New Brighton, MN — Kaltun Abdikarani found healing from childhood trauma through faith and community. She believes in the power of human connection and the group environment to cultivate wellness in a culturally responsive way. She seeks to support the faith, well-being and identity development of Muslim-American youth and families by reforming dugsi, the program children ages 5-18 attend to receive an Islamic education. She wants to support dugsi programs in adding faith-based character education and skills necessary for young people to become contributing citizens. To inspire this large community change, she will earn a certificate in Islamic psychology, develop resources and training for dugsi teachers as well as parents, collaborate and seek mentoring from spiritual leaders and mental health professionals, and learn from ethnically and religiously diverse communities how to nurture faith and wellness in a community.
