Since the opening of the temple in 1988, community members have emphasised the importance of the spiritual development of the youth. Initially the Yuvak Mandal was established to overlook cultural activities such as the Gujarati School. This later took a formal shape Nar Narayan Dev Yuvak Mandal under the guidance of Acharya Shree Koshlendraprasadji Maharaj.
In 2004, with the blessing of then Mahant Swami Shree Hariswarupdasji, the Shree Swaminarayan Yuvak Mandal was established with the aim of developing satsang and spirituality in the youth. The SSYM is an integral part of the temple and places great importance on Mandir seva and Pravruti.
Satsang Adhyayan: Informal classes and discussion sessions (Friday and Saturday evenings)
Modern day vices have eroded the Hindu culture and have become started to become prevalent among Hindu children. These discussion sessions are designed to teach children about the Hindu philosophy in order to divert children from these vices. The ultimate aim of these classes is to teach children the first step to being spiritual is to be a good human.
As the students of the class get older, the sessions change to learning about the Swaminarayan sampraday, Lord Swaminarayan’s teachings and general Hindu teachings. Along with core topics such as: Aarti, Maala, Pradikshna, Tilak-Chandlo, Sashtand Dandvat Pranam etc, stories of Prahlad, Dhruv, Lord Krishna, Lord Ram, Nar Narayan Dev and many other deities, out topics and subjects are also designed for students to get a better understanding of who we are and also give them the motivation to express themselves spiritually. All subjects that are taught are directly from genuine Hindu scriptures such as Bhagwad Gita, Satsangi Jeevan, Vachanamrut and the Shikshapatri.
Girl’s classes are taught separately from the boys’ thereby enabling greater discussion without compromising on the Sampraday’s principles.
The classes are split by age and level of knowledge enabling the youth to derive maximum benefit from the sessions. The youth is the future and this is why the temple has placed great emphasis on the Yuvak Mandal.
In addition to spiritual education, SSYM is responsible for many other activities. These include, but are not limited to: