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The Bal Yuvak Mandal is the Mandir’s Sunday Religious School
for children aged between 6 to 16. The school is designed for religious,
educational and social benefits. Our aim is to satisfy our childrens'
thirst for knowledge about both the Swaminaranyan Sampradaya and
Hinduism in general.
Come and join us |
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Our
aim and goals |
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Teach young devotees about the Swaminarayan Sampradaya
and Hinduism in general, in a simple and an effective way. |
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Make classes fun and exciting and hold events,
festivals, activities and trips. |
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Hold examinations and consequently award certificates
to encourage children. |
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Pass down traditions and rituals to the next
generation and spread the divine message of Lord Swaminarayan. |
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Try to remove uncertainties and confusion by
answering questions and translating meanings in to English. |
Above all we pray that the child devotees will derive immense spiritual benefit from the Bal Yuvak Mandal as they will be pleasing Maharaj.
When and where:
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Every Sunday morning from 9.30 am to 10.30 am. |
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Held in the Educational Building, (which is adjacent to the temple), and at the same time as the main Sunday morning Sabha for convenience. |
Curriculum
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| Class
1 – Ghanashyam (ages 6 – 8, boys and girls
mixed) |
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Simplified sketch of Maharaj’s life,
complemented by simple and fun religious stories. |
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Basic Puja, Daily Duties, Aarti and Shikshapatri
lessons. |
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Mandir rituals, reasons, meanings and English
translation. |
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| Class 2 – Neelkanth
(ages 9 – 12, boys and girls separated) |
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Ghanashyam / Neelkanth Charitra.
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In depth puja, daily duties and Shikshapatri
lessons, plus festivals. |
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More serious examinations. |
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3 – Sahajanand (ages 13 – 16, boys and girls
separated) |
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Neelkanth / Sahajanand Charitra. |
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More in depth lessons on class 2 plus lessons
on Hinduism in general. |
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At this stage, as well as sitting exams,
we encourage the older students to carry out their own
‘open’ research, prepare teaching material
and teach the lower classes. |
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Free GCSE Hinduism Classes For
ALL Ages Application Form
| Learning
outcomes |
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Understanding of your identity as a Hindu. |
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Meet the national British curriculum of GCSE
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Achieve a GSCE qualification (if you choose to
sit the exam) . |
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Be in a position to answer ANY questions about
your religion. |
| Topics
covered include |
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Concept of God in Hinduism. |
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Living a Hindu life. |
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Beliefs and values. |
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Community and traditions. |
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Worship and celebration. |
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Hindus and respect for life . |
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Role of temples / temple architecture. |
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Examination board - EDEXCEL London University
Examination Board. |
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Examination sitting recommended for age 12 and
above. |
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Classes held every Sunday from 11am to 12noon.
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Past Events
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Youth Shibir ’99 & '00 – lots of fun activities / games, yoga, and learning how to do puja (taught by Swamis). |
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Oxford Shibir 2000 – a weeklong trip to Oxford, accompanied by Swamis, who held kathas and other religious activities especially designed for the child devotee. The trip included a visit to see one of the original Shikshapatris held at the Indian Institute Library, a part of the Bodleian Library – Oxford. |
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Sponsored Dandvats – Approx. 40 kids did 35,000 dandvats in two hours to raise money for those who suffered as a result of the earthquake in east India (Orisa). Approx. £2,500 was raised. |
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Sponsored Mantra Writing - Approx. 50 girls wrote the 'Swaminarayan' mantra 100,000 times. |
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Millennium Dome trip 2000 at a subsidised price. |
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Holi 2000 - the children enjoyed a colourful 'paint fight' in the mandir car park. |
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Youth Celebration Easter 2003 - 3 day event held
at mandir where the younger generation held sabha's and presentations
on various religious topics. Debates, discussions, quizzes
and a sports day were also part of the event. Click
here to see pictures of the event. |
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Keele University Shibir 2004 - 4 Day event held
at Keele University held jointly with East London Mandir Click
Here to see an article on the event. |
In addition, the Mandal annually organises activities and games and runs a kids camp for children during the Mandir’s week long Patosav. All children under 16 are welcome.
Future Events:
We plan to continue to organise trips and activities as well as further developing the curriculum. As always we will be doing another sponsored event for a good cause and organising activities over this year’s Patosav.
 Publishings:
The Mandal has just published its first book ‘Ghanashyam Charitra’ which details Maharaj’s life from birth to adolescence. The book is available from the Mandir’s Library and will also be made available to other Swaminarayan Mandirs. We expect to continue to publish more books in the future, especially designed for children |
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Past Exam Papers
