| Washington DC, USA: On July 6, 2016, UNITED SIKHS kicked off its third annual Advocacy and Humanitarian Aid Academy in Washington, D.C. The Academy is an intensive six-day training program in which young students from around the world interact with government officials, advocates and members of some of the most reputable civil rights organizations in the United States. At the Academy, these young students learn and build important communication and civic skills that will give them a competitive edge in politics, law, business, civil rights advocacy and education. Applications from the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada made this a very competitive application process this year. |
Students of the Academy will be inspired and trained by the following distinguished speakers:
- Jonathan J. Smith, Senior Counsel, Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, “Processes to Work on Civil Rights/Sikh Issues;”
- Harpreet Singh Mokha, Regional Director, Department of Justice, Community Relations Service;
- Harleen Kaur, Policy Advisor, Office of Civil Rights and Liberties, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), “Policy and Procedure for Faith-based Communities;”
- Anisha Singh, Campaign Manager at Center for American Progress & Forbes magazine’s 30 under 30 for Law and Policy in 2016, “Non-Governmental Organizations and Policy;”
- Sarah Sisaye, U.S. Department of Education & Shiwali Patel, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education,”Bullying: An On-Going Battle;”
- Julian Purdy, Staff, Congressman Adam Smith,”Policy and Advocacy on the Hill;”
- Elizabeth Cassidy, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, “Role of Faith-Based Organizations in Developing International Policy;”
- Vishavjit Singh, Cartoonist- Director and creator of Sikhtoons, Sikh Captain America, “Sikh American Identity;”
and
- Harpreet Kaur, Filmmaker and Founder of Sach Productions, “Role of Art in Activism and Awareness.”
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