The Canadian Council of Muslim Women
with support from
Citizenship and Immigration Canada's Multiculturalism Program
presents

MUSLIM YOUTH CANADA:
A FORUM ON IDENTITY, FAITH, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

October 31^st 2009
Hotel Novotel, 3 Park Home Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M2N 6L3

Project Description:

The main purposes of the Muslim Youth Canada Project are twofold: (1) to develop a coordinated strategy that will provide opportunities for Muslim youth aged 16-25 to strengthen their Canadian Muslim identities and (2) to increase their participation in the civic life of their communities. A national strategic planning forum is being held in Toronto to bring 100 young Muslim thinkers and activists together from 12 different cities to ensure that these purposes are achieved on their own terms.

Forum Objectives:

1. Participants will ask questions, identify key challenges, and develop practical strategies to address those challenges in teams with their peers

2. Participants will practice and sharpen their oral and written communication skills

3. Participants will exercise and refine their leadership skills

Forum Description:

Key themes of the forum include identity and civic engagement. Participants will work in groups to explore questions related to these and other relevant issues like the relationship between religion and politics, multiculturalism, racism, media literacy, education, social-justice, and human rights. 

The forum is divided into 5 main sessions:

I) In My Own Skin:
Who We Are, What We're Doing, and the Canada We Want

II) Multiculturalism in Action:
Building Community Partnerships in Increasingly Diverse Societies

III) Tools that Work:
Identifying Resources for Meaningful Cultural Education

IV) Honesty for a Change:
Artistic Expression as Civic Engagement

V) The Big Picture:
Towards a National Strategy for Civic Engagement

Forum Results:

The forum will result in 3 resources from winter 2009 to summer 2010:

1. A Forum Report compiling the details of the work of participants at the forum

2. A Web Portal that will connect the participants with each other and a national network of thinkers and activists sharing information and resources on Canadian Muslim culture and civic engagement.

3. A Toolkit (incl. a video) of educational resources for use by 50 of the forum participants to lead 17 public sessions in 12 cities beginning September 2010.

National Youth Delegates:

50 national youth delegates from 12 different cities will have their travel and accommodation expenses covered by CCMW to travel to Toronto by Friday evening at approx. 8 pm for a pre-forum orientation after which they will participate in the forum all day Saturday and complete one more session on Sunday morning before departing to their home cities on Sunday afternoon by approx. 2 pm.

National youth delegates will be selected by an application process which requires the following:

1. Submission of a registration form along with a current resume highlighting volunteer/work experience with Canadian Muslim youth and/or civic engagement by October 13, 2009 (midnight EST).

2. Telephone interview (approx. 15 minutes) with the Muslim Youth Canada Project Coordinator Rizwan Mohammad responding to questions related to identity and civic engagement.

3. Written commitment to use the Muslim Youth Canada Project Toolkit (which the youth delegates will help develop at the forum) to lead at least one follow-up educational session in their local communities in fall 2010 with 20-30 Canadian youth, Muslim and non-Muslim, who are between the ages of 16-25 and who reflect the diversity of their local communities. These local educational sessions will be funded by CCMW. Candidates from the following cities are especially encouraged to apply:

• Calgary

• Edmonton

• Ottawa

• London

• Maritime Region

• Montreal

• Niagara Region

• Toronto

• Vancouver

• Waterloo

• Windsor

• Winnipeg

For More Information:

Read more about the objectives, structure, and activities of the Muslim Youth Canada Project at www.ccmw.com or contact the Muslim Youth Canada Project Coordinator Rizwan Mohammad by emailing rmohammad@ccmw.com

To register for the Muslim Youth Canada Forum, follow the instructions below:

1. Download the registration form here. 

2. Complete and change the filename to include your first and last name

3. Email the completed form to registration@ccmw.com

*If you are applying to be a national youth delegate, remember to also submit your resume with your completed registration. National youth delegates' applications will be confirmed following review of application by committee and a telephone interview with the Project Coordinator Rizwan Mohammad.

*All others will have their registration confirmed via email or phone once payment of registration fees is received. 

View the Forum Flyer here