GUEST SPEAKERS & PANEL DISCUSSION

Guest speakers at this conference filled two primary roles.  While expounding upon the roles & responsibilities of Sai Young Adult leadership, the speakers also inspired the delegates by sharing many personal interactions that have been had with Sathya Sai Baba.  Dr. William Harvey spoke to the importance of faith and patience as he gave background to the history of the Young Adult program in the USA and globally.  Jonathan Roof, newly selected USA Central Council President, spoke from the heart as he shared his experiences of being in the Sai Organization as both devotee and office bearer.  He lightened the mood by leading the group in lovely devotional songs and made it abundantly clear that the Central Council has been, and will continue to support the Young Adult program as it continues to grow and evolve.  This heartfelt sentiment was apparent as Mr. Roof participated in all weekend activities along side the Young Adult leadership delegates.  Everyone benefited from hearing Dr. Mayur Pandya’s personal interactions that he had with Swami during his years as a student in Sathya Sai Baba’s undergraduate and graduate programs.  His interactions with Swami were sweetly shared with the support of a slide show and practical daily applications for young adults.  Dr. Hymon Johnson, as Master of Ceremonies, kept the program flowing with his spiritual interludes throughout the weekend. Furthermore, there were two panel discussions which offered conference attendees the opportunity to ask questions to the guest speakers on both levels of Young Adult leadership and overall spiritual development.

WORKSHOPS & PRESENTATIONS

There were three workshops during the weekend that focused on leadership within the Young Adult program.  The first workshop dived deeply into the roles and responsibilities of each type of Young Adult leader.  In this workshop delegates investigated, within smaller ‘break-out’ groups, how Young Adult leaders can effectively serve in their positions.  Other workshops approached topics such as communication within Young Adult groups and leadership teams; methods by which to keep Young Adult participation at a strong level; ways to strengthen group unity by cultivating the positive aspects of diversity; how to bridge the space between the SSE program and the Young Adult program; and finally, how the Young Adult program can aid our spiritual development by bringing Sathya Sai Baba into our daily activities.   Finally, several young adults who had participated in significant service work following Hurricane Katrina shared insight from their involvement and inspired the conference attendees. Each of these workshops afforded delegates the opportunity to learn from others, share their personal thoughts and experiences and move forward to becoming stronger leaders.

MOVING FORWARD

A critical component of the weekend was to enable the Young Adult representatives and adult advisors a chance to connect with one another and form bonds that surpass geographic divides.  With this solid foundation, national Young Adult initiatives can be set into motion with greater ease.  That in mind, the delegates participated in a brainstorming session to define goals for the upcoming year.  Conversation incorporated service and devotion based initiatives.  Regional leadership teams had a chance to discuss these possible goals and define an action plan to span the next couple months.  The endeavors that seemed most common revolved around education and community.  Delegates felt the strong yearning to be connected to their local communities and the intricacies of the community’s needs.  Many felt that through education based service projects, many needs of a given community could be met.  While the discussion to formalize USA National Young Adult Initiatives will continue during the upcoming weeks, it will likely take a path that incorporates education on a local level and understanding the needs of one’s community on a deeper level.

The excitement level among the Young Adult representatives, adult advisors and office bearers of the USA Central Council following this conference has been palpable and encouraging to all.  We look forward to seeing the action items from the conference manifest into action during the days to come and we pray to Sai that His guidance, council, inspiration and love will continue to be showered upon the Young Adult program in the United States and worldwide.