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Husaini Youth in the Evening Telegraph |
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The following article was published on 6th August 2007 in the Peterborough Newspaper
Rafts of teambuilding fun
ADVENTUROUS BOYS: The boys of Husaini Youth.
TEENAGERS may get a bad name for hanging round aimlessly on street corners, but one group of adventurous boys joined forces in a remarkable show of focus and team spirit. The youths from the Husaini Islamic Centre in Peterborough, known as the Husaini Youths, embarked on a teambuilding exercise at the Mepal Outdoor Centre near Chatteris.
The children, some as young as 10, demonstrated they had responsible heads on their shoulders by working alongside others to build a raft.
The instructors at Mepal divided the 15 boys into three teams. Each team were first given two drinking cans and small sticks and were asked to design the structure.
Head of youth, Abbas Manji (25), from Stanground, Peterborough, said: “It was fantastic to see a child as young as 10 years old wanting to lead the team and give his ideas on how to build the best raft. This certainly got everyone involved.”
The group was then shown how to tie the raft together using rope. Once each team had designed their raft, the boys were then kitted out in wetsuits and safety gear.
“This is when the real test came,” said Mr Manji. “Each team had to build the raft for real using logs, barrels and long rope. It was hard work but everyone pulled together.”
Once the rafts were built, each team entered the water on the instructions of the instructors for a race. This proved to be the highlight the event – seeing the winning team come back to shore while the losing team’s raft fell apart.
Mr Manji, who organised the event, said: “This was an absolutely fantastic trip. The boys had so much fun. I was really impressed and proud of each one who not only enjoyed the trip, but also worked hard in building the raft. It is great to see youths working
together in a team.
“This trip not only strengthened the social solidarity of the group, but also built upon their teambuilding skills, which they will certainly use in the future.”
Following the raft building exercise, the boys then had lunch followed by afternoon prayers.
It was then time to get changed back into the wetsuits for the kayak event.
Kuamil Datoo (12), from Ravensthorpe, Peterborough said: “It was an exciting trip not only fun, but educational, energetic and very wet.”
Sherali Nanji (20), from Paston, said: “It gave me the opportunity not to only have great fun, but to learn teambuilding and get to know the youths of our community better.”
Husaini Youth organises many events throughout the year for the whole community.
The girls of Husaini Youth are also active throughout the year, and they will be enjoying a fun-filled day at Alton Towers this month.
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