Our Programs
Culturally-competent and respectful.
Community over the individual.
Care as holistic for all.
Youth Programming
Our Learning Center
In the fall of 2026, thanks to our generous donors and solid community support, we launched Elmahaba Learning Center.
The Learning Center weaves together three programs at the heart of our work for our children:
Tutoring (academic year; 5th-12th grade; Tuesday and Thursday nights; $20/month)
ACT Preparation (anytime; 10th-12th grade; $25/hr—all fees for the instructor)
Writing Center (anytime; 5th grade-college; $25/hr—all fees for tutor)
All programs are virtual and with affordable fee structures (and waivers) to support the next generation’s drive and ambition to connect and to grow.
Registration for any of those programs starts here.
For more information, visit our dedicated website here.
If you have any questions, please contact Mariam, our youth coordinator, at 615-559-0288 or mariam@elmahabacenter.org.
If you would like to tutor with us, please fill out this form and we will be in contact with you. Or email Mariam your questions. (Yes, this form is separate from the volunteer form, which can be found here for our general events and distributions.)
Community Programming
Livestreams & Information Services
Launching in January 2020, the Thursday livestreams on Facebook are a hit! Every Thursday, community leaders, interpreters, and institutional leaders meet to offer new programming, information, services, resources for Arabic-speaking immigrants. Elmahaba has partnered with over 30 organizations in 2020 to offer quality, community-based programming and accurate information, especially during COVID-19. Partners we’ve had in the past include: Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt Office of Health Equity, Siloam Health, JustServe, Metro Nashville Health Department, Metro Nashville Public Schools and the Office of English Learners and teachers, Metro Nashville Teachers’ Union, Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee, TN Kidney Foundation, and Monroe Harding.
Diaper Bank & Mutual Aid
Every third Saturday in the month, we distribute over 7,000 diapers in South Nashville. To receive the diaper application (a one-time application for a monthly supply of 50 diapers per child), text us: 615-567-3215.
Advocacy Work
Elmahaba Center has been at the forefront of multiple campaigns for democracy/transparency/participation, language access, the MENA category, human rights abroad, anti-surveillance, arts funding, and more. Follow our social media for our collaborations and coalitions.
Civic Engagement Work + Support
We support newcomers and community members in general with registering to vote, developing a voting plan, and translating the ballot through our Language Co-Op. Our website is always updating information on local and national elections.
Cultural Programming
Nashville Arab Artists Network (NAAN)
NAAN supports local Arab artists’ endeavors by promoting their individual work. NAAN serves as a directory of artists ready to share their work, while also building a collective network for collaboration and visibility.
Oral History Project of Nashville
There is no concept of culture without histories. Therefore, to address respecting cultures, we have to identify what is culture, and to identify what is culture, we must reflect on histories before us, present with us. Elmahaba’s Oral History Project, its own separate website, started in the summer of 2016 with Lydia Yousief’s bachelor’s thesis, which captured a general history of Coptic Nashville. Through those initial interviews, Lydia has continued the project with Elmahaba, as it is quintessential to Elmahaba’s efforts to build intersectional communities and greater solidarity in Nashville.
The project now has a robust timeline, a gallery of photos and links to YouTube playlist of videos, and also narratives.
Public Speaking and Advising
Elmahaba Center’s board, staff, and volunteers are all pioneers in services, histories, and cultures in Nashville. All are available to speak and to advise other organizations and institutions in Nashville that seek knowledge and connection. Simply contact us.
Elmahaba Center Podcast: 2019-2021
In 2019, our founders started a podcast to share our values as we solidified the organization, its purpose, and its future. It was an earlier time that carried a lot of hope. Listen to the podcast on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcast!
