| Arab American Action Network |
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3148 W. 63rd St. Chicago, IL 60629
773-436-6060
773-436-6460
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| Staff |
Youth Organizing Program Coordinator
Halima Bahri
Youth Services
Program Coordinator
Melissa Lukasick
Finance Assistant
Rania Shkairat
Family Empowerment Program Coordinator
Nina Shoman-Dajani
Family Literacy Project Coordinator
Zaineb Abdulla
Southwest Community Coalition Representative
AmeriCorps Members
Samar Damra
Aaisha Durr
Ramah Kudaimi
Besan Quran
Shorook Quran
Arasele Roebles
Fatmah Tabally |
| Board |
Louise Cainkar-Mashrah
Treasurer
Ali Abunimah
Omar Bishtawi
Laila Farah
Ahlam Jbara
Mona Khalidi
Souzan Naser
Ora Schub
Lamees Talhami | |
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Upcoming Events
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The AAAN invites you to join us for a potluck Iftar at 7:30pm on Friday, August 28th at the Markaz (3148 West 63rd Street, Chicago). Please bring along your favorite dish, family and friends. Let us know if you are coming!
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The Arab American Action Network,
American Indian Center and
Cambodian American Heritage Museum present
Talking About Water:
Traveling from Abundance to Scarcity
10:00am-12:00pm
Saturday, August 29
The Field Museum
This program is presented by members of the Chicago Cultural Alliance and by The Field Museum. It will begin with a tour of the "Water" exhibit at the museum and then move to the shore of Lake Michigan where the presenters will discuss such questions as: How does access to water influence the quality of life in your community? What is the role that water plays in your community's beliefs and rituals? What are some of the creative ways that your community uses water wisely? How can these practices be used in Chicago to conserve water? Afterwards attendees will be able to explore the museum free of charge.
Attendees must ride on a bus departing from 7350 West 93rd Street, Bridgeview at 9:00am. You will return around 3:30pm. Please email Ramah Kudaimi or call 773-436-6060 for more information and to reserve spots. You must RSVP to go. |
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AAAN Updates
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Children enjoyed another Arabic-English story time with activity at the Green Hills Public Library on July 16.
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The students of the AAAN English Language/Civics classes took a trip to Moraine Valley Community College on July 30.
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The AAAN provided face painting and a debka performance for the 8th Annual Unity Day Picnic and Back to School Fest on 63rd Street near Homan Avenue. The festival on August 1 was co-sponsored by the International Human Relations Council, 15th Ward Alderwoman Toni Foulkes and the 63rd Street Growth Commission.
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 The AAAN hosted a delegation of nine religious professionals from the Arab world on August 6. The delegation was in the United States through the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program. The delegates were from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Mauritania, Morocco and Sudan. They visited the AAAN and met with Associate Director Rasmea Yusuf and AmeriCorps members Ramah Kudaimi and Samar Damra to learn about the AAAN and to discuss how the organization serves the needs of Chicago's Arab-American community. |
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The AAAN welcomes three new staff: AmeriCorps members Aaisha Durr and Arasele Robles will be working in the Youth Program, and Zaineb Abdulla will be the AAAN youth representative for the Southwest Community Coalition, a local anti-violence initiative led by the Southwest Youth Collaborative and funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services. |
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Summer Internship Program
Research aimed at issues important to Arab-American community
On Friday, August 21, the interns of the Youth Organizing Program at the Arab American Action Network (AAAN) will be presenting the findings of research they have been conducting this summer around issues affecting the Arab and Arab-American community. The 28 high school and college students in the internship program have been attending workshops and trainings on conducting research, community organizing and professional development, as well as developing their own projects.
The workshops, says Research Instructor Deanna Shelby, have focused on "teaching them how to conduct research effectively and ethically." They learned how to create surveys and how to analyze their collected data. The organizing workshops dealt with issues of developing campaigns, targets and demands and mobilizing the community. And the professional development workshops given by Youth Instructor Khaled Ahmed provided interns with the skills they need, such as resume building and job interview strategies, when looking for employment.
"Everything they learn in these workshops will be beneficial in any type of job or academic situation they might find themselves in," says Deanna, who recently graduated from Loyola University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. "They have been learning how to conduct themselves when they go out into the real world, how to present themselves as an asset and how to make themselves valuable in whatever field they want to work in."
The interns were divided into four groups with each group assigned a topic based on their preferences.
You are invited to attend the interns' final project presentations on Friday, August 21 from 3:00-6:00pm at the AAAN (3148 West 63rd Street, Chicago). |
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What the Interns are Researching |
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 "AYWA (Alliance of Young Women Activists) is conducting research to explore what happens when parents emphasize culture over religion. We are interviewing Arab, Muslim women, aged 16-30, to get a broad picture of what the effects may be. I would say the most enjoyable time working on this project is observing the findings, but it is sometimes hard to find people willing to be on camera. I think that this research is beneficial because it helps us to understand that sometimes creating cultural taboos in the name of religion, specifically Islam, may push our children away from both culture and religion and change their whole outlook on our community and its practices. Being a part of the AAAN has helped me learn that when a lot of people put in a little bit of effort, it makes a big difference." -Aaisha Durr is a Youth Program AAAN AmeriCorps member
"The Community Mapping Team is working to map the Arab community in Oak Lawn. To find this information we have been phone banking and going door-to-door. The most enjoyable time during the internship has been meeting new people. Finding people to take our survey has been the greatest challenge in our research, but I think this information will make the Arab community stronger because there will be greater unity between the Arabs living in Chicago and in Oak Lawn. Working at the AAAN I have realized that it is an organization dedicated to the Arab community and isn't afraid of any obstacles that might come along the way." -Christine Simontacchi is a senior at Depaul University majoring in International Studies
"We are researching the treatment of Arabs by schools, police departments and other public institutions in the suburb of Oak Lawn. We composed a survey and interview questions and will analyze the quantitative and qualitative data from these questions to see whether Arabs are treated in discriminatory ways. Though it was a bit difficult to locate Arab residents of Oak Lawn, when the data from our project is analyzed we will be able to see whether Arabs face discrimination in Oak Lawn and where it specifically occurs. This data can be used to further examine why such discrimination exists in a particular institution and if this reflects the treatment of Arabs in the rest of Chicago's southwest suburbs. I enjoyed field work as well as regular sessions at the Markaz. I particularly liked when we watched a movie and held a discussion afterwards." -Yarah Kudaimi is a senior at Universal School
 "I am a part of the International Arab Affairs group and we are researching the amount of knowledge Arab youth have about different Arab issues. We've been conducting this research by surveying youth throughout the southwest suburbs and interviewing a select few to figure out what they know and don't know. Our research will benefit the Arab community in Chicago because we will use it to develop workshops for our target groups. Our workshops will be aimed at equipping these youth with facts, information and talking points so that they can properly and respectfully discuss and debate issues around occupation and war in Palestine and Iraq. We hope to improve their ability to engage in talking with opposition groups and proving their ideas wrong. The most enjoyable time I've had is when the entire group of interns gathers at AAAN. They are a great, talented group of individuals and we all have lively discussions on various topics." -El Harith Elsiddig is a senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and plans to go to law school | |
 The Arab American Action Network (AAAN) strives to strengthen the Arab community in the Chicago area by building its capacity to be an active agent for positive social change. As a grassroots nonprofit, our strategies include community organizing, advocacy, education, providing social services, leadership development, cultural outreach and forging productive relationships with other communities. | |
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