The 2016 YJA Convention will be held at the Sheraton Gateway LAX from July 1st to July 4th, 2016. The site has been reserved for the Convention attendees and guests and will be appropriately prepared for a safe Jain environment.

Convention attendees must be between the ages of 14-29 as of the first day of the Convention. Each attendee must provide proof of their date of birth upon check-in.

Interested in who is on board? Check out our board biography page to learn about the wonderful people who are organizing the 2016 YJA Convention.

Nearly 700 youth from across North America and around the world are expected to attend the 12th Biennial YJA Convention.

No. Attendees will not be allowed to leave the Convention site due to safety and liability issues.

You can download a copy of the rules and regulations here.

We will cover topics such as Jain philosophy, culture, knowledge, global impact, leadership, school and careers, spiritual development, interfaith dialogues, and community contributions through discussions, panels, debates and interactive sessions.

Speakers from around the world with a variety of backgrounds will be invited to the Convention to cover a diverse range of topics. Please check back in May for a complete list of speakers and session topics.

This year’s Convention will be featuring traditional YJA nighttime activities such as the garba, talent show, and the formal. There will also be “track specific” nighttime events targeted specifically towards high school/college attendees or Jain Networking Forum (JNF) attendees. As Agents of Change, your first mission is to Meet Every Last Agent (M.E.L.A) in our carnival-style training modules that will prepare you for the weekend ahead. Then join us for our talent show, Decades of Dance: Bollywood through the Ages, where performers from across the US will showcase their artistic skill and the various eras of Bollywood. After that, you don’t want to miss Straight Outta Gujarat, where traditional Indian dance meets the classic Los Angeles vibe, followed by our West Coast Floats Mixer where you will get time to relax with ice cream and soda. Finally, join us at the Maharaja’s Court Formal for a night of majesty and grandeur.

Yes, a physician will be on site and available 24 hours a day during the 4-day Convention.

Please contact reghelp@yja.org if you have a disability and will be needing additional assistance. Please let us know your situation so we can do our best to accommodate your needs accordingly.

Adult volunteers will be chaperones and will be helping throughout the Convention. If you are an adult or know an adult who would like to get involved, please email volunteer.la@yja.org.

Please fill out the 2016 YJA Volunteer Interest Form if you would like to volunteer to help during the actual Convention. We ask that only adults ages 35 and older volunteer because anyone between the ages of 14-29 we would want to attend the Convention. Youth can get involved by helping to fundraise (fundraising.la@yja.org) and helping to publicize the Convention (pr.la@yja.org).

Volunteers will be necessary to make this a successful Convention! Any amount of time, from four hours to the length of the entire Convention, will help us make everything run smoothly. Some of the areas that we will need volunteers are to transport people to and from the Convention, register attendees as they arrive, help for security, set up sessions and evening events, as well as assist speakers. Volunteers for this Convention cannot be between the ages of 14-29. If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the 2016 YJA Volunteer Interest Form and we will contact you during the months of April-May for further instructions. For any further questions, feel free to contact us at volunteer.la@yja.org.

Please bring your driver’s license or any other government issued ID (passports are acceptable as well). If you don’t have one, please bring your high school or college ID. Your ID must have your name as you have registered for the Convention, as well as your birth date and a photo of you.

We expect that all of our attendees will conduct themselves in a polite, professional manner. To that end, YJA enforces a strict dress code during the Convention in order to foster our professional image. Our guidelines on appropriate attire are designed to promote a more productive, enjoyable social environment, while maintaining the high level of respect for speakers, for which our organization is known for. We recommend wearing event appropriate attire throughout the Convention. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact info@yja.org.

High School (those in high school or entering high school in Fall 2016); College (those in college or entering college in Fall 2016); and JNF (ages 21-29). Note: High school seniors who will be 18 by July 1, 2016 can choose between high school or college. College seniors who will be 21 by July 1, 2016 can choose between college or JNF.

The registration fee includes accommodations, meals and access to all the activities for the 4-day event. Also included is transportation to and from LAX, as well as a souvenir bag filled with keepsakes such as Jain literature, a list of vegetarian/vegan friendly restaurants, a Convention t-shirt and other unique souvenir items.

To provide each attendee with hotel accommodations, meals, and the opportunity to attend sessions and social events, the actual total cost per person is $425.00 for HS/college students and $475.00 for JNF attendees. YJA works very hard in fundraising during the year to help subsidize each attendee's cost of attendance by $86.00 and $100.00 for HS/college students and JNF attendees, respectively. We would greatly appreciate it if you could help YJA by choosing the "Unsubsidized" pricing option at the time of payment. This would help us raise the money we need to ensure YJA remains affordable for as many potential attendees as possible. Thank you all very much!

Check-in will begin at 1:00pm on July 1st and continue throughout the day. It is recommended that attendees arrive as early as possible for the chance to experience opening day activities as well as meet and mingle with old and new friends.

A 24/7 shuttle will be available to/from LAX Airport for attendees to use.

Delicious Jain food will be served for the duration of the Convention. This includes a variety of cuisines ranging from Mexican to Italian to Indian. No onions, potatoes, root vegetables, meats, or animal byproducts will be distributed or used to prepare the meals. A vegan diet option will also be available (the attendee must specify this at the time of registration or contact reghelp@yja.org).