CEDAR | European Muslim Professionals Network

On 29th January 2011 CEDAR was delighted to hold its first Inspiration Day in partnership with the Kiran Project in East London, UK. Thirty young women aged between 10-18 attended from the Al Risalah madrasah group, Leyton.
The event began with an introduction by the Kiran Project, an organisation dedicated to providing support for local women in the East London area: http://www.kiranproject.org.uk/

The session started with two inspirational talks from well-known Muslim women. Anber Raz is Programme Manager at Equality Now, an international human rights organisation, and contributor to the Guardian and Independent newspapers. Nabila Ramdani is a freelance journalist and commentator and also a finalist of the European Muslim Woman of Influence awards (EMWI). Both mentors spoke about their journey as Muslim women and inspired the young girls through a series of interactive Q&A sessions. Lunch was a chance for the girls to mingle and get to know one another as well as to reflect on the motivating talks.

The second half of the session included an introduction to the EMWI Project and the showing of the EMWI film:  http://vimeo.com/16584002 Responding to the inspiring stories showcased in the film, the girls had the opportunity to explore their own personal goals and ambitions through a mapping exercise. The mentors facilitated an interactive session, allowing them to brainstorm ideas, ambitions and aspirations which they later shared with the group.
All mentees were awarded a certificate of attendance and were thanked for their participation. Their thoughts are captured in the following: 

"It was inspiring, interesting and helped us think about what to do with our lives."
"It showed me that I can be ambitious and stay strong through all the challenges in life."

Following this successful event, CEDAR plans to continue building ties with local community organisations particularly in the youth mentoring field.