Suzy Ismail – Day of Dignity & Emotional Wellness Conference 2021

Suzy Ismail
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Representatives from Cornerstone and American University of California are hosting a day of incorporating mental health issues into their community. They are excited to bring together individuals, families, and communities to discuss the issue and ensure everyone has the necessary support to make it happen. The representatives also mention a new program called Hamster, which helps people overcome addiction and problems. A school representative, Melody Khalifa, is hosting a conference to discuss the crisis and bringing together children and parents to discuss mental health and addiction. She is introducing new guests to the conference and discussing a day event called the day ofosen, which supports children in need of help.

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			Bismillah AR Rahman Rahim. My name
is Vanessa. And I work at the
		
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			Islamic Center of Passaic County.
I am the Social Services Manager.
		
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			And we're very excited about
today's event with Cornerstone and
		
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			Islamic Relief with the day of
dignity. So we started the day out
		
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			with a day of dignity. And the
idea of the day of dignity, which
		
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			was sponsored by Islamic Relief
USA, was to uplift our communities
		
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			to recognize that regardless of
what you're going through in life,
		
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			whether you are struggling in
terms of housing, in terms of
		
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			finance, in terms of your
marriage, in terms of refugee
		
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			status, in terms of difficulties
that are ensuring that whatever
		
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			your struggle is, that we as a
community have to come together to
		
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			uplift one another, and that we as
a community need to ensure that we
		
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			all feel connected, that we all
feel.
		
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			Treaties of peace and blessings to
you all.
		
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			As doctors, you can save them but
that was wonderful programs, loved
		
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			him to ICPC set up an entity, your
pillar in our community in the
		
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			middle to inspiration and
celebrating together. Hamdulillah
		
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			I am so inspired to be here today.
When I tell you I'm inspired. I'm
		
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			inspired for so many reasons. I'm
inspired by the beautiful
		
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			receptacle that you just heard
about the love in a spa. There's
		
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			also the newsletters already in
your family. I'm inspired by the
		
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			work that Dr. Susie does. I'm
inspired by this community and
		
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			what the youth are doing. I'm
inspired seeing these children in
		
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			the back coming here. I'm inspired
by the resilience that I'm seeing
		
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			throughout these hallways. I'm
inspired by the organization's
		
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			Michelle Obama that are out here
servicing our community that are
		
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			standing together and what makes
me feel so happy is that I'm able
		
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			to see something really slogan
which is working together for a
		
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			better world I'm able to see that
habitat come to life today
		
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			please join me Jamie here while
German said men really want me to
		
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			come
		
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			along love this may have already
happened yet in on a couple comm
		
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			center watts or Asha Mojo logic
and yeah, we just need boys near
		
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			know what
		
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			Vince Vida Yama, Yama, Marathi
benchmaster, Metro hon madressa,
		
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			annual al Qaeda, herbal hacia ha
and our dev team sure Hi. So bad
		
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			had bad had she.
		
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			So ever since the flooding
happened. They have been staying
		
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			at a hotel. They lost everything.
They left everything behind all
		
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			their belongings, all their
clothes. She also lost her son's
		
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			car was completely totaled and
damaged. So they have been in the
		
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			hotel right now for two months.
And she has no idea what is going
		
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			to happen next. My name is Melody
Khalifa. I am a school counselor
		
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			in Westminster, New Jersey. I am
also a licensed associate
		
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			counselor for the state of New
Jersey. And I am here supporting
		
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			mental health, the clinical
perspective. And from my
		
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			experience working with youth and
their families, I think it's such
		
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			an important thing to end the
stigma about mental health. I
		
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			believe that a lot of us are
unsure. And we stigmatize mental
		
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			health because it's not something
that we can see. I'm very happy to
		
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			be here at this particular event,
and to support cornerstone in
		
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			everything that they've been doing
for the community. Because I know
		
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			that there's so many the fabrics
of our society, so many different
		
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			people need assistance in terms of
their mental social well being
		
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			their spiritual well being. And
Cornerstone is providing those
		
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			services trying to help people out
with not just for the professional
		
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			experience, but at the same time
with the background in in faith
		
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			and ethics and morals and
principles. So it's really
		
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			something that's amazing. It's
something that's needed in our
		
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			communities, and at so many
different levels, from families
		
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			from marriage, from counseling
from students that are seeking
		
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			help, going through addictions and
problems. And this is why I'm so
		
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			happy to be here and so happy to
be a small part of this
		
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			contribution.
		
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			Salam aleikum, this Imam Suraj
Rojas, I'm letting you know that
		
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			I'm very happy to be at this
conference today with my good
		
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			friend, Sheikh Qatar nanny, come
to LA sister Susie smile as
		
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			invited me to this program. It's a
wonderful program. Muslims have to
		
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			know about mental health, I'm here
to promote it is necessary, we
		
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			shouldn't be afraid of it, we
should embrace it.
		
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			Recognize mental health issues in
ourselves and
		
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			in our community.
		
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			That's an embolic. And when I went
to law, I'm Dr. Ray. And I'm
		
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			honored to be here with
Hamdulillah. First and foremost,
		
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			with Dr. Susie and the staff with
Cornerstone. We've had a great
		
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			reception or Hamdulillah. So many
of the youth and the parents have
		
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			been so enthusiastic about our
topics. First and foremost, today,
		
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			we talked about mental health and
wellness and how that relates to
		
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			your identity and your
spirituality. I had a session
		
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			earlier today with the youth about
addiction. And they were so great,
		
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			they share so much total, so much
of their their knowledge and the
		
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			stories of their experiences.
Hamdulillah this has been such a
		
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			fruitful, ambitious day that's
been filled with enjoyment, with
		
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			things outwardly and inwardly. And
sometimes those struggles inward,
		
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			are even far greater than what
anyone might experience on
		
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			outside. And sometimes people they
struggle with finding the support
		
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			they need to overcome those
challenges they find within
		
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			sometimes, actually, finding the
courage to turn to someone to get
		
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			help for some of those struggles
is a challenge. And so when I
		
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			introduce our esteemed guests for
the evening, I wanted to share
		
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			with you a little bit about why we
put this program together. And I
		
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			wanted to share a little bit about
cornerstone the work that we do,
		
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			our purpose, our focus, and the
importance of putting together
		
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			programs like the one that ICPC
has partnered with us in order to
		
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			kick off today. Hi, my name is
Jamie pitlick. And I'm a Masters
		
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			of Social Work student at Rutgers
University School of Social Work.
		
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			And I'm here today volunteering at
the day of dignity, which is an
		
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			event that we're having in the
community in Paterson, New Jersey,
		
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			just to support the refugees that
are in our community and to make
		
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			sure that they feel included and
that they have the resources that
		
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			they need for them to feel
supported. We have some different
		
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			speakers that are discussing
wellness and mental health. And
		
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			then outside we have school
supplies that we're giving away
		
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			backpacks, hygiene kits, teddy
bears, and then some other
		
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			organizations here in the
community that have information
		
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			about the services that they can
provide to anybody who needs the
		
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			support. Let's just dive in
		
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			and know how Masha can
		
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			she came so we can get a better
future and she really really was a
		
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			challenge for the kids.
		
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			I think we have to appreciate
		
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			that the most important opposite
you will ever have is an article
		
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			says
		
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			it shouldn't be your
		
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			sponsor
		
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			said he thought that Sheffield
		
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			but in the absence of the
strengths of our community belongs
		
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			in the absence of that reality. We
have entities like cornerstone
		
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			that help us stand up a little bit
more straight. You know, it's an
		
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			Hickmott with violet. Wisdom is
the last property of a believer
		
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			and now whether they have a block
that you know that wherever you
		
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			find it that is you have more
preference to it. So go into a
		
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			place like Cornerstone disruption,
wisdom. I don't know how to live
		
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			life, I can guarantee you even
when we lose our loved ones we say
		
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			when we
		
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			face any challenge we say
		
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			Do we have any hardship?
		
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			So the big difference, and now it
is five years but we were so good.
		
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			Our kids start school we start to
start on our lives. We start our
		
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			job. We started to bring you our
house because
		
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			same house for a long time. It was
so good. The light was so good
		
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			until the flood when
		
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			The flood come is like damage.
Everything in our life is damaged
		
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			our soul to damage our kids.
Because everything does not look
		
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			like your home.
		
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			My name is Dr. Muhammad, the Imam
of the Islamic Center of the safe
		
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			County we thank Allah subhanaw
taala for this beautiful event
		
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			which was organized by
cornerstone. Thank you very much
		
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			for your dedicated job. You are
working for our community. We
		
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			can't Allah so has the IRA for
having this great organization in
		
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			our Muslim community, to empower
the family, to take care of our
		
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			youth to solve the problems of
addiction, anxiety, stress, all
		
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			these prices. I think, we need you
we need your work. We need your
		
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			efforts. So many faces so many
individuals from the community,
		
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			different communities, we have
people from New York people,
		
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			people from South Jersey and
people from North Jersey, and
		
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			everywhere. So my religion always
allowed us to gather together for
		
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			his sake and Christopher Levy and
Crawford together and allow us to
		
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			uplift one another all of our
initiatives. A huge thank you once
		
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			again to our incredible panelists
to Imam Kalani, who was the
		
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			initial drive and the push when he
called me when they said to me We
		
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			need a mental health conference
ICPC and then come to learn that
		
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			seed was planted and Subhan Allah
Allah azza wa jal has it written
		
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			for us to be able to accomplish
something that is amazing. Is the
		
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			grace and allow something
beautiful