MAS Youth Memo
April 10, 2008 

 A Movement Launched
311 Youth Workers Come Together at CAM

One would be pressed to find a gathering of young people in all of America holding such spirit, eagerness, and solidarity. More than 300 youth workers, representing more than 35 U.S. cities, came together for the 8th Central Annual Meeting of MAS Youth Workers on April 4-6, 2008. In the closing session, many young people said the meeting "blew them away."

"I came away feeling incredibly inspired and motivated," said Sharif Aly, youth director in New York. "I truly found the forum and means to live my life for the sake of Allah."

It was a weekend packed with networking, intense discussions, challenges, and trainings. A major theme of all sessions and discussion was how to reach out to and help the 99% of American youth outside of the mosques that are deprived of opportunity because of peer pressure, alcoholism, gang membership, crime, or poverty.

"The majority of the young of our nation, our peers, are blinded to this tremendous potential they have," said Omar Atia, the MAS Youth Vice President. "We need a movement that is for all young people, a movement that welcomes every young man and young woman to be part of it, and a movement that is relevant to every one of them."

 
"It's time for a movement," was the rallying call of the weekend. A climax of the CAM was the surprise unveiling of a new mission statement for MAS Youth. Many youth workers said that it wasn't until this weekend that they finally understood what it meant to be a movement. After prayers and during intense supplications, youth workers held hands and recited the mission statement together. (the new mission statement can be viewed here)

 
The CAM featured main sessions conveying the overall direction of MAS Youth, as well as parallel sessions for brainstorming and courses for skill development. The MAS Youth Signature Projects were discussed in a new light: not just at the implementation level, but exploring potential for expansion and overcoming barriers. Local youth chapters displayed their work at the MAS Youth Expo, where youth workers shared experiences and exchanged contact information.

 
"I felt like I was finally home," said Ahmad Yousaf of New Jersey. "Amongst my brothers and sisters, speaking my language in the broader sense, seeing my dreams, feeling my hopes, experiencing my frustrations and fears, and just looking to Allah for guidance."

MAS Youth's groundbreaking project, Voices for Change, was emphasized many times over the weekend and leaders called for the complete mobilization of every local chapter. Voices for Change, a concert tour featuring the award-winning hip-hop band Outlandish, is the first MAS Youth project to attempt to take its message to masses of American youth.  

"Voices for Change is an enormous opportunity to reach out to every young man and woman in America," Atia said. "It tells every young person that you can enjoy entertainment and use your talents in a healthy, empowering, drug-free environment."

 The prevailing feeling at the close of this year's CAM was readiness and anticipation. As 311 American Muslim youth workers headed back to their cities, by plane, bus, or car, minds had already turned to implementation.

"Seeing everyone from the different chapters come together with the same vision in mind was an amazing sight," Tazeen Ayub said. "Getting to talk to people from all over about what they're doing really gave me the motivational push I needed to get moving with work in Detroit."

It is rare that a gathering of young people can be so intense, spiritual, warm, accepting, focused, and so much fun at the same time. Youth workers strategized and discussed during the day, prayed in the late hours of the night, donated their money, and cheered in the Saturday night entertainment session. MAS Youth workers come from all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, varying in age from 15 to more than 40 years old. MAS Youth, aspiring to be the movement of change for young people in America, seeks to provide both a home for young people and a platform for them to reach their potential and work for change.

"This movement just caught fire," Ahmad Yousaf said, reflecting on his CAM experience. "And this flame is not going out anytime soon."

A Division of the Muslim American Society (MAS), MAS Youth serves young professionals and youth in high schools and colleges. Its mission is to move young people to strive for God-consciousness and social justice and to convey Islam with utmost clarity.