Sat Nam Dear Members of our 3HO, Sikh Dharma and KRI Community: 

​The Siri Singh Sahib Corporation (SSSC) and all of the affiliated organizations under its umbrella, stand united against abuse of any type, and we have a zero-tolerance policy for any conduct that harms or exploits anyone.  We are committed to a safe environment for everyone who participates in any of our activities.

​These last few months have brought to light very difficult experiences from the past. The SSSC recognizes our need to listen and reflect deeply on what these accounts have to teach us and how to move forward together with sensitivity, awareness and inclusion. The SSSC’s commitment is to continue this process and to act responsibly in light of what we learn. 
In November 2012, the  SSSC board became the first elected governance body of our family of organizations. From the time it assumed its governance role, the Board began to  strengthen the ethics, compliance, and enforcement policies and programs of our organizations. Some of the SSSC initiatives to ensure a safe and respectful place for learning and practicing the yogic and dharmic teachings, include: 

• Supporting the Office of Ethics and Professional Standards (EPS).  Since 2014 EPS has worked to ensure the safety of every student and teacher of Kundalini Yoga by providing training in professional standards and ethics policies. A Code of Ethics for teachers and a Bill of Rights for yoga students are in place to ensure that ethical standards are maintained. Additionally, a Code of Ethics for Sikh Dharma Ministers is in development. EPS provides a 24/7 hotline (1-888-805-4888) and a user-friendly, online process (https://epsweb.org/complaint-procedures) for reporting ethics concerns and addresses such complaints in a timely and effective manner. EPS has recently engaged an expert consultant to review and strengthen our policies and procedures organization-wide and to recommend ways to improve our organizational practices. For more information, please visit the EPS website at: epsweb.org​
• Strengthening our efforts to cultivate safe environments for all who participate in our events or are part of our community. 

The SSSC has been taking steps to cultivate safe environments. Once the report is completed, the SSSC will study the findings with EPS and the Office of Dharmic Counsel . With input from the global community, we will seek a deeper understanding of all issues and will take the steps necessary to ensure that we maintain an environment that is safe for everyone.

• Safeguarding the youth in all of our programs. In 2014 an anti-bullying program was implemented at our school in India, Miri Piri Academy.  More recently, based on accounts from next generation members of our community, the SSSC commissioned the Youth Response Team (YRT). Among other things, the YRT is focused on  initiatives for supporting the next generation and will also coordinate a broad effort to evaluate our current youth programs to ensure that they are as safe and supportive for all participants.
• Commitment to diversity and equitable treatment. As an organization, we believe in the equality and dignity of all human beings and we stand for truth, social justice and equitable opportunities for all. In the months ahead, the SSSC Board will reach out to various constituents in our community in order to listen and better understand the work necessary to create a more inclusive and safe environment. 

We remain committed to sharing the teachings that have enriched our lives and the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world. As we move forward, we are committed to being conscious and caring, treating all with respect, compassion and kindness, and supporting and enforcing the highest ethical standards.

Siri Singh Sahib Corporation 

August 26, 1929: 

• Yogi Bhajan is born in the part of India that becomes Pakistan in 1948.

1968                           

• Yogi Bhajan leaves India for Canada, bringing Kundalini Yoga to the West.

1969                         

• 3HO is incorporated in California with Yogi Bhajan serving as Director of Spiritual Education.

Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji, also known as Yogi Bhajan, was the Chief Religious and Administrative Authority for the 3HO and Sikh Dharma community. The Siri Singh Sahib Corporation (SSSC) is the successor to Yogi Bhajan, and its Board of Trustees provides leadership and guidance for the 3HO and Sikh Dharma communities, organizations, and businesses. The SSSC is a tax-exempt religious nonprofit corporation.
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The SSSC Board of Trustees carries out its mission to live to and hold the values encompassed in the teachings of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, namely: selfless service, compassion, kindness, honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness. The SSSC Board of Trustees seeks to guide and support the work of the nonprofit and for-profit entities of the 3HO and Sikh Dharma communities.

The organizations under the SSSC’s umbrella are centered on the teachings of Sikh Dharma and of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®. On the spiritual level, the Board sets the direction and vision for the 3HO and Sikh Dharma organizations worldwide by adopting and implementing policies and procedures that embody Khalsa consciousness and values. On the temporal side, it deals with the administrative issues that come with its responsibility to oversee the numerous nonprofit and for-profit organizations that the Siri Singh Sahib created and inspired to benefit humanity.

1 Ram Das Guru Place
Espanola, NM 87532
www.ssscorp.org
 
Incorporated: September 1997
Began Operating: 2010

August 22, 2019

The Siri Singh Sahib Corporation (SSSC), as the oversight body of the Yogi Bhajan legacy organizations, is charged with supporting the mission and vision of the organizations and ensuring that our collective values and moral standards are being upheld. Toward that end, the Siri Singh Sahib Corporation has decided on three actions to serve and uphold those values.

The SSSC has listened closely to concerns raised about Akal Security’s role as a subcontractor to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) at the Krome Service Processing Center in Miami, Florida. In response to issues relating to the current administration’s immigration policies, a sincere discussion is ongoing at the SSSC about how to uphold our collective values and move forward in the most expedient, responsible, and humanitarian manner possible.

The SSSC supports the legal and human rights of refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers who have come to the United States seeking shelter and safety from untenable situations in their home countries. Along with people of conscience around the world, we are increasingly concerned about the recent shifts in tactics and policies being applied to innocent people seeking asylum. We are morally opposed to separation of children from their parents and inhumane treatment of asylum seekers and immigrants.

Background
Akal Security has provided security services to the US government since 1987. The types of facilities that Akal has served include courthouses, airports, army bases, offices, and other government facilities. The scope of Akal Security’s work at Krome is to maintain safety and security at the facility while the cases of the individuals detained are resolved.

The population at Krome consists entirely of adult males; no women or children are housed there. This facility has not experienced the large influx of newly arriving immigrants such as we have seen at the US-Mexico border. Unlike the temporary, overcrowded facilities on the US-Mexico border depicted in the news, the Krome facility is a highly controlled detention environment in a permanent building equipped with air conditioning, beds, recreational facilities, showers, medical staff, access to books and legal counsel, and food options according to religious and dietary choices.

The SSSC’s Board of Trustees has made the following determinations:

1. The organizations under the SSSC umbrella may not enter into any future contracts with ICE.
2. Funds from Akal Security shall not be included in future grants to the legacy non- profit organizations as long as Akal Security remains in any ICE or ICE related contracts. These include: Sikh Dharma International, 3HO Foundation International, Kundalini Research Institute, Sikhnet, Sikh Dharma Education International and 3HO of Europe. As a point of fact, Akal Security has not granted funds to the non-profits for the past 5 years.
3. The Siri Singh Sahib Corporation and Akal Security are actively exploring and evaluating Akal's business model including the current contract at the Krome Facility.

All of our organizations, for-profit and nonprofit, are committed to working actively for positive change, and we encourage all people of conscience to get involved in ways to make a difference.

The members of the Siri Singh Sahib Corporation Board appreciate the prayers and concerns of all those who have reached out and participated in this process, and will report back to the community any future developments about this issue.


Humbly yours,
The Board of Trustees
Siri Singh Sahib Corporation

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For comments and questions email: info@ssscorp.org 

If you want to play this game of love, then step onto my path with your head in your hands.
Once you set out on this path, give your head and disregard the opinion of others.

To read more about the SDI Yatra, read past experiences or even participate in the 2019 Yatra please click on the following link: www.lightofgurunanak.com