January Community Update

Greetings!

We are excited to share our first Jahajee Sisters Community Update of the decade!  We started the year off with creativity, community, conversations and culinary delights. That was only the beginning. We have lots of exciting programs and events in the works.  Read on to find out what’s happening at Jahajee Sisters in 2010 and be sure to get involved.

Sister Circles are our newest initiative. Through them, Jahajee Sisters create a space for Indo-Caribbean women to bond, share our stories, dialogue about relevant and important issues, and explore ways to create change. With great food, amazing women and dynamic conversation at every Circle, we build lasting relationships and strengthen our community. Sister Circles are hosted and organized by several volunteers each month.  If you would like to participate in planning a future Sister Circle, contact us. 

Join us for our February Sister Circle on Saturday, February 20 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Our theme is Self Love and Empowerment through Healing Mind, Body & Spirit. February is the month when we celebrate love, and at Jahajee Sisters we recognize that in order to love, we must first love ourselves.   Come out to explore self-care practices, which are grounded in the wisdom of our ancestors (Ayurveda). Learn to align the breath with the daily solar and lunar rhythms through breathwork (pranayama); strengthen your primordial energies with a few simple but powerful healing postures (yoga asanas). Learn how a woman's magic is irretrivably linked to lunar rhythms and how a woman’s cycles greatly affects her shakti-prana (Wise Earth's Uttara Vasti practice).  Alicia Jorawar will join us to share the teachings of Swamini Mayatitananda, a world-renowned scholar and spiritual leader who was born in Guyana.  We will also connect reclaiming our ancestral healing practices to current movements in the United States, the Caribbean and the world working towards justice and solidarity. The location will be disclosed after you RSVP.

We kicked off the year with over 30 women in attendance at our second Sister Circle on January 8, 2010.  Enjoying delicious food, sharing our experiences with and aspirations for Education, and addressing critical issues in our community through improv theatre, we supported each other and exchanged resources.  Check out the list of education-related resources (below) that was compiled at the event and email us if you have additional resources you would like to contribute.  We’ll be putting these up on our website in the coming weeks.  In addition to exploring educational barriers and breakthroughs, we also discussed the relevance and importance of the 2010 US Census. Thanks to everyone who made the January Sister Circle a tremendous success by hosting, planning, cooking, conducting outreach and attending!

Education Resources (list in formation)

United States Department of Education
New York City Department of EducationNew York State Education Department  
City University of New York (CUNY)      
Education & Libraries Link for Queens, NY
Official Website for Queens, NY   
Teacher Ratings
U.S. News & World Report School Rankings
Scholarship Search
Free access to information for parents of school-aged children

 
Other Upcoming Opportunities & Events:

February 14, 2010 – Join us at the Stars International Band's Valentine's Day event, organized by Jahajee Sisters member and community leader, Indra Seet.  Members of Jahajee Sisters will also be performing.  Come out and enjoy dinner and entertainment, 6:00 pm at The Starlite Pavilion (130-05 101 Avenue, Queens, NY 11419)

Volunteer with Jahajee Sisters – as a volunteer-led organization, we invite sisters to volunteer to host Sister Circles, help plan events, join leadership committees and more! If you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities, please contact us at jahajeesisters@gmail.com. 

4th Annual Indo-Caribbean Women’s Empowerment Summit – this year, we hope to have a 2-day Summit that kicks off on a Friday evening with cultural performances and networking, followed by two days of panels and interactive workshops.  We are working on an exciting list of presenters.  If you have leads for venues in Queens or would like to get involved, please be in touch.

2010 Young Women’s Summer Leadership Institute – with generous support from the Third Wave Foundation, we are organizing a week-long leadership development training for young Indo-Caribbean women ages 15 to 25.  Please contact us for more information and to get involved.

We look forward to seeing you soon, and working with you this year.  As always, check our website for additional updates: www.jahajeesisters.org.


Best regards,
Jahajee Sisters Advisory Committee