Creating Your Vision

What is your vision for the campus and/or community?

We would like to see our campus consistently uphold and advocate civil rights, justice, and tolerance. In particular, religious discrimination against Muslims, and the ideas the allow it, would become unacceptable to the mainstream and majority society. Muslims should be understood and accepted within the rich fabric of American pluralism, not stereotyped and alienated. Issues pertaining to Muslim students would receive reasonable consideration and accommodation, rather than be hostility or apathy.

The CAIR-UIUC chapter will serve as a model for chapters at other universities, teaching students tried, effective methods for effective activism. Student chapters would join a grassroots network already established nationwide with state chapters. They would receive "how-to's" on setting up and running their own organization, mentorship and guidance from experienced members, join nationwide campaigns, and share best practices. With student chapters, CAIR would gain a more robust ability to fight against racism and discrimination and establish a vibrant training ground for young people looking to contribute constructive activism.

Assessing Your Campus and Community

What campus/community problem does your blueprint address? What structures, practices and policies institutionalize the problem?

A great deal of misunderstanding exists about Muslims in America, with real, negative impact in areas such as civil rights violations, hate speech, and hate crimes. This is perpetuated by the inadequate availability and attendance of classes on Islam and Muslims and the ease with which the student body self segregates itself from the diversity of its colleagues and differing ideas. Various publications freely publish derogatory or hateful content without any censure for its irresponsible and journalistic unsound content. Additionally, students who do commit offensive or discriminatory acts may not be punished or seriously reprimanded for these actions as a deterrent for others.

A strong student voice would work to address these problems on a number of levels, and could amplify work being done by chapters at the state level. Consistent, professional initiatives by student chapters of CAIR could have an immense impact on changing the landscape of discrimination against Muslims for the better.

What communities will you work with?

• Campus community
• Local community
• Statewide community
• Nationwide community

Setting Goals and Deliverables

• Goal 1: Sustaining CAIR-UIUC, the students chapter on our campus as a model for others.
• Comprensive Toolkits (documentation) - print and digital - In order to ensure that CAIR-UIUC's work never stops, and actually improves over time, we must document all our tasks, responsibilities, our mission, core areas, organizational structure, annual calendar, etc. into an easy to understand guidebook. This must be compiled along with how-to guides, tool-kits, and best-practice guides that are clear and easy to follow. This can be published as a pdf or bound into a booklet in order to email or share with new members. Examples of some how-to guides are: "How-to organize a lecture series", "How to organize a documentary screening", or "How to respond to a biased article in the newspaper." Examples of advice given in a best-practice guide would be "Why you should constantly document everything that you work on," "How to communicate with your co-activists efficiently (i.e. responding to emails and voice-mails in a timely manner)," or "How to advertise for an event on campus."
• Create an interactive website as an organizing tool - The organization needs its own user friendly, easy to replicate, and easy to update website. This will make it enable us to spread more information through articles and feature pieces, and it will also allow us to reach a wider audience so that more people to learn about our activities. Creating a website requires enlisting the help of a web-designer. We will probably find one through CAIR Illinois' network.
• Bi-Annual training session/conference - An annual leadership training session is crucial in preparing new members, planning for future activities, and brainstorming new ideas. At the end of each school-year, previous CAIR-UIUC board member will train the upcoming board as well as anyone one else who would like to improve their leadership skills. This session will take place on campus, preferably on a weekend, and last from morning until afternoon.
• Goal 2: Facilitate other student groups in developing their own university chapters
• To begin actual chapters we will network with Muslim student leaders from other campuses, beginning with Chicago campuses, and share our vision, goals and documentation. We are already in contact with most of the leaders of local Muslim Students Associations (MSAs).
• we will set-up training sessions with students from different campuses. This will require preparing dynamic presentations, workshops, and supplementary hand outs, and printing several guidebooks and binders.
• Ensure the chapter successfully regsiters with their schools as a student organization and operates for at least one semester,
• After a semester of work and developement by an individual chapter, set up a website for the chapter to maintain
• Goal 3: Ensure that all CAIR chapters have the resources and tools to fight prejudice and promote tolerance on university campuses and their surrounding communities.
• We will remain in close contact with the CAIR students chapter leaders and help the new chapters implement the model. We will analyze each campus's situation and specific needs, and brainstorm how to go about achieving their goals, including fundraising.
• Regular meetings and conference calls will be set-up in order to receive updates and progress reports from CAIR student leaders. Amina and Reem will serve as advisers from the CAIR-Illinois office.
• analyze each campus community and its specific needs
• Set-up a central body that evaluates and makes available new documentation, how-to's, and best practice guides at least once or twice a semester. It should also regularly assess and address the needs of new chapters. This can also be done by Amina and Reem, and down the road an official chapter development coordinator at the national or state level can take over.

What is your primary approach? Leadership and Capacity Building

Why did you choose this approach?

In order to establish the work that CAIR does among youth we need to train other student civil rights activists and give them the necessary skills to fight discrimination, carry out effective media and messaging campaigns, affect change on campus, etc. This requires precise organization and leadership development.

What will your tactics and activities be?

All tactics and activities will be enacted under seven core areas that define CAIR-UIUC's work:

1) Interactive Education
2) Media Activism
3) Think Tank
4) Civic Engagement
5) Outreach
6) Community Service
7) Mobilize Action (action alerts....call-in, write-in, protest, or take some action)

Connecting Back to Vision

How does your strategy contribute to your vision for your campus and/or your community?

Each of the core areas addresses the many levels on which change can take place. For example, effecting change involves short-term push tactics such as mobilizing protests (Mobilize Action), but also requires long-term vehicles for change such as education (Interactive Education) and person to person contact and coalition building (Outreach).

Resources and skills you will need

What skills do you need for this approach?

Project Management
Institution Building
Teamwork
Networking
Public Relations
Media Relations
Grassroots Organizing
Research and Analysis
New Media (producing blogs, websites, audio, video casts, flash, etc.)
Dialouge
Producing Media and Messaging