Gurmat Vidhya Kendar

SAF International operates free Gurmat Academies throughout Punjab to aid young Sikh’s along Baba Nanak’s path towards self-betterment. This is an incredibly important cause for SAF as we believe that learning about their history will help develop their sense of community and build a stronger bond towards the khalsa panth and steer them away from destructive things like drug and alcohol abuse.

Drug and alcohol abuse often leads to many other issues such as domestic and sexual abuse, unemployment, injury, and even death. It serves as a barrier to progress and impacts every member of the household, so we believe in doing what we can to help the young children of Punjab avoid those roads at all costs.

Here is a quick overview of the three components of our academies.

Sikh Values and Culture – By learning about their heritage, young Sikhs develop a stronger sense of self worth, identity, and community that greatly boosts their self-esteem and sense of belonging.
Traditional Martial Arts (Gatka) – Gatka is a Sikh martial art that was taught by the Gurus (Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib jee) and serves as a tool for self defense. It also teaches the unification of spirit and body (Miri Piri), and our aim is that by educating young Sikhs about Gatka, we can help them establish a strong foundation from which they can build a fulfilling life.
Inspirational Talks – We have guest speakers come and speak with the children about the principles of the Khalsa and Sikhi awareness. They also share uplifting success stories that teach the children that anything is possible with the right mindset and a good education.