It is so necessary to have teens and children ages 5 -12, learn about the social concepts and values that define Muslims as educated people.
For our society to flourish and strong nation to remain respectable, we need to train our youth for the challenges of a globalize world.
any ideas, focus groups, about Muslim Youth development work in Pakistan or abroad?
what type of work is being done?
are we equipping the youth with a balanced view of the personal and collective goals in life, from a practical as well as a religious point of view?
are youth able to find clarity in their identity as Muslim youth?
if they fall, do they get kicked in academic poor performance or are they supported to get back on their feet and not repeat their mistakes?
how the funding is generated?
who manages youth programs like these?
finally, share any ideas from learning about themselves, other cultures and religions, travel, financial literacy, competence in sports, writing, ethics, law, economics, practicing and learning about physical and life sciences, technology, to environmental sustainability education, that can provide day school curriculum of youth, a boost by the kind of extra curricular education, mentioned above?
dushwari
Re: Education and Youth Development
The current thought process is to mostly let schools do the youth development work. Obviously, it varies from school to school, and unless a child goes to a private islamic school in north america, the islamic identity thought process is not fostered.
Maybe if the masjids were to have some sort of after-school type of program, which would instill these values, that may fill the gap. However, the traditional maulvi sahab may not be the right person, specially when it will come to balancing multiple cultures. Probably a younger person should be designated as a coordinator of sorts to run such programs.
Re: Education and Youth Development
jayzee,
you are right. Mosques must be educational institutes that teach deen as well as practicality, without violating anything that deen teaches.
Re: Education and Youth Development
The points covered by Dushwari require brainstorming and our sincere attention, both at general public and government level, but usually we feel "dushwari" in concluding it.
The age mentioned in the post is 5-12, and in this age mostly children attract to "trend setters" ... they see them in their school, home, or esp. on media network. A proper (and purposeful) training (with a thought the concept of Sadqa-e-Jaariya) may be given to the objects toward which children are being attracted. For this purpose we will have to take a start from root level. Only few school systems are working on it who are well equipped with financial and HR resources. The potential parents can also be teached. You can't control the media liberalization and development ... If we can't, we can compete it with a parellel system having our true values.
I think, our mosque system fail to educate in this respect. You can find out the reason easily be analyzing that most students of mosques are who we think are fail in "imported" system and/or fail in other fields of life. OR we mostly "visit" to mosques in the mental state of anxiety, depression, loss etc. It was not the basic aim/objective of a mosque in Islam. We can give proper/real education to "spokesmen" in this field, OR we should not speak when we have not a confirm knoweldge or anaylytical sense.
few thoughts ...