenarios with the campers and discussed why certain options were right or wrong. We ended up our class by going through pauri 13 from Asa Ki Vaar with references the greatness of Satguru and how Satguru is the ship that helps us cross over the ocean of wordly attachments and those who do not let go of those attachments will eventually drown. We demonstrated this by showing the campers a tank filled with water and an object floating on top of it. We kept adding objects to the floating object so that it would eventually get to heavy to float. We discussed that if we let go of these attachments and focus on Guru's kirpa, we can get across the ocean. If you attach yourself to maya, it will hold you back, however if you attach yourself to Guru's kirpa, you can rise above it and you no longer need those worldly attachments and you realize that only Guru's kirpas will bring you eternal happiness. Class 3 – Haumai and Hukam The haumai/hukam class taught the campers about how haumai influences us in all aspects of our lives and in order to “cure” ourselves of that haumai, we need to live in Guru’s hukam. We relayed this message to the kids by using the following metaphor; haumai is the sickness, Waheguru is your doctor, hukam is the medicine and when you are not sick, you are living in sach. Day 1 In day one, our focus was to conduct a real-­‐life scenario of how haumai affects our lives. We did this by creating a relay race that the entire class participated in by rotating among various stations. Two important concepts that we wanted to show the campers is living in sach and cleansing our minds. The campers learned the importance of living honestly, not only by not telling lies, but by having your mind pure of those thoughts. There is more to living in sach than just doing good deeds. You also have to have good intentions. Through this game the campers saw that if they worked together and realized the importance of their teammates and did not let their haumai take over, they would win the game faster than the other team. We discussed that in order to start curing ourselves from haumai, we first need to recognize its existence in every part of our lives. Day 2 In day two we focused on the importance of hukam and how it can be used in order to rid yourself of your haumai. We started off with a shoebox activity in which we showed the campers two shoeboxes with contained the following; Pg. 3 Camp Sikh Virsa May 2013 Theme: Asa Ki Vaar (1) A picture of the Eifel Tower in a closed box with a small opening to look through. However, when the campers looked through the opening, it was too dark and too difficult to see what the picture was. (2) A completed math equation which we showed to the campers through the small opening as well as opening the box completely and asking the campers if they were able to solve the equation when they could see it clearly. By looking and talking about the first box we learned that when our minds are filled with haumai, we only see one tiny part of the “bigger picture” and that we need to open our minds to understand the message that Guruji is trying to tell us even when it may seem difficult. Even though the hurricane in Haiti was devastating and took many lives, it also caused other countries to come together and help Haiti with their economy, healthcare, and more. The campers learned that there is no such thing as “good” hukam or “bad” hukam. Hukam is Guru’s blessing and we must always accept it. Next, we examined the second box more closely and learned that even when you have all the information in front of you, we may still not be able to understand the problem completely. Just like hukam, you may not understand it even when you know everything but you need to have faith in Waheguru and accept his hukam to be true. We ended the class by watching clips from “Emperor’s New Groove”. This is a story in which an egotistical emperor gets turned into a llama and realizes what is truly important sin his life. We showed the campers this movie to explain the concepts of dukh and sukh and how it can deceive us sometimes. What the emperor thought was dukh at the beginning, when he was turned into a llama, eventually turned into sukh because he realized that he needed to go through that experience to learn what is truly important in life. Class 4 – Theme Shabad Class Day 1 Perception of Gifts Daan Mahinda Thalee Thak, Je Milay Ta Mastak Layia There were two bowls filled with silly-­‐string. One bowl had a disguised check and second bowl with an empty iPhone case. We told the campers that if they got the quiz question correct they would win the contents in the bowl. Quiz Question -­‐ What raag the morning vaakh was in? The camper that answered this question correctly got to choose the price he/she wanted. Each time we played the game, campers chose the iPhone case. Quiz Question 2 – Which Guru wrote the vaakh? The second winner got the index card. Soon after the campers realized the value of the index card and we asked the winner to switch gifts. All the winners decided against switching. They realized that the iPhone case was empty and even though it looked more appealing at first it was not the best price. Think Pair Share Matching Worksheet: daan (gift), thale (feet), khaak (dust), milay (get), mastak (forehead) To discuss the first line of the shabad we first reviewed the words through a worksheet. We discussed that the dust of the feet of saints represents walking in their footsteps and the value and importance of that. This is the level of humility we are striving for as Sikhs. Pg. 4 Camp Sikh Virsa May 2013 Theme: Asa Ki Vaar Double or Nothing Koora Laalach Chadeai Hoe Ik Man Alakh Dhiaeiay Two teachers played tic tac toe. One teacher purposely lost and the “winning” teacher won a dollar. The one who lost expressed frustrated and convinced the other teacher to play again for double or nothing. The campers convinced the teacher to play again but the teacher lost the second game. Crossword Puzzle with a Word Bank To discuss the line we started off by defining the words through a crossword puzzle. The clues were the definitions for key words from the second line of the shabad -­‐ Koora (trash/falsehood), Lalach (greed/desire), Chadiea (to leave), Ik (one), Man (mind), Dhiaeiea (remember). We then discussed the concept of falsehood and how to move away from falsehood. We can do this by remembering Waheguru at all times and remembering his positive virtues. Who can be more persuasive? Campers were asked to persuade the teachers that they should be allowed to get up later in the morning during camp. They were divided into four groups and each group had 30 seconds to pitch their argument. The first group had to write a speech, the second group just drew pictures with no words, the third group wrote a poem/song, and the last group acted it out with no words. We voted afterwards to see which group was most convincing and it was always the speech or the song group that won. This led us into a discussion of how the medium in which a message is delivered makes a big difference in how powerfully the message can be conveyed. Asa Ki Vaar is so powerful because it has a strong message and is sung in a way that resonates strongly with the listeners. That is why it was even sung during the wartimes, because it empowered soldiers in the battlefield. Day 2 You Get What You Work For Fal Tavayho Paiea Javahee Kaar Kamaaee We looked at a combination of pictures of what people did post the hurricane in New York/New Orleans. Campers analyzed the photograph and discussed whether the action was a positive or a negative one and which one we should carry out as Sikhs. Guess the Definition To discuss the third line, campers got a list of the key words from the third line and the teachers took turns acting out the definition for each of the words – Fal (fruit), Paeia (receive), Kaar (work) Kamaaia (committed). Once the students put together the literal definition we discussed how we should be working towards those actions that will get us “fruits of our labor” aka positive rewards. Maze of Life Jay Hovay Poorab Likhia Ta Dhoor Tina Dhee Paieay Math Thoree Saev Gavaiea Campers completed a maze that was complex and had many different road blocks. Some of the campers were able to complete the maze on their first try but others hit multiple road blocks and had to re-­‐track their steps. After the maze game, we discussed that just as the maze was already blocked off and the path was set, our path is already determined for us. While we may hit road blocks, the most important thing is to make the effort to show Waheguru that we want kirpa. Like those who kept working even after they hit roadblocks and had limited time. If we think that way about remembering Waheguru and wanting to be with him, then he will bless us with the answer. Pg. 5 Camp Sikh Virsa May 2013 Theme: Asa Ki Vaar Find the Card We had index cards with all the words in the shabad. On one side of the card was the gurbani word and the other side was the translation. Students looked through the cards and find the definitions for the last two lines and used the cards in their blanks on the worksheet. We then discussed the idea of pre-­‐ordained destiny and being in the right mindset. Password Game Real-­‐Life Application The students were split up into teams. A volunteer from each team came up to the front of the room and facing the opposite team. A word was picked from the shabad so that only the two players could see it. Each player got one chance to make their team guess the shabad word related to the theme shabad. Two new volunteers were selected for each word, the team with the most points wins. Once the team guessed the word, if the player should take the definition of the line and give an example that applies to their lives the team could earn bonus points. For example, for positive actions they could say “I will do sewa for my elders” or for koora laalach chadeia the camper could say “I will be content with what I have instead of asking for more games for my birthday.” Seva-­‐Billionaire Song: As a way to learn the meaning of the theme shabad we made up our own version of the Billionaire song that the students learned in class and performed at the campfire. Original -­‐ I want to be a billionaire so freaking bad Camp Version -­‐ I really want to touch the dust from the feet of saints Buy all of the things I never had Leave greed and remember Waheguru’s name I wanna be on the cover of sports magazine I know I need to do good deeds, and show Waheguru Ji Smiling next to oprah and the queen I want his grace and want him to bless me But every time I close my eyes, I see my name is shining lights So every time I close my eyes, I hope Waheguru will shine his light A different city every night oh I swear, More humility and blessings in my prayers The World Better Prepare For When I’m a Billionaire My mind stops me, from being a seva superman Evening Activity – Gender Equality The evening activity for all campers focused on an important concept in Asa Ki Vaar: equality between men and women. We started off by watching a short video to help the campers start thinking about women in Sikhi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1y-­‐9q7T4Ag. Naam Japna and Vand Chakna campers were split into four groups and then rotated to different stations to learn about different aspects of gender equality. • Station 1, we learned about women in Sikh history, including Mata Gujri and her time with the Chotte Sahibzadeh at Tanda Burj. We tried to imagine how hard it would be to sit in a freezing cold tower, but it seem hard. We also talked about Bibi Nanaki and how these women made a path in Sikh history. Pg. 6 Camp Sikh Virsa May 2013 Theme: Asa Ki Vaar •
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Station 2, we saw a cool gatka video where people were practicing panthras with swords. Afterward, we found out these were all girls. We learned that our Gurus always encouraged women to take part of battle and that women bring special strengths to the battlefield. We also talked about one of the most famous female Sikh soldiers: Mai Bhago and how she lead Guru Gobind Singh's sikhs back to the Guru. Station 3, we drew a portrait of female role models that we could think about including our moms, famous women like Michelle Obama, Mata Gujri and other examples. We talked about what kinds of traits made these women role models including selflessness, love and compassion. We saw a new website for kids to share their art and play Sikhi related games: http://littlesikhs.com . Station 4, we talked about female role models that were not Sikh including Malala Yousafzai, who stood up against to the Taliban to get her education and JK Rowling who never gave up on her dreams, even when people where rejecting the Harry Potter book idea. Kirt Karni and Miri Piri campers were also split into four groups with similar stations. The older two campers talked about female role models from Sikh history, equality between men and women in the battlefield and character traits of female role models in our own lives. We talked about these in a little more detail. For example, we discussed how the current US military is still not showing full equal rights to men and women, a concept our Guru's supported more than 300 years ago. At the fourth station, we had some time to prepare an argument for a debate. We were assigned a topic to debate for or against; we debated on topics prominently discussed within the Sikh community -­‐ female infanticide and women doing seva at our Gurudwaras. We wrapped up by reviewing some things that we learned and the messages we took away from the evening activity. Seva Project The goals for the seva project are: •
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To understand Seva is not a one time thing and not for a specific person/population To help those that are in need To encourage campers to continue doing Seva This camp for Seva project we made our own teddy bears, which were donated, to Stuffed Animals for Emergencies (http://www.stuffedanimalsforemergencies.org/). We worked together to design, stuff and package the bear for the victims of the Oklahoma Tornado. During the seva project we also learned about Trauma. Many people of greatly effected by traumatic events such as natural disasters, school and community violence or medical trauma. Stuffed Animals for Emergencies (SAFE) provides children in post-­‐disaster situations with stuffed animals, baby blankets, toys to give these children a little joy during these troubling times. During the seva project, we made over 40 stuffed animals to be donated to children who feel victim to the Oklahoma Tornado. We ended the activity, emphasizing the importance of seva in a Sikh’s life. Pg. 7