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Sweden 2007
For Photographs of Day 2, please see the Photos Section .
"The lesson on Salaams was very eye opening and interesting, we found this lesson the most enjoyable."
For more see Camper Diary .
"Although it is only the end of the second day I feel that a lot of training gained has already been implemented..."
For more see Mentor Diary .
For quiz results, please visit the PDT results section.For sports results, please visit the Sports results section. Every day, campers recite Duas after namaz. For a full list of reciters, please visit the reciters section. |
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Mentors Diary Tuesday 14th August So the night has arrived when I must perform the isolated and exhaustive task of being the night guard. However daunting this may seem, with the periodical strolls throughout the campsite revealing hidden scares such as a badger out for a midnight feast and the shrieking sounds from the owls also on night duties, this is one of the rare occasions when one can sit reflect upon the thoughts that may have arisen during the camp. This time for reflection is not deemed as feasible or even possible due to the nature of the role depicted of a mentor being ‘on call’ at all hours of the day, everyday for the duration of the camp; be it due to the timetabled activities designed to invigorate, excite and educate the campers, or the late night wake ups due to the petrified camper scared of the jinn under his bed – which later turns out to be his fellow camper on the bottom bunk. This has caused all those emotional and mentally exhilarating ideas to be cast aside due to the lack of ‘alone time’, by this I mean time for one to be able to comprehend and express ones own thought process, so what is it that I have been subconsciously been thinking about or feeling without addressing? Are they thoughts of homesickness? Ones of longing to meet the nearest and dearest due to the lengthy duration of the camp, as each Namaaz fees like the start of a new day. No, the sense of family and closeness to each other that has been instilled into each person on the camp removes this factor. Could it be due to the limited recuperation time available to the mentors once, creating a constantly increasing sense of tiredness and reduced ability to produce cohesive and coherent sentences? This cannot possibly be true as the campers have already put into action many of the lessons learnt during the classes that the mentors have taught which will aide the campers in their present and future lives. How abut the self realisation of the influential role that one relays when accepting the position of mentor on such a camp? This seems to be closer to the truth of the matter. It seems that this is the only place where you experience the eye opening factors of developing a person’s characteristics and personality over such a short period of time, here at the CoEJ Sweden camp. These influential changes are not only seen during the camp, but will last for a lifetime. The sense of personal accomplishment that can be felt when one is able to watch how the campers transform into the range of appealing and compassionate characters that one can now see amongst the campers is immeasurable. The whole camp experience through a mentors eyes can only be summed up by the phrase ‘a once in a lifetime opportunity’ but one that will benefit both the mentor and the camper for the remainder of their lives. Hasnain Ramji Jupiter Mentor |
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Mentors Diary - 13th August 2007
The structure of each day at the camp is broadly similar – but each day brings a fresh set of challenges and new experiences. Ensuring the continual development, safety and enjoyment of the eight campers is the primary responsibility of each planet’s mentors - a task which I can honestly say the mentors are working on both day and night.
Outings present the greatest challenge to any mentor – being in charge of eight campers in an unfamiliar place, whilst mingling with the general public and trying all the time to make sure you have all the campers with you is quite an experience. We have so far been shopping in Stockholm and also to the Theme Park - activities which were both thorough enjoyed and brought variety to an otherwise consistent and packed schedule.
I have found mentoring very rewarding – one example is helping a camper for half an hour pronounce the words for Asr Dua correctly; and then watching him recite the same Dua a few hours later eloquently. Mealtimes, I feel, present an important and exciting part of the camp – not only are we nourished, but the opportunity to sit at a table with people who live in four different continents (North America, Asia, Africa & Europe) is unique and not to be missed.
With only four full days remaining in the camp, the campers and mentors are all cherishing the remaining time we have as a group. During the last few days, InshAllah we can all continue to provide the campers with the enjoyable and fun activities that stretch the campers and uncover hidden talent on the path “towards excellence”.
Sajjad Hassam
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Alhamdulillah by the grace of the almighty we have thus far successfully completed the first week of the Sweden camp 2007. The past week has been an extremely challenging and yet greatly satisfying experience for all the mentors and support staff alike and has given me the chance to build new effective relationships with the campers themselves.
We as mentors have had to endure a tough schedule with a well structured timetable coupled with long thorough nightly meetings, all of which have led us to be fully stretched to the limits of our potential to ensure that the campers develop and strive towards excellence in every field.
I personally have loved interacting with all the campers and getting to know their very divergent and yet exciting personalities and it gives me great and immense satisfaction to see the remarkable progress that so many have campers have thus far made and yet it has only been one week!!
I have come to realise that there are so many hidden talents and potentials within all the campers which they are oblivious to, simply because they previously have not had or taken the opportunity to go outside their “comfort zone” in many fields. It has been during this camp that all the campers have been made to move outside their comfort zones and embark upon new challenges, which has made many realise abilities they did not know they had.
Credit has to go to the administration, who have worked tirelessly through sleepless nights to ensure that the camp runs smoothly for the campers “journey towards excellence”. May Allah (SWT) reward them with countless blessings without measure and give us all the strength and ability to help the campers excel to new heights inshallah.
Mohamed Iqbal Kassam - SATURN.
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Mentor Diary Ghalib Sheikh
After spending almost a week at the camp, I, as well as many other mentors have now been able to adapt to the routine and the role of a mentor. It has obviously been nervous and stressful and the training from MTW1 and MTW2 are really being put to the test. After an extended meeting, I found that I was exhausted and had little time to sleep. This meant staying awake until fajr where I began waking up the campers.
After fajr, I put the campers back to bed and managed to get away for a few hours of needed rest. A few hours later, it was time that the campers had their breakfast so I had to continue my duties and take the campers to breakfast. I was very tired and restless as the change in sleeping patterns was something I had to adapt to. No matter how difficult the job has been, I have found that the support from both the admin and my co-mentor really helps me to become motivated at times when I feel sleep decides to takeover,
After breakfast, many campers have classes and it is here I have the job of cleaning up and some needed free time. The tight schedule has meant that it is difficult for us as mentors to have enough time to be able to do what we enjoy, sleep!
However, during the sports, I have found that mentors can encourage campers to do sports which they feel they are unable to do. Many have a lifetime experience and once they begin, they find it difficult to stop playing something they didn’t know they were good at. I feel that this has allowed them to develop and identify their skills and confidence which is something I personally lacked. With encouragement from the campers, I was also encouraged to participate in tube skiing, a sport many have not done before. I found this to be fun and exciting as campers are trying new things and I personally have been able to find out everyone’s different skills and been able to use this to allow me to encourage those not so able.
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