Dear friends

Please find details of the proposed programme for the Hindu Youth
Festival below.

I hope that you will be able to support the event by your attendance
and also with your help in promoting it within your organisation.

Please feel free to contact me should you require further
information.

I look forward to seeing all at this event on 13th July.

Many thanks

Kailash

               Hindu Youth Festival North 2002 Event
                              Proposal

Background & Introduction

Last year’s Hindu Youth Festival in London created a unique blend of
Hindu youth from diverse spiritual, cultural and social backgrounds, who
came together to celebrate together in a spirit of friendship and fun the
richness of Hindu Dharma.  This was the beginning of the initiative
known as Hindu Youth UK.

This summer, Hindu youth UK aims to build on the successes of last
year’s event by holding a much bigger event, a ‘mobile’ festival which
will cover the North, the Midlands and London.  This proposal is an
invitation to all the Hindu youth in the North – organisations and
individuals – to get involved in the vision of Hindu Youth UK and help
make this year’s event in the North truly spectacular.

Goals/Aims

The aims of the HYUK initiative are:

1.  To create a wider network of British Hindu youth groups.
2.  To facilitate a closer working relationship between British Hindu
    youth groups, and between these groups and the wider British
    Hindu youth community.
3.  To develop an awareness of HYUK within these groups.
4.  To emphasise the relevance of Hindu Dharma to British Hindu
    youth, and the wider British community.
5.  To organise regular events and maintain a website as a support
    mechanism for HYUK.

Much of the work involved in achieving these aims will be done during
the planning and implementation stages, as well as in the follow-up stage
of the event.  The event itself will also help to achieve the rest of the
objectives.

Target Audience

The primary target audience for the event in the North will be:

1.  Hindu youth between the ages of 15 and 30 years, whether
    practising or not
2.  Non-Hindu youth wanting to learn about Hindu Dharma and the
    British Hindu youth community

The secondary target audience will be Hindus and non-Hindus outside
the target age range.

The target catchment area of the North event will be:

1.  North West of England
2.  North East and North of England
3.  North Wales
4.  Scotland

Get Connected Schedule

Saturday 13 July:               North Event at Preston Guild Hall Complex
Saturday 20 – Sunday 21 July: London Event at Alexandra Palace
October (date to be confirmed): Midlands Event at Aston Villa Leisure
Centre

North Event

Preston Guild Hall Complex
Saturday, 13th July
10am – 11pm

The event in the North will comprise a festival/mela in the day-time (10am-
6pm), and a cultural show in the evening (6.30-11pm).  The day-time
activities will be free entry, while for the evening performance, tickets will
be sold both in advance and on the day for £3.

Festival/Mela

This will involve a variety of on-stage events in the Charter Theatre at
set times throughout the day, including comedy, fashion, drama,
discussions, etc., as well as activities off-stage which will take place in a
variety of zones throughout the complex.  The zones, and a brief outline
of their content follow.

Career Zone

Here, there will be a recruitment fair, with representatives from various
fields (armed forces, emergency services, education, government, etc.)
putting up stalls and information booths, as well as careers advisors to
give more general advice on career planning, etc.  In addition, there will
also be displays and workshops on Hindu perspectives on career-related
issues, such as time-management, etc., explaining how Hindu teachings
and principles can be relevant to a modern career-oriented life.

Chill-Out Zone

This will be an ambient, divine atmosphere, providing a place to relax.  It
will be a place for contemplation, reflection and meditation.  This will be a
peaceful room, with perhaps some appropriate music playing softly in the
background, an AUM symbol at the front of the room, and burning
incense sticks, to facilitate a meditative atmosphere.  At regular intervals
throughout the day, there will also be workshops on meditation and
pranayama, focussing on how to do these, as well as the physical, mental
and spiritual benefits they give.

Culture Zone

This very large zone will have a number of sections focussing on
different aspects of Hindu culture:-

Performing Arts:        There will be an exhibition of Hindu traditions of
performing arts, as well as workshops on dance and music, taken by the
artistes who will be performing in the evening show.

Arts & Crafts:          There will be exhibitions of Hindu arts and crafts
and young Hindu artists from the region will explain aspects of Hindu art
to visitors.  Indian textiles will be on show for those with an interest in
textiles.  There will be an explanation of rangoli, with coloured rice
available for people to practice making rangoli designs.  Through
interactive workshops, visitors will be given a taster of fabric and glass
painting.

Fashion:                A display of Hindu fashion will be backed up by a
fashion show in the Charter Theatre.  There will be explanations of
different Hindu-inspired modern fashion accessories, such as bindi,
mehndi, etc.  Visitors will be encouraged to take part themselves – for
example, being shown how to wear a sari, or having mehndi put on their
hands.  Clothing stalls will be selling different items of Hindu clothing.

Travel/tourism:         By use of personal experiences and memories, as
well as exhibitions and displays by travel agencies, tour operators, etc.,
this section will promote travel to and around Bharat, including some
information on the popular destinations and also pilgrimage places.

Architecture:           By means of presentations and demonstrations,
visitors will be able to gain some insight into Shilpa Shastra, and the
relevance of various aspects of Hindu architecture, particularly Mandir
architecture, including correction of some common misconceptions.

History:                        Partly based on last year’s event, there will be a
time-line of Hindu history, taking visitors through the various periods
beginning with Creation and Hindu beliefs around that, and then moving
on to the Vedic Age, Classical Age, Golden Age, Middle Ages, period of
Islamic rule, Bhakti period, and British Raj, before ending with Hindu
Dharma today, particularly in Britain, as well as looking to the future, and
where Hindu Dharma could go from here.  Great personalities from Hindu
history will be featured, explaining how different figures contributed to
the development and evolution of Hindu Dharma through the ages.
Some exciting recent developments will be presented, such as the
discovery of Dwarka and the excavations there.

Literature:             There will be some explanation of Hindu literature and
literary contributions of Hindus, both from the past as well as
contemporary Hindu writers.  There will also be Hindu books available to
buy.

Food Zone

This will be a place for visitors to enjoy Hindu food, with stalls
displaying and selling different traditional cuisines.  There will be
cooking demonstrations and recipes, etc., for those interested in learning
more.  Through displays and workshops, visitors can learn about the
nutritional aspects of the Hindu diet, including the role of vegetarianism.

Health & Vitality Zone

Hindu views of health and health care will be explained with exhibitions
on traditional Hindu healthcare systems such as Ayurveda and Siddha.
Practitioners and instructors will be present to offer Reiki, Chakra, Indian
head massage, reflexology, etc., explaining the basis of these systems
and offering quick sessions to visitors.  Ancient Hindu sports and games
will be displayed and demonstrated, with visitors invited to take part.
There will be encouragement for Hindu youth to get involved in sports,
with input from prominent British Hindu sportspeople, as well as, for
example, the Kick Racism Out of Football initiative.  Workshops will be
offered at set times through the day on yoga also, with explanations of
different forms of yoga, and the benefits of yoga to physical, mental and
spiritual health and well-being.  Health-related institutions, including a
number of healthcare professionals, will be present to advise visitors on
certain relevant health issues, particularly diabetes, hypertension, heart
disease and substance misuse.

Kids Zone

This children’s area will provide a number of very interactive, fun
activities where younger Hindus can enjoy themselves at the same time
as learning about Hindu Dharma.  There will be a professional storyteller
narrating Hindu children’s stories, for example the Panchatantra.
Through playing various Hindu games, children can be taught in a very
fun way about a number of key Hindu concepts.  Animated cartoons,
such as the Japanese animated Ramayana can be shown, and perhaps be
on sale, to introduce the stories to the children.  Through art and
painting, children can learn to identify with great Hindu personalities, or
some of the Hindu concepts.

Science Zone

Here, visitors will be introduced to the Hindu sciences, and the
contributions of Hindu Dharma to world science.  There will be
exhibitions on jyotish, palm reading, etc., with practitioners also offering
their services to visitors.  A display on Vaastu will also explain the
concept to visitors, and this will be brought very vividly to life by
explaining how vaastu has been used to arrange the festival itself, as this
year’s festival will be the first ever event in Europe to be based on
vaastu.  There will be an exhibition describing major Hindu contributions
to modern world scientific knowledge, and also giving some information
on great Hindu scientists, past and present.  Environmental issues will
also be covered, explaining Hindu teachings on the environment and
how to look after it.  There will be a display on Vedic Mathematics, and
workshops will be offered to visitors where they can learn some of the
basics and see for themselves how it can be useful today.

Social Issues Zone

This zone will look at Hindu views on various social issues of direct
relevance to today’s youth, addressing many of the common issues that
British Hindu youth face every day.  Issues covered in this zone will
include: family values; status of women; disability and mental health;
crime; birth and death rites; marriage (including a ‘mock marriage’,
explaining the Hindu marriage ceremony); and the Hindu concept of
sewa.  There will also be a display explaining Hindu guidance for life,
based on the concept of the sixteen sanskars.

Spirituality Zone

This zone will cover the fundamentals of Hindu Dharma, with
explanations of a number of core concepts, including a Hindu Dharma
FAQ and correction of some common misconceptions.  A ‘tree of Hindu
scripture’ will allow visitors to understand the scriptural basis of Hindu
Dharma, and exhibitions of the major festivals, as well as demonstrations
of some of the better-known festival traditions (e.g. playing holi!) will
seek to explain some of the main festivals that Hindus celebrate, and
what they mean – festivals that will be covered are: Diwali; Holi;
Navaratri; Janmashtmi; Raksha Bandhan; Shiva Ratri; and Vaisakhi.
Representatives of Hindu sects will be present, and displays will be set
up, showing the various religious movements and belief systems within
Hindu Dharma, showing the ‘unity in diversity’ of Hinduism.

There will be workshops and Q&A sessions on different aspects of
Hinduism, which will be taken by academics to allow for independence,
non-sectarianism and critical analysis.  In addition, a panel
discussion/Q&A session is planned in which the panel will consist of
highly knowledgeable representatives from a variety of different Hindu
sects and faith backgrounds.  Visitors will be invited to ask questions on
any aspect of Hindu Dharma in a forum where answers will be available
straight from the source.

Finally, for those interested in taking part, or even just watching and
learning, there will be an area in which bhajan and kirtan will be ongoing
throughout the day, as well as another area in which there will be a
havan yagna throughout the day – visitors will be invited to take part in
either of these activities, singing bhajans/kirtan or participating as
yajmans in the havan.

Evening Performance (6.30 – 11pm)

This will consist of four hours of performance time, separated by a 30-
minute interval.  In the first half, there will be performances of classical
music and classical/folk dance, given by professional/semi-professional
youth artistes, who will have given the earlier workshops in the day-time,
allowing visitors who participated in those workshops to see the
concepts they have learnt in action.  The second half will be more light-
hearted, and will be an opportunity for the organisations and groups
participating in the event to showcase some of their talent, putting on
short 5-10 minute performances which will highlight some key Hindu
concepts in a fun, entertaining manner.

“Thank You” Sponsors’ Banquet

Sunday 14th July

This will be a banquet dinner at an appropriate, prestigious venue in
Preston to thank the sponsors, contributors and donors of the North
event for their help and support.  Details are yet to be confirmed, but we
aim to cater for about fifty people.

Souvenir

Last year, HYUK produced a 120-page A4 souvenir of the event, which
consisted of messages of support from prominent personalities, both in
Britain and abroad (e.g. Swamis from Bharat), articles written by Hindu
youth on the topics being covered at the event, advertisements from
supporters and sponsors, and an overview of the event itself.

For the North event this year, we intend to produce a souvenir booklet
on a smaller scale, and are proposing a 50-page A4 booklet, which will
contain messages of support, an overview of the event (and HYUK and
the national festival itself), details of participants, sponsors and
supporters, advertisements from participating Hindu organisations,
groups, sects and communities, and a few articles on important topics
written by Hindu youth from the North.

Action Points

So many creative and inspiring ideas have already been coming (see
above!), and continue to be offered – all these ideas are welcome, and
any further advice or suggestions are always invited.  However, now the
time has come to also start implementing these ideas.  We do not have
much time to put together what is a truly mammoth project.  We need
organisations and individuals who wish to take part in this event to come
forward now and volunteer to take on responsibility for different aspects
of the event.  Examples of how people can get involved or contribute are:

1.  Event particulars – event name, logo, letterhead, etc.
2.  PR team – to coordinate promotion, advertising and publicity of
    the event, particularly the media
3.  Zone coordinators – to coordinate the organisation and
    implementation of each zone
4.  Contributors – to run stalls, workshops, demonstrations, etc.
    during the day
5.  Performers – organisations are invited to put forward a short (5-
    10 minutes) item in the 2nd half of the evening show
6.  Banquet coordinators – to organise the ‘Thank You’ dinner for
    sponsors
7.  Souvenir coordinators – to collate and edit material for souvenir
    and organise printing and distribution
8.  Volunteers – to ensure the event runs smoothly on the day (this
    will include effective ‘duty managers’, who will take overall
    responsibility for the smooth running of the event, especially in
    terms of coordinating volunteers and liasing with venue staff,
    outside security, police, etc.)
9.  Funding – voluntary donations towards the event, as well as
    help/advice on procuring funding are very welcome

This list is not exhaustive, so all those with any experience, interests or
skills which they think might be useful, and who are interested in getting
involved, are invited to come forward now and get on board.

Further details

Available on request:

Draft budget
Proposed venue plans
List of participating organisations (constantly updated)
List of supporting agencies/sponsors (constantly updated)
Details of Midlands and London events (as and when made available)

For these or any other details, please contact:

Manish Tayal:   07976 15 08 47
                [log in to unmask]

Kailash Parekh: 07958 649 814
                [log in to unmask]
HEEO Network Administrator and WP/EO Project Officer
University College Worcester
Henwick Grove
Worcester
WR2 6AJ
Tel: 01905 855267
Mobile: 07967 145270
Fax: 01905 855132