Muslim and Global Majority young people in Manchester face systemic exclusion, racism, and Islamophobia. Traditional spaces often fail to provide culturally responsive, trauma-informed support, leaving young people feeling isolated and unheard. The need for safe, community-rooted spaces where young people can learn, heal, and build power is urgent.

According to the Financial Times, there were 3,866 hate crimes committed against Muslims in England and Wales in the year ending March 2024, a 13% increase from the previous year. ITVX reported a surge in Islamophobic incidents of over 600% since October 2023. Furthermore, a report by the Better Community Business Network (BCBN) and the University of East London found that 70% of young British Muslims experiencing mental health challenges have faced Islamophobia, and 64% have had suicidal thoughts.

Hamza Rana, the founder and project lead of MSJI, has been instrumental in building the organisation, delivering over 25 community workshops and healing spaces since 2023. His leadership is rooted in the belief that healing is an integral part of organising and education is inseparable from action.

MSJI's School of Community Power is a nine-month programme that pays and trains youth co-designers to create learning environments where healing is not separate from organising. Participants will engage in political education, mentorship, and community actions, from producing film nights to creating zines.

The programme aims to empower Muslim and Global Majority youth by fostering confidence, clarity, and collective power. By building a supportive community and developing practical skills in organising, facilitation, and critical thinking, participants will co-create public interventions and develop lasting leadership. The long-term vision is to establish a youth-led community empowerment model that strengthens grassroots infrastructure and inspires a new generation of leaders.

Hamza Rana is the founder and project lead of the MSJI and has been instrumental in building the project from the ground up, delivering over 25 community workshops, teach-ins and healing spaces since 2023. 

His leadership is rooted in a refusal to separate healing from organising or education from action. Hamza’s approach focuses on youth voices and lived experience, working alongside a diverse team of young leaders who bring their own radical practices into  the heart of the programme. Together, they are creating a bold, care-rooted organising space that supports young people to imagine and build new systems.