Youth Conference, MWAH! focus on social issues

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MWAH! troupe member Zori Schiffman portrays a bigot as he shouts at Omar Babu, another troupe member, who is a Muslim, as a third troupe member, Landon Ballard, who is a Christian, provides support for Omar. This sequence, which focused on tolerance and the need to accept differences among people, was the opening for the troupe's 75–minute Keynote presentation on February 24–25, 2016 at the 31st Quad Cities Youth Conference in Davenport, Iowa.
(photos by Stephanie Willcox)
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A Muslim teen stood on a stage Wednesday at the Davenport RiverCenter and helped give a lesson about religious intolerance to 500 students at the 31st annual Quad-Cities Youth Conference.

"Anyone go to Wilson Middle School in Moline? I did!" Omar Babu said. As he spoke, an angry young man interrupted him, screaming, "He's a terrorist. Get him! Send him back to Syria!"

Shocked students looked at each other, nervously, as the teen kept up his tirade. He eventually was interrupted by a musical duo who sang the John Lennon song, "Imagine."

Omar, 14, stood up for himself and his faith. He told the audience the great majority of Muslims, like him, are peace-loving individuals. He said an estimated 106,000 Muslims could be labeled as terrorists, and

that is a tiny minority of the population.

Some 10 percent of the nation's physicians are Muslim, Omar said.

The freshman at Moline High School performed with the MWAH! troupe, which opened the youth conference on Wednesday. The event runs through Thursday and will involve 1,000 students, middle school and high school,

from 25 area school districts.

MWAH!, or Messages Which are Hopeful, is based in Chicago, and this was Omar's second performance with the troupe. In addition to addressing racism in society, the troupe touched on such topics as suicide,

bullying, cutting oneself, relationship abuse, effects of divorce and what it's like to have a father who is a drug abuser.

Omar got involved in MWAH!, he said, because he is interested in educating others about his faith.

Gail Jackson, a retired educator from Moline, has helped at the youth conference for years. The aim is to connect the students with the community resources that exist to help when they have problems.

Schools, for their part, send contingents of students to the event, which includes lunch and educational presentations. On Wednesday, for example, 84 youngsters from Seton Catholic School in Moline attended.

Andrew Forbes, who works with the Rock Island County Health Department, is one of this year's event organizers.

"It is going fantastic," he said.

Other coordinators came from the public health arena, from agencies and from the school districts.

Workshop topics included ways to combat bullying, body image, suicide prevention, staying away from drugs and cigarettes, safety in relationships and a presentation from Davenport police on legal matters.

Topics for the sessions vary to an extent each year and are tied to current events and issues, Jackson said.

Youth Conference, MWAH! focus on social issues. – QCTimes 02/25/2016

Posted January 25, 2016 by the Quad City Times of Davenport, Iowa.


	Youth Conference, MWAH! focus on social issues. – QCTimes 02/25/2016 Posted January 25, 2016 by the Quad City Times of Davenport, Iowa.


	To show a larger picture, Please click Bigger pic 1 To show a larger picture, Please click Bigger pic 2 MWAH! troupe member Zori Schiffman portrays a bigot as he shouts at Omar Babu, another troupe member, who is a Muslim, as a third troupe member, Landon Ballard, who is a Christian, provides support for Omar. This sequence, which focused on tolerance and the need to accept differences among people, was the opening for the troupe's 75–minute Keynote presentation on February 24–25, 2016 at the 31st Quad Cities Youth Conference in Davenport, Iowa. (photos by Stephanie Willcox) To show a larger (above) picture, Please click Bigger pic 3 A Muslim teen stood on a stage Wednesday at the Davenport RiverCenter and helped give a lesson about religious intolerance to 500 students at the 31st annual Quad-Cities Youth Conference. "Anyone go to Wilson Middle School in Moline? I did!" Omar Babu said. As he spoke, an angry young man interrupted him, screaming, "He's a terrorist. Get him! Send him back to Syria!" Shocked students looked at each other, nervously, as the teen kept up his tirade. He eventually was interrupted by a musical duo who sang the John Lennon song, "Imagine." Omar, 14, stood up for himself and his faith. He told the audience the great majority of Muslims, like him, are peace-loving individuals. He said an estimated 106,000 Muslims could be labeled as terrorists, and that is a tiny minority of the population. Some 10 percent of the nation's physicians are Muslim, Omar said. The freshman at Moline High School performed with the MWAH! troupe, which opened the youth conference on Wednesday. The event runs through Thursday and will involve 1,000 students, middle school and high school, from 25 area school districts. MWAH!, or Messages Which are Hopeful, is based in Chicago, and this was Omar's second performance with the troupe. In addition to addressing racism in society, the troupe touched on such topics as suicide, bullying, cutting oneself, relationship abuse, effects of divorce and what it's like to have a father who is a drug abuser. Omar got involved in MWAH!, he said, because he is interested in educating others about his faith. Gail Jackson, a retired educator from Moline, has helped at the youth conference for years. The aim is to connect the students with the community resources that exist to help when they have problems. Schools, for their part, send contingents of students to the event, which includes lunch and educational presentations. On Wednesday, for example, 84 youngsters from Seton Catholic School in Moline attended. Andrew Forbes, who works with the Rock Island County Health Department, is one of this year's event organizers. "It is going fantastic," he said. Other coordinators came from the public health arena, from agencies and from the school districts. Workshop topics included ways to combat bullying, body image, suicide prevention, staying away from drugs and cigarettes, safety in relationships and a presentation from Davenport police on legal matters. Topics for the sessions vary to an extent each year and are tied to current events and issues, Jackson said.