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The Working Agreement Between Sikhiyas And Those It Engages

Terms & Conditions.

The terms governing the relationship between Sikhiyas and applicants, cohort participants, scholarship recipients, subscribers, partner institutions, and website visitors. The document is structured around the principle that the institutional relationship is a contract — described philosophically in The Role Is Contracted on the Seva Placements page, set out operationally here. Read the section that applies to your engagement with Sikhiyas; the rest is for context.

A note on this document

These terms describe Sikhiyas's institutional commitments and expectations. Before publication on a live institution serving applicants and partners across multiple jurisdictions — India, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia — the document should be reviewed by qualified legal counsel, both in India (the institution's primary jurisdiction) and where appropriate in major applicant jurisdictions. The substantive arrangements below reflect what Sikhiyas intends to honour; specific legal language, jurisdictional clauses, and statutory references may require adjustment to fit each jurisdiction's framework.

I. Who These Terms Apply To

These terms govern the relationship between Sikhiyas — formal name in legal and institutional documents: Sikhiyas — Sikh International Youth in Active Seva — and the parties named below.

These terms apply to:

By engaging with Sikhiyas in any of these capacities, you accept these terms in the form applicable to your engagement. Where additional written agreements apply (cohort offer letters, scholarship agreements, partnership MoUs), those agreements take precedence over these general terms in any conflict.

II. Application And Selection

Application to Sikhiyas is a written process described on the Apply page. The following terms apply to all applications:

III. Fees, Payment, And Refunds

Cohort fees are described on the Scholarship Details page, with the precise figure for each cohort confirmed in the written offer letter before any payment is required. The following terms govern fees and payment:

Refund Schedule

Where a cohort participant withdraws before or during cohort, the following refund schedule applies:

Where Sikhiyas withdraws a cohort offer or terminates a participant's cohort engagement under Section VII, the refund treatment depends on the grounds for withdrawal:

IV. The Cohort Agreement

By accepting a Sikhiyas cohort offer, a participant accepts the following commitments, which together constitute the working cohort agreement:

V. Code Of Conduct

All those engaging with Sikhiyas are expected to operate under the following standards. The standards apply differently to different categories of engagement (more strictly for cohort participants in active placement; less strictly for casual website visitors), but the core principles are universal:

VI. Safeguarding

Sikhiyas operates with explicit safeguarding commitments described in summary form here and in fuller form on the Under-18 page (with particular attention to the Under-18 cohort track) and on partnership-specific pages.

VII. Withdrawal And Termination

Sikhiyas may withdraw an offer, terminate a cohort engagement, or end any other institutional relationship described in these terms, in the following circumstances:

Termination follows a process appropriate to the severity of the situation:

Where termination occurs, the participant is provided with a written statement of the grounds, the process followed, the decision reached, and the practical consequences (including refund treatment as set out in Section III). Termination does not, of itself, prevent future re-engagement with Sikhiyas after a period of separation, except where the grounds were sufficiently severe (safeguarding violation, sustained material harm) that re-engagement is not appropriate.

VIII. Intellectual Property

The Sikhiyas approach to intellectual property is described in fuller form on the Conceptual Daswandh page. The following operational provisions apply:

IX. Limitation Of Liability

Sikhiyas undertakes its work seriously and with appropriate institutional care. The following provisions describe the limits of institutional liability, calibrated to the nature of the work:

X. Website Use

For visitors to the Sikhiyas website:

XI. Governing Law And Dispute Resolution

These terms are governed by the laws of India, where Sikhiyas is operated. The courts of Himachal Pradesh, India, have exclusive jurisdiction in connection with these terms, except where:

For any dispute, our preference is direct conversation in the first instance — typically with one of the Directors and the participant, with appropriate support on either side. Most concerns can be resolved at this stage. Where they cannot, the formal dispute-resolution route described above applies.

XII. Changes To These Terms

These terms will be updated as Sikhiyas's institutional practice evolves and as relevant legal frameworks change. Material changes will be notified to current cohort participants, scholarship recipients, and other parties to whom the changes are relevant, in writing, at least 30 days before they take effect. Subscribers and prospective applicants will see the updated terms reflected on the website and the version date below.

For ongoing relationships (current cohort, current scholarship), the terms in force at the date of acceptance generally continue to apply through the cohort or scholarship period; subsequent amendments apply to subsequent engagements. This protects participants from mid-cohort changes to the framework under which they entered the relationship.

XIII. Contact

Effective date: [TO BE SET ON FIRST PUBLICATION]
Last reviewed: [TO BE SET ON FIRST PUBLICATION]
Version: 1.0 (initial draft, pre legal-counsel review)

Questions about these terms

For questions, clarifications, or any concern about how these terms apply to your engagement with Sikhiyas, write to the Legal Office.

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