Al-Qalam 
By Al-Qalam Reporter
Muslim youth who attended the recent Ambassadors For Change Programme in Durban left the course feeling empowered, inspired, and eager to bring about change in their communities.
The programme which was hosted by the Muslim Youth Movement of South Africa at the Al-Ansaar Conference Centre earlier this month aimed to transform future generations by helping turn them into great leaders.
The five-and-a-half-day course ran for the second time after its inaugural event last year. Young people from schools, universities, and non-governmental organisations were part of the cohort this year. Khairunisa Essa, a pupil at Al Falaah College told Al-Qalam that the course had exceeded her expectations. “My expectations were not just met but were exceeded. I could go on about how life-changing this course was and how proud I am of how far we’ve come and how we’ve improved ourselves and bettered ourselves as a group. Aside from gaining awareness on different social, political, and internal issues, we have learned how to use that education and knowledge to teach others and raise awareness.”
She said Ambassadors For Change has taught her, and the other youth, how to speak about important issues and bring about change around them.
“We have learned that in order to change the world, we have to start with the person in the mirror. When we change, we inspire others to do so as well. If you want to see justice in the world, let us be that justice. This programme has taught me that if I want to change the world, I need to re-look at the way I see things. I am grateful for the opportunities the MYMSA has provided for us through this course,” said Khairunisa.
Violations
Another attendee, Suhail Shubrati from the Orient Islamic School said the Ambassadors For Change Programme was eye-opening in terms of how much work can be done when you work as a team, and when you are united in fighting for a common goal.
“During the course, the MYM exposed us to the harsh realities of the world, including gender-based violence, femicide, racism, and other human rights violations. Thus, they were able to show us that we need to be the change we want to see in the world and the only way we can do this is by first changing ourselves,” said Suhail.
Suhail said he was taught many valuable leadership skills and the MYMSA course has impacted his life in significant ways. “Through their hard work, they have produced a group of young leaders who are ready to face the world’s challenges. Through the completion of each task as teams, we were able to create friendships that I feel will last a lifetime. This programme was also an opportunity for us to develop the necessary facilitator skills and confidence skills that are required to be a great leader in the modern world,” he added.
Those who attended the programme, said they were grateful to facilitators Arun Naicker and Rashid Chopdat as well as the MYMSA for the impactful course.
Naicker said the programme personally gave her renewed hope for young people.
“There were even younger people this year compared to last year. It was good to see the commitment of those who attended. We had a diverse group from different socio-economic backgrounds. By the end of the course, the notion that we are one human race was incredible to see. Issues of class and issues of looking at where you come from were discussed. These are superficial things that distract us from being human and we gave them the space to talk about these things that they can’t talk about in their own households sometimes,” said Naicker.
She said the course entailed a unique element this year which helped the youth look at certain topics and understand them from a Quranic and Islamic perspective.
