Convention to focus on youth, women

Auckland based New Zealand Sanatan Naari Sabha (NZSNS) is organising a major conference next weekend to focus public attention on a number of issues concerning women and younger members of the society.

The Sanatan Youth and Women Convention will be held at the Shiv Mandir (Temple of Lord Shiva), located at 43 Holmes road (off 69 Mahia Road) in Manurewa on September 11 from 9 am to 2 pm.

NZSNS President Mavis Singh said the Convention aimed to preserve and promote Hindu values and the ‘Sanatan Dharm’ among the members of the Indian community in New Zealand.

“The main aim is to strengthen the character, leadership skills, self-discipline and self-confidence amongst Hindu youths and women. We also aim to educate and enlighten the members of the community about the value of self-less service,” she said.

According to her, among the stated purposes of the Convention was to involve youngsters and women in cultural activities to enhance their knowledge of Indian culture and heritage.

“We also focus on educating our community on culture-based social problems and how to deal with the related issues.

Manukau District Court Judge Dr Ajit Singh will be among the main speakers at the Convention. His address will cover the cultural difficulties faced by children in schools, binge drinking among the youth and the impact of social networking sites such as Facebook.

Other speakers include Manju Varma (Child, Youth & Family), Pratima Nand (Waitemata Health Board) and Raeyan Bhana (South Auckland Family Prevention Network). They will discuss the need to address prevention of child abuse in migrant families, promoting a smoke-free community and the plight of victims of family violence and alleviation of their problems.

“Labour Leader Phil Goff and his fellow MPs Ross Robertson and Dr Rajen Prasad and National MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi will be among the VIPs attending the Convention,” Ms Singh said.