Sahebji Youth Leadership Retreat 2022 (SYLR 2022) took place in the divine presence of Sadhu Pujya Jayeshdasji and Sadhu Pujya Ashishdasji from December 25-29, 2022 at the Norwalk Mandir. Youth stayed at the Saddlebeck Hotel nearby the mandir. Approximately 40 youth leaders attended, ranging from ages 14 to 30 years old. Their daily schedules were packed with a variety of activities. This year’s retreat differed from previous years in that it was heavily focused on the importance of seva, in preparation for the Los Angeles Mandir Murti Pratishtha Mahotsav, and it also included team-building activities, group discussions, and Q&A sessions. Throughout the retreat, youth leaders were privileged to hear from accomplished speakers and presenters like Chetanbhai (Fremont, CA), Archanaben (Seattle, WA), Bhavishaben (UK) and Sadhu Pujya Jayeshdasji.
SYLR 2022 began with the arrival of youth leaders on the afternoon of Sunday, December 25th at the Los Angeles mandir in Norwalk, CA. Kuldeep (Philadelphia, PA) hosted the opening ceremony and welcomed Sadhu Pujya Jayeshdasji and Sadhu Pujya Ashishdasji, along with youth leader attendees from all over the continent. Janam (Allentown, PA) performed poojan of Shri Thakorji and Santo, while Aashi (Los Angeles, CA) offered flowers. To inaugurate the start of retreat, Bhavinbhai (Los Angeles, CA) participated in the auspicious deep pragatya ceremony. For opening remarks, Bhavinbhai admired that the youth had sacrificed their winter holidays to attend this retreat and participate in seva for the MPM. He encouraged everyone to think creatively on how to execute the samaiyo and provide feedback where necessary. Amitbhai (Los Angeles, CA) provided an update on the progress of MPM preparations. Via phone call, Sadguru Sant Pujya Ashvindada showered his blessings on all the youth leaders. Finally, the youth leaders also received ashirvad from Sadhu Pujya Jayeshdasji.

On the evening of December 25th, the youth leaders participated in a “White Elephant” gift exchange. All leaders brought small gifts with them to retreat, and during this session everyone sat in a circle and selected gifts one-by-one.
Each day started off with morning pooja, aarti and breakfast. Next, the youth leaders participated in a sabha session, followed by an activity/group game which served to reinforce the topic of the session. Before lunch, pairs of leaders presented on different leadership qualities in Leadership 101 sessions. After lunch, youth leaders participated in planning sessions for MPM by splitting off into committees and working on different seva projects for the whole afternoon. In the evening, the leaders got together for dinner and performed evening aarti. After aarti, the leaders went for different outings nearby in Los Angeles.
For assisting the youth, the gruhasto in LA played a huge role in making sure the retreat ran smoothly. Amitbhai and Jigarbhai were present from morning to night helping setup the mandir to accommodate this large group of youth. Dimpuben, Rituben and the Yogi Prasad behno prepared breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner everyday for all the youth and included various delicious Western items in the meals. Dharmendrabhai and Jigarbhai assisted with transportation by picking up and dropping off youth at the airport.

December 26
In the first sabha session, Chetanbhai described the importance of seva. He covered the main aspects of what seva is, why we are selected for this seva, and how we can perform seva in a way that pleases Shree Thakorji Maharaj and Sant Bhagwant Sahebdada. He gave real-life examples from within satsang and also from society to further explain his points. The youth leaders showed their enthusiasm and engagement by asking inquisitive questions and providing feedback afterwards.
Next, the youth leaders participated in a game testing their teamwork skills. They were asked to build the tallest structure possible using everyday items like plastic cups, straws, paper, and spoons. Whichever team built the highest tower in a limited amount of time would be announced the winner. The game was designed to evaluate different team members’ strengths and abilities while working as a team. After the winner was selected, each team shared their thoughts on how well they worked together, and how every team member’s personality influenced their performance as a group.
Finally, Yashvi (Fremont, CA) and Rajvi (Columbia, MD) did a Leadership 101 presentation on two major leadership qualities: encouraging collaboration and focusing on following Sahebdada’s vision. Yashvi explained how a leader must understand everyone’s perspectives in order for their teamwork to be successful. This means listening and accepting suggestions from all team members. She also described how Sahebdada’s vision is for us all to live a God-centered life, and that we can do this by performing seva with samp, suhradbhav and ekta. Rajvi shared relevant prasangs from the jivan charitra of Sahebdada, particularly from his time in college. Despite having different personalities, the eight founding members persevered by coming together with faith and trust in Sahebdada.

December 27
In the second sabha session, Archanaben (Seattle, WA) continued on the topic of seva. She began by defining the true meaning of rajipo, and what makes Sahebdada truly happy. Then she introduced the concept of “chalse, favse, bhavse,” reiterating how Sahebdada is pleased when we adjust to any circumstance by remembering that God is the all-doer. She shared a prasang from the Yogiji Maharaj Jivan Charitra to further emphasize this point. Upon addressing questions from the youth, she shared her own experiences as well and touched the hearts of all the leaders.
For their team-building activity, the youth leaders participated in an obstacle course game. Split into pairs, the youth were instructed to lead one another through a creative obstacle course. But the challenge was that they had to make their way through the obstacles with their eyes closed while their partner guided them through. The game was a true test of effective communication and giving/following directions clearly.
For Leadership 101, Bansari (Los Angeles, CA) and Jayati (Seattle, WA) presented about two more leadership qualities: being a role model and thinking positive. Bansari explained how Sahebdada is the ultimate role model and represents the ideal that we should strive towards. Jayati shared examples of how Shantidada has taught to only think positive in all scenarios.
In the afternoon, following the outing (bowling), the youth leaders had an opportunity to visit the Anaheim mandir. In his own unique style, Dharmendrabhai shared the mahima of the murtis, the history of the mandir, and even his close connection with Sahebdada. Sadhu Pujya Jayeshdasji also gave ashirvad and spoke about the sacrifice of Vishnumama and Smitamami. The youth were overjoyed to perform darshan of the historic murtis which were originally installed in the Poconos mandir.

December 28
In the third sabha session, Pujya Bhavishaben spoke to the youth via recorded video. She highlighted how seva plays a critical role in our spiritual development. She shared examples from Sahebdada’s life and her own life. After the video, she joined via live Zoom call to answer questions from the youth, and gave beautiful advice to all the leaders.
For team-building, the youth leaders were split into two groups, and one group was given a variety of random items. The other group had to stand in a line in front of each member of the 1st group and memorize their items, plus the order of the items as well. Then the groups separated, and the 2nd group had to recreate the entire line of items in the correct order. The game was an interesting demonstration of working with attention to detail and communicating effectively.
In Leadership 101, Maharshi (Poconos, PA), Trushil (Seattle, WA), and Mihir (Columbia, MD) presented about making an impact, a culmination of all leadership qualities. Maharshi explained how making an impact is simply a byproduct of being a good leader–it is not sought out exclusively. Trushil delineated what makes a leader different from a boss by giving the example of Sadhu Pujya Shreyasdasji, who leads by example rather than by telling others what to do. Mihir gave the example of sadguru Sant Pujya Ashvindada, who supported Anoopam Mission through a very critical time by watching over their group of 8 friends with great leadership and trust. Maharshi also gave practical examples of leaders in history who made an impact in both negative and positive ways.

December 29
For the closing ceremony, Kruti (Lakeland, FL) hosted the sabha. Yashvi and Bansari performed abhar darshan and thanked all the volunteers who made the retreat possible. Maharshi and Mihir gave some guidance on proceeding with sevas virtually from home, and announced Yashvi and Bansari as the official points of contact for the youth moving forward. Chetanbhai commended all the youth for participating enthusiastically in all the sessions. Lastly, Sadhu Pujya Jayeshdasji gave blessings to all the youth and encouraged them to continue performing their sevas with dedication in order to please Sahebdada.