Balagokulam - Nurturing the Divine Spark in Children

1. Gokulam is the place where Lord Krishna’s magical days of childhood were spent. It was here that his divine powers came to be recognized. Every child has that spark of divinity within…

2. Balagokulam is a forum for children to discover and manifest that divinity, where they learn Hindu values in an enjoyable manner and make good friends

3. Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) • Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, volunteer-based organization, serving the needs of Hindus in the United States of America. • HSS’ mission is to • Preserve and promote Hindu Dharma and culture. • Facilitate Hindus to appreciate, learn and practice Hindu way of life in USA. • Instill pride and confidence in Hindus in general, children and youths in specific, about their identity. • Raise Hindu awareness in the society around. • Develop social awareness, volunteerism, discipline and leadership skills. • To serve the Hindu interests and Hindu Unity. • Visit http://www.hssus.org for more information. • Send an email toinfohss@yahoo.com for more information.

4. How to contribute to Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh • HSS has about 100 chapters in United States. Each chapter (known as “Shakha”) meets weekly for 90 minutes. A joyful atmosphere of learning can be seen at the Shakha, where all the family members take part. • You may join this effort by • Regularly attending the Shakha near you. • Tell your friends about the HSS activities. • Attend festivals and other events conducted by HSS. • Offer your skills like web site creation, artistic work, writing, speaking, volunteering to teach children, etc. • Any other way you can think of.

5. Our Inspiration:India is the land of many gods, goddesses,great saints, kings, queens, freedom fighters, philosophers, and visionaries. All of them inspire us.

6. Thoughts behind Balagokulam “Children are not vessels to be filled, but lamps to be lit” - Swami Chinmayananda "Look back, drink deep from the eternal fountains that are behind, and then march forward" - Swami Vivekananda When Sanskriti is imparted to a child, his tendencies are godly and when Vikriti increases, his tendencies are demonic.

7. What is Balagokulam • It is a forum where - • Children learn Hindu values in enjoyable manner. • Hindu children in USA learn to appreciate their cultural roots. • All round personality development is achieved in practice. • Children make new friends, participate in extra curricular activities, like skits, songs, etc. • Children learn a sense of responsibility and grow up to be an ideal citizen.

8. Our goal is • To facilitate children to appreciate, learn and • practice Hindu way of life. • Instill pride and confidence in Hindu children • about their identity. • Raise Hindu awareness in the society around. • Develop social awareness and leadership skills • among children.

9. Vyakti Vikas (All-round Integrated Personality Development) • At Balagokulam, 360° personality development is achieved based on • Hindu Dharma in the following ways • Physical : Exercise and Games • Spiritual: Study of Scriptures • Mental : Yoga and other techniques • Intellectual : Stories, Debates, Quiz, Projects

10. Create Pride A proud Hindu: • Understands the Hindu philosophy • Is convinced of its importance for a peaceful world • Practices Hindu Values • Helps fellow Hindu • Identifies himself as a Hindu Group Dynamics • Builds Confidence • Face challenges of being part of two cultures

11. Activities • Regular activities: • Shlokas and Bhajans • Surya namaskar and Yoga • Games • Stories and quiz • Arts and Crafts • Special events activities: • Skits • Festival celebrations • Picnics • 1 – 5 days camps • Community service • Balagokulam Magazine

12. Activities Stories: • From rich Indian Scriptures and History • From Panchtantra • Inspiring stories from the freedom struggle Shlokas and Bhajans: • Predefined set of shlokas with their meaning in simple English • Small Bhajans for different gods and goddesses Arts and Crafts: • Drawing, coloring and painting • Akash Kandil for Diwali,etc. • Clay work to create Ganpati, etc.

13. Syllabus Syllabus taught in balagokulam has been designed with attention to detail and to impart knowledge in an organized and enjoyable way. • Two age groups (5-8 and 9-12) • Tri-mester System • Topics from six categories • -festivals, dharma, heritage, history, moral, sangh) •  Two shlokas or mantra and two subhashitani (words of wisdom) • every month •  One bhajan or Geet in two months. •  Every month one project (skits, arts/crafts, discussion, talent show) •  Questions (exercise) given after every month •  Friendly exams / certificate distribution • (Ram Navami, Janmashtmi, Gita Jayanti)

14. Activities on special events Celebration of Festivals: • Ganesh pooja • Raksha Bandhan • Guru Pooja • Yugadi • And other Hindu festivals • Community Service: • Seva or service is the best way for us to realize the divinity in all • Serve the needy • Visiting elderly people in convalescent hospital • Volunteer at Hindu temples • Work with other voluntary groups in serving the community

15. Hindu Heritage Camps One to Five day camps : Vacation can be magical. That's the time to explore, enjoy and make more friends. Hindu Heritage Camp of HSS conducted during vacations or any other weekends has been a favorite event for the children Check www.balagokulam.org for upcoming camps in your area

16. Balagokulam Magazine • A unique Hindu magazine for children at $11 (4 issues), • $20 (8 issues), $30 (12 issues). • Magazine for the children by the children of the children. • Most of the articles are written by children. • Magazine has stories, poems, articles, quiz and more. • Facts on Indian Science. • Vedic Mathematics. • Competitions – essay, art, poem etc. • For children of age 5 and above. • Best resource to answer children’s questions on Hindu culture . • Subscribe online at: www.balagokulam.org/bgmag.

17. Hindu Education Foundation (HEF) • HEF, supported by HSS, is a project by concerned Hindu/Indian parents in the USA with the following objectives – • Collaborate with school teachers and conduct training and informative seminars to bring an awareness of Dharmic culture and traditions. • Provide multimedia presentations to students on topics related to Hinduism and India to remove misconceptions created due to inaccuracies in the current textbooks. • Create resources for parents who wish to provide such opportunities for educators in their local areas. • Interact with State Education Committees that define school curriculum so that prescribed school textbooks contain an accurate representation of Indic traditions.

18. How to help Hindu Education Foundation • Many schools solely depend on text books to teach about Hindu Dharma and India. Most text books do not present an accurate picture. • You can support HEF to portray Hindu Dharma and India in a positive light by: • Becoming an active member and advising HEF. • Getting involved in your children’s school and helping shape their policy towards social studies. • Helping school boards get an accurate picture of Hindu Dharma and India. • Please visit http://www.hindueducation.org for more information. • Send an email at join_us@hindueducation.org to become a member

19. Thank you! For more information Visit www.balagokulam.org