KYC has always been an important part of my life. As a child, I went every year until I went to India and have many good memories from there.
I had always assumed that I would send my kids there when they were of age and assumed that it would be there for them.
4 years ago, my girls started KYC as day campers. They did the same the following year too and then informed me that they were planning on being campers for 1 week the next year. So, they camped for 1 week 2 years ago and then told me that they were doing the whole 2 weeks the next year. Last year, they camped for the 2 weeks and loved it. They came home wanting to do sadhana, 40 day meditations, and chanting all of the time (very loudly I might add). They had a blast and I thought it was great that they did so well away from home and learned so much.
As a parent, it was hard to just drop them off for 2 weeks and trust in their well being but also know that that is a small part of the trust I will have to have when it's time for them to go to India.
I definitely feel as though KYC is a stepping stone to Miri Piri for both the parents and the kids. My kids decided when and how much they wanted to participate in KYC and I feel as though they will make the same smart decision when they are ready for Miri Piri.
I wanted to write this to talk about my personal experience and feelings with KYC. There are many other people who feel as though KYC is such an important building block for the children of the Dharma.
The rest of the signatures on here are people who agree with my sentiments and feel strongly that KYC must carry on.