Reflection of Youth of Summer Camp 2008

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Reflection of Youth of Summer Camp 2008: Tucked within Rock Creek Regional Park in Montgomery County, Maryland, Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Center nestles amongst tall trees; awaiting the eager participants of an outdoor adventure.

After a weekend sojourn in Virginia in 2007, IMAAM has gone back to its roots having hosted its annual Summer Camp at the center since its inception in 1998. This is the second year the new IMAAM Youth Department has taken controls of the coordination process for summer camp since the department’s start in conviction, and faith.

To gain all three, we need a deep understanding of who we are in the midst of the societies we live in. Are we to give ourselves wholly to our surroundings and assimilate completely, or are we to strive for a balance between the identities of our ancestors and the identities of our present and future? Teen Workshops Our young leaders had a vision, at times was deemed unconventional and perhaps a bit erratic. As in the words of one, “we wanted to create programs that would spark the youth to speak up, have a desire to learn and understand more about Islam and what it means to be a Muslim. We do not want to be pedantic or authoritarian; we want them to try to understand it (surahs, ayahs, reasonings, and meanings) for themselves”. 1. Interpreting the Surah The teen groups were asked to interpret Surah Al Hujurrat through a form of art, then volunteered or were chosen by group leader Andy Masfar to present their interpretations to the audience during the bonfire. Taking the microphone in their own hands, they spoke out against backbiting, spying, putting down another fellow brother or sister, etc. using their creationsdrawings, writings, etc. Ustad Ashraf Ali, our estimable keynote speaker, reminded the audience of the hard work the groups did for their projects, and asked for their masterpieces to be passed around, a gesture that all at once reminded the greater community that our youth do have a voice that deserves to be heard and can convey it with eloquence and conviction.