Ramadan

Our youth iftars give young people the opportunity to break their fasts with fellow Muslim peers as a way to build new bonds, learn more about our programs, and increase in their good deeds. Our iftars include engaging activities such as ice breakers, trivia, Quran recitation, duaa before Maghrib, potlucks and more!

Our signature Youth Itikaf Program is 10 years strong. Every night of the last 10 nights of Ramadan is especially curated to encourage and engage young people to spend the holiest nights in the masjid. This includes:

10-night youth lecture series for ages 14+ with a powerful theme, engaging activities, delicious snacks, open Q&A, dynamic speakers, and immaculate vibes!

Delicious youth suhoor/sehri options so they are incentivized to stay throughout the night. You can expect cereal, waffles, bagels, and pastries!

Pray & Play program for kids 8-12 during weekends so parents can focus on their worship

All-night babysitting for kids 3 - 7

Separate room for mothers with young children so they don’t have to choose between their worship and their parenting

And arguably most importantly, a welcoming and patient environment where young people don’t have to worry about elders scolding their every move.

Our Kids Taraweeh Program provides Ramadan activities for kids of all ages and occurs EVERY night of Ramadan during Taraweeh thanks to our amazing volunteers and staff. Here’s the breakdown:

Boys Ages 9 - 12: Boys pray the first 4 rakaa’s of taraweeh, then play indoor sports, and then come back to pray Witr prayer together. This ensures there is a healthy combination of fun and spirituality to ease kids into the practice of taraweeh prayer.

Girls Ages 9 - 12: Girls pray the first 4 rakaa’s of taraweeh, participate in a group activity, and then come back to pray Witr prayer together.

Kids Ages 5 - 8: Separate babysitting + kids program with activities

Kids Ages 0 - 4: Separate room for prayer just for mothers with small kids

Youth of all backgrounds and spiritual journeys come to our center in Ramadan, and we want to make sure they are engaged and see the center as a social place as well as a spiritual one. We organize sports nights throughout the month at outdoor fields, indoor courts, and right in our center for some friendly competition. Fasting in the day means it is less likely that youth will be able to work out or shoot some hoops without being extremely dehydrated. So we offer this opportunity for youth to take advantage of after Taraweeh!

As a youth center, we believe our five- minute talks after the first four rakaa’s of taraweeh should actually relate to the youth. That’s why we ensure both our topics and speakers are youth-friendly, and our talks are mostly given by youth themselves. Topics includes Muslim identity, mental health, building brotherhood and sisterhood, and more.

We understand that Ramadan means more hectic and busy schedules for parents, especially around iftar time, which means there may not be much time after school or on the weekends for in-person activities. That’s why we organize a weekly Ramadan Kids Program virtually to talk about Ramadan in a kid-friendly way through puppet shows and virtual activities!