CJMGS’s Preliminary Strategic Statement

As we start to come out of the pandemic and start to think how best we can serve our local communities the Trustees of Central Jamia Mosque Ghamkol Sharif have developed an initial framework to guide and direct our planning for the coming years.

We believe that this is both bold and transformational for a religious based charity, who on the whole has had an inward approach to service delivery.  We are sure this will test our resolve and our desire to meet the challenges our local communities impose upon us.

With the appointment of our new General Manager, Saddique Hussain, the dedication of our staff and volunteers, and most importantly our beneficiaries and partners we believe we are up for the challenge, and Insha’Allah will succeed.

We are honoured to serve, as we move to a new phase of service delivery for the charity; building upon the ethos and legacy of Ghawth-e-Zamma Hadhrat Khawaja Zinda Pir Saab رحمة الله عليه, better known as Zinda Pir Saab, رحمة الله عليه , his descendants, the Khulafa and followers of Darbar e Aalyia Ghamkol Sharif, the founding trustees, volunteers, beneficiaries and the wider community.

Preliminary Strategic Statement:

CJMGS’s primary focus will be to effectively engage services with the needs of its local communities in 4 core areas:

• Social Media & On-line
• Services at the Masjid
• Community work
• Education

The initial focus will be in the East Birmingham catchment area, utilising our resources to underpin our four core principles in service deliver.  

To:

• Reach
• Engage
• Empower
• Sustain

Social Media & On-line

We have already commissioned an innovative and forward looking design and marketing agency, Creative Tweed (www.creaativetweed.co.uk), to help us shape our principal communication and engagement tools with our communities and stakeholders.

Our social media and on-line services presence will under the name of Ghamkol Sharif Mosque or an abbreviation, such as GSMosque.

Strategic Objectives:

1. To incorporate an advance Learning Management System (LMS) that is engaging, interactive and creates a communal ethos to learning and involvement.
2. To incorporate an integrated tiered membership portal within the website that individuals can decide to subscribe to receive information and access services in accordance with their requirements, at an affordable cost.
3. To be the hub of accessing information and bringing communities together to bring about change in local micro-neighbourhoods and engage with public agencies .
4. To be relevant and appropriate to the needs of various communities

Services at the Masjid

For a significant majority of the communities who reside in our catchment area, the Mosque forms an integral part of their everyday lives.  It is time for us to widen its scope and offer more than the comfortable core essential religious services we have done for decades.  There are some excellent examples in the country that we will learn from but we believe there is still room for further innovation.

Strategic Objectives:

1. To integrate the office of the Imamate to meet a wide range of needs that are affecting our local communities in a structured and comprehensive service delivery plan.  Services will include, counselling, mediation, bereavement, jurisprudence rulings, marriage guidance/support and teaching.
2. To offer consistent Imamate services from early morning to late night, seven days a week.
3. To ensure our Imams have the means and resources to be able to deliver a forward and modern service, using appropriate technology to engage with the congregation.
4. To be outward facing, to deliver services in our communities to help people to connect or re-connect with the Mosque.

Community Work

Equality of opportunity and creating a fairer society, cannot be achieved if the range and quality of community services are inadequate.  CJMGS will be at the heart in bringing about strategic and practical on the ground changes.

We will work with other Masjids, voluntary and community groups, as well as with public agencies and ensure there is equality of services for our catchment area.  Where necessary we will bring accountability to public agencies to implement solutions to bring about positive change for our communities.

There will be an emphasis on catering for some of the most marginalised within our communities, such as those who are hard of hearing, visually impaired or have a physical disability.  We will ensure our staff and volunteers are appropriately trained, in disability awareness and can communicate in sign language.

Strategic Objectives:

1. To develop a proactive approach to community services that target relevant needs.  Services will include, youth work, onsite youth community centre, gang culture awareness, county lines, mental health support services, environmental: litter picking, parks: Clean, Safe & Enjoyable advocacy, leisure and recreational activities, team sports and boys and girls scouts groups
2. To employ a team of community and youth workers (male and female).

Education 

This will be at the heart of what we do and we will endeavour to develop a service that will become a beacon and a role model for others to follow.

We will use technology and traditional learning tools to engage with and enhance the learning experience of our students, young and old.

Our motto is to develop ‘a love for learning’.  We will endeavour to reach this goal that each and every student creates an internal thirst to want to learn.

Our educational philosophy will be to meet both religious and mainstream provision.

Our education provision will be opened during the day, evenings and weekends.

We will look at guiding and nurturing values of citizenship, community responsibility and parental and stakeholder involvement, moving away from a traditional cultural Madrassah service delivery, where parents drop their child off and pick up a few hours later. 

Strategic objectives:

1. To complete the refurbishment of the Madrassah (Ghamkol Sharif Education Centre, GSEC), including the integration of technology to aid learning.
2. To complete the refurbishment of the in-house Youth Community Centre, linked to learning outcomes. 
3. To introduce an engaging extra-curricular services, including team sports and field trips to develop and install a culture of One Ummah, and inculcating our motto ‘a love for learning’.
4. Tol work with and engage parental involvement and nurture a more effective partnership approach towards personal and collective learning responsibilities.  This will be achieved between Madrassah, parent and child and we will work with local mainstream schools and others, to improve the learning experience for all concerned.  
5. To support, encourage and deliver lifelong learning opportunities for adults, in particular the parents of our younger students and nurture a culture of family learning.
6. To offer adult classes, part-time and full-time, with reputable scholars and educators.  
7. To incorporate taster courses, thematic courses and substantive courses running over several years.  

• Examples of thematic courses will include marriage, parental responsibilities, or understanding current geo-political conflicts such as the oppression of Palestinians and Kashmiris.  
• Tasters courses will include, philosophy, rhetoric, logic, communication skills, leadership, personal development amongst others.

1. To set-up a Home-Learning service for those parents who home school their children.  Giving much needed access to our resources as well as creating a community of like-minded individuals who can learn and support each other, while their children learn better inter-personal skills.
2. To offer support services in mainstream education, starting with English and Maths. Running afterschool, weekend and holiday clubs to help improve a children’s chances in excelling in these subjects.

Overarching Principle:

We will integrate services between the three main areas, the Masjid, the Community and Education, thereby offering a holistic approach to services with synergy; thereby giving a holistic experience to our beneficiaries.

We can only do this with the Will of Allah Almighty ﷻ and all that is good is from Him and all that is bad is from our weaknesses.  May Allah Almighty ﷻ protect us from all evil and give us the strength, wisdom and ability to serve the community for His pleasure alone.