Department of Religious Studies for Youth (DERS) is a religious studies department for youth dedicated to cultivating global citizens and servant leaders rooted in the Islamic intellectual tradition. Guided by universal ethics and inquiry-driven learning, the department aims to connect revelation with contemporary scholarship. By reading the Qur’an and creation as one truth, students learn to think across disciplines, reason ethically, and act responsibly.
Students are encouraged to ask meaningful questions, examine ideas with intellectual humility, and grow through reflection, dialogue, and guided discovery.
DERS helps students connect the Islamic intellectual tradition with today’s academic, ethical, social, and scientific questions.
Students are prepared to act responsibly, serve their communities, and become thoughtful contributors to the common good.
By reading revelation and creation together, students learn to recognize patterns across disciplines and think beyond isolated subjects.
DERS cultivates a learning culture where questions are welcome, differences are approached with adab, and human dignity remains central.
Students learn to approach personal, social, and global issues through values such as justice, mercy, honesty, dignity, and responsibility.
Discover the vision, principles, and educational philosophy behind the Department of Religious Studies for Youth. Learn how DERS connects revelation, creation, ethics, inquiry, and service within a unified approach to learning.
Within DERS, students may pursue a structured certificate program "Islamic Studies Academy for Youth" designed to translate our mission and principles into sustained learning. The outcomes below reflect the knowledge, skills, and ethical capabilities students develop through this certificate program.
Explore some of the programs previously offered under DERS, designed to help youth engage Islamic knowledge through inquiry, reflection, and real-life application.
A 7-week experiential journey that helps students explore the Qur’an’s guidance and the Prophetic model as a holistic framework for understanding faith, purpose, and daily life.
Explore the Islamic view of the self through qalb, nafs, rūḥ, and ʿaql, with reflections on identity, emotions, purpose, and spiritual growth.
This introductory course that helps young Muslim girls build a clear, confident understanding of essential Islamic beliefs and practices.
This course offers an immersive exploration of Islamic creed, guiding students to understand tawḥīd, integrate reason with revelation, and move beyond mere imitation
This program invites Muslim youth and curious learners to explore the Qur’an with fresh questions, clear guidance, and a deeper sense of meaning in today’s world.
Young people today are growing up in a world shaped by rapid change, digital noise, moral confusion, and complex social questions. They are constantly exposed to information, but information alone does not always lead to understanding, wisdom, or responsible action.
DERS offers a learning environment where students can ask meaningful questions, think across disciplines, and approach contemporary issues through the guidance of the Islamic intellectual tradition. Rather than separating faith from life, DERS helps students connect belief, knowledge, ethics, and service in a thoughtful and practical way.
Through inquiry, reflection, respectful dialogue, and applied learning, students are prepared not only to understand Islam more deeply, but also to live with purpose, act with integrity, and contribute positively to the world around them.
If you need advice on our program or registration, please feel welcome to contact us.
Where knowledge becomes wisdom.
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