FAYM

Attendee Reports:

"As Muslims we are followers of the most beloved and successful man who has ever walked this earth, our dear Prophet Muhammed (SAW). He showed us the clear and straight path by being an excellent leader. Leadership consists of many elements, such as character, team work, work ethic, morals, and being goal oriented.  On February 13 and 14 the Florida Association of Young Muslims (FAYM) held a two day Leadership Summit for Girls, in order for them to learn these essentials through creative presentations, workshops, scavenger hunts, lectures, sessions, and team challenges.

"When the summit began the participants were girls who came from different backgrounds, ethnicities, ages, and held various personalities. By the end of the Summit, the girls got to know one another and formed more than a friendship, but more importantly they built a sisterhood that will last a lifetime. They learned to become unified as one no matter their differences, and shared their similarities which is being a Muslim sister in Islam who strives in order to please Allah (SWT), and follow our leader Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his message. Through the various activities that were planned by a team of amazing coordinators each girl was placed into one of three tribes: blue, red, and purple. They each were on a mission to complete tasks by using proper communication skills, team work, and time management. We had workshops that consisted of : mastering presentation skills, event planning, and decision making. The teams each had to master their presentation skills by the end of the summit by doing a different presentation each day. There were tribal meetings, challenges, activities, and duties which in the end led to the scavenger hunt that decided which team correctly ventured out their skills in order to gain all the clues to win the end. Some of the activities were exercising, preparing and serving meals, camp fires, making smores, setting up and breaking down tents, and much
more. We had prayed all our five prayers in the day and we had a spectacular time spending time in order to get to know each one of the girls and most importantly being able to build a friendship with our counselors whom are  now like older sisters to us. At the end of the summit we were all survivors because we successfully gained skills that are vital to be used in this life in order for us to Inshallah succeed in the hereafter.

"Indeed we may have given up a weekend that could have been spent with luxuries in everyday life, but  instead we have gained and retained knowledge that will last us a lifetime through this unforgettable experience. In the end, My sisters and I would like to thank our dear sisters counselors and coordinators who made this event possible. May Allah (Swt) reward them for their hard work."

- Natasha


"Asalamualikum to everyone my name is Mai and I’m going to share my experience at the FAYM Leadership Summit. When I first arrived to the camp I thought it would be boring but this camp reached beyond my expectations. I enjoyed many things about this camp but the one thing that was really fun was actually camping in tents. Even though we were indoors it felt like we were outside. I enjoyed all the activities that we did and I loved making the journals. I really liked the theme of the camp “survival” and I think that this camp made me more confident in being a leader. I would like to thank the camp counselors who were responsible for this event because without them the camp wouldn’t be the same. They made the lectures and activities fun and interesting to us as teens. Another thing that I liked about this camp was that it was a small group so it provided an opportunity to get to really know all the campers and camp counselors. This was also very beneficial to all Muslim teens. There was nothing lost but everything gained.  I look forward to more camps by FAYM and can’t wait!"

- Mai

"I do not know where to begin with explaining how much I gained over the course of this summit.  The experience was great and very thrilling!  Everything was of excellent quality as well.

"To start with, the counselors were very inviting and welcoming.  They did an awfully good job at revealing the message they intended to.  Not only that but, their way of teaching us with hands-on activities rather than lectures worked especially well.  I gained an exceptional quantity of knowledge and I really enjoyed it.  These counselors taught us a lot and at the same time kept the group entertained.  They made this, without a doubt, one of the best experiences for me in my life.

"The food was very scrumptious too; I loved the food that was prepared throughout the summit.  The snacks weren’t only delicious, but they were healthy as well.  We were well fed; with the occasional snacks and the breakfasts, lunches and dinners!
Additionally, I learned whole lot about leadership.  I learned about two types of leadership: inward and outward leadership.  One who is an inward leader is one who does good actions for the benefit of others and themselves.  But, that is also the definition of an outward leader.  The difference between the two is that an inward leader’s actions are not seen by others, that person may do whatever it is that they are doing without others noticing~ as opposed to an outward leader.  Before attending the summit, I never thought of myself as a leader.  When I heard the word “leader”, I thought of the president or some other famous person everyone knows.  However, after leaving the summit, I knew I was a leader.  There is now a drastic change in how I define a leader; now I consider more people around me as leaders.  For example, my mother and father are leaders; great leaders to.  Why? Because they taught and raised my siblings and I.

"I learned more about Prophet Muhammad (SAW’s) life.  It turned out that I didn’t know as much as I thought I did about the history and leaders of Islam.  I learned all this, not through lecturing, but through videos, having speakers come in and by doing hands-on activities.  Also, the whole idea was for the summit to be like an outdoors camp.  So we built tents, did scavenger hunts and made smores outside around a fire!!  I personally loved the whole outdoor camping idea.

"Over all, I learned more than I ever imagined I could in two days.  As a matter of fact it wasn’t even a full two days, and that’s how much information I learned.  I loved this summit and it was surely one of a kind!  I am glad I came and I thank all the counselors involved in organizing this event, I truly enjoyed it, and I will always remember and cherish the good times I had at the summit.  I will also remember all the new Muslim friends I made.  Thank you!"

- Rowanne