Neha Mehar for Ismailimail.
Neha Mehar, 17, is a resident of Karachi, Pakistan. She is currently enrolled in the AS program (Cambridge International Examination) at The Lyceum School. She has completed 12 years of religious education, four of which was a part of the STEP pilot project.
Becoming a Global Citizen – Global Encounters 2015
By: Neha Mehar
Global Encounters (GE) is a three week residential summer camp held at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, Kenya where Ismaili youth aged 15-17 from all around the world can apply to participate. There are two sessions of this camp held every year during the summers, Camp 1 in June and Camp 2 in July. Roughly a camp batch contains around 60 students from 22 countries.
GE aims to transform the young, impressionable, feisty Ismaili students of their respective nationalities to mature Global Citizens. The fact that this camp has international participants makes it easier to fulfill this aim. Making teens realize the significance and the dire need of being global citizens in this rapidly changing world and igniting in them the global imaginary conscience is no piece of cake. This is instilled in mainly 6 ways throughout the camp.
Service learning – What they need >>> what we think they need
Note how this aspect is not termed as “service work” which gives the impression of community/voluntary service but rather as “service learning” which infers that it is a two way process – learning as well as serving. Such is the care and precision with which every task is articulated. More importantly at GE we are taught to differentiate between what we think the recipient of service needs vs. what they actually need. Thinking along the lines of sustainable service is a must.
Core Sessions – Listening to stories
Be it a lecture by Mr. Ali Asani (Professor of Indo-Muslim Religion and Cultures and the Director of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Islamic Studies Program at Harvard University) on the location of the camp or a session by Mwalimu Deenaz on “our stories and routes,” what sets apart these, is the inflow of diverse opinions from all directions.
As an Ismaili residing in Pakistan it was shocking for me to hear that no child under the age of 18 is legally allowed to go a religious place (mosque/church) in Tajikistan. At times even basic geographical facts, like the existence of an Ismaili community in the Democratic Republic of Congo or for that matter in Mauritius were surprising, reinforcing the idea that despite sharing the same faith, “tairqa” there are many practices carried out differently around the world, but that doesn’t make any of us less Ismaili or more pious.
Capstone Project – Clean your thinking glasses
Taking school research assignments to a professional level. At GE every participant is assigned research topic to work on. Capstone tosses us into the field, conducting interviews, communicating with the local people to extract first-hand unbiased relevant information. Demarcating between my assumptions and observations was one important lifelong lesson that I learnt while working on my capstone!
Visits to AKDN works – Ethical framework in action
As a STEP student and an avid reader I knew about AKDN’s institutions and their ethical frameworks. My experience at GE took this theoretical knowledge a step ahead. As GE participants, we had the opportunity to visit many AKDN’s works including the Madrassa school programme, Bujagali Power Plant, Serena Hotels and Lodges and NTV, and witness the ethical framework in action.
Hearing praises regarding the work of these institutions by the locals was a proud moment. “The workshops held by Madrassa program are the only ones offered free of cost. These people realize the plight of public school teachers like us,” says the ECD teacher at Serani Boys School. Furthermore this teacher had no idea that she was speaking to an Ismaili regarding AKDN!
Weekend Trips – Exploring East Africa
Exploring Africa is perhaps the best way to smash those stereotypes. Prior to the camp I had a typical image of Kenya formed by the media. From the locals to the natural beauty there is not one aspect of East Africa that failed to astound me. Every weekend a trip was arranged with the local jamat to enable the participants to know more about the natives and tour the city. This included the serene beaches and the famous Safari.
GE camp-2 2015 was fortunate to have gone on a cross country trip to Kampala, Uganda in East Africa. Through the Kampala experience we had the chance to have one-on-one conversations with the jamat of Uganda, particularly those who had been forced out in the 70’s and then returned.
Cultural Events – Journeying across multiple cultures
The diversity of this camp is what makes it stand out from other national camps. Cultural dance night and talent night is celebrated to honor this diversity. Furthermore Kenyan Culture workshops are initiated to familiarize us with the local culture. Who knew the Syrian “Dabka” dance would be so mesmerizing!
3 weeks away from home is a long time but after the first few days the Academy begins to feel like home and the people like family. Day 1 – 60 absolute strangers, day 24 – 60 family members crying while saying their good byes. After all how many 17 year olds would be able to boast about having a family across 22 countries? Only a holistic camp like GE has the power to make this happen. Thus to call Global Encounters a life changing experience would be an understatement!
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