Artist-In-Residence - Sukhpreet Singh

We're delighted to announce that the famous Sikh painter, Sukhpreet Singh, will be attending this year's retreat. He'll be painting on location and also displaying some of his latest pieces. 

If you're an aspiring painter, Sukhpreet asks that you bring your watercolour supplies so you can paint alongside him and learn from a master.

Visit Sukhpreet's website for more info on the artist and his work.

You can also read about Sukhpreet's work here, here and here.

Only a few spots left!

If you're thinking of attending the Toronto Sikh Retreat, you better register asap!

We only have a couple of spots left at the student rate, after which everyone will have to pay the professional rate. This is because the student rate is heavily subsidized and off-set by the professinal rate. So we can only allow a certain number of student spots in total. 

So register now, guaruantee yourself a spot at the retreat and save a few dollars.

Financial Concerns?

If you have any problems with paying the registration fees, please do send us an email at info@torontosikhretreat.org.

We will do what we can to make alternative arrangements and, as only one person checks the email account, we promise to handle your request discreetly.

No one should not be attending the retreat because of financial constraints. Register now!

Having Problems Registering?

While most people have been able to register easily, we have had a few problems.

If you have any problems whatsoever in registering or paying, please email us at info@torontosikhretreat.org and we'll help figure things out.

Spots are filling up very quickly and the earlybird spots are almost gone so register now!

Get Ready For Open Mic Night!

On Saturday night we'll be doing an open mic night. This is your chance to show off your hidden talents. You can perform anything you want in any language, Sikhi or non-Sikh related. So come prepared with your song, poem, magic trick, joke or story! (No prior talent required)

Register Now!

Registration for the Toronto Sikh Retreat is up and running. 

We have early bird pricing for those that register early. So register now and save!

New Toronto Sikh Retreat Website Is Online!

After a lot of hard work (Thanks Meera, Hartaarn and Tanveer), the new Toronto Sikh Retreat website is online. We're just finalizing the registration section and that will go live soon. But in the mean time, please do check out the new site.

Pics From 2007 Toronto Sikh Retreat

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Photos care of Hartaarn Singh.

We've added an extra day!

We've decided to add an extra day to the retreat this year. 

We used to do the retreat on long weekends in the past. While we loved the extra day, we were always competing with lots of activities around town. So we're now doing the retreat on a weekend in January where there's probably nothing else going on. So you don't have the excuse of mid-terms, weddings, vacations to keep you from attending.  :)

So even though its not a long weekend we've decided to go from Thursday to Sunday. This will make it easier for those flying into Toronto just for the retreat to justify the expense and trip. Also, it will give us lots more time for discussion and activities.  Lastly, it will let finish up early on Sunday and allow for people to get back home at a decent time.

We're excited by the opportunities an extra day allows us. Stay tuned for details on the schedule and programs.

Registration Up Next Week

We've already had lots of emails asking about when we'll be opening up registration for the 2009 retreat. We're just in the process of finalizing the website and updating the registration and payment engine. We hope to have it all up and running by early next week. Drop us an email and we'll send you a notification we're online.

We'll be doing early-bird pricing so be sure to sign-up early!

New TSR Logo

Thanks to Meera for putting together a fantastic logo for Toronto Sikh Retreat. You'll be seeing lots more of it as we rollout all the materials for 2009. 

2009 TSR Facebook Event Is Online

We've created an "Event" on Facebook to help get the word out about the retreat. 

Sign up for the event here and invite anyone who you think might be interested in attending.

Welcome Aboard Meera!

We're delighted to have Meera Sethi help out with TSR this year. Meera is a Toronto-based artist who has done a lot of great work in South Asian and mainstream community. Her latest efforts were on Arts and Homelessness policy report released earlier this month. To the left is a book cover she designed for an anthology of poetry by female South Asian writers.

We'll be working with her to create a fresh look for all of TSR's marketing materials. 

Her website is http://www.meerasethi.com. It's definitely worth a look. 

Leaders Needed

Booking the date and place was the easy part. Now comes the hard(er) part as we have only 3 months to organize everything else. Also throw into the mix, a desire to change things up with the agenda / content and perhaps even add an activity day to the retreat.

 

So here's where we need your help. Please let us know if you're interested in helping to organize this year's retreat.

 

We don't need a lot of people, but rather a few dedicated and energized individuals. No experience or "Sikhi-expertise" is required; even if you haven't even been to a retreat. But a willingness to work is mandatory. If you're just going to drop by and do some drive-by commentary on themes and workshop topics, please just send us an email with your thoughts. At this point, we're looking for people with passion, energy and the ability to hold themselves accountable for delivering on their responsibilities.

 

So email kulvirgill at hotmail dot com and let us know if you're up for the challenge. Its always a lot of work, but always a blast.

Jan 8 to 11, 2009 at Ecology Retreat Centre

Pull out your calendars and mark down the dates:

2009 Toronto Sikh Retreat

Thurs January 8 to Sun January 11, 2009

Ecology Retreat Centre

Orangeville, Ontario (30 min north of Toronto)

Don't say we didn't give you enough warning!

Welcome!

Fateh,

We've set-up this blog to keep everyone posted as to the details of this year's Toronto Sikh Retreat. Over the next few weeks, we'll be updating the website and marketing the event. But we'll use this  blog to keep you apprised of what's happening.

So check back often for updates!