PROJECTS

1. Community center: $2 million

When our cultural identity is threatened at home (Tibet), it has become a foremost responsibility of Tibetan in diaspora to ensure that our culture thrives and ensure its longevity for future generations. His Holiness the Dalai Lama always state that Tibetan Buddhist culture is a culture of peace and compassion which has the potential to benefit beyond our community and that the survival of Tibetan Buddhist culture largely depends of the survival of Tibetan language. We currently have more than 200 members. These include, a significant number of elderly people and children and this number continues to grow. Our member’s foremost wish is to have a place of our own Tibetan Community Center, where they can worship, formal place to hold regular Sunday classes and cultural events. The Board members have decided to raise fund to build a Tibetan Community Center. We, the whole Tibetan community in New Jersey will work hard to realizing our dream.

2. Budget proposals for tibetan language and culture class: $ 28,700

Through generous of East Rutherford town, we have been holding our educational and cultural performance classes in East Rutherford Community Center. Due to increase in number of children, we need to hires 3 Tibetan language teachers and 2 music teachers. We need to pay building insurance every year. Due to limited financial recourses, it remains very difficult to maintain enough teachers to give better education to the children. We therefore would like to propose the following one-year budget for our Tibetan Language and Culture class program.

$
0
Hiring 5 Teachers

For 5 teachers with each teacher’s day’s wage of $100 for 48 days

$
0
Traditional Tibetan Costumes

For costumes @ $85 X 20 children X 2 dresses

$
0
General Expenses

Yearly Building Insurance

Need Statement

Seeds of Tibet have over 150 members. Community organizer is often not able to find affordable venues for events that can accommodate the growing community.

  • The Tibetan language and performing arts classes have to turn away students because the classrooms are not large enough.
  • Families where both the parents work are scrambling to find childcare or after-school programs.
  • Retired elders feel restricted to their homes.
  • Important events, such as Losar (Tibetan New Year) and July 6 th (H.H.the Dalai Lama’s birthday) are sometimes held on different dates because of unavailability of space.
  • The community lacks a physical space where members can meet others, learn, teach, cook, worship, volunteer, and interact as a community

This was fine when the community consisted of only a handful of families, and everything was done informally at people’s houses. However, now that the community has grown significantly, a community center with programs and services is imperative for the long-term wellness of New Jersey Tibetans.

FAQ:

what is the mission of the tibetan community center of seeds of tibet?

The mission of the Tibetan community center is to empower Tibetan-Americans of all ages to thrive in the United States, while promoting the continuity and development of Tibetan social, cultural, and artistic traditions. Seeds of Tibet will be a refuge for Tibetans in Exile, and a gateway to the living culture of Tibetan for the New Jersey community at large. The center will provide a mixture of social services and educational, recreational, and cultural programming to the Tibetan and New Jersey communities.

Why does Seeds of Tibet need a community center?

Over the last 15 years, the Tibetan community has undergone exponential growth in the Bergen County, New Jersey. From only a handful in the 1990’s, the community is now estimated to be over 150, with many more new arrivals from New York.

There are two core areas of need for the Bergen County Tibetan community that a community center would address. First, there is a lack of social, educational, and vocational services that are specifically targeted to meet the needs of the Tibetan community. The most pronounced lack is in programs addressing the needs of elderly Tibetans with little to no knowledge of English, and those targeting middle school and high school aged Tibetan youth. Whether it is providing a space for elderly Tibetans to spend the day, worship, and get a hot meal, or in providing classes in Tibetan language and culture for young Tibetans, the shear number of Tibetans requiring services make it impossible for community members to keep doing these kinds of activities without the support of a formal facility.

Second, on the level of culture, Bergen County Tibetans, like Tibetans everywhere, are engaged in a large struggle to save their language and culture from the very real threat of extinction. From the lack of access, many Tibetans inside Tibet have to classes that teach Tibetan history and language, to the continued, well-documented attack on Tibetan Buddhism and its institutions by the Chinese government. His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s phrase- “cultural genocide” – accurately summarizes what the International Commission of Jurists, offices of foreign governments and numerous non-government organizations have found in Chinese- occupied Tibet.

In response to this situation, Tibetans in exile have, over the last half- century, set themselves the enormous task of preserving their cultural traditions, religion, and language in the diaspora.

The Seeds of Tibet is certainly a part of this effort, but many Bergen County Tibetans emphasize that the planned center is as much about developing a culture as it is about preserving one. With many Tibetans being born in the United States, it is critical that we create conditions in which this population of young people can excel and develop as well rounded people in this society. This means nourishing their Tibetan roots, but it also means providing them with social and educational tools necessary to succeed in this country. At the heart of the mission of the Seeds of Tibet is that, if we as a community put in sufficient effort and gather sufficient resources, this effort will enable the next generation to balance a deep understanding of their Tibetan identity with a rich and engaged life in the United States.

We are at a point in history where the number of Tibetans in the Bergen County, the energy in the Tibetan community, and the longstanding interest of the Bergen County community in Tibetan culture, can combine to create a truly unique community space – a permanent home to a living culture. We must not waste it.

What kinds of programs will the Center offer?

The Board of Trustees is currently in engaged in a community needs assessment to determine which programs should be prioritized within the center. We predict, based on our experience of organizing Tibetan community events over the last decade that the following programs will likely be included 

  • Classes in Tibetan language and traditional music instruments
  • Training program in the Tibetan performing arts
  • After school care and youth empowerment programs
  • Care of Tibetan elders 
  • Program to assist new arrivals
  • The center as a hub for all things Tibetan.

How will the Center benefit the New Jersey community?

Tibetan community will actively give back to the New Jersey community the generosity that has been showed to it. The New Jersey has long been a strong zone of support for Tibet. With one of the largest concentrations of Buddhist practitioners in the West, as well as key educational and artistic institutions that have pioneered the introduction of Tibetan religion and culture to the United States, it is obvious that Bergen County communities are well positioned to take advantage of the programming at the Seeds of Tibet. Moreover, we acknowledge that even if we meet our immediate fundraising goals, there is still a considerable amount of planning and work needed to ensure that the center is sustainable over the long term. Most community centers have income generating activities, and the Seeds of Tibet will be no exception.

What kind of a space are you looking for?

We are targeting Churches, warehouses and other similar types of properties in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The project desires 5000 square feet plus property with space for a community hall for up to 200 people, large kitchen, classrooms, offices, and a library. In addition, there would be a small stupa where members can gather and perform their daily spiritual practices. This initial space assessment may adjust, principally because we are aware of the importance of location to any successful center, and that we may have to compromise on certain aspects of the space in an effort to have the center centrally located near large clusters of Tibetans.

How do I donate?

There are a variety of ways to contribute financially to the Seeds of Tibet, including a one-time donation, monthly giving, and gifts of stock, and planned giving. We encourage you to visit the donation page of our website for details on all these options. Seeds of Tibet is a 501 © (3) nonprofit organization and all contributions to the organization are fully tax deductible.

If I donate, how do I know my money will go directly to the Community
Center?

All contributions to the capital campaign will go straight into a bank account established for community center fundraising. Seeds of Tibet have a formal accounting system and we have set up a separate bank account for community hall contributions. All expenses incurred are being paid out of general Seeds of Tibet funds. So, 100% of every dollar you contribute to Seeds of Tibet community hall is being set aside for the purchase of the building.

Who is in charge of the campaign to establish the Center and are they
paid?

The Board of Trustees of The Seeds of Tibet is to design, implement, and manage a campaign to raise sufficient funds for a Tibetan Community Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The president from the Trustees leads and coordinates the work of the committee. The members are not paid.

HOW MUCH MONEY IS NEEDED FOR THE SEEDS OF TIBET, AND HOW LONG WILL IT
TAKE TO RAISE IT?​

The goal for the capital campaign is to raise $ 2 million by the end of 2030. Even after meeting this goal, we will need additional funding. The exact mixture of up front money with other financing is dependent on a number of factors, including the municipality the building is in and how much re-design and renovation are required to make the space workable.