A brief guidelines are given below

Contents: - 
1.    What is Seva or Service
2.    Who can be a Sevak or Sevika? 
    (General Qualities & Core Qualities)
3.    How to Conduct a Class
a.    Role of Sevak or Sevika before the Class
b.    Role of Sevak or Sevika during the Class
c.    Role of Sevak or Sevika after the Class
4.    Important Pointers for Sevaks and Sevikas
5.    Schedule for CHYK Class



1.    What is Seva or Service?

• Service is seeing yourself in others

• Service is absence of selfishness Service is providing the beings around what they need.Service is creating a positive contribution to the society around (Being proactive)

• Service is love (Love thy neighbor as thy own self)

• Service is being available to the people around to redeem them from their suffering

• Service is holding ‘Whole’ in our view

• Service is doing our work keeping motives pure

2.    Who can be a Sevak or Sevika? 
The Preferred qualities of a Sevak or Sevika are given below. It is difficult to find all the below mentioned qualities together in a person. Even if two or three below mentioned qualities are present in a person, rest of the qualities could be easily gained.

General Qualities of a Sevak or Sevika are: - 
 

• Must have been in CHYK at least for two to three years.

• Must have ability to think for the totality of the group.

• Understanding Mission and total dedication to Sri Gurudev’s vision. 

• Be a role model to the youth around. Just be as a loving brother or a sister to the youth around. Love and simplicity are the keys to be a successful Sevak or a Sevika.

• Must be as simple as possible in his or her interactions. Youth should love to come to CHYK and spend time with us etc. Our personality must be very inspiring to others around. Our presence itself should motivate others. 

• Must have studied the basic books written by Pujya Gurudev and Pujya Guruji. They are :- Art of living, A manual for self Unfoldment, Kindle Life, We Must, Game of Life, Right Thinking etc

• Must know the art of Communication, Interpersonal skills, and speaking in a group at least to conduct the class.

• Must be aware of the local Mission activities in detail and also must be aware of ongoing different projects of the Chinmaya Mission as a whole.

Core Qualities of a Sevak or Sevika: - 
 

• Faith upon Pujya Gurudev, Scriptures and himself or herself. 

• Inner commitment to HIS Vision. 

• Patience, which should be exhibited during the class as well as out side the classroom. 

• Willingness to learn and serve. 

• Ability to understand others

• Efficiency in tackling the outer situations.

• Being accommodative

• Empathy or sympathy. As Gurudev said, we must learn to treat ourselves with head and use our heart while dealing with others. 

• Be moderate in your behavior. Don’t be too serious or too relaxed to such an extent that everyone takes you for a ride. 

• Unbiased in all interactions.

Important points to note: - 
•    Most important is that a sevak or sevika should not limit himself or herself to the study class alone. He or she should take the group along and be as a friend, guide and a philosopher. Highest feeling must be ‘I own the responsibility of the few youth’. This feeling will bring in all the qualities required to be a sevak or sevika.

•    A WORD OF CAUTION: - A sevak or a sevika is only a facilitator. They are neither spiritual leaders nor Gurus. He or she is only passing on the information to others, which was gained earlier. It is like a traveler on the path trying to help others by offering a good companionship.

3.    How to Conduct CHYK Class
Role of Sevaks and Sevikas (Before, During and After the Class)

Important: - Every Sevak / Sevika must be fully aware of the Syllabus for Junior CHYK, CHYK and Senior CHYK. 

There are three steps in conducting the class. The first step is ‘Before the class’; second step is ‘During the class’; third step is ‘After the class’.

A.    Before the class.  This is again divided into two sections.

a)    Administrative work. 
b)    Preparation for the actual class. 

a)    Administrative work before the class: - 
1.    Call all the participants over telephone and remind them to come to the class. This has to be done in the case of absentees in the previous class. You can send SMS or emails. SMS is better since it flashes instantly on their mobiles. 
2.    Write down the questions raised in the previous class and prepare for the answers. Some times sevak or sevikas may not be in a position to answer certain questions. We must ask Acharyas or others and go to the class with the answers. 
3.    Prepare well for the next class. Write down the points for discussion and how they help us in our lives. How to practice them in our lives. 
4.    Any other requests made by the members of the study group related to the class or learning must be attended by the sevak or sevika. 

b)    Preparation for the actual class. 

1.    The subject matter for that day must be read well before the class.     
2.    Write down all the points clearly.  A sevak or sevika should never go to the class without preparation. 
3.    Prepare a few questions from the topic. We must try to show to the participants that the answers for the following questions are given in the text. So try to make the whole text or some part of the text in the form of questions and Answers. This would become easy for the participants to understand the contents of the topic clearly.      
4.    Prepare few quotations for the next class. Also, be ready with anecdotes and stories, which may be used in the class. These stories or the anecdotes should not take more time which is an important point to note.


B.    During the class: - The following steps are to be followed during the class. 
 

• Go to the venue at least ten to fifteen minutes before the commencement of the class.

• Keep the place clean. Make the altar ready. Decorate the altar with flowers. Keep Sri Gurudev’s photo. If required incense sticks may be placed. 

• As the members come in, keep wishing them saying “Hari Om”.  Never be serious or create a tense atmosphere. Ask a few questions of their welfare if there is time. 

• When the time for the class arrives, please start the class with prayer followed by Gurustotram. 

• Then the sevak or sevika should recapitulate what was discussed in the previous class in not more than five minutes.

• Remember five minutes is quite a big duration. For this the sevak or sevika must prepare the bullet points and write them on a piece of paper. This would create an atmosphere of understanding in the classroom.

• Then again in two minutes just brief them what would be studied on that day. Ask gently someone to read the paragraphs and brief others what he or she has understood. Thus, the discussion begins.

• When the discussion begins among the members, the sevak or sevika must listen to all of them carefully. Since the sevak or sevika prepared for the class thoroughly, he or she would come to know instantly when the discussions are going out of the track. Immediately the discussions are to be put on the track. To do this sevak or sevika must be very alert in the class. 

• Encourage others in the class to speak. A sevak or sevika must help others to speak and understand the discussions in the class. Some try to dominate the whole group with their talk. The participants must be brief and to the point in their thoughts. 

• Learn to handle objections intelligently. It will be very effective if a sevak or sevika comes to class preparing the probable questions or objections that can come up during the class. 

• Make everyone participate in the discussions. When all the members understood the theme, sevak or sevika in the end must summarize the points. For this the sevak and sevika sit together with a pen and paper and jot down all the points when the discussions are on. 

• A sevak or sevika can leave the forum for questions for a short period. 

• Give the bird’s eye view for the next week’s discussions. This should be done in a minute. This one-minute is very precious and if done properly all the members would inspire to attend the class in the next week. 

• Sing one or two bhajans in the end and conclude the session with a prayer and pledge. 

• It is also advisable to sit in Meditation for two or three minutes after the class. Let the ideas discussed in the class sink deep into the hearts of the members. This time also can be used as a silent prayer to Pujya Gurudev. 

• A sevak can also teach one stotram every week. 

• Take the attendance of the participants at the end of the class. Attendance register must be maintained very well by the sevak or sevika. 

• If there are any announcements to be made at the end of the class such as programme of our Mission or meetings etc, they are to be made. 

• Exchange words of welfare with all the members before we disperse. You can sometimes have another meeting with the members if there is any work to be done by the CHYK. But this must be informed to all the members two or three days before the class or during the previous class itself. 

C.    After the class:- 

• After the class, the work is very important for the sevak or sevika. This ensures the spirit of togetherness among the members. The following things are to be done after the class. 

• As soon as the class is over, sevak or sevika should see that the place is cleaned properly (if required) and the things are placed back in their own positions. 

• On the very same day the sevak or sevika must call all the members who were absent for the class and find out the reason. This has to be done very lovingly and with a concern to them.  The voice should be very smooth and other person should feel happy for concern being shown upon him or her. 
   

• If possible gently brief that the class was good and you hope to see him or her in the next week. This creates a bond among the members. 
   

• Write down the bullet points of the discussions held in the class on the very same day. It would take hardly ten to fifteen minutes. This is required for recapitulation in the next class. 
   

•  A Sevak or sevika must refer to the questions raised in the last class and find out the answers for the same by referring to the Acharya. If Acharya is not available, you can ask other sevaks and sevikas of other CHYK classes or even Mission study group sevaks. One should never hesitate to ask questions if required in one’s own learning. 
   

• In case of any need, a sevak or sevika could go to the houses of other members to meet with the other family members.  It is better if a sevak or sevika goes with other one or two members as a group. Invite the parents also to the other sessions of the Mission activities. 

4. Important Pointers for the Sevaks and Sevikas: - 
    

• Never go to class without preparation. You can notice the difference between a study class well prepared by the sevak or sevika and unprepared class. 
   

• Sevak or sevika should be very regular to the class and punctual to the class timings. Both at the beginning and at the end. 
   

• A Sevak or Sevika must learn the art of listening more and talking less. A bad listener can never be a good sevak or sevika. Such a class comes to an end very quickly.
   

• When any new comer comes to the class or to the Mission programme, a sevak or sevika must talk to them with love and enquire their whereabouts. Create a feeling in the new person that he or she is amidst old friends. Introduce other members to the new person. Make the new member highly comfortable in our company. 
   

• A sevak or sevika should never create a feeling in the other members a “Holier than thou” attitude. This is detrimental to the sevak or sevika as well as for the study class itself. 
   

• Sometimes in order to train the other youth, a sevak or sevika can delegate some portion of the text to any member and ask him or her to prepare for the next week’s class. The ability to delegate must be developed by the sevak or sevika. 
   

• Sevaks or sevikas must use simple language during the class. Try to avoid bombarding language. In case if a participant wants to discuss in vernacular, please do accordingly. Don’t use any word of Sanskrit or related to the subject matter if you are not sure of the meaning of the same. Please note down in your book and learn from others. Especially technical words used in sastras. 
   

• It is preferred not to use many Sanskrit quotes during the class unless all the members are well versed in Sanskrit language and are willing to learn. Too many quotations from the texts may put off the participants and create an inferiority complex in the minds of the participants. 
   

•  A sevak or sevika should guard himself or herself from lecturing others in the class. A study class is a place for the unfoldment of all the participants in many areas of required development. 
   

• Do not use “I” in the class. It is better always to use “We” in the class. 
   

• Do not use “Senior Chyks” word in the class very frequently. Senior Chyks are not greater than the new ones. If you use such words, it would have its own repercussions. You can use older ones or older Chyks. More the number of years we put in CHYK, more humble we must become in our transactions.
   

• A sevak or sevika should adhere to the CHYK Syllabus and also to the methods of conducting the class as given by AICHYK. 
   

• The text should be studied as prescribed by Gurudev and Guruji and not according to the whims and fancies of the sevaks or sevikas. There is a reason for Pujya Gurudev & Pujya Guruji for giving us certain order of study. 
   

• It is preferable to keep the dictionary in the class. Sometimes we need dictionary to know the correct meaning of a word. This would remove the ambiguity in the minds of the participants about the meaning of the text. 
   

• The consistent effort of a sevak or sevika must be to create more sevaks and sevikas for the class. A sevak or sevika should not hold on to the class as a permanent guru. No doubt, there is a joy in being a king, but there is a greater joy in becoming a kingmaker. 
   

• A successful sevak or sevika is the one who could create interest in others in becoming sevaks or sevikas.