Why another camp? Surely there are already enough camps for all of the youth? You may be asking these questions when visiting this website about *yet another Sikhi camp*. And sure enough, these were the very first questions that the camp organizers had to answer before deciding to make another Sikhi camp. The organizers, mainly locals of the Fresno metropolitan area, decided to undertake the establishment of another camp – The West Coast Sikhi Camp – after seeing the growing drifting of Sikhi from a very important, but yet, every ignored section of the Sikh youth – those who had entered middle school to those graduating high school/entering college. The majority of the camps focused on “getting the kids while they were young” or “focusing on those who are on the path of Sikhi and adulthood together”, but none addressed the needs of those caught in the middle of these two groups. Feeling bored and facing redundant talks on Sikhi at the younger camps and overwhelmed at the more adult oriented camps, this teenage Sikh youth was left without any camp (and overall support) needed to foster their desire for answers and satisfy their question of, “Why Sikhism”?

The West Coast Sikhi Camp arose from this dire need of addressing the most important of age groups. It was recognized that the teenage Sikh group’s needs had to be addressed to stem the tide of our youth drifting from Sikhism. We, the organizers, ourselves passed their teenage years yearning for information and answers about our faith, often left disappointed, confused and frustrated while trying to understand our faith while living in Western society. Granthis and Raagis spoke a language we did not fully understand, used analogies that we could not relate to and practiced the faith in a way that was alien given its backdrop of the Western world. Emerging from this hazy existence by Vaheguru’s Grace to slowly begin to realize and understand the beauty of Sikhism, we decided that never again should the Sikh teenage youth have to endure the same ignorance and confusion that we went through.

This camp is less about classes and lectures and more about sharing and understanding. It is a 4 day, “Hey, we are here for you and have been there”. It is a sharing experience, a learning experience not only for the campers, but also the organizers, and a a support structure on which the youth and the organizers will build lasting relationships and go on the path of Sikhi together to realize more and more about the beautiful path that is Sikhism.