City Sikhs (formerly City Sikhs Network) (Punjabi: ਸਿਟੀ ਸਿੱਖ) is a nonprofit organisation, and a registered charity which describes itself as "A voice for progressive Sikhs". It promotes networking, education and volunteering amongst Sikh professionals and provides a platform for engagement with the British Sikh community.[1]
| ਸਿਟੀ ਸਿੱਖ | |
 "The City Sikhs mission is to create positive change within society and inspire people to be the best they can be." | |
| Named after | Professionals working in the City of London |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 2010 |
| Founder |
|
| Founded at | London, England |
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| None | |
| Legal status | Registered British charity |
| Focus | Faith and Interfaith work Professional networking Policy research Community cohesion Political engagement |
| Headquarters | London, England |
| Locations |
|
Area served | United Kingdom |
Members | 10000 members and supporters |
Trustee Co-Chairman | Jasvir Singh CBE |
Trustee Co-Chairman | Param Singh MBE |
Volunteers | 40 |
| Website | www.citysikhs.org.uk |
Formerly called | City Sikhs Network |
History
edit
City Sikhs was launched in London in October 2010 by a group of Sikh professionals.[2] The idea for the organisation came about after the founder of City Sikhs, Param Singh became friends with Dhruv Patel OBE, the founder of the City Hindus Network through a leadership training programme they both attended.[3] In 2018, the organisation had over 7,000 members and was the largest Sikh organisation in the UK and Europe.[4]
City Sikhs is a member of the Faiths Forum [5] and has worked with a variety of organisations including City Hindus Network,[6] Deloitte Diversity Networks,[7] National Sewa Day,[8] the Faith and Belief Forum (formerly Three Faiths Forum), Limmud,[9] the Islamic Society of Britain,[10] and The Football Association[11]
In 2021, Rita Chadha, who was the former Small Charities Coalition chief executive, was appointed as its first director.[12]
City Sikhs' work
edit
Some of the events that City Sikhs has organised include:
- 17 August 2011: "Sikhs, the City and Success", hosted by Barclays Wealth [13]
- 2 April 2012: "Mayoral Hustings in the City", hosted by Deloitte[14]
- 17 October 2012: "Celebrating British Asian Sporting Success", hosted by Herbert Smith Freehills LLP[15]
- 4 April 2013: "Recipes for Success", hosted by State Street Bank[16]
- 31 July 2013: "Launch of the British Sikh Report", hosted by Ernst & Young[17]
- 10 February 2014: "Women in Faith", co-hosted by St Paul's Cathedral[18]
- 9 April 2015: "Hustings in the City", hosted by the Chartered Insurance Institute and co-organised with the City Hindus Network.[19]
- "Recipes for Success", hosted by UBS Bank in 2014, Lloyds Bank in 2016, BDO in 2017 and Parliament in 2018.[20]
- 15 April 2019: The Grand Trunk Project and Faiths Forum for London in partnership with City Sikhs, City Hindus Network and the Association of Muslim Lawyers held an event in Parliament to commemorate 100 years on since the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.[21]
- 22 July 2019: The Faiths Forum for London in partnership with City Sikhs organised the parliamentary launch of the first South Asian Heritage Month[22]
- 29 July 2019: City Sikhs in partnership with the Indian High Commission organised a photo exhibition on the life and philosophy of Guru Nanak Dev Ji as part of his global 550th birth anniversary celebrations.[23]
City Sikhs supports interfaith initiatives such as the St George's Day Declaration[24] and CAASE.[25] City Sikhs has also supported British Sikh projects such as the Warrior Saints book,[26] the British Sikh Report,[27] and the Khanda Poppy Project[28]
In February, 2022 they also authored an open letter[29] about religious freedom in collaboration with British South Indians and think tank, Bridge India[30] in response to the move to ban head scarves in schools in Karnataka.[31]
Members of City Sikhs have appeared on TV and radio and in print on a number of occasions to talk about Sikh or British Asian issues and are regular contributors to the BBC Asian Network and BBC1's The Big Questions.
Awards and nominations
editThe City Sikhs team has been awarded a wide range of awards recognising both interfaith and community work, including:
- In the 2017 New Year Honours, a founding trustee Jasvir Singh, received an OBE for services to faith communities and social cohesion in the UK.[32] He became the youngest Sikh to receive this award.
- In the 2018 New Year Honours, Onkardeep Singh, a founding trustee, received an MBE for services to faith communities and young people in the UK.[33] He became the youngest person of South Asian heritage to receive this award.[34]
- In November 2018, Trustee Param Singh received an 'Inspirational Individual' award at Faith and Belief Forum Community Awards presented by the Lord Lieutenant for Greater London, Sir Ken Olisa OBE for services to the various faith communities in London.[33]
- In the 2019 New Year Honours, Param Singh, a founding trustee, received an MBE for services to charity.[35]
- In July 2019, City Sikhs was given the "Community Initiative of the Year" award [36] and the co-founder, Param Singh MBE, was named Man of the Year at the 7th British Indian Awards.[37]
- In September 2019, Onkardeep Singh MBE, a founding member, was awarded the prestigious Asian Achievers Award for community service at the 19th Asian Achievers Awards at Grosvenor House by Air Chief Marshall Michael Wigston of the Royal Air Force.[38]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "FAQs". City Sikhs. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
- ^ "Sikhs look to Microsoft and Google for inspiration". Sikhnet. 19 October 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ "City Sikhs History". Sikh Entrepreneur. 28 November 2012.
- ^ "Project Partners for the Faith Leader Training Initiative". University of Birmingham.
- ^ "Council Members". faithsforum.com.
- ^ "Sikhs and Hindus to gather for biggest City Hustings event in the UK". London Live. Archived from the original on 2018-08-27. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
- ^ "Mayoral Hustings in the City - Deloitte UK Responsible Business". Archived from the original on 20 May 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ "City Sikhs Take Part in National Sewa Day". Sikhnet. 22 November 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ "City Sikhs at Limmud - The Faith & Belief Forum". The Faith & Belief Forum. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ "Grooming 'coalition' launched to tackle child sex abuse". BBC. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ "An awesome experience". The Football Association. 12 February 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ Andy Ricketts. "Former Small Charities Coalition chief executive takes up new role". www.thirdsector.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
- ^ "City Sikhs Network hosts a gala evening to celebrate success". Asian Voice. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ "Siobhan at the City Sikh Network and Deloittes hustings". Archived from the original on 2012-04-09. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- ^ "City Sikhs Network celebrate British Asian sporting success". 2012-10-29. Archived from the original on 2012-10-29. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- ^ "Inspiring Talks in Canary Wharf". City Sikhs Network.
- ^ Talwar, Divya (2013-06-06). "95% of British Sikhs 'proud of UK'". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- ^ "City Sikhs host Inspirational Interfaith Evening at Historic St Paul's Cathedral". Asian Voice. 22 February 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- ^ "Sikhs and Hindus to gather for biggest City Hustings event in the UK". London Live. 9 April 2015. Archived from the original on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ "Inspiration & Success". City Sikhs. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
- ^ "Jallianwala Bagh 100 Years On". Faiths Forum. 17 April 2019. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
- ^ "South Asian Heritage Month Launch". The Asian Today Online. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- ^ "City Sikhs and the Indian High Commission Guru Nanak Exhibition #550", YouTube, retrieved 10 August 2019
- ^ "St George's Day Declaration By Christian-Muslim Groups: 'Hijab Should Be As Welcome As Bangers And Mash'". The Huffington Post. 22 April 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ "CAASE". Archived from the original on 2013-06-09. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
- "Introducing CAASE, A New Alliance Against On-Street Grooming and Child Sexual Abuse". The Huffington Post. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013. - ^ "Warriors' martial history explored in new book". BBC News. 4 May 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ "British Sikh Report - About Us". Archived from the original on 14 June 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ "Khanda Poppy Project to mark Remembrance Sunday". Sikhnet. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ India, Bridge (18 February 2022). "Open letter to the Prime Minister regarding religious freedom in India". bridgeindia.org.uk. Bridge India. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ India, Bridge. "Bridge India". bridgeindia.org.uk. Bridge India. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ Qureshi, Imran (15 March 2022). "Hijab ban: Karnataka high court upholds government order on headscarves". BBC News. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ "London barrister becomes youngest Sikh to receive OBE". The Times of India. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ a b "UK Sikh gets MBE for boosting interfaith bonds - Times of India". The Times of India. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ "Hillingdon inter-faith campaigner made MBE in New Year Honours". Hillingdon Times. January 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ "Param Singh, City Sikhs Founder and Deputy Chair, Received MBE from Queen". Facebook. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
- ^ "City Sikhs wins the 'Community Initiative of the Year' at the British Indian Awards 2019. A big thank you to the Trustees, Ambassadors, Advisory Board, Members, Partner organisations and friends for your continued support. Thank you to the organisers @OceanicConsultpic.twitter.com/GnJ89hTep8". @citysikhs. 27 July 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- ^ "Winners for the 7th British Indian Awards 2019 are revealed". Asian World News. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- ^ "SPECIAL: ASIAN ACHIEVERS AWARDS 2019". Asian Lite. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2019.[permanent dead link]
- "THE WINNERS OF THE 19th ANNUAL ASIAN ACHIEVERS AWARDS ARE… - Events, National, Top Stories". The Asian Today Online. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2019.