This year, I had the privilege of being a part of the ISRA Muslim Leadership Mentorship Program. ISRA is an organisation, which combines Islamic education and community service. They provide an excellent program, which allocates young people with an experienced mentor and offers them various opportunities and workshops.
I am grateful to ISRA for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of this program, which is generally open to people aged 18 years and over. They generously offered me a position, despite my age, being 15 years old. I appreciate this leniency, which allowed me to reap the many benefits from an incredible mentorship journey.
I have benefited in countless ways from this program and I am extremely grateful to both ISRA and my mentor, Mobinah Ahmed, for inspiring me and assisting me in so many ways.
Throughout the program, we had various workshops, on a multitude of vital topics. We had a session on prophetic legacy with Professor Mehmet Ozalp, a media workshop with Antoinette Lattouf, a social media workshop with Sereen Omran, a mental health workshop with Nasreen Hanifi and a political workshop with Ehsan Veiszadeh.
Listening to role models in the community and their experience interacting with important institutions like the government, or the media has been extremely insightful.
Being able to also meet so many other inspirational young people within the community has been amazing. I’ve been able to form friendships but also learn valuable experiences from so many young Muslims doing incredible things. As a younger mentee, this program has helped me better navigate potential challenges or questions I have for my future.
My mentor was able to help me in so many ways. Alhumdullilah, I received academic, spiritual, health, psychological, financial, family, emotional and communal advice which has helped me in so many ways. Mobinah was more than a mentor and became a friend, giving me personal advice and even inviting me to her wedding Alhumdulilah.
I also had the opportunity to put together a project, starting the IWWA Youth committee this year, which has Alhumdullilah organised four events so far. The committee has an active presence in the community and the assistance that my mentor, ISRA and this program have given me, has been pivotal in enabling these events.
I am excited to InshAllah be able to continually implement what I’ve been taught. That includes continuing to run programs with IWWA Youth, as well as having a better understanding my university and career options.
I want to deeply thank ISRA for all of their work in recognising the significance of young people and fostering their growth, as well as my mentor, Mobinah for being such an amazing inspiration.
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