What is the ILIA Youth Council
A group of youth who are interested in maintaining a leadership role in their community. The council specifically is engaged at the highest level of the organization, and has full autonomy in decision making as long as decisions are within the scope of the organization’s bylaws.
Council members are advocates for the needs of their peers and bring a first hand perspective on the life of Muslim youth in their circles. Council members receive special training similar to ILIA's interns, and have low time commitment requirements.
Council members are prepared to take on leadership roles at their schools, masjids, social circles and bridge the gap between youth and society at large. They act as advisors on the needs of youth, identify priorities, define policies or programs that support these priorities, and contribute ideas to the implementation of these policies through resources at ILIA or the Muslim community. they might also engage occasionally with external entities such as their schools, Muslim Student Associations (MSAs) or Masjid.
Responsibility
The ILIA youth council is specifically responsible for,
Identifying the needs of Muslim youth
Defining youth programs
Setting priorities for youth events
Raising awareness about youth issues and challenges
Advocating for youth needs
Handling and processing youth grievances
ILIA’s philosophy is driven by the hadeeth of the Prophet (pbuh), “All of you are shepherds and all of you are responsible for your flocks”.
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ أَلَا كُلُّكُمْ رَاعٍ وَكُلُّكُمْ مَسْئُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ فَالْإِمَامُ الَّذِي عَلَى النَّاسِ رَاعٍ وَهُوَ مَسْئُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ وَالرَّجُلُ رَاعٍ عَلَى أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ وَهُوَ مَسْئُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ وَالْمَرْأَةُ رَاعِيَةٌ عَلَى أَهْلِ بَيْتِ زَوْجِهَا وَوَلَدِهِ وَهِيَ مَسْئُولَةٌ عَنْهُمْ وَعَبْدُ الرَّجُلِ رَاعٍ عَلَى مَالِ سَيِّدِهِ وَهُوَ مَسْئُولٌ عَنْهُ أَلَا فَكُلُّكُمْ رَاعٍ وَكُلُّكُمْ مَسْئُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ
(Bukhari:5188, 5200, 7138; Muslim:1829a; Tirmithi:1705)
Commitments
Youth Council Members are expected to invest time and effort in their roles as follows:
Attend a weekly educational inspirational circle of knowledge (halaqa), Good Morning ILIA (Gratitude, Motivation & Innovation) on Saturdays at 7:00 am EST online for 1-hour
Attend a weekly 30-minute online Planning Meeting with other Youth Council members to discuss needs, priorities and proposals for the youth of their age group
Spend 30-minutes per week prior to the weekly 30-min planning meeting to prepare discussion points independently.
Opportunities
Youth Council members enjoy a very unique experience through their engagement as follows:
Opportunity to put Islam into real-life experiences, and bridge the gap created by separation of church and state, adding meaning to Islam in their daily lives.
Small team coaching on planning, critical thinking, communication skills and public speaking.
Building a strong connection between Quran & Sunnah and practical activities in life
Frequently Asked Questions
Who trains the youth?
Members of the youth council are trained by certified ILIA trainers in the fields of leadership and human development. Currently Br. Ayman Nassar, ILIA's founder trains all new council members. They also receive training from older certified ILIA youth who have been through ILIA's Internship, Certifications and EmpowerOne programs, where they learn concepts of leadership, project management, critical thinking, problem solving and more
What are the ages of the Youth Council members?
ILIA has three Youth Councils; Middle School, High School and College. Youth of ages 10 and above are eligible to join their respective age group council if nominated by an ILIA team members.
What resources are required to participate in a Youth Council?
Members requires access to internet, a computer/laptop, and email account. Members will be provided an ILIA email account to keep their council work organized.
What are the time commitments expected?
We like to see council members involved for at least 2 years. Weekly time commitments are 2 hours, 4 hours and 6 hours per week for Middle School, High School and College Youth respectively.
Is there a fee to be a council member?
No, there are no fees to join, and council members do not get compensated for their time. It is a voluntary role, and it qualifies for community service, recognized by school systems across the country, court and department of juvenile services.
What record keeping is expected by council members?
Members are expected to take notes during their meetings with their peers for their own reference, and these notes could be reviewed at any time by their coach. They are also expected to enter the time they spend volunteering into ILIA's time record keeping system. Lastly, the members are expected to share insights, ideas and experiences that are as complete as possible. Members will be trained in all these aspects and more as part of their ongoing development and learning experience.
Will council members be interacting with youth of the same gender?
Unlike most ILIA programming which is gender segregated, and similar to ILIA Internships, Youth Councils are co-ed. The youth are supervised at all times and coached on how to deal in a respectful manner with their colleagues of both genders.
Is a camera required for online meetings?
Yes, council members are expected to meet in a format that resembles as much as possible an in-person meeting. Cameras allow participants of the meeting to develop communication skills. We encourage participants to activate their cameras at least during the introductory part and closing part of meetings Most meetings will involve screen sharing, and cameras can be turned off during that portion of the meeting.
Process
ILIA students are invited to join a council
Middle School Sign Up Here
High School Sign Up Here
College Sign Up Here
Interested youth email ss@islamicleadership.org expressing interest and reasons of interest in a short paragraph of no more than 250 characters.
Short-listed applicants will be interviewed for 15 mins by a group of older, experienced ILIA students and fellows
A total of six to twelve youth will be accepted, program available to all youth in all 50 states.