The Youth Dinner Event is a family event organized by the Greater Cincinnati Islamic Association to celebrate the Muslim holidays. The event usually takes place on the first weekend following holidays (Ramadan or Eid al-Adha) indoors (at the mosque) or outdoors (in the park). Because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the social distancing measures, some of the 2020-2021 events were canceled or celebrated at a distance (virtually).
The 7th edition took place at Roselawn Mosque on Saturday, July 24, 2021, and that was the first youth event celebrated in that new location. The previous editions were celebrated at the following locations:
- 3 editions were celebrated (indoors) at the Clifton Mosque
- 3 editions were celebrated (in a park) at Koenig Park, Reading, OHIO
- 1 was virtual via Zoom.
- Since the 7th edition, two more editions were celebrated at the Roselawn Mosque, which makes it a total of 3 editions celebrated in our mosque.
A time of joy and celebration!
The Youth Dinner is an occasion for a feast where the attendees can enjoy African and Muslim traditional cuisine, sweet foods, and special homemade drinks. Kids receive gifts and play educational games and Islamic and African quizzes with fun prizes to win, having fun while getting to know each other better and building a lasting bond between themselves.
About the Youth Event
The Youth Dinner is an occasion for a feast where the attendees can enjoy African and Muslim traditional cuisine, sweet foods, and special homemade drinks. Kids receive gifts and play educational Islamic and African quizzes with fun prizes to win, having fun while getting to know each other better and building a lasting bond between themselves.
Why call it a Youth Event?
As a holiday event, this is a family event, open to both the parents and their kids. However, it is especially geared toward the youth and children of the community who are born or grow in the US to make them more aware of the Islamic holidays and connect them with their African roots and Pulaar/Fulbe heritage.
In the earlier editions, it was called “Youth Dinner” because it was mainly a dinner party organized for the kids with a distribution of gifts.
In the later editions, however, many other activities were added to it, such as the celebration of the high school graduates, which sometimes coincides with the Eid al-Adha.
Dates and Places
- Sunday, September 3, 2017, First Celebration (Eid al-Adha) at the Clifton Mosque (Fatimatou A. Diop recited the history and origins of the Eid of sacrifice).
- Saturday June 16, 2018 (Ramadan) Clifton Mosque. Fati Diallo, Oumar Ngaide, and Henrica Sow guest speakers
- Sunday September 2, 2018 (Eid al-Adha-Taaske) Koening Park
- Saturday June 15, 2019 (Ramadan-Koorka), Clifton Mosque
- Sunday August 17, 2019, Koening Park
- Saturday August 15, 2020, Virtual via Zoom, Henry Anne guest speaker
- Saturday, July 24, 2021, Roselawn Mosque. Henry Anne, guest speaker
- Saturday May 14, 2022, Roselawn Mosque
- Saturday July 17, 2022, Koening Park
- Sunday April 23, 2023, Roselawn Mosque
- Saturday, July 1, 2023, Voorhees Park, 318 Southern Ave, Reading, OH.
