MENTORSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
PREPARING FOR THE AFED YOUTH CAMP – MOSHI 2015
The Africa Youth Network (AYN) in collaboration with the World Federation and the Africa Federation Capacity Building Groups (CBG) organised a Mentorship Development Programme held on the 20th, 21st and 22nd of March 2015, in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, at the KSIJ Dar-es-Salaam Gents’ Imambargah.
The session’s objectives were to equip the mentors and AYN administration team for the AFED Youth Camp – Moshi 2015. The aim was to equip them with the necessary skills required to be an effective mentor and understand and practise these concepts to develop an effective mentoring relationships.
A total of 25 youth attended the programme from Arusha, Dar-es-Salaam and Nairobi Jamaats, all forming part of the AFED Youth Camp – Moshi 2015 team, who will be mentoring and overall administrating at the Camp.
The program was facilitated by Br. Yasin Rahim from the World Federation Capacity Building Group, Sis Waheeda Rahim, COEJ Councillor – a skilled facilitator who was the head of Camp CoEJ – Sweden 2014; and the AFED CBG team led by Sis Mumtaz Ladak and Br Shabbirhussein Khalfan. AYN is fortunate to have Alhaj Muhsin Dharamsi, as part of the administration and leadership team at the AFED Youth Camp – Moshi 2015; he flew down from Bhavnagar, India, to be part of the Mentorship Development Programme, and to share his invaluable experience and wisdom with the team.
The programme officially opened on Friday, 20th March after Maghribain, the program on Saturday began at 5.45 a.m. with Salaatul Fajr, while the program on Sunday began at 5.00 a.m. with Salaatul Layl. The sessions would end at 6.30 pm, after which the participants would attend the Ayyame Fatimiyyah programmes at the Dar-es-Salaam Imambargah. A special session was held on Sunday 22nd March, just before Salaatul Layl, where Haji Saheb, the founder of WIPAHS shared some lessons from his leadership journey – and provided some valuable advice to the participants.
Some of the various concepts that were covered during the mentoring session included:
- Understanding who a mentor is and what mentoring is
- Aims and benefits of mentoring
- Effective Mentoring
- Building and maintaining rapport
- Listening and Questioning Skills
- Feedback
A trusting, supportive and confidential environment was created within the program to ensure full exploration and awareness of self and the current state of each individual participant in their leadership journey.
The programme also included an extensive session on Sunday where all the details of the camp were explained to mentors, as well as their roles and responsibilities, their expectations. Every aspect of the camp was broken down, with the camp mission statement of “Sharing sustenance for the mind, body and soul” permeating every facet of the camp – with strategies finalised for maximising the camp’s potential during every moment in the camp.
Testimonials
What I liked the most was:
- The amount of love, care and encouragement from the Facilitators
- The reflections circle and sessions
- Unorthodox method of content delivery
- The deep level of understanding & help to find our iceberg
Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony was attended by the Hon. Secretary of Africa Federation Alhaj Aunali Khalfan, President of KSI Jamaat of Dar-es-Salaam– Alhaj Azim Dewji, Chairman of AFTab – Seyed Hassan Naqvi, Chairman of AYN – Br. Muntazir Meghjee and CoEJ Councillor – Sis Waheeda Rahim.
The ceremony was held on Sunday the 22nd March from 5.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. at the Gents’ Imambargah and was facilitated by the AFED CBG team. The presentation ceremony included testimonials from participants, which shone light on the remarkable development and growth experienced during the session – as well as a presentation ceremony where participants were awarded certificates.
The President of KSIJ Dar-es-Salaam, Alhaj Azim Dewji shared some motivational words of wisdom where he reminded participants that despite any obstacles they may face, they need to persevere and continue working for the community. He assured his Jamaat’s full support and cooperation to AFED in all their activities and events.
In a brief address, Alhaj Aunali Khalfan, Hon. Secretary of the Africa Federation, thanked participants for their contributions and involvement in the session which would help immensely in making the AFED Youth Camp: Moshi 2015 a great success. He also extended a special appreciation to the facilitators – who had worked tirelessly to ensure the Mentorship Development Programme was of the highest quality – especially Br. Yasin Rahim and Sis Waheeda Rahim who had flown in from the UK specifically to be part of this programme; as well as Alhaj Muhsin Dharamsi who had flown in from India – and will be part of the camp in Moshi. He also appreciated the work done by the AFED CBG under the leadership of Sis Mumtaz Ladak and Br Shabbirhussein Khalfan. Finally, he thanked KSI Jamaat of Dar-es-Salaam for their unwavering support and allowing the use of Jamaat’s facilities, including the Gents’ Imambargah.
AYN would like to thank Br. Bashir Dewji, the Youth Representative of KSIJ Dar-es-Salaam for his support, Br Alihassan Kassam for taking care of the logistics in Dar-es-Salaam – as well as his team of volunteers, Sis Faseeha Sherally and the AFED Administrative Staff for providing the admin support for our programs. We extend our appreciation to all the participants for attending and contributing positively during the session.
We are especially grateful to the facilitators: Br Yasin Rahim and Sis Waheeda Rahim, Sis Mumtaz Ladak, Br Shabbirhussein Khalfan and Alhaj Muhsin Dharamsi. The mentorship development programme provided life-changing insights, and has truly made a difference to the lives of the participants.
We pray to Allah (swt) for a successful AFED Youth Camp – Moshi 2015, from 1st to 10th April 2015. It is very encouraging to note that everyone from the Africa Federation to Constituent Jamaats, Facilitators, Mentors, Administrators, Volunteers, Speakers have put maximum efforts to make this a great and memorable event. We are confident that the Campers will add to this success of the Camp, by the grace and blessings of Allah (swt).
Aliraza Sumar
Hon. Secretary AYN