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Young Adult Career Readiness & Empowerment
Empowering Youth Through Media Relations
Innovation, Storytelling & Community Leadership
The EmpoweReer HoCo Summer Program, hosted by the Islamic Leadership Institute of America (ILIA), offers a transformative five-week experience for Howard County youth aged 15–17. Running from July 7 to August 10, 2025, this initiative is designed to cultivate leadership, communication, and career readiness through immersive, hands-on learning.
Four Core Focus Areas
Four Core Focus Areas
Participants will experience and work on storytelling, media relations, business writing, community engagement, and journalism gaining practical skills and mentorship in each domain with real-life impact.
Daily Engagement
Daily Engagement
Sessions run from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM EST at ILIA’s Baltimore campus, with daily transportation provided from River Hill Village Center in Howard County, at 9:00 am.
Skills Learned
Skills Learned
Leadership: Styles and traits of self, team, goal and situational leadership.
Project Management: Including planning, organization, monitoring, time management and budgeting.
Public Speaking: Interviewing, business engagement, self-expression and business writing.
Mentorship: Guidance from experienced coaches, including ILIA founder Ayman Nassar and other professionals Mahmoud Aboelroos, Yomna Nassar, Mohamed Fekry and Bahaa Harraz.
Project-Based Learning: Students will develop a professional portfolio through real-world projects, enhancing their leadership and communication abilities
Join us for a unique EmpoweReer summer experience designed especially for youth in Howard County! This opportunity invites 4 highly motivated students to take part in the EmpoweReer Baltimore Program, With transportation provided daily from Howard County.
Program Dates: Starting Monday July 7th, until Aug 10th, 2025.
Time: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM EST, (pickup at 9:00 AM sharp at River Hill Village Center).
Ages: 15 to 17.
Location: 4903 Liberty Heights Ave, Baltimore, MD 21207 (transportation provided).
Pickup Location: River Hill Village Center
Fee: $975 (covers full program + transportation).
đź’Ľ Program Focus Areas
đź’Ľ Program Focus Areas
Students will explore real-world skills and career-building through 4 core roles:
Students will explore real-world skills and career-building through 4 core roles:
Public Speaking & Business Writing
Community Engagement
Storytelling
Media Relations & Journalism
Each participant will rotate through these focus areas, gaining hands-on experience, mentorship, and the tools to lead and communicate with purpose.
🚌 Daily Transportation
🚌 Daily Transportation
Pickup and drop-off will be coordinated daily from a River Hill Village Center Howard County location. Students must be ready by 9:00 AM for morning transport to Baltimore.
Pickup and drop-off will be coordinated daily from a River Hill Village Center Howard County location. Students must be ready by 9:00 AM for morning transport to Baltimore.
🎯 Why Join?
🎯 Why Join?
Work alongside youth leaders from Baltimore
Build a professional portfolio of projects
Get mentorship in leadership, communications, and media
Learn how to share your story to create change
đź”— Registration
đź”— Registration
Limited to 4 students Secure your spot by completing the form below:
Coaches
Coaches
Ayman Nassar, M.Sc, PMP, ACP
Ayman Nassar, M.Sc, PMP, ACP
Founder of Islamic Leadership Institute of America (ILIA), he has over 30 years of experience in enterprise architecture, enterprise and individual transformation, youth development, project/program management and systems engineering & architecture where he managed over $0.25 billion in projects. Over the past 20 years he has coached, taught and counseled hundreds of youth and young professionals and has been a certified mentor and coach with Big Brother Big Sister, Lutheran Social Services, Dar Al-Taqwa, Prince George’s Community College Asian, Latino, African, Native American (ALANA), New Beginnings Youth Center, Howard County Detention Center and ILIA. Ayman is a member of the Howard County Reentry Council and the Howard County Ethnic Diversity Round Table. He holds two Master degrees in electrical engineering, engineering management and systems engineering and hold certifications in half a dozen leadership areas. He has been trained in cultural competence, youth development, reentry, psychology, curriculum development and has devised over 140 courses and programs for youth and adults. He was faculty at University of California, Prince George’s Community College, Strayer University and Howard Community College.
Mahmoud Aboelroos, B.Sc. PMP
Mahmoud Aboelroos, B.Sc. PMP
Mahmoud brings over 10 years of IT and project management experience in multiple sectors including technology consulting, federal government and nonprofits. As a technology advisor, Mahmoud helped to implement technology and strategy solutions. Mahmoud is an ITIL v4 Foundation® certified and certified ScrumMaster, and is currently a Health Informatics Program Manager at the FDA helping the agency utilize technology to streamline and improve the regulatory drug review process. He held numerous roles in youth development organizations including MIST and ILIA serving as coach, judge and instructor, and a former ILIA board member from 2010-2011.
Bahaa Harraz, B.Sc.
Bahaa Harraz, B.Sc.
Started his engagement with ILIA while in 6th grade, attending ILIA's young men's circle. In 2017, while a senior in year high school Bahaa became an active volunteer, chaperoning with the organization at ILIA's Middle School Entrepreneurship course, he then joined the Internship program as a Project Manager. In 2018 he was promoted to Youth Council President, and then in 2019 to President of the organization. He is a Computer Science graduate of University of Maryland, College Park Maryland, and a Quantum Physics researcher.
Yomna Nassar, B.Sc
Yomna Nassar, B.Sc
Has been with the organization since she was 9, over the years she became a student, volunteer, intern and vice president. A recent graduate of University of Maryland, College Park with a degree in Global Health and Development. She has a passion for helping others and mentoring and empowering younger females.
Zain Nisar, Technology, Video and Podcasting
Zain Nisar, Technology, Video and Podcasting
Zain Nisar is a Faculty Member at the Islamic Leadership Institute of America (ILIA). He is responsible for preparing educational content, providing instruction at selected ILIA programs, and digitizing existing content. He is currently the Social Media Lead of Qabeelat Nurayn, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia’s chapter of Almaghrib Institute. He is also a member of the Dar-Us-Salaam Youth Board of Trustees. In addition, he was the 2018 MSA President of Prince George’s Community College. Zain believes that educators have a role and a responsibility to train students to think critically and logically to help students navigate through a complicated world. His goal at the Islamic Leadership Institute of America is to help students develop their identity so that they can change their environment locally. Doing so can then affect the global scene, where they can be the source of positive change. He holds a bachelor’s in Middle School Education. In addition, he has a Maryland Educator Certificate.
Shane Ford, Project Management, Youth voices
Shane Ford, Project Management, Youth voices
Joined ILIA in 2023 as a student in our EmpoweReer career empowerment summer program, and since then been part of our team. Shane is a sophomore college student majoring in computer science at Loyola, and has been ILIA's Food Security project manager, this month he has been promoted to Program manager for Food Security and Bmore STEAM programs. He is the backbone of our Baltimore location, engaging with youth and holding volunteer events on a weekly basis.
Mohamed French, B.Sc.
Mohamed French, B.Sc.
ILIA's digital transformation leader and a long time member of the organization since the age of 11. Mohamed coaches participants on technology, business analysis and technology systems. He also provides technology support for students' projects. He is a graduate of University of Maryland, Baltimore County where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Information Systems.
Mohamed Fekry, Canva
Mohamed Fekry, Canva
Mohamed joined ILIA in early 2022, where he has played a pivotal role in supporting program operations and student services. With a focus on creating user-friendly websites and engaging content, he ensures that each project is visually appealing and highly effective, contributing to the organization’s mission of excellence. In addition to his technical expertise, Mohamed excels in program and event coordination, skillfully managing teams and overseeing the seamless execution of complex initiatives. He is known for his meticulous attention to detail and his ability to adapt to dynamic challenges, ensuring that every project is completed to the highest standard. His dedication to fostering collaboration and his commitment to delivering impactful outcomes make him an invaluable asset. Through his multifaceted contributions, Mohamed consistently enhances the organization’s ability to serve its community effectively.
Contact Us
Contact Us
We'd love to hear from you, so feel free to drop us a line
Instagram & Twitter: @empowereer
Program funded by Baltimore Summer Collaborative, a partnership between public, private and nonprofit organizations that supports high-quality summer programs serving children and youth.
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