Being a part of a Sikh Society at university is an amazing opportunity. Not only do you get the chance to help shape the society and your community but you also have the chance to develop skills which will help you in the future no matter where life takes you.

We caught up with Raveena Kaur who was the President of St. George’s Sikh Society 2017/18 to see how she developed these skills as well as some of the challenges she faced.

Tell us about your initial involvement in your Sikh Society:

Raveena: “I don’t want to sound too dramatic but the moment I started uni I was desperately in search of the Sikh society stand at fresher’s fayre and knew I’d be so excited to join. And even though my overall experience had been extremely positive, there were a couple of hurdles I did not expect myself to run into, more so of how I would deal with situations.”

What challenges did you face as a President of the Sikh Society?

Raveena: “Once you are a part of the committee there is definitely more work to be put in than you actually think, of course this is not an issue because working with your team makes everything run smoothly! However the hurdle I ran into was when I was faced with a member who was not able to put as much time/effort into any event/activity.”

How did you solve this issue?

Raveena: “We had one of our biggest events around the corner, Langar on Campus. I knew I had a team to help me but was concerned the member was not able to commit fully to the event. For that reason, I asked to speak to them in person and once we had a rather long discussion, they had apologised, understood how they affected the events and we both decided it was best they stepped down as they had to commit to many other priorities.

Thanks to Vaheguru, the LOC event was fantastic! And I was happy that I had spoken to the member sooner rather than later.”

Volunteers at St George's first ever langar on campus!

What advice would you give others to help them deal with similar issues in the future:

Raveena: “Two things I’d like anyone reading this to take home is:

1. As President of any society you be willing to put in the extra mile and make sure you keep the society as a priority! If you push things to the side, your to do list will build up!

2. Communication - if I had not spoken to my team I would not have known they were also worried about the particular committee member. And if I had not have been honest and clear to the member then they would have still been on the committee and not being able to commit. So, clear the air! Also, talking to the team is important because they can help you with reducing the to do list!”

Thanks to Raveena Kaur for sharing her thoughts and experiences so openly and honestly. The year Raveena Kaur and her team did seva, St George’s University Sikh Soc were incredibly successful and did a fantastic job of running their first Langar on Campus event, proving that with effort and determination, small universities can run a successful Langar event also. Well done to all the team.

My experience as president of Sikh society