General Information

This program, is open to male and female adolescents in the Houston area which which will provide a place for our youth to Belong!

The youth will be divided into two groups: young teens (12 to 14 years) and teens (15 to 17 years). Based upon the number of personnel, we will have a maximum capacity of 100 adolescents. The maximum amount of students in each activity is 25. The minimum number of students for an activity to take place is 15 students. Therefore the total minimum students needed to run the program is 40 and the maximum is 100.

 

Activities

Sports

Being active helps build stronger muscles and bones, control body fat, be less likely to become overweight, decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, possibly lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels, have a better outlook on life, etc.

Besides enjoying the health benefits of regular exercise, kids who are physically fit sleep better and are better able to handle physical and emotional challenges — from running to catch a bus to studying for a test. The youth will be split up in two groups: boys and girls.

 

Tutoring/Homework Assistance
Tutoring and homework will be available to students on specific subjects, if need be. Students will be grouped separately between boys and girls.

 

Counseling: Individual, Family and Group

Individual, family and group counseling can be done on the reference of teachers, caretakers, parents, tutors or students themselves. Family and group counseling are done at the discretion of the counselor, where there would be a need for it. There will be one hour a week where student, parents and anyone else can walk in and request advice from the counselor.

 

Bicultural Competence Training

The Bicultural Competence Training Program employs skills training to promote "bicultural-fluency" - social competency in two cultures - in the bicultural adolescent. The program is administered over 10 sessions and is designed to address 11 positive youth development constructs, including social-emotional competence, perception of self-efficacy, and bonding with others.

 

Odyssey of the Mind A&B

Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. The program will discuss and solve short term problems, ranging from math to communication. Students will get hands-on activities to stimulate creative thinking. Each problem will be discussed in 2 sessions each week. Students will enhance creative thinking, academic improvement, self-esteem, assertiveness, team work and leadership.

Odyssey A and B are offering different lessons, so students can choose one or both in their schedule as they are scheduled in different periods.

 

Story Telling: Oration and Eloquence Training

In our story telling program, the students will learn to express themselves properly with eloquence. They will study the art of storytelling, practice with each other and choose a story from the Islamic history to perform in front of an audience. They discuss on how this story would apply to their lives now. This increases teamwork, communication and gives them a greater framework of Islam to relate to. Students will enhance personal expression, expression of emotions, assertiveness and increase self- esteem. The youth will be split up in two groups: young teens and teens.

 

This is Where I Need to Be

A dozen Muslim teenagers set out to document the real-life experiences and feelings of their Muslim peers in New York City high schools. The result is a compelling collection of twenty-three oral histories. These are voices of teenagers living ordinary lives at a time when being Muslim in America can provoke “extraordinary” reactions from classmates and teachers, from friends and strangers, and even from one’s own family and kin. Whatever you think you know about Muslims in America, these stories rise above news-cycle stereotypes and open a personal window onto what it means to be young and Muslim.

 

Similarly, this program gives needed attention to the fact that Muslims are very much a part of the fabric of American religious diversity. It helps youth find their identity and teaches them to integrate it within the greater society. The program focuses on self-esteem, social-emotional competence, bicultural competence and peer-pressure resistance.

 

Quarterly Newsletter

This program gives youth an opportunity to address negative stereo types, issues that affect them and provides the youth with a safe place to gather and discuss their ideas and questions.

 

Students will meet every day after school and brainstorm on news items and research information. Then they will write a story on the news item. While brainstorming they discuss diverse cultural opinions and views and learn about Islamic views on 3PMics as well. They learn how to communicate, work together and voice their opinion. They learn writing skills, research skills, graphic design and multimedia skills.

 

3:00 Project Program

The 3:00 Project uses a curriculum with four components: community service learning, academic enrichment, communication strategies, and socialization/ recreation. Goals of community service learning are to provide youth with opportunities for developing commitment and attachment to the larger society through productive, meaningful volunteer activities, and also to serve as an outlet for adolescents' capacity and desire to assume responsibility and explore adult roles. The academic enrichment component is designed to build and enhance skills that support academic achievement, offer enrichment activities beyond the scope of the school curriculum, and incorporate career exploration. The communication strategies component includes opportunities for participants to enhance their verbal and nonverbal communication skills to support effective decision making, conflict resolution, and interpersonal skills. The socialization/recreation component includes activities that provide participants opportunities to learn and practice social skills, to experience a variety of recreational activities, and to promote mental and physical wellness.

 

Managing Pressures Before Marriage

This program consists of five hour-long lessons that address the risks of early sexual involvement. The curriculum discusses social and media pressures to become sexually active and teaches students methods for handling these pressures. Classroom activities include brainstorming, critical analysis, role-playing, skills training, and skills rehearsal. MPM specifies that abstinence until marriage is the expected standard. Youth will be separated into young teens and teens. Both groups will than again be split between boys and girls.

 

You're the Boss

This program offers a comprehensive training for students to learn about setting up a business. Students will cover topics such as recognizing opportunities, different types of business models, pricing, marketing, loans, and business plans. The You're the Boss program teaches students life-skills such as finances, planning and management. This will increase self-esteem, academic performance, involvement in the community, leadership and cooperation.