Although the Teachers Institute affects many students, it is only a small percentage of the total student population. The Speakers Bureaus were first developed by the Council on Islamic Education, and the idea was implemented on a broader scale by Islamic Networks Group. During 1996, presentations were made to 540 classes in the San Francisco Bay Area. Islamic Networks Group in collaboration with Dar al Islam developed the Bay Area pilot project into a national format.
The Speakers Bureau sends trained volunteers into middle and secondary classrooms to make standardized presentations about Islam. Annual mailings make teachers aware of the service, and district coordinators manage volunteer assignments. Since Islamic history is now part of the social studies curriculum in several states, many of the presentations cover material the students are familiar with. The presentations give a human face to what otherwise may remain theoretical or foreign ideas and practices. They also provide students and teachers a resource for answering their questions.

For more information contact Islamic Networks Group at www.ing.org.