The IlmPals Vision: Imagining a World where Young Muslim Refugees Have Equal Academic and Social Opportunities

Muslim refugees have been displaced from many countries ravaged by wars like Yemen, Syria, and most recently, Afghanistan. Though many receive financial support from the government and Muslim communities upon arrival, they have a hard time communicating and comprehending due to the language barrier. This is especially a problem for the refugee children attending public schools, who struggle in academics and are socially ostracized for not speaking English well. They also simultaneously face challenges to their Muslim identity. It is vital that these young future leaders have academic and social support that reinforces who they are as Muslims. That's why at IlmPals, inshaAllah we will offer free English as a  Second Language tutoring & Pen Pal programs that will match these Muslim refugee children with qualified, mature Muslim middle and high school mentors.

Help IlmPals raise funds for curriculum development and its peer to peer technology platform

 In order to take this goal to its next phase of implementation, we need YOUR help to make this dream a reality!  Please donate today! Your donation will be used towards:

1. Curriculum Development & Resources (a youth-friendly ESL program rooted in socio-emotional learning and compassion)
2. Program Administration (matching volunteer teachers with Muslim refugees and ensuring  successful tutoring)
3. Technology Platform: (a secure system for volunteer mentors and young refugees to interact)

Once you help us reach our goal, IlmPals services will be offered FREE of charge to eligible young Muslim refugees. Visit https://ilmpals.org/ to learn more.

40 Students; 12 Months; 1 Dream

In January 2021, a diverse group of about 40 middle and high school student pioneers from across the globe set out to equalize the education equation. From Oklahoma to Ontario, from Missouri to Melbourne, from California to Qatar and beyond, the IlmPals student team has worked to launch a unique peer tutoring and penpal program to benefit Muslim refugees the world over. Unlike other programs that offer tutoring services to refugees, IlmPals is an organization built by the youth, for the youth to address the educational and social setbacks that millions of refugees face on a daily basis.

Our Mission: Nurturing Academic Excellence and Social Confidence in Young Muslim Refugees

Unlike other mainstream tutoring services, our free system utilizes the energy of the youth to teach the youth, whilst providing them with long-lasting friendships. Working in collaboration and partnership with Muslim relief organizations, IlmPals will insha’Allah provide the following two mentorship track options for young refugees:

1. Pen pal program: Student tutors and refugees who sign up for this program will be paired by age to become pen pals. Participating in weekly formal and informal relationship-building activities as a duo, this friendship aspect of IlmPals’s services creates a healthy, compassionate environment for students to connect with peers and build interpersonal skills.

2. Tutoring program: Student tutors who sign up for this mentorship program will be paired with a refugee student to tutor in English. Students will follow a child-friendly, culturally sensitive English Second Language (ESL) curriculum. Through weekly one-on-one live tutoring sessions, student tutors and their tutees will progress to the level of basic English proficiency over the course of a year, inshaAllah. With a foundational understanding of English, students new to the US will be on track to academic and social success, inshaAllah.

The future of IlmPals is in YOUR hands!

IlmPals is fiscally sponsored by Legacy International Online High School, a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. All your donations are tax-deductible and akhirah-redeemable! Your donation, no matter how big or small, can help IlmPals become a dream come true.