Hi, I’m Chetna Kapacee and I am the Outreach Consultant working on JAINpedia. Having been brought up as a Jain, I feel very honoured and privileged to be working on this project.

This is going to be one of the biggest Jain projects ever to happen in the UK and it follows on from the Jain Art from India – The Peaceful Liberators exhibition at the V&A in 1995, which many people in the Jain community still remember.

Alongside the development of the website, there is going to be a three-year programme of outreach work with the community.

This will include major exhibitions at the partner / holding institutes. In 2010 there will be a year-long exhibition at the V&A, followed by an exhibition at the British Library from May to June 2011 and then one at the Bodleian Library in Oxford in 2012. To complement the major exhibitions there will be smaller exhibitions travelling around the country to venues such as art centres and multi-faith centres, along with associated workshops and activities.

There will be an extensive national education programme – we will be delivering INSET (In-School Education and Training) sessions to teachers in line with guidelines for the National Curriculum with the possibility of giving additional workshops in school sessions. The Institute of Jainology has already been working for some time towards getting Jainism taught in schools through the ‘Discover Jainism’ books and providing teachers’ notes in line with QCA notes for religious education for Key Stages 1, 2 and 3.

How can you get involved?

In total, we are hoping to reach over 400,000 people nationwide over the next two to three years. To deliver the various activities planned over the next few years we need an active, committed team of volunteers with a variety of skills such as:

• workshop leaders and assistants to deliver sessions in schools and museums
• trainers of teachers at Key Stage 3 level (ages 11 to 14)
• advocates and ambassadors who will go out into the community and spread the word about Jainism and JAINpedia
• researchers to source and evaluate web content, e.g. articles, essays, photos, videos, to populate the website
• writing for the magazine Jain Spirit, which we are hoping to relaunch as part of the website development.

We need a minimum commitment of six months and in return for this you will receive:

• training from experts
• full support and expenses
• development of your skills base
• the feeling of being part of a great team
• the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of a unique national project.

Our parents and grandparents ensured that we have grown up knowing about Jainism and benefiting from its values and teachings. We need to make sure that our children also benefit from this beautiful religion.

To find out more and/or to register your interest in volunteering contact usha.shah@jainpedia.org

Tags: Bodleian Library, British Library, INSET, V&A, Wellcome Library

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