NZ Muslim Youth Delegation at RIS 2022 (Canada)

Background

Over the years, NIYA executives have been involved in different organisations and initiatives which have not only prioritised youth development and upskilling, but actively promoted and subsidised such opportunities. However, we have seen the lack of such opportunities within the Muslim community. During our time on respective Muslim Student Associations and Muslim community organisations, we have endeavoured to replicate such efforts. This has included the first ever Muslim Youth delegation at Festivals for the Future 2017 consisted of 20 Muslim Youth and a follow-up delegation in 2021. 

However, upon reflection and through the gathering of feedback from delegates, we have realised that local opportunities such as Festivals for the Future do not provide an Islamic perspective or foundation to assist in youth upskilling and development, which is ultimately linked to community development.

Muslim Youth are the future leaders of our communities and the wider New Zealand society. We must be willing to invest in this future through professional development and upskilling opportunities.

The Opportunity – Reviving the Islamic Spirit 2022 

One of these opportunities is Reviving the Islamic Spirit (RIS), an annual Islamic conference held in Toronto, Canada. The first conference was held in 2001 and has since become one of North America's largest Islamic conferences, alongside the ISNA convention in the United States. The conference has grown from 3,500 attendees in its first year to over 20,000 in modern times. Attendees and speakers attend from around the world, including the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. The format of the conference consists of a series of lectures and workshops over three days, generally structured around a specific central theme. The conference was last held in person in 2019 and has been disrupted in the past two years due to the pandemic.

Reviving Islamic Spirit Conference 2022 

Where: Toronto, Ontario, Canada 

When: 23 to 25 December 2022 

Program / Speakers: To be Released (2021 Program | 2019 Program | Spirit of RIS 2019)

Objectives and Outcomes for those attending 

The objectives of this delegation and potential outcomes for attendees are multiple folds. 

1. Professional Development and Upskilling from an Islamic Perspective: The conference will provide Muslim Youth an opportunity to experience an environment of learning and excellence. They will get to learn from the keynote speakers, workshops, and other initiatives and the convention. They will also have the opportunity to develop key community leadership skills such as critical thinking (being exposed to different perspectives), Islamic-based community work, and development and relationship building.
2. Networking and Relationship Building: The conference will also provide New Zealand Muslim Youth to network with Muslim communities across the globe, especially in the west. It will be an opportunity to learn from their community building and development, given some communities are years ahead of us in certain community development spaces. The opportunity also enables us to build bridges and create a profile for New Zealand.
3. Replicating Learnings and Initiatives in New Zealand: Reviving the Islamic Spirit will also enable Muslim Youth to gain experience in these spaces to bring back to our communities and propagate/promote similar initiatives. They will be exposed to community work programs that are being deployed overseas to combat issues such as Mental Health, Disenfranchisement, and Identity Crisis but from an Islamic perspective.

Application and Selection Process

The final decision on the selection of attendees to the conference will rest with the Advisory Board to mitigate conflict of interest (actual or perceived) and biases. 

The selection criteria will consist of the following,

• Aged 18-30 
• A New Zealand Citizen or Permenant Resident 

The youth selected would have demonstrated a high level of, 

• excellence, 
• leadership, 
• initiative, 
• involvement, and 
• volunteerism 

in their respective Muslim communities. 

They will also need to demonstrate 

• how they will use this experience to enrich the work in their communities,
• how the opportunity at hand will help their professional development aspirations and 
• how attending the conference will make them a better Muslim Youth Leader in New Zealand. 

The application can either be in written format or a 3-minute recording addressing the selection criteria.

What is funded? 

NIYA, alongside their community partners will endeavour to subsidise and sponsor a delegation of 10 Muslim Youth to attend Reviving Islamic Spirit 2022. 

Those selected to be part of the delegation will have their International Air Travel (Auckland to Toronto Return) and Registration covered. Accommodation and Food expenses must be covered by the delegates. 

Applications close Friday, 14 October 2022

Delegation Supported By:

The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ)

New Zealand Muslim Association (NZMA)

Waikato Muslim Association (WMA)

Otago Muslim Association (OMA)