APR 28, 2023
The first quarter is critical in laying the foundation for the SikhLEAD Summer Internship Program. It allows SALDEF to properly assemble and finalize a cohort of intelligent and passionate students while considering possible offices for their Internship placements and relevant programming. During this quarter, the SikhLEAD 2023 Program recruited a total of 55 candidates, with 46 students participating in the Regional Program and 9 students in the DC program with a representation from 18 different states.
The SALDEF team primarily focused on Intern placements for their Summer Internships. We ensured that the Interns applied to a variety of Internships and facilitated this process for them by building new relationships and tapping into the established ones with the different offices. The Internship placements included Congressional offices such as the offices of Senator Schumer, Senator Manka Dhingra, US Rep Rob Wittman, Nonprofits such as APIAVote, CAPAL and the IRF Secretariat..
This quarter was also focused on putting together the best of programming for the SikhLEAD 2023 cohort which includes a blend of professional and faith-based topics. From Sikhi inspired discussions and Leadership/Professional development sessions, to Sikh Elected officials panel to the Power of SALDEF’s Partnerships panel, roughly 20- 25 speakers were secured for the overall SikhLEAD programming this summer. SALDEF also partnered with the Sikh Health Network during this quarter to run Health clinics across the country as a SEVA project for the SikhLEADers.
The second quarter will build off the work and planning done in the first quarter by having the Interns begin their Internships and SEVA projects in June alongside participating in the SikhLEAD Program from June 10th - August 12th.
Updates from From Seeds to Harvest: Cultivating Sikh Leadership with SikhLEAD’s efforts, posted on a regular basis.
