Empowering Muslim Youth

In the Muslim community there are already challenges that youth face due to discrimination, identity, and confidence issues (among females, in particular). As someone who has experienced these challenges, I now recognize the importance of having supports and a space to help mitigate their impacts. I went through these struggles alone, but now we have more awareness and the ability to hold workshops and programs to help female youth, directly.

I will work with Muslim Youth in Motion to host two personal/professional development workshops for female youth, ages 15–25. Workshops are anticipated to be half-day events to allow ample time to engage, learn, and enjoy what is being taught. The first workshop will focus on public speaking and will be hosted by an expert in the field. The aim is to have the workshop be informative (strategies to improve public speaking) and practical to allow the attendees to practice the tips they received. The second workshop will focus on leadership training, exploring various qualities important for a leader to have (e.g. communication, teamwork, and listening). There will be hands-on small group activities to practice the strategies learned.

Workshops like these will provide an opportunity for female youth to connect and feel empowered to continue more work like this in their own lives and in different capacities. This, in turn, will have a significant impact in the Muslim community and beyond.