“The Leadership Development Program was an amazing experience. It gave me an opportunity to share and build relationships with 16 other individuals who share the same passion as myself for the Sikh community, for the American community and humanity as a whole. I plan to build relationships with all my fellow LDP participants and change the world!”
(Washington, D.C.— October 16, 2012) Over Columbus Day Weekend, SALDEF successfully held its second annual Leadership Development Program (LDP), under its ground-breaking SikhLEAD youth development initiative. From an impressive pool of nearly 100 applicants, SALDEF selected 17 highly talented and accomplished young Sikh Americans from around the country for three days of leadership training, self-exploration, and development in Washington, D.C.
LDP is designed to inspire, train, and support a diverse, motivated, and entrepreneurial group of young Sikh leaders as they prepare for a lifetime of community engagement and leadership. The purpose of this opportunity is to empower Sikh American youth in becoming effective leaders committed to exploring and realizing both their personal potential and that of the Sikh American community.
The attendees were selected from across the country and represented a diverse range of professional fields including, law, medicine, business, journalism, social justice, and academia. Over the course of the weekend, they participated in a series of activities to help identify their passion, recognize their strengths, and build a stronger sense of identity. The program provided training and skills for participants to improve public speaking, explore non-traditional career paths and network with leaders in the community.
“We were greatly impressed with the applications we received this year”, said SALDEF Executive Director Jasjit Singh. “This year’s LDP class is outstanding in both their passion for moving the community forward and their potential to bring real change to their communities. We look forward to seeing the amazing things they will achieve in the coming years, along with the graduates of our inaugural LDP Class.”
SALDEF is indebted to several community leaders and pioneers who provided their valuable time to serve as panelists and guest speakers during the program.. SALDEF would like to give a special thank you to:
- Ms. Valarie Kaur; Founding Director, Groundswell
- Ms. Sona Rai; Director of Media Relations at CreativeFeed
- Ms. Nitasha Sawhney; Equity Partner, GCR and Member, California State Commission on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs
- Dr. G.P. Singh, former CEO, Karta Technologies
- Dr. Jaideep Singh, Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies, CSU East Bay
- Mr. J.J. Singh; Legislative Advisor to US Senator Christopher Coons
- Mr. Pavneet Singh; Economic Policy Advisory to the White House
- Dr. Ratanjit Singh Sondhe; Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Leadership Advisor
LDP was funded through generous support of community members across the country and the following sponsors: Comcast, Genworth Financial, and Southwest Airlines. To learn more about how you can support the SikhLEAD initiative, click here.
SALDEF is indebted to several community leaders and pioneers who provided their valuable time to serve as panelists and guest speakers during the program.. SALDEF would like to give a special thank you to: