During summer break, most of us with families tend to focus on our own unit. We may plan vacations away from home, classes, trips to museums, etc. for our own children so their time is spent in fruitful fun.
But summer is also a good time to help your kids reconnect with the Muslim community, since weekend Islamic school and other programs at the mosque take a hiatus. That means less of a chance to learn and socialize in an Islamic atmosphere on a consistent basis. Here are a couple of ideas:
1. Take your children to Juma prayer
every week
This is an excellent opportunity to see
community interaction in practice. Even
younger kids can benefit, provided you give
them a heads up about behavior in the mosque
and a reward for following the rules afterward.
While they may not understand everything
the Imam or Khateeb will say, praying with
others helps cement the community spirit.
2. Visit a different mosque every week
If you live in a city with a large Muslim
community, consider yourself blessed and
try this idea out. Even if you personally
don't feel comfortable with everything that
may go on in a given mosque (e.g. attendees/policies
may be too conservative, too liberal, too
ethnically or racially homogenous, etc.),
take your kids anyway. The aim is to show
the diversity of the Ummah while highlighting
its unity.
3. Plan trips and play dates around
your favorite Islamic institution
Put that GPS to good use and figure out
what attractions surround your favorite
mosque or Islamic center. Is it an amusement
park? A science museum? An outlet mall?
A zoo? Then, plan weekly trips to each of
these places with other interested parents,
meeting at the mosque at the start and ending
the trip with congregational prayer there.
4. Hold a community Islamic Film Festival
at a mosque or someone's large basement
The market for Islamic films is growing.
From
science to the history of
Muslim slaves in America to
humor to
cartoons, there is a great selection
to choose from today. While it's fun watching
these alone in the comfort of your home,
it's even more entertaining to do so with
a bunch of friends over popcorn and drinks.
Arrange weekly showings. Follow them up
with some brief discussion about the films.
5. Start a "Wisdom of the Elders"
series
The community's "aunties and uncles"
aged 65 and above are rarely seen as sources
of entertainment. But once upon a time,
they pulled their own pranks, met famous
people (I recently found out an uncle I
know had met Eleanor Roosevelt!), and knew
how to entertain kids without PSPs or Xboxes.
Tap into their wisdom by organizing a series
of short talks or classes called "Wisdom
of the Elders". Every week, a community
elder shares his/her fascinating story or
a skill they know with their young attendees.
If you hold the event in a mosque or center,
see if you can have one of its founders
come and speak to give its fascinating history.
The benefit of this activity is not only that younger Muslims will learn from older ones, but also, that oft-neglected seniors will feel they are making a positive contribution to the community.
6. Go for Umra
If you want to take your kids for vacation
abroad this summer, consider performing
the
Umra pilgrimage with them. This
will not only help build their personal
relationship with Allah, but it can also
strengthen the connection to the community
on a much broader scale. In some cities,
there are groups that organize Umra trips
specifically for teens. See if you can have
your child perform Umra with them if you
cannot go.
7. Start a Nasheed group
Music has long been part of youth culture
in America. Most contemporary songs feature
crooners belting out Islamically questionable
lyrics and ideas.
Muslim songs, on the other hand,
offer a spiritually healthier alternative,
focused on Islamic themes and connecting
to Allah and the Muslim community. If your
tween or teen enjoys singing, consider starting
up an informal Nasheed group with other
Muslim kids of the same gender. Every week,
they get together to practice existing Islamic
songs or come up with their own.
8. Encourage them to learn a skill that
can help the community
There are plenty of skills that can be picked
up in a matter of hours or days through
workshops which benefit the community and
are in short supply. For instance, there
are few Muslim women lifeguards out there,
something anyone who has tried to organize
swimming for sisters knows all too well.
The Red Cross
offers lifeguard certification in one-day
courses. Other examples of useful programs
include babysitting courses, also offered
by the Red Cross (which can help prepare
students for Masjid babysitting during Tarawih
prayers in Ramadan), CPR and First Aid,
writing workshops for beginners, as well
as conflict management and project management
seminars.
9. Organize a "Muslim Joke Festival"
Young Muslim tweens are teens are great
at cracking jokes about the community's
woes and idiosyncrasies. Why not harness
the talent for a good cause? Organize a
Muslim Joke Festival, an event that would
feature local youth presenting their funniest
material for a small fee. All proceeds go
to charity. Note: material should be carefully
screened by reliable community members to
make sure nothing is Islamically questionable
(e.g. no specific individual or racial/ethnic
group is targeted).
