06/2026
“Unite & Act” Event Report: ISB Attends FEMYSO Consultation Meeting
From 12th -16th June, we attended FEMYSO’s Consultation Meeting in Brussels on behalf of ISB. This programme was all about uniting FEMYSO’s members – Muslim youth and student organisations across Europe – so that we can be as successful and effective for our communities as possible, and make real positive change. We benefitted from training sessions, sharing good practices and all took back learnings to our organisations. The conference helped us to focus our direction as ISB and hone in on key issues we can tackle, as well as things we need to work on. We left filled with determination.
We did a lot of brainstorming about important issues for Muslims in each of our countries. One great session was brainstorming collaborative projects we could do with other member organisations. Faiz joined the Femyso Olympics project, and I (Karima) joined a group to run a men’s mental health campaign – with accompanying podcast and self-development/mental health retreats in the UK and Finland! So keep an eye out for this upcoming campaign project and let us know if you want to be involved!
Our organisations do so much similar work and many of the challenges we face are also the same. For example, rising far-right nationalist sentiment is an issue all over Europe, and unsurprisingly funding is a common challenge. Other topics we looked at included conflict resolution, financial management, and governance. We also spent time discussing how to get the best out of our relationship with FEMYSO so they could understand our needs and support us best.
It was also so amazing to see the inspiring people coming from the leadership of these organisations who were highly competent and yet so humble and kind-hearted. The environment at the meeting was one of shared love and unity, which was especially apparent at the feedback session at the end, where some really heartfelt reflections were shared. It was emotional in the best way, that only comes with a feeling of belonging, shared values and drive.
We met a lovely diverse group of people, from France, Kosovo, Finland, Germany, Italy & more! It was fascinating to learn about their different circumstances and situations, but what was striking was how much we had in common despite these differences. We all learned so much from each other, as well as had a lot of fun. There were many hearty and passionate discussions over meals, plus late night uno, football for the guys and badminton & basketball for the ladies – and special mention to the spontaneous supermarket run where 10 of us tagged along on a whim.
On the final day a group of us went out to Brussels city centre to explore. It was surprising how the centre was full of North African shops, restaurants, and just Muslims in general. Highlights were one of the most extensive Islamic book shops in Belgium, a Tunisian sweet shop and a meal together of kebabs and tea (the irony of visiting “non-Belgian” things is not lost on me) and to top it off, a communal du’a as we said goodbye, with the sound of a baritone opera singer yodelling in the building above us.
Looking forward to the next Femyso event!
~ Faiz & Karima
