The Courage Project: Empower Our Youth brings together high school teenagers from diverse backgrounds and faiths to foster friendship, engage in self-reflective activities, and share perspectives of their own faiths and scriptures in relation to taking care of people, our precious planet, and all creations. Through creative activities, this project aims to broaden participants’ social and intellectual horizons by having dialogues, writing a short essay, learning about the meaning of being a khalifah (steward), and by exploring the intersection between courage, faith and environmental stewardship. The Courage Project aims to connect participants with their roles as stewards of the Earth as described in their religious scriptures while also connecting them to people of other faiths in their own communities. A collaboration between the Chicago Muslims Green Team (CMGT), Muslims in Action Youth Group (MCC), Downtown Islamic Center (DiC), and Faith in Place (FiP).
“He is the one who made you khalifahs (stewards, guardians, vicegerents) of the earth.” (Al-An’am, 6:165)