Press Release Sikh AID
UNITED SIKHS’ Disaster Preparedness & Humanitarian Aid Initiative Provides the Guidance needed for the Sikh Community at a Crossroad.
| Los Angeles, California: In the aftermath of hostilities visited upon the Sikh community since 9-11, the Sikh Gurudwaras (places of worship) faced a difficult crossroad. The massacre in a Gurudwaras in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, USA, in August 2012 and shootings of members of the Sikh community could not be ignored. Equally important was not to react with fear and abandon or change the 500-year-old Sikh tradition that the Gurudwaras are supposed to be open and welcoming to all, regardless of race, religious beliefs or gender. |
| In direct response, on August 28, 2016, in California, U.S.A., UNITED SIKHS’ Disaster Preparedness & Humanitarian Aid, volunteers and staff held an “Emergency Preparedness for the Gurudwaras” workshop at the Lankershim Gurudwara Sahib. This Emergency Preparedness Initiative provides solutions and guidance that help the Gurudwaras and its members know in advance what to do when confronted by an emergency, a natural disaster or by violence in their communities. The initiative is intended to provide the balance the community needs in order to emerge confident and more resilient. |
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| UNITED SIKHS representatives Harpreet Singh and Gurpreet Kaur conducting the workshop at the Lankershim Gurdwara. |
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| Among the attendees were prominent members, management and staff of the Lankershim Gurdwara Sahib. |
| Among the attendees were prominent members, management and staff of the Lankershim Gurudwara Sahib. “The Sikh Community and the Gurudwaras should be prepared for all emergencies. While Sikh principles guide us to be welcoming to all, there’s an equally important need be prepared for emergencies of all kinds. The attack on the Gurudwaras in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and other hate crimes against the Sikh community, were a gruesome awakening. We need to be able to teach our members adequate safety measures in all Gurudwaras” said Gurcharan Singh Bains, President of the Lankershim Gurdwara Sahib. “The UNITED SIKHS initiative is helping us do that.” |
| Members and management of the Lankershim Gurudwara Sahib attended the workshop. Among those present were Gurcharan Singh Bains, Gurdev Singh, Granthi Darshan Singh Ji, Gurdial Singh Randhawa, Charanjit Singh Deol, Satgurjit Singh Pawar, Jatinder Singh Jot, Gurughar Kirthanee Jatha, Ramandeep Singh, Heera Singh, Satwinder Singh, Mandeep Singh, Ranjit Rana and Hazara Singh Sarpanch. |
| “The workshop was very informational and engaging. It is an important and great initiative by UNITED SIKHS and our Gurudwaras and the Sangat will greatly benefit from the information provided,” said Mr. Singh. |
| In the past, UNITED SIKHS has collaborated with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct similar trainings in the State of New Jersey. The workshops are comprehensive and hands-on trainings based on the guidelines provided by the DHS and various emergency preparedness agencies. |
| The workshops are comprehensive and hands-on trainings based on the guidelines provided by the DHS and various emergency preparedness agencies & we thank our partners for this. These workshops are an effort of the UNITED SIKHS National Center for Disaster Relief & Emergency Preparedness (NCDREP) Training program. To bring these workshops to your gurudwaras please reach out to us by writing to DisasterPreparedness@unitedsikhs.org. |
