Muslim Scouts celebrate another Summer Camp success!

Over 2300 young Muslim scouts wrapped up their Scouting year by attending the Muslim Scout Fellowship’s annual summer camp. Now in our 10th year, the MSF summer camps successfully blend fun and adventure with self-development and personal growth. It has also grown in size and scale over the years, so it now takes place across two weekends and two campsites. This year it took place in Linnet Clough campsite in the North and Paccar campsite in the South, ensuring young Scouts from groups all over the country can attend. 

This year the theme for MSFs Summer Camp was ‘Grow-As-We-Go’. The 2300-strong cohort of happy campers made their way through five zones across camp: creativity zone, courage zone, knowledge zone, strength zone, and exploration zone whilst taking part in carefully curated activities designed to challenge and develop them in different ways. Every task and challenge becamean opportunity for Scouts to learn about resilience, teamwork andleadership all the while having fun and making memories!

Here’s a brief summary for each activity that took place at the Muslim Scouts Fellowship Summer Camp 2024:

Knowledge

  • Dry Ice Experiments: Campers delved into the fascinating world of science with dry ice experiments. They explored the dramatic effects of sublimation, witnessed eerie fog effects, and learned about the principles of gas expansion and chemical reactions. These hands-on activities sparked curiosity and provided a fun, interactive way to grasp complex scientific concepts.
  • Palestinian Oil Can Cooking: In a culinary adventure, scouts learned to prepare traditional Palestinian dishes using oil cans, a nod to historical cooking methods. This activity not only introduced them to delicious regional flavors but also offered a cultural experience that highlighted the rich heritage of Palestinian cuisine.

Creativity

  • Colour Capture the Flag: This lively twist on the classic game of capture the flag involved vibrant colors and creative strategies. Teams had to use their imagination to design and capture flags in a rainbow of hues, combining teamwork with artistic flair to win this colorful and engaging challenge.

Courage

  • Escape Room: Scouts tested their problem-solving skills and bravery in an immersive escape room experience. With only a set amount of time to solve puzzles and escape from a themed scenario, participants had to work together, think quickly, and overcome their fears to succeed.
  • Palestine Courage Wall: This reflective activity encouraged scouts to confront and share personal challenges and acts of bravery. The Courage Wall featured stories and messages about resilience and strength, inspired by the struggles and triumphs of the Palestinian people, fostering a sense of solidarity and personal growth.

Strength

  • Inflatable Foosball: Campers engaged in a dynamic and entertaining game of inflatable foosball. This oversized, physical version of the classic table game required teamwork, coordination, and a lot of energy, providing both a fun and physically engaging experience that highlighted the importance of strength and collaboration.

Exploration

  • Key Hole Surgery: Scouts explored the fascinating field of medicine with a hands-on keyhole surgery simulation. This activity offered a glimpse into advanced surgical techniques and the precision required in minimally invasive procedures, sparking interest in medical science and the exploration of career paths in healthcare.
  • Letters to Your Future Self: In a thoughtful and introspective exercise, campers wrote letters to their future selves. This activity encouraged personal reflection, goal-setting, and envisioning future aspirations, providing a meaningful way for scouts to connect with their personal growth and future ambitions.

Humaairah Jama, who leads the camp organisation this year said:

“The planning for this camp began a year ago, right off the back of the last summer camp. We always aim to build on the weekly sessions that groups and leaders run on a local level, drawing all of that together into a highly concentrated dose of activities to bring the Scouting year to a close. Of course, it takes a lot of hours and a lot of manpower to deliver events to this size and scale but it’s always so rewarding to see our plans become a reality and see young people of all ages engage and learn whilst having so much fun. It’s all the more deeply satisfying when we get to see our volunteers, most of whom are aged between 16 and 18 years old, take lead roles in planning and executing the camp – from designing the zones to managing the camp logistics to feeding and nurturing the young minds and bodies – our young volunteers stepped up and delivered. Ultimately, this is the leadership that we seek to cultivate through scouting, in action.”

A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Summer Camp Contributors

As we wrap up the Muslim Scouts Fellowship Summer Camp 2024, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to all the groups and volunteers who made this camp such a remarkable experience. Your dedication, hard work, and enthusiasm were truly the heart of this year’s camp, and we couldn’t have done it without you.

From guiding our scouts through exciting activities like dry ice experiments and inflatable foosball to sharing cultural insights through Palestinian oil can cooking and creating the inspiring Courage Wall, your contributions were invaluable. Your commitment to fostering a supportive, educational, and fun environment helped make every moment memorable.

A special thanks to everyone who supported our exploration activities, from keyhole surgery simulations to the heartfelt letters to your future self. Your efforts in making these experiences possible have left a lasting impact on our campers.

Humairah Jama adds, “The planning for summer 2025 begins, but before then, our programme team has put together over 20 other events, including a Ben Nevis Hike, helping on the farm activity days, two international trips and scout leader training weekends. As always it going to be a busy year for MSF and an exciting one for our Scouts, but in the true scouting way, the secret to our success is to always be prepared!”

We look forward to seeing you all again next year for another incredible summer camp adventure. Until then, thank you once again for everything you’ve done. Your support and involvement are truly appreciated!