ISKCONyouth.com

ISKCONyouth.com is the website of ISKCON Youth Ministry Inc., a grass-roots non-profit organization maintained by a team of volunteers who would like to see youth inspired in Krishna (God) consciousness.

Krishna is the name of God, the Creator, in our tradition dating back 5000 years to ancient India, the time of the Mahabharata and Bhagavad-gita.

Our mission is to inspire, train, engage and empower youth in Krishna consciousness to their fullest potential.

We work with volunteers to create environments favorable for our mission. We'll share information and success stories on this website and hope that you will be inspired to start similar programs in your community.

Our History

ISKCON Youth Ministry is affiliated with ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, founder Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, a branch of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition within Hinduism dating back to antiquity. At the age of 69, Srila Prabhupada took up the order of his spiritual master and journeyed to the West to awaken Krishna consciousness within the hearts of people suffering due to rampant materialism and identification with the temporary body, caught up in a cycle of birth, death, disease and old age. He taught that we are not these bodies, but the eternal soul within. He showed us life on a path of sainthood, progressing to a transcendent spiritual Reality that is ever joyful, everlasting, and can be attained even while in this material world. Our life can become sublime by switching our selfish "I, me, mine" consciousness to selfless Krishna (God) consciousness, transforming lust into love of God through loving devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, our eternal Father, Friend, and Well-wisher. In gratitude to Srila Prabhupada and to his dear disciples, we humbly attempt to pass on to others the gift he gave us.

Some Youth Programs We're Excited About

New for 2008, Jaya Radhe and Anapayini (of the Bhaktikalalayam Dance Academy) are organizing a tour to inspire girls ages 11-13, June 6 through 21, 2008, called Kishori Yatra. For more information, see KishoriYatra.com.

The 2008 Krishna Culture Festival Tour across Canada and the USA is shaping up nicely. Twelve youth counselors meet weekly to plan the nine-week tour, which brings youth from around the world traveling to cities across North America to perform dance, drama, kirtan and prasad distribution at theaters, university auditoriums, and Ratha-yatra festivals.

In the New York and New Jersey areas, Vyenkata Bhatta Prabhu and his wife Krishangi Devi Dasi, Pragnesh Prabhu and others organize annual youth retreats under the Pandava Sena flag.

In the greater London area, Sandipani Muni Prabhu and the Pandava Sena youth hold weekly Gita Study programs, Jammin' sessions, and yearly retreats to temples in Europe. (Pandava Sena is a youth group that was born out of the campaign to save Bhaktivedanta Manor in the 1990s, and has since developed into a strong ministry with several chapters and a signature portfolio of events and activities.)

In South America, for the past four years, Ekanatha Prabhu and other youth have been organizing annual Festival of India tours with cultural presentations at city halls, stadiums, and theaters throughout Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Plans are under way for a year-round tour of South and Latin America.

India and Malaysia have several active chapters of ISKCON Youth Forum, preaching to students at colleges and universities.

In Canada, Calgary and Toronto temples have youth groups who meet periodically and help run the temple in general, cook Sunday feasts, and organize festivals like the annual Calgary and Toronto Ratha-yatras.

Durban temple in South Africa has an active youth group that enjoys performing dramas for guests at the Sunday feast.

The above is a sampling of youth projects currently active around the world. If you know of a program you wish to add to our list, please let us know. As we develop this website, you'll find more information about each of these under the Projects link in the navigation menu.

With your participation, we hope this website will grow into a resource for anyone interested in Krishna conscious youth ministry, highlighting the successes of active youth programs, facilitating the sharing of ideas, and encouraging others to start similar youth programs in their communities.

Get Involved

Thank you for visiting. Take a look around. Watch the videos. View the photos. And if you like what you see, consider getting involved. Contact us. We need your help to establish strong, Krishna conscious youth programs in your community.

Join Our Family of Supporters

We need donations of materials and money to help more youth. Your contribution can make a difference in a young person's life. Subsidize a deserving young person's participation in youth ministry traveling festival tour programs. Help us obtain much needed equipment to better serve our mission.

We are a 100% volunteer-based operation. Each one of us volunteers our time and resources as much as possible to help give the gift of Krishna consciousness to the next generation. You can rest assured that every dollar you donate is used for your designated outreach project.

Where possible, we offer direct contact information for each local chapter, each youth group, each youth event, so you can get directly involved, volunteer your time, and donate money to help the specific programs that inspire you most.

Email us:

We look forward to hearing from you.

And if you'd like to send us a handwritten letter:

ISKCON Youth Ministry
P.O. Box 283
Alachua, FL 32616
U.S.A.

Telephone: (USA) 386.418.3839