CIOGC

What does the Council do?

• Youth Development Programs, through which we bring together the 15 MSA’s from Chicago’s college campuses for leadership training, dialogue and collaboration; the 80 youth counselors in our masajid for youth development and mentor training, our 900 Islamic school teachers from over 55 schools for training on curriculum development, cultivating positive school culture, the art of lesson plan delivery, infusing technology in their classrooms, and raising confident young Muslim Americans; interfaith programs, and civic education and engagement initiatives.
•  Illinois Muslim Action Day, our signature program, which highlights the diversity, unity and power of the Muslim American community in Illinois.  The spring season in Illinois is now known as “Muslims in Action!” Together we advocate for better education, more accessible healthcare, a cleaner environment, more effective human services and poverty alleviation.  For the past four years, the Council has brought together our diverse community to Springfield to meet their legislators, learn about the legislative process and engage the issues that affect all families in Illinois.  
• The Chicago Crescent, our monthly print and online publication, which is distributed to 120 locations around the State and read by our community members, coalition partners, local, state and federal officials.  The Chicago Crescent is the active voice of the Muslim community, written for and by Muslims.
• Intrafaith and interfaith events, such as our three highly successful recent iftars, which brought together our own diverse communities and our friends from other faiths for mutual understanding and relationship building.
• Effective Representation - harnessing the depth of talent and wisdom within our community to best represent our concerns and interests  with government agencies, media, civil rights and other advocacy groups and other faith communities.
• Zakat Chicago – local collection for local distribution. 
• Unity - bringing together over 50 member organizations to help coordinate activities, share ideas, and leverage our collective resources towards the overall unity ofthe Illinois Muslim community.

The next couple of days are crucial for the Council.  Please consider making a one-time generous donation or better yet, become a pillar of your community and be a monthly donor by giving $500, $100, $50, $25 a month or any other amount.   Help build a stronger community and improve the lives of our children and grandchildren today.

Democracy Day/DREAM Relief updates

New Americans Democracy Project Fellowship

Every two years, ICIRR hires 15-20 young leaders (and experienced community leaders) to do deep community organizing and voter turnout work in immigrant communities.  This program is called the New Americans Democracy Project Fellowship.  Being an NADP Fellow is the best opportunity in the United States to get introduced to community organizing, immigrant rights, and electoral politics.  5 of our young Fellows have gone on to be Executive Directors of their own community organizations within years of their fellowship.  Others have gone into successful careers in politics, immigrant rights, business, and community organizing. 

It’s 2012, an Election Year, and we are hiring again… please forward this message to everyone you know who wants to make a difference.

The DETAILS:

Paid Fellowships in Community Organizing and Civic Engagement in Immigrant Communities

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) announces the New Americans Democracy Project, a four-month fellowship program for young people who are interested in working hard while exploring a career in social justice and electoral/political work, receiving quality training, and contributing to the participation of new citizens in the American democratic process.

The program will run from June 25 to November 9, 2012, and will pay an educational stipend of $325 per week. Participants will receive trainingin the skills of community organizing, non-partisan voter registration and “Get Out The Vote” (GOTV) efforts from the staff, members and allies of ICIRR. These allies include community-based organizations with decades of experience in community and direct-action organizing as well as national groups like Wellstone Action and the Center for Community  Change, both national leaders in electoral organizing and training. Furthermore, ICIRR will provide training on immigration issues and working with immigrant communities.

Fellows will initially receive 4 days of paid training, supplemented with trainings throughout the length of the fellowship. Fellows will be placed with allied organizations in immigrant communities around the  metro-Chicago area. ICIRR staff as well as a mentor from the Fellow’s host organization will provide day-to-day supervision.

Fellows will work with their placement organizations to develop a local volunteer recruitment strategy and carry out intensive voter registration campaigns, focusing on new citizens in immigrant communities. In the weeks leading up to the November 2012 elections, fellows will work with these volunteers to conduct GOTV activities. All work will be non-partisan (not supporting a particular candidate or party), and will be carried under non-profit 501(C)(3) guidelines.

We are looking for applicants who are willing to work hard and are passionate about social justice and democratic participation. Previous experience is not required, but helpful, and we anticipate that  successful candidates will have been active in their communities on issues that matter to them. Because fellows will be working with community volunteers and conducting extensive outreach, this will be more than a 9-5 job, and will require commitment and flexibility. It will be essential to have a full-time use of a car. We will pay mileage and specific job-related expenses.

Applicants who speak languages of targeted immigrant communities are especially encouraged to apply: Spanish, Arabic, Korean, Polish, Hindi, Urdu, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, etc.

Because of the rapid growth of immigrant populations beyond the city of Chicago, placements will be in Chicago as well as in some or all of the following locations: Waukegan, Wheeling, Glenview, Skokie, Schaumburg, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Elgin, Carpentersville, Aurora, West Chicago, DuPage County, Joliet, Melrose Park, and Bridgeview.

We anticipate that several fellows will be hired into full-time jobs as a result of their fellowship experience. In 2006, 2008 and 2010 a significant majority of fellows attained full-time jobs in community organizing and social justice organizations, while the rest returned to post-secondary education. At the end of the fellowship, we will work with all fellows who are interested in obtaining work in the field to provide assistance in applying for jobs, including career counseling, resume review, networking, and providing references.

Application Deadline: June 18 2012

*** To apply, please complete the form on the following page (http://icirr.org/nadpfellowship) and email your resume and cover letter to Ahlam Jbara at ajbara@ciogc.org and to the NADP Program Manager, Abdelnasser Rashid at arashid@icirr.org. You may also email Abdelnasser if you have additional questions about the Fellowship. Fellows will be hired on a rolling basis. ***

SB 1064 halted by bigots who support profits over people

CIOGC is gravely disappointed by politicians who turned their backs onto creating a safer more humane living environment for Illinoisans. 

In the past few weeks we have been updating you on SB 1064 a bill that would block Corrections Corporations of America (a multi-million dollar corporation) from building the Crete center and other dangerous private detention facilities. 

IL should be able to send a clear message of unwelcome to anybody who tries to profit off of people’s sufferings. 

However, despite all our calls, petitions, and lobbying we are deeply disappointed to inform you that the bi-partisan coalition broke down last minute by politicians turning their backs on the growing immigrant populations in their districts. Rep. Mussman, Rep Sente, Rep Crespo, Rep Farnham, and Rep McAset made sure that this simple and humane message be trumped by money. They chose to hear out hired CCA lobbyists over local families in their communities. 

These represenattives understand that CCA has a long history of neglect, abuse and mistreatment. They know about the deaths of immigrant detainees that have repeatedly occurred. They know about the lack of medical care given for conditions that are treatable. They are informed of CCA running a “gladiator” school that uses violent and intimidating “Hunger Game” tactics to control the inmates. They know of the Muslim man who was allowed to be beaten to death while guards looked on. 

In short, these representatives understand the effects that profit motives can have onto detentions. They are aware but still they decided to help out the nations largest multi-million dollar private prison industry rather then serve their constituents. These representatives stopped SB 1064 from being passed because they supported profits over people. 

It’s time for us to tell them that we will NOT tolerate these attacks on our communities and our families.

See AP report & video here