On February 11th-13th, we were able to host our first ever Explorer Camp since 2020! This year, we welcomed back 160 Explorers and their leaders from across the UK to join us for our ‘Crystal Maze’ themed camp, in which their abilities were put to the test in our 4 zones: Mental Zone, Mystery Zone, Physical Zone and Skills Zone. Additional to this, the camp offered a ‘Human Library’ element in which several speakers came in and delivered talks to the Explorers on various topics, including careers in technology, working in the media, political & global affairs, and fundraising/ the charity sector.
What better way to hear about the programme-packed weekend than from the Explorers and Leaders themselves!
‘In the Mental Zone we wanted to challenge the mental skills of our Explorers through riddles and teamwork. The aim of game was to open a set of all three boxes to get to the innermost crystal, worth the highest time value. Each box had a combination padlock on it to be opened, and the numbers for the code was provided for by a challenge. Round one was a game of archery. The Explorers had to aim for the paper squares on the archery target which had numbers for code on them, then use the numbers to figure out the padlock combination code. Inside the Box 2, the Explorers had to figure out the answers to the three maths riddles and use the numbers figure out the second boxes’ padlock combination. Once they found the code, they could open the box to find a second crystal, the last set of riddles and Box 3. In Box 3 was a set of three wordy riddles. The Explorers had to figure out these three answers, which again led to the answer for the combination padlock to open the innermost 3rd Box, which contained the highest value crystal. To be the quickest team the Explorers had to work in teams to split the workload and open the innermost box to win. It showed their skills of teamwork, cooperation, and their intelligence in answering the riddles!’- Head of Mental Zone
‘The MSF camp was the first camp I had ever been on, and I thought it was quite fun. It was themed around a show called the ‘Crystal Maze’, which meant that we had to collect crystals from all the minigames to get extra time for the obstacle course which took place on the last day. My favourite activity was the obstacle course. Although it was very exciting to try and get my team to finish the course first, I also ended up getting very muddy because it had been raining! Overall, I would say that the entire camp was a great experience because I got to talk to lots of new people, make friends and spend my weekend doing lots of new activities which I hadn’t really done before’ Explorer Girl from 304th
‘My name is Yasser, I’m an explorer leader with 11th st Marylebone. I was on the physical zone team for the MSF explorer camp. The physical zone consisted of challenges that put the explorer’s physical fitness to the test… what better way to do this than having it at a swimming pool! The explorers had to complete a set of challenges to collect the maximum number of crystals they could get, these challenges consisted of collecting bottles filled with crystals and having a tug of war. The explorers also had the opportunity to have free time in the water and enjoy themselves. It was an overall great experience, one which was very needed after the long day the explorers had! I hope you all enjoyed it, may Allah (SWT) reward all those who helped put everything together’ – 11st Marylebone Leader
‘This February, Muslim explorers from across the country united to enjoy an exciting, memorable weekend that included activities based around the core theme of the classic 1990 hit game show, The Crystal Maze. I had the enriching opportunity to participate in these activities and I genuinely enjoyed every minute of it. This being my first MSF explorer camp ever I really don’t know what could top this extremely well organised, exhilarating weekend! Not only did we complete physical challenges for the reward of crystals but had the fortune of learning of different career paths that some of the leaders had taken in the Human Library and we could all learn about different decisions that we could pursue in our own education. I could hear about the experiences those took in their journey to success in the fields that I am interested in and many of us took this opportunity eagerly. Although there were so many aspects of the camp that I truly relished in, from the campfire chants to the archery, swimming, and inspirational talks, I’d have to say that meeting new friends was my favourite part. The long nights of crying with laughter and emotionally connecting is an experience I recommend to all and I’m so glad I took the occasion to bond to these people. Overall, this was a camp that raised my expectations for my next explorer adventures to the next level!’ Explorer Girl
‘My favourite part of the Explorer Camp was when the founder of Islamic Relief came and gave us a talk about how he first started off and how each and every single one of us has a talent that can help us to achieve success within life. His story encouraged me to make use of my own talent, both for joy and success’ – Explorer Boy
‘My name is Yomna and I’m part of the MSF explorer team. At the Explorer camp, we had our first in person Human Library. The aim of the Human Library is to provide explorers with the opportunity to gain insights into different career paths available to them. As such, during the camp, explorers had talks from professionals in the media, civil service, tech, and charity sectors who are renowned in their respective fields. Throughout the weekend, we also displayed posters with information on members of the explorer teams’ own educational and professional journey and encouraged explorers to speak to members of the explorer team to find out more about their professions and sectors. Overall the Human Library was very well received and gave the explorers some opportunities to broaden their horizons. We hope it was of benefit to the explorers!’- Human Library Lead Co-Ordinator
Plans for the MSF 2023 Explorer Camp are underway, and we hope to see you there insha Allah!
