Leadership for Community Empowerment (LCE)

Program Description and Design

Leadership for Community Empowerment (LCE) program aims to provide present and potential community leaders with the opportunity to improve their leadership skills and awareness. The program is designed to provide an integrated exposure to leadership and management skills, identify challenges and issues facing the growing Muslim community, and foster Islamiclearning geared tothe North American experience.

The program consists of short training seminars to be organized in major metropolitan center throughout the country, and will give Muslim leaders and activist, who cannot attend the more elaborate training during the Summer Leadership Institute, the opportunity to benefit from ILDC training programs. This two-day program offers both seminars and workshops designed to help communities improve the quality of communication and services.

LCE provides flexible training modules, and can be tailored to address the local needs of different Muslim communities.

Objectives

Enhance effective leadership and managerial skills
Develop communication and conflict prevention skills
Present central Islamic principles, so participants gain understanding as to how Islamic teaching relates to life in North America
Empower communities to be able to engage public institutions and to channel Muslim resources to serve the public.

Who Should Enroll

Current and aspiring imams,
Chaplains serving in universities, prisons, the armed forces, and the various departments of government.
Community leaders, including directors and board members of Islamic centers, directors and board members of national and local Muslim organizations, Muslim activists, and active community members.
Teachers interested in developing leadership qualities among their students.
Youth leaders, including leaders of youth organizations, as well as youth with the potential to provide leadership to the Muslim community.
Individuals interested in developing leadership capabilities.

Sessions Description

Sessions are organized around four skill areas: (1) Leading Communities and Projects, (2) Communication for Leaders and Organizers, (3) Social and Political Activism, and (4) Islamic Principles and Their Day-to-Day Applications. Each of the areas has it own pool of scholars and experts whose expertise is enlisted to deliver the training. Expert list is subsequently provided.

Group 1: Leading Communities and Projects

Leadership as Self-Improvement of Values and Attitudes
Building Expectations and Setting Standards
Decision Making and teamwork
Strategic Planning and Implementation
Empowering the Community through Education and Involvement

Group 2: Islamic Principles and Their Day-to-Day Applications

Legal and Moral Aspects of Shari'ah: Implications for Muslim Americans
Qur'anic Principles and their Implications for Community Life
The Prophetic Traditions and Their Implications for Today
Rethinking the Place of Muslim Women in the Masjid and Community
Relations with People of Other Faiths
Khutbatul Jum'ah: Purpose and themes
Fiqh Applications in American Society

Group 3: Communication for Leaders and Organizers

The do's and don'ts of interpersonal and group communications with the specific perspective of Islamic ethics and manners
Dealing with the mass media regularly and conducting and giving interviews
Managing crises:
Insights to Plan, establish, staff, and operate a communication function in an organization
Conflict Prevention and Resolution
Starting an Interfaith Dialogue with Churches and Synagogues

Group 4: Social and Political Activism

Giving hands to Neglected and Underprivileged neighborhoods
Building Coalitions to Promote Shared Interests and Address Common Concerns
Fundraising and Charity Work
Speaking to your Representative About Community Concerns
Dealing with Hate Speech and Religious Extremism
Democratic Education at Home and Abroad

Resource Persons

The training sessions will be conduct by scholars and practitioners in the area of instruction. ILDC has entered into a contractual agreement (the agreement has not yet finalized with all) with the following resource persons and will make sure that at lest one of them cover the sessions relevant to their expertise.

Good Governance

David Miles
Iqbal UnusRafik Beekun
à Rizwan Jaka
Louay Safi

Communication

Dilnawaz Siddiqui
Maha ElGiniedi
Ibrahim Hooper
Tahera Goyada
Aslam Abdullah
Afeefa Syeed

Social and Political Activism

Salam Al-Maryatti
Muqtedar Khan
Farid Senzai
Rami Nashashibi
Mukit Hussain
Parvaz Ahmed

Islamic Principles

Ingrid Mattson
Ihsan Bagby
Muzammil Siddiqui
Muhammad Nur Abdullah
Muneer Fareed
Sa’duddin Khan

Program Design

Each program consists of three main session conducted over two days
The session consists of instruction and workshop segments; the instruction segment provides basic concepts and ideas, while the workshop gives participants the opportunity to practice the concepts and ideas through simulations and exercises.
ILDC appoints, in collaboration of the host community, a steering committee (3 to 5 persons) and a program coordinator. The steering committee will serve as a advisory board to the program coordinator, who will handle publicity and logistics.
The program coordinator and the steering committee will procure the facilities to be used for training, which will consist of main lecture hall with capacity to accommodate 100 persons, and at least three rooms to be used for workshop sessions with the capacity to accommodate 40 persons.
The program is intended to provide practical knowledge and hands-on experiences, and will consist of both general lectures for providing basic concepts and instructions, and workshops for exercises and simulation.
ILDC plans to institutionalize the LCE program and makes it an annual activity is selected metropolitan areas.

Flexible Modules

LCE is designed to give communities more say in what issues and topics be included, and to help tailor the training to meet local priorities and needs. This is how the program works:

The local community’s steering committee selects, in consultation with ILDC officials, three themes for the list of sessions offered.
The steering committee must choose one session from group 1 and 2, and may select the third session from any of the themes listed in the group 3 to 5.
ILDC puts a program and identify available instructors from its list of expertise.
The program is then send to the steering committee for final approval.

Contact ILDC

Please contact us if you are interested in organizing LCE in your community, or in case you have questions.

Contact person: Milia Islam at Mislam@isna.net or call317-839-1807