Sitting in the silence of tonight’s night guard duty, there is one feeling that is more magnified than any other… discomfort; not because  my newly acquired mosquito bites are beginning to itch, not because my soaking trainers have finally saturated my socks; it the frightening reality that at this very moment I have total silence. Not one moment passes by in this camp where the mentors are inundated with eagerly asked questions, passionately narrated stories or the latest in-camp jokes, which is what is so disturbing about silence! It is the relentless buzz of the campers which makes the wheels of development turn as this constant dialogue between mentors and campers allows trust, respect and friendship to grow, further widening the window of opportunity for the mentors to actually mentor the campers.

Although it may only be the third day, Alhamdulillah, it is easy to witness the great changes the campers have been going through. Planet times have evolved into deep discussion circles, true personalities are beginning to show and improvements in Akhlaq and brotherhood are starting to manifest. One impressive display I have seen was a great team performance by Pluto, involving cool, calm and mature responses to the referee’s decisions. Full credit is due to Pluto, who managed to exercise patience and maintain composure.

As the night rolls on and sleeping becomes more tempting, I must finally acknowledge the amazing relationships the mentors have created amongst themselves. We look to each other’s advice in times of trouble and we most certainly rely on each other’s pick-me-ups after only three hours sleep. I hope the campers as well as the camp continue to flourish over the remaining time period and that this camp proves to be as significant to the lives of the campers as it is to me.

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Sweden 2008 - Boys - Mentor Diaries