Saturday 12th October 2024
Open Monday - Saturday, 10am to 4pm
Here at IMA we were delighted to host a public speaking workshop as part of a Life Matters program conducted by Minaret College. Over the course of two weeks, over 100 students participated in a rigorous public speaking workshop, where they were able to learn a variety of practical skills on how to captivate the audience and become positive future ambassadors for their faith, in order to cultivate community cohesion and harmony.
The morning began with a presentation on public speaking and contemporary topics in Islamic discourse from IMA Education Director, Sherene Hassan, who shared her extensive personal experience as a community worker for over 25 years. Demonstrating the importance of gesturing, voice modulation and maintaining eye-contact with the audience during a speech or presentation, Sherene reminded the participants that the most important part of the experience is to face your fears and to keep practicing! Students then received a talk from Amna, part of the Education team here at IMA, about how to negotiate the diverse facets of young Australian Muslim identity, to celebrate who you are and most importantly, to spread love and light and work together to achieve shared goals, grounded in our common humanity.
A walk through the five permanent galleries at IMA ensued where students were invited to make notes on an exhibit that most interested them, many asking questions along the way – the nervous anticipation at having to make a speech in the afternoon lingering in the air! Later, students were divided into groups and workshopped their ideas before presenting on a topic of their choice for three minutes; these inspiring and confident talks were delivered by future male and female leaders of the Muslim community in the making – each talking about the diverse contributions made by Muslims to society in areas as diverse as history, the sciences and arts. Facilitators felt immensely proud of all the students that participated in this workshop, many overcoming hurdles and a fear of public speaking to stand, tall and proud, confident in their identity and sense of self to engage their fellow peers.
A great day enjoyed by all IMA is thankful to Minaret College for organising this excellent initiative and looks forward to continuing to offer a diverse range of youth programs here at the museum.