Check Out the Accomplishments of UMCL Summer Fellows ☀

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Dear Friends of the Utah Muslim Civic League,

As the summer comes to a close, we want to take the time to reflect on our 2020 Summer Fellowship Program and the work of our amazing fellows in these past few months. This program was UMCL's first fellowship program and we plan to continue to expand it in the future. Launching this leadership development program through fellowship is a commitment as an organization to invest in our youth.

Join us in celebrating just some of the many accomplishments and projects led by our talented cohort of Summer Fellows.

Khadija Kele
Racial Justice Fellow

Khadija has been working on various projects focused on helping black Muslim youth get involved with local community members to have important conversations surrounding police brutality, racism, and other important issues. She has worked hard to organize these conversations about racial injustices and continues to bring awareness and involvement in these relevant topics.

Over the summer, we held many important conversations about issues that matter to community with Utah government representatives, community organizations, and members of our community. Because of the pandemic, these conversations were held online over Zoom but still had some great attendance! Some of those conversations included:

• Utah’s Ethnic and Racial Minority Legislators in conversation with Black Lives Matter Youth Activists to understand key interventions Utah Legislators are leading to address issues around police reform.

• Black Community Town Hall in conversation with Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs and Utah Black Chamber, and Utah Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Commission where emerging Black leaders shared their perspectives on youth activism in a time of a global pandemic and civil unrest.

• Know Your Rights When Protesting with American Civil Liberties Union to understand our rights as protesters when going out to the streets.

Abed Alsolaiman
Community Organizing Fellow

Abed has been working closely with the Utah Muslim population in providing leadership and initiative in the creation and launch of various projects and coalitions, including the recent grants awarded to Utah mosques as well as the newly formed Utah Muslim Students Coalition.

Over the past month, we launched two different grants aimed at helping Utah mosques with COVID physical preparedness measures and the creation of pandemic-safe mosque programming. Grants were awarded to 12 different mosques in the past week and will be announced in the coming days over social media.

We worked to create a statewide coalition of Muslim students and have since held various meetings. The Utah Muslim Students Coalition includes student representatives from USU, Westminster, UofU, and BYU. The group is currently working on engagement and outreach ideas, effective communication plans, upcoming events and ideas for events, and more! Know a student who would like to join? Please share this information with them!

Utah Muslim Students Coalition Sign-Up

Shayma Salih
Civic Engagement Fellow

Shayma has been working to ensure that our community is being counted in the 2020 Census and registered to vote for the upcoming election! She is also making sure our community and representatives are aware of issues that affect our community such as the No Ban Act and protester rights.

This past August, UMCL hosted its first ever Family Civic Day. We were able to give out every single backpack pictured as well as food and school supplies! Many people also registered to vote and filled out the 2020 Census. It was a huge success thanks to our Fellows!

Over the past few months, we have also connected and spoken with various community members about why they are choosing to participate in the 2020 Census. We hope their voices will encourage others to participate!

New Polling Location

In our quest for enhancing Muslims participation in the civic process, UMCL is proud to announce that the Khadeeja Islamic Center will be a polling location for the 2020 election.

UMCL worked with the Salt Lake County Elections Office to find the best possible location and while 7 other mosques were considered, Khadeeja was chosen for its optimal location! We are excited for this opportunity with the Khadeeja Islamic Center and look forward to continuing to support and work with various other mosques and organizations to empower our communities civic participation.

Abdikadir Eftin
Community Business Development Fellow

Abdikadir has been working consistently helping individuals, organizations and businesses apply for PPP loans and business grants, training and mentorship for businesses, and housing and rental assistance. Through his efforts, UMCL has provided food and other essential items to our communities as well.

We are working to ensure that Utah's Muslim-owned businesses are participating the 2020 Census to encourage other businesses and individuals to make sure they are counted as well!

In partnership with the Rose Park Neighborhood Center, we taught an intensive digital skills program to 9 refugee high school students who are participating in the 4H extension program with Utah State University. The program ran for 4-weeks and once students completed the program, they were awarded a laptop.

Emily Wright
Social Media & Communications Fellow

Emily has been working to increase connection and outreach efforts on our various social media platforms. She is also currently working to update and redesign the UMCL website. Keep an eye out for that in the next couple of weeks!

UMCL continues to increase outreach and awareness of our organization and mission through our various social media platforms listed below. Make sure you are following us and please share with your friends! The greater the amount of people we can reach, the greater our impact.

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Here at UMCL, we have had a very busy summer with many exciting projects led by our Summer Fellows. And we are excited for the future of this fellowship program. The fellowship is being linked to various higher education institutions and national programs, and the program also seeks to develop leadership skills and connection with all Muslim students in Utah through the Muslim Student Coalition. We plan on adding mentorship, networking, and professional internship placements for these talented young people.

With the success of the summer program, we are committed to the continuation of the program and plan to further expand the fellowship for high school students in the near future.

Thank you for your continued support, and we have many exciting initiatives coming in the next few months with the upcoming election. Make sure to follow us on social media to stay updated. Wishing you and your families safety and health at this time.

Luna Banuri
Executive Director
Utah Muslim Civic League

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