Religious & Cultural Awareness Program

Project Aims - fostering greater social cohesion and inclusion in schools, particularly in highly diverse regions by taking a top-down approach.
Key Beneficiaries - School Staff, students & the wider community.
This pilot project will trial 10 sessions at 10 schools across Melbourne’s northern region. Several school leaderships will be invited to schedule a free session for staff to have a non-judgemental open discussion about Islam and Muslims with members from the Islamic Sciences & Research Academy. The aim is to better understand and support students with their religious observances (fasting, hijab, pilgrimage etc.)

School aged children who are Muslim are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of negative media coverage on Islam. We anticipate that by launching this project we’re able to start the conversation with educators and form a sustainable partnership so students from religiously observant families have a greater sense of belonging in their communities. This partnership will ensure school staff also have a credible, established local resource for any future enquiries in relation to their religiously observant Muslim students.