The ‘Sussex Indian Punjabi Society’ (SIPS) was formed in May 1997 in Brighton & Hove and surrounding areas by members of the local Indian Punjabi community. The group was formed to help connect the community and to ensure younger members were exposed to our history, culture and cuisine.
We have designated formal officers such as Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary etc, but this was not the case in its early setup. Like everyone else Officers, Committee Members, volunteers and organisers must buy tickets to attend its events. There is currently no annual membership fee and each & everyone is welcome to our society’s functions by purchasing their tickets in advance.
Aim / Objectives:
· To serve and inspire our communities
· To improve social well-being of its community
· To promote awareness of Indian culture, its history and values
· To bring the community together and help enrich the lives of our members and the wider community.
· To organise and promote functions and cultural events, which form an integral part of the Indian calendar: For example Vaisakhi (also known as Baisakhi) in April and Diwali in November.
· To operate as a non-profit organisation and depending on need, access external funding to enable us to either subsidise and/or undertake additional activities and events.
· To develop good working relationships and build cohesion with all local organisations, including other Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community groups.
· To act as focal point and take on an advisory/advocacy role with external or official organisations in the interests of its membership.
· To Support charitable fund raising, causes and organisations, locally and nationally as appropriate.
· To promote fairness and will not discriminate on the basis of; race, sex, disability, sexuality, age or on the basis of political, religious or other opinions.
· To develop as necessary, from time to time any other activities to achieve the above for the community, consistent with the main objectives of the society.
Membership:
Membership is open to all who actively and demonstrably support the aims of the group and participate in its activities. Community members interested in becoming formal members and enjoy its benefits are requested to complete our Membership Form.
The Future:
Since those early days our functions have grown in popularity and we are proud that our functions are now an integral & important part of the local Indian Community’s calendar.
At present, our future seems very bright. We have new young members ready to volunteer, improve the organisation and has helped elevate us to the 21st century. We have also developed our Facebook group to help engage our communities and improving our online presence, whilst also working to help children with dance performances and other activities.
We appreciate the hard work our existing members and volunteers are doing. However, we need more of our younger generation to get involved and develop the future needs of the Indian Punjabi society. So please come forward, help and join us at our next exciting event!
