Funds sought to accommodate 200 special-needs students in Islamic classes this year

Source: MIJ crowdfunding page. Kinaesthetic learning in action.

Singapore-based My Islamic Journey (MIJ) Education Hub, established in 2011, is running a crowdfunding campaign to pay for better facilities and services around Islamic education for special needs children and adults.

The facility offers weekly Islamic classes conducted by qualified asatizahs who are also certified in early-childhood and special-needs education. The special-needs students are individuals aged 5 to 25 who may be on the autism spectrum or have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, Down's syndrome or global developmental delays (GDD). The classes focus on
unambiguous, explicit teaching strategies, individual learning strengths as well as preferred learning styles.

"We believe that all students can learn.. just perhaps not on the same day or the same way," runs a statement on the MIJ website.

MIJ has more than 200 students enrolled this year for seerah, fiqh (فقه) - the theory of Islamic law, tauheed (توحيد) - the concept of monotheism - and Quran memorisation classes, but MIJ's current premises is too small for an enrolment of this size. Rather than turn anyone away, MIJ is now seeking funds for a bigger space that will be renovated to accommodate their students' learning challenges.

It needs about US$105,000 to fully expand the school but will work with whatever amount is raised. MIJ already relies on donations to subsidise lessons for students from low-income or working-class families. Only 27 of MIJ's 200 students are currently paying the full fees.

The proposed space is to have therapy and gym rooms to help special-needs students who are kinaesthetic learners*. The funds will also help the school buy equipment and teaching aids, with the money budgeted as follows:

US$21,000: therapy and gym rooms
US$21,000: teaching materials, audio-visual aids, computers and other teaching aids
US$49,000: renovations
US$14,000: office/school equipment

Programmes offered by MIJ include Tafsir & Hadith for Ladies, Quranic Tahsin for Ladies, Basic Quranic Literacy for Ladies, Fiqh & Solat for Youths and Young Muslims, Arabic tuition for madrasah students and a Muslim toddlers’ club.

The founders of MIJ, Faraliza Zainal and Ali Dawood, are themselves parents of a special needs teen. Their son is autistic and is now learning to call the adhan (أَذَان‎‎, the call to prayer before salah). He communicates and performs his salah (صلاة, the five obligatory daily prayers) diligently.

Interested?

MIJ is at 61, Ubi Ave 2, AML Building, #08-06 Singapore 408898

Donate to MIJ by end-February 2017 - the goal stated on the crowd-funding page is US$40,000, short of the budgeted amount.

*A kinaesthetic learner is one who can register and process information the most via physical movement.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center receives two batches of student cultural guides

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center in Abu Dhabi, UAE has hosted new batches of potential guides for the Ibn Elder and Junior Cultural Guide programmes, which were launched towards supporting and developing a qualified national workforce in the field of cultural guidance in the UAE.

The Ibn Elder programme provides the participants with an opportunity to work within its part-time scheme at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center upon passing a cultural guidance course. Participants carry out cultural tours in accordance with international cultural guidance quality standards that meet the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center's vision and objectives, and are trained by local national cultural guidance specialists affiliated to the Center. Training, over four weeks, covers conduct of cultural guides, information acquisition, discussions on frequently-asked questions and educational field trips to similar tourist and cultural destinations in the UAE.

The Junior Cultural Guide programme, held at the mosque's premises in Abu Dhabi will host 50 students between the ages of 11 and 15 till mid-August, over the summer break, in cooperation with both ADEC and Emirates Transport. It aims to highlight the profession of cultural guidance in the UAE, and the cultural and social role played by Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center.

A new theme to the Junior Cultural Guide programme this year is My lovely language, which coincides with the public reading initiative launched by HH Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. My lovely language will help the children to deliver the tours in precise Arabic. The children will be taught five new Arabic words a day and encourage to use them during their tours.

Another theme added to the programme is Community Service, and involves inviting guests with special needs to participate during the training sessions. This helps to highlight the importance of volunteering, introduces the services that are available at the mosque in this regard, and educates the children on the nuances of interacting with people with special needs.