IOU volunteer guide
Salamalaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
This page serves as a guide for volunteers from the IOU, I will start with the value this platform brings to the Muslim community, the various options you have in contributing, how you can track your community service hours, and the benefits of staying connected with our other volunteers.
I am a IOU student myself, pursuing Islamic Studies, and welcome other students of all majors to benefit themselves and benefit others here at Ummah Connect. The only requirement is to understand and follow our Community Guidelines.
- The Mission and values of Ummah Connect
- Volunteer options
- How to track CS hours + examples
- Connecting with other volunteers
the mission and values of ummah connect
My wish is for all volunteers to come together for the shared mission of having an accessible platform for Muslims around the world to connect upon the authentic teachings of Islam.
As striving Muslims, it’s important that we not only learn by listening to lectures but by also implementing that knowledge, however much we possess. When you put your learnings into experience, when you see other Muslims relieved from their hardships or doubts due to your help, when you see the growth of their iman, even when you see the falling of one’s iman, this will all shape you to become a firmer Muslim, you will grow in your dedication to benefiting your brothers and sisters in Islam, and will grow as a leader yourself. Important values and skills are gained through the implementation of knowledge.
The Islamic-friendly environment we create at Ummah Connect allows for all Muslims, no matter their level, to take their first steps into becoming the next ‘daees’ of Islam. Someone may join just to ask Islamic questions, only to eventually find themselves being the ones to gain knowledge and answers the doubts of others.
Our values are to promote:
- Unity between Muslims upon the correct methodology of understanding the Quran and sunnah
- The love of gaining knowledge
- The importance of seeking answers to questions/doubts
- The importance of consistent self-improvement
- The love and care for our brothers and sisters in Islam
- Respect for our scholars
- Fear of Allah with regards to carelessness in spreading information and free-mixing
volunteer options
Whether you’re more skilled at reading, writing, marketing, leadership or communication, there is something for everyone at Ummah Connect. Volunteering is self-paced and anything beneficial counts for CS credits.
- Share knowledge or poetry in the form of a blog
- Share reminders, quotes, links, and reflections in the community feed
- Creating pop quizzes, surveys, and challenges
- Answering questions and doubts
- Having beneficial discussions or supporting members in comment sections or chats
- Becoming a community admin or chatroom moderator
- Host chatrooms of a specific topic and lead discussions
- By being involved in promoting the platform
Volunteers who are consistent in their efforts will receive a badge, they may go on to become admins or work closely with me on other tasks.
how to track cs hours+ examples
Volunteers should estimate the time spent contributing to the community. It’s recommended to record the hours spent each time or at the very least, by the end of each day. I also recommend being consistent in earning hours for maximum benefit, rather than rushing later on in your studies. I will give a few examples of how you can effectively track your CS hours:
Let’s say you want to write a blog, in this case you will gain hours from the moment you brainstorm what to write. Perhaps you go on to refresh your memory, collect quotes, and gain more ideas through research. Then you put everything into actual writing, until you finally finish. This all counts for credit. If someone comments, your response counts from the moment you read the reply, brainstorm what to say, until you write and submit.
You can earn credits by reading the content of others and responding to them. You might read a blog and mention your reflection in the comments section. This can be done with any content on Ummah Connect.
When you want to answer a question, from the moment you brainstorm how you’ll reply, and if you decide to research, until you finish writing and submit the response, it all counts for credit. I highly advise volunteers to research and take their time doing so in order to ensure a more accurate response. There is also always more that can be added to a response, whether it’s more proof, reasoning, or further advice. Take your time, it will allow the questioner to benefit more and you will earn more credits, but most importantly Allah’s mercy. I also urge volunteers to respond even if someone else already answered, as again, there’s always more to add.
If you read an article or watch a video outside of Ummah Connect and decide to share it with the community, the time spent reading/watching counts for credit as long as you write a commentary alongside the link. Please do not spam links. If it is an article you can paste the important points and link the rest.
You can also promote the platform in person or on your personal social media. The time spent explaining it or creating flyers/posts all counts for credit. You can also help manage our social media accounts, please message me for more details.
connecting with other volunteers
We have a group chatroom here in the community, and because a lot of our volunteers have Whatsapp, we have that too. There, I will share questions that need answers as they come up as well as other volunteering opportunities. You may use the chatrooms to ask questions, receive ideas for your blogs or other content, become closer to your fellow IOU students/volunteers, as well as collaborate with each-other. Some students focus on Islamic Psychology while others in Islamic Studies and can create great blogs, posts, quizzes, surveys, and even chatrooms with each-other.
