Hawzah News Agency - (Edmonton - Canada) - Neuroscience student Doha Anwar didn't know where to turn two years ago as she struggled with school work and questions about her faith and future.

"It would have been nice to have a Muslim chaplain there ... someone I can talk to about things," said Anwar, now a fourth-year student at the University of Alberta.

"I don't think anyone else would have been able to understand that better than someone who would understand the religion itself."

Now president of the Muslim Student Association, Anwar's group helped create and fund a new chaplain position dedicated to the mental wellness of youth.

Muslim chaplain Ibrahim Long took up his new role with the Islamic Family Social Services Agency in February.

Most of Long's time will be spent on campus supporting students at the U of A, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and MacEwan University.

"(Young people) want to live their faith but they're struggling with the natural issues that come up in life and they want to find a safe place or a safe person with whom they could confide these struggles and can provide them with some guidance," Long said in a recent interview with CBC News.

Long, 38, said some youth might not feel comfortable turning to a mosque but still want direction from someone who understands Islam.

"They do want to bring it up," said Long, who studied counselling and Islamic theology at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. "So a chaplain helps to bridge that gap."

On a recent Monday, Long met with a group of U of A students on campus, and they shared strategies around stress and self-care.

He is also there to support students in the aftermath of hate crimes and other incidents. In Oct. 2018, someone used the washing area where ablutions are made as a toilet.