Daniel Lim
Youth across the nation took the opportunity to reflect on their time spent towards the end of the school holiday.
One such event that captivated and inspired 44 youth in particular from the Belait District was a Youth Camp where the participants learnt many new skills, spent time with friends as well as made new and fruitful relationships with other like-minded peers.
Organised by the Belait District Youth and Sports Department in collaboration with the Belait District Red Crescent Society, the camp saw youth spend three days and two nights partaking in engaging activities ranging from setting up tents where they spent their nights to learning new life skills.
I met with some of the youth along with their instructors to learn more about their experiences as well as how their memorable moments in the camp helped develop their character, skills and ties.
As Head of the Youth and Sports Department in the Belait District and Deputy Chairman of the camp Mohd Shah Johan bin Haji Shari explained the camp aimed to provide opportunities for the youth to gain meaningful experiences and learn new skills while making full use of the limited time made available by the school holidays. “The activities not only included games encouraging cooperation and creative thinking by the youth to excel, but also briefings and talks that served to drive discussion among the youth.”
He added that all activities helped with developing team building and collaborative skills that he hopes will aid the youth not only when they return to school after the holidays, but also beyond in their everyday lives.
“We hope that the three-day camp has been fruitful for the participating youth, in creating a friendly and conducive environment for them to grow, develop and nurture their skills and talents, and so that they can be more active, fit and able to overcome challenges they face.”
Head instructor Mohd Nordin bin Haji Mohamada highlighted some challenges faced in encouraging and inspiring youth to partake in camps such as this, as well as how to overcome them.
He explained that the youth camp is one of their missions at the Youth and Sports Department “to teach youth of today subjects that are not necessarily taught at schools.”
This includes being self-dependent and self-reliant, as well as approaching challenges from creative and out-of-the-box thinking.
“Some of the activities included setting up the tents that they would have to spend their nights in and activities that promote independent living which do not rely on the creature comforts that many are so used to in today’s world,” he said.
He added that by exposing these basic skills and knowledge to youth, many of whom are not particularly well versed due to either time constraints or not having the opportunity to do so, can gain these skills and knowledge through first-hand experience, which can help benefit and enrich their daily lives going forward.
“Alhamdulillah, participating youth can follow and learn these skills and knowledge from us that not only teach them how to be independent, but also to learn compassion, understanding, and cooperate with each other.”
This show of independence is reflected in many of the participating youth who recalled some of their memorable moments during the camping trip.
First-timer Nurul Jannah binti Haji Kipli shared how she was able to make full use of the time by learning new skills as well as making new friends. “My favourite part of the camp was our chat sessions, where we would just sit and share what we had learnt that same day,” she said. By joining the camp, she also learnt to appreciate the many comforts that they had grown used to.
“Whenever we finish our day, we would go back home and do our usual routine, but here, we have to learn to prepare what we need in advance, from setting up the tents to preparing food and so on.”
She added that the camp also taught her how to be more disciplined, which she aims to apply to her everyday life as well as in her studies.
Furthermore, as a camp participant, she wants to inspire and encourage more youth to get involved and noted that “it helps to show their true colours and that everyone is focussed on developing and nurturing the skills and talents among themselves.”
Similarly, another first-timer Danish Razean bin Abas shared how, through the three-day and two-night camp, he was able to learn new skills and knowledge through the many activities held.
“Things like taking care of ourselves to setting up our tents, all of which are new to us. And all the while, we are working together towards a unified goal as friends in being independent.
“For me, the youth camp is important as it taught us how to be self-dependent and disciplined, as well as identify things that are keys to achieve that,” said Danish.
He hoped that more youth will join similar camps as many might not be familiar with the outdoors. “Taking part in such a camp can help appreciate the surrounding environment as well as learn new life skill,” he said,
Mohd Nordin said that similar camps will be held in the future, especially during school holidays, as it helps youth to grow while also inspire them to share their new-found skills and knowledge with their friends and families.
