Fostering Identity and Civic Engagement Among Muslim Youths
摘要
This chapter explores how young people can gain a better human rightsHuman rights understanding of different cultures through a service-learning project. A historic relationship between Turkey and Somalia (dating back more than 600 years to pre-Ottoman Empire times) undergirds recent support for Somali-Americans in Minnesota. As Turkish investments in Somalia have grown, Minnesota has turned greater attention to the needs and cultural integration of Somali-American Muslims. In 2018, a delegation of Minnesota youths traveled to Turkey to experience the history and significance of Muslim practices in a majority-Muslim, secular country, with the goal of returning to Minnesota to apply their emerging understandings of their faith and cultural identities to their local communities. When their human rights of inclusion and participation are respected and their cultural diversity embraced, their Muslim identities can provide a strong foundation for their involvement in civic life. The program explores a unique human rights education focus utilizing positive youth development approaches to foster cultural and faith identity, while applying the practices of service-learning and civic engagement.