Grantees

For the past 10 years, the Association of Muslim Chaplains (AMC) has been supporting the professional development of Muslims who provide spiritual care as chaplains in communities and in public/private institutions in the United States, while promoting the advancement of the field of Islamic Chaplaincy. The TCIF grant will help AMC collaborate with universities and Islamic centers to implement an innovative pilot initiative to counter anti-Black racism in non-Black Muslim communities.

Project Name: AMC Speakers Bureau: Prophet Muhammad’s Love for Diversity and Inclusion

Target Area: Racial Justice

Grant Amount: $3,324

Grant Period: July 2021 – September 2021

Target Issue:

The murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2022 and the subsequent social uprisings served as a catalyst for conversations around racial justice in the United States, including within the Muslim American community. The Association of Muslim Chaplains (AMC) held a listening and healing session to address the needs and concerns of its members, learning from the lived experiences of members who had experienced racism, and who felt that many masjids had little if any contact with Black Islamic speakers. 

Response:

In response, AMC utilized funds granted by The Community Impact Fund’s Racial Justice Grant to launch the AMC Speakers Bureau. The project aimed to address anti-Black bias in Muslim congregations by implementing a pilot program in a select group of universities and masjids by educating participants about Prophet Muhammad’s (peace and blessing be upon him) love for diversity and inclusion. Expert Black Muslim community leaders were selected by AMC to lead the programming. Grant funds supported the design, implementation, evaluation, and documentation of this program.

Implementation:

The program was conducted virtually at two college campuses, two community centers, and one masjid. AMC advertised the events by sending flyers to its member chaplains, a group of over 200, who distributed them to their respective groups. Sessions were booked with interested community centers, masjids, and Muslim Student Associations at various colleges and universities, and targeted Muslim community members over the age of 18. Each session consisted of a participant survey, a presentation focused on the Prophet Muhammad’s love for diversity and inclusion, and an opportunity for group discussion. Through the implementation process, and in response to participant feedback and presenter notes, AMC honed the presentation in order to make the greatest impact on the participants. After each presentation, AMC conducted debrief sessions with each site collaborator. These conversations indicated that the program length was effective and the method of engagement impacted the participants. While attendance was not consistent site to site, the pilot program allowed AMC to continue to develop its processes to foster conversation around racial justice within the Muslim American community.

College communities served: 2

Nonprofits served: 2

Masjids served: 1

Attendance:

Swarthmore College (PA): 9

Villanova University (PA): 5

Muslim Space (TX): 5

Center DC (Washington DC): 20

Upper Westchester Muslim Society (NY): 20

Lessons Learned:

• Through this pilot program, AMC identified successes and opportunities for future, larger-scale racial justice programming. The initial presentation was academic and lackluster and was revamped to include more attractive visuals.
• Based on their observations, AMC hypothesizes that the disparity in attendance between sites may be attributed to the following factors which can inform later iterations of the program:
  • Center DC was established as a multicultural alternative space for youth to gather and engage with both their spiritual development and issues that impact their lives as Muslims. There had been a years-long infrastructure of programming addressing critical needs in the Muslim community, including racism. The already built-in audience for these types of topics translated into a greater attendance than in some of the other institutions. 
  • Prior to this year, the Muslim communities at the colleges had not been very active. To engage with a topic as sensitive as racism in the Muslim community requires trust, and these communities were not as prepared to discuss the topics as AMC had predicted. 
  • Mosques have historically steered clear of issues addressed in the unmosqued series (a previous initiative of AMC which focused on facilitating conversations through mosques and community centers) such as racial and gender exclusion patterns in those spaces. As a result, it was not a surprise that the mosque generated the lowest attendance at this virtual event. 
• AMC felt that virtual engagement in the face of the COVID pandemic presented itself first as an opportunity and later as a challenge for engagement. While virtual gatherings were the only initial mode of engagement, when universities reopened there was increased interest in participating in in-person events rather than virtual ones.
• AMC learned that mosques, which are organizations most in need of this training, demonstrated the most resistance to it. This implies that a different, more long-term strategy should be employed to foster inclusion in these spaces.

The MADE Youth Empowerment Program is a comprehensive mentoring initiative tailored to the unique needs of youth in the Islamic community. This program is designed to provide holistic support, focusing on life skills instruction, communication skills, interpersonal and small group communication, teamwork, and mindfulness training. The overarching goal is to empower youth with the tools and skills needed for personal growth, academic success, and successful transition into the workforce. The program encompasses a life skills mentorship model, combining elements of educational, life skills, and professional mentorship. Mentors will guide mentees through various aspects of personal and professional development, fostering a supportive environment for growth.

Project Name: MADE Youth Empowerment Program

Target Area: Mentorship Programs for Youth in Under-Resourced Communities – Launch Grant

Grant Amount: $7,000

Grant Period: August 2024 – July 2025

Lifting Humanity’s mentorship program targets Unaccompanied Youth (UAY) who are aging out of the various Office of Refugee Resettlement shelters in Southern California. The mentorship
will be for those UAY who will be residing in the City of Garden Grove. Upon their 18th birthday, migrant and refugee children are released into homeless shelters as they age-out and are no longer qualified to remain in the shelters. These youth would have entered the US soil after being seventeen and half years old. If there is no viable sponsor for these youth, then they will be placed in community adult homeless shelters. These UAY are especially at risk since the majority of them do not speak English and have no family or community to depend on for their basic supportive services. A very small percentage are temporarily taken by host homes, primarily from various Church organizations, and the rest are left to figure things out for themselves.

Lifting Humanity’s mentorship program intends to be the bridge for these UAY into their new community and life in the US until they are
connected to services. The mentorship program will focus on life skills, education, cultural orientation, community resources and integration. Mentors and Mentees are paired based on the mentee’s preferred language needs.

Project Name: Mentorship Program for Unaccompanied Youth

Target Area: Mentorship Programs for Youth in Under-Resourced Communities – Launch Grant

Grant Amount: $7,000

Grant Period: September 2024 – July 2025

The Muslim Foster Care Association (MFCA) mentorship program intends to address four common areas that are lacking with foster youth. These four categories are: Education, Employment, Life Skills and Spirituality/Religion.

Education: MFCA mentorship program will assist youth who have an education gap or require academic resources. This typically includes GED enrollment and exam preparation, literacy enrichment, and higher education enrollment.

Employment: Contingent upon employment eligibility, MFCA mentorship will introduce or expand on job readiness (resume building, CV, readiness skills). These basic skills will help youth with
gainful employment and desirable entry positions.

Life skills: MFCA ensures that all youth learn a skill that will make them self dependent. This can range from financial literacy to a trade skill. MFCA works on connecting the youth with members of the community who can offer guidance in said skill or allow the youth to shadow.

Spirituality/Religion: MFCA’s core practice is to connect all youth with their local religious center. This enables youth with another form of support and guidance that can potentially make them resilient and confident to face obstacles and challenges such as doubt and in confidence.

The MFCA mentorship program will serve both domestic and refugee foster youth ages 16-21.

Project Name: MFCA Mentorship Program

Target Area: Mentorship Programs for Youth in Under-Resourced Communities – Launch Grant

Grant Amount: $7,000

Grant Period: August 2024 – July 2025

Al-Maa’uun’s Sahabah Mentoring program aims to make a significant impact on mentees by providing them with the support, guidance, and resources they need to achieve positive outcomes. Mentees experience increased connection to the community, engage in positive social activities, develop trusting relationships, and improve their mental health and well-being through increased community and
individual engagement. The program operates by providing character development and social leadership training to youth in the community, particularly those deemed “at risk” or from low-income families. A designated youth coordinator is responsible for recruiting and training adult mentors as well as youth participants. These mentors undergo training to effectively engage with at-risk youth and those from low-income families. The program facilitates engagements between mentors and youth, maintaining a 3:1 youth to mentor ratio. Mentors spend an average of 6 hours per month in one-on-one contact with each youth, ensuring quality interactions. A team of 20 mentors, or coaches, consistently engage with the community, providing ongoing support and guidance to the youth. Regular street engagement debrief sessions allow mentors to discuss challenges faced by the youth, such as feelings of hopelessness and lack of long-term vision, as well as identify resources and strategies to address these issues.

One of the innovative aspects of the Sahabah Mentoring program is its comprehensive approach to mentoring, which addresses not only the immediate needs of mentees but also focuses on long-term outcomes and community engagement. The program is designed to be responsive to the needs of the community and seeks to continuously improve through reflection and training. Through additional programs and services provided by Al-Maa’uun the program is able to address other needs of mentees related to food insecurity, housing instability, job seeking, and physical/mental health services.

Project Name: Sahabah Mentoring Program

Target Area: Mentorship Programs for Youth in Under-
Resourced Communities – Expansion Grant

Grant Amount: $15,000

Grant Period: September 2024 – July 2025