While
Islamic counseling services may have been unheard of some twenty
years ago, today they are an integral part in the Muslim society
in South Africa and play a vital role in assisting those whose
cries for help previously went unanswered.
A
trail blazer in the field is the Islamic Careline. The Islamic
Careline — a counseling service affiliated to the
Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal — has been in existence for more than
thirteen years. What was founded on the strengths of three women
— Suraiya Nawab, Sherbanu Sacoor, and Suraiya Moolla —
has now become a fully-fledged office manned by a full-time
staff of five and part- time volunteer staff of 20.
While
Careline deals with all issues faced by any other such service,
it is set apart by the many services it offers that are aimed at
youth. One such initiative is the Muslim Aids Program (MAP). MAP
has grown to such an extent that today it has its own offices
that operate semi-independently from Careline.
Two
programs are managed under the auspices of MAP. These programs
are taught in schools that request them. The first of these is
the Life Skills Program. The Life Skills Program runs over five
weeks, with one session being conducted each week with a class.
This program caters for students from Grade 1 until Grade 11.
The
sessions cover the following topics:
-
Self
Esteem
-
Effective
communication
-
HIV/AIDS
awareness
-
Goal
Setting
-
Decision
Making
These
sessions are very interactive and invite participation from the
students throughout. The aim is to empower youth to make
informed decisions through information that they have at their
disposal. The results have been very heartening. Many schools
have invited Careline back time and again to continue these
sessions with new classes.
The
second program run by MAP is the No Apologies Program. This
program caters for Grade 12 students and the focus is on
abstinence. The No Apologies Program covers the same topics that
are dealt with in the Life Skills Program except that substance
abuse becomes an added focus. Again the feedback received has
been very encouraging.
A
full morning program focusing on substance abuse alone is also
run by Careline. In the current South African climate where
substance abuse is becoming more and more widespread, this
program is fulfilling a vital need.
A
career guidance program is also offered to schools. This
involves a discussion with students to assist them in choosing
the right subjects when they get to grade 10, subjects that
would be beneficial in whatever career path they select.
Students fill out an optional assessment after which an
appointment would be scheduled with Careline counselors, either
at the school or at the Careline offices. Here guidance is
offered and assistance given to help students decipher the
career path that they are most suited to.
Careline
also receives requests, from time to time, to give motivational
and inspirational talks at schools. At these sessions, they
field questions on marriage, challenges facing women in society,
careers, et cetera.
Other
youth initiatives are the sisters and brothers youth
conferences. While every effort is made to hold these annually,
always it is not always possible. The Sisters' Youth Conference
is run by Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal in conjunction with Careline.
The Brothers' Youth Conference has Jamiat alone at the helm,
since almost all the Careline counselors are women.
The
response to these events has been phenomenal. After the guest
speakers at the conference discuss topics relevant to youth,
such as education and Muslims, the role of Muslim women in
contemporary society, and moral regeneration, plenary sessions
are held and the talks are further explored.
The
pre-marital workshop that was held last year proved to be quite
popular too. This program involved lectures on marital rights
and responsibilities and was followed by a lively question and
answer session.
Newly-wed
couples have the opportunity of attending the Marriage
Preparation and Adaptation Program at Careline should they feel
the necessity. The aim of this program is to assist couples to
pinpoint potential for problems within a marriage before they
occur as well as assist them in resolving problems in an
amicable way. The couples explore issues like family dynamics,
conflict resolution, and leisure issues among others. This
program is invaluable at a time when divorce in new marriages
has become all too common.
A
novel approach to counseling for youth has been the advent of
peer counseling. Peer counselors are normally youth in their
early twenties. All youth who are referred or come to Careline
for assistance are assigned peer counselors. Youth feel more at
ease with people closer to their own age and are better able to
open up and share their burden. Peer counselors are the kind of
people that youth can identify with.
Issues
dealt with regularly by peer counselors are the following:
Peer
counselors are often university students who study psychology or
social work. They all attend a basic counseling course offered
at Careline, while some continue to do the enhanced counseling
course, they are always supervised by senior counselors. This
translates into valuable support for counselors when they are
dealing with cases which are proving to be particularly trying,
like sexual abuse, which is becoming a problem that Careline is
required to deal with more frequently. Also, in such cases,
there are legal implications which need to be considered, and
counselors require guidance in this regard.
On
the whole, Islamic Careline is playing a vital role in the South
African Muslim community. Thankfully the increasing numbers of
youth making their way to the doors of Careline means that the
stigma attached to counseling is dissipating somewhat. This is
encouraging. Hopefully it will result in a new generation of
more emotionally secure individuals who are better equipped to
deal with the curve balls that life often throws our way.
