Daya’s Seminar: Connecting & Communicating for Teens and Parents
By Pramod Kulkarni

HOUSTON: Daya, a local organization dedicated to helping South Asian families through compassion, support and education, held its annual educational seminar on Saturday, August 29 at the University of Houston.

Entitled “Connect and Communicate: A Seminar for South Asian teens, young adults and parents on forming healthy relationships, the seminar attracted more than 50 teenagers, parents and other interested individuals.

The seminar featured an interactive theater performance facilitated by Geeta Cowlagi, an education specialist and speaker on issues of family violence and cultural issues. The play, featuring performers Yaksha Bhatt, Soofia Aleem, Tej Singh and Amy Tu.

The play highlighted parental-teen tensions arising out of a young lady leaving Houston for her first semester at UT and becomes a victim of date rape. Cowalgi freezed the action on stage from time to time to allow the audience to ask questions and give their take on specific issues. The audience participated enthusiastically and a few even went on stage to show how they would have talked and behaved to reduce tensions. “Trust your instincts about unhealthy relationships,” Cowlagi told the teenagers in the audience. “If you feel unsafe or scared or feel tight in your chest or stomach when you are around someone, it is your body’s way of telling you that you need to get away and to seek help. Know that you are not at fault or blame for choices and actions of a controlling partner.”

Two other speakers at the seminar were Amanda Siroosian, program manager at Child Builders, an agency focusing on the social and emotional development of children, and Donna Wick, a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host who serves as the Director of Outreach for the Montgomery County Women’s Center.

Subsequently, Geeta Cowlagi collaborated with Raman Sandhu, a community liaison for Saheli, to explore themes related communications patterns that can lead to disruptive encounters between young adults and their parents, primarily due to unfounded assumptions.

The seminar concluded with a panel discussion that featured three students from the YLPD youth program: Nischay Bhan, Preity Ponnagenti and Kunal Pasrija. They were joined by three relationship experts: Sonia Azad, reporter for ABC 13; Indrani Goradia, a yoga therapist and master-life coach; and Zainab Alam, a UH student.

Daya’s services for South Asian families in crisis includes counseling and advocacy, legal clinic, transitional home, limited financial assistance and community outreach and education.

For more information, please visit dayahouston.org