On 19 and 20 February 2022, Chinmaya Yuva Kendra (CHYK) in San Jose organized its first ever Junior CHYK retreat in-person at the Chinmaya Mission San Jose ashram, for students in grades 9-12. The retreat was very successful with 41 attendees, and over 15 CHYK volunteers present each day. There were 28 CHYK volunteers in the entire team.
The retreat theme was ‘Values to Victory’, reflecting on values taught by Lord Rama to Vibhishana in Vibhishana Gita, and how these values can lead one to success in life. The youth had studied Vibhishana Gita during the Fall 2021 semester, guided by Brahmachari Soham Chaitanya. The retreat workshops were created by CHYKs to engage high schoolers and focus on topics that would be relevant to them.
COVID safety measures were undertaken, with all attendees and volunteers remaining masked indoors, and abiding by distancing policies. The joyous energy in the ashram with CHYKs and J-CHYKs was wonderful to see. There was positive feedback from attendees and parents on the engaging workshops and seamless event organization. All attendees left with new perspectives, inspiring points to reflect on, and a toolkit of values that will greatly help them as they navigate new situations in high school and college.
CHYK = Chinmaya Yuva Kendra = the youth wing of Chinmaya Mission for those aged 18 to 28
J-CHYK = Junior Chinmaya Yuva Kendra = the teenage wing of Chinmaya Mission for those aged 13-17
