Creating Safe Schools: Sikh Awareness Presentations Impact 1,200 Students

Ishmeet Kaur, Sikh community member and parent in New York state, discusses how she was empowered by the Sikh Coalition to go from leading presentations to her children’s classes to working with the Monroe-Woodbury School District to conduct more than 35 Sikh awareness presentations that impacted more than 1,200 students and faculty members. Through her efforts, the Sikh Coalition and volunteers were able to engage in effective techniques to teach every 6th and 9th grader in the Monroe-Woodbury School District about Sikhism, including the Sikh faith, traditions, and community. Ishmeet advocated for her school district to do more to raise Sikh awareness in their classrooms over the course of eight years. Over four days, the Sikh Coalition conducted presentations, providing students and educators alike with a diverse learning experience that has helped them understand what Sikhi is all about as well as the similarities and differences amongst Sikhism and other major world religions.