Youth Services offered by the Council

Celebrating Youth!

Last Modified: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:30:38 GMT v1.017

The American-Muslim community of Illinois values its youth just as in the prophetic period! American-Muslims aspire to value them in our places of worship just as Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) grand children enjoyed a high position on his shoulders while he led whole congregations in the mosque.

Islam has a well established tradition of youth mentorship. Youth often enjoyed playful moments with Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). And when the youth displayed poor judgment, not a grimace was to be seen nor a slap on the hand, but rather, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) gently drew the youth aside and mentored them.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) didn’t overlook young boys and girls even in a gathering flooded by older, respected tribal men. If that jug of water was being passed around, the youth to Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) right side was given first dibs before the next elder in the crowd. Youth were so respected that they were often entrusted with heavy social and political responsibilities. At the same time they were allowed the space to make mistakes and learn from them. They shadowed him, laughed with him, and prayed with him.

With a fervent vision to fulfill this prophetic model of youth development, the Council has allocated a substantial portion of its energy and resources to the empowerment of Muslim youth work in Illinois. With a birds-eye view of Illinois’ youth-work landscape, including 42 weekend schools, 15 Full time Islam schools, over 50 member organizations, over 100 youth mentors, more than 15 MSA campuses and at least 40 youth groups, the Council is in an ideal place to facilitate networking, capacity building and coordination among the Greater Chicago’s Muslim youth endeavors.

Find out more about the Council’s Youth Development Coordination and download useful resources!