Training the leaders of tomorrow

Rizwan Virji at a leadership camp. The Ismaili Africa

As children develop into young adults, they will face many challenges, in their personal, educational and professional lives. Helping youth cope with these challenges and providing them access to quality training programmes is one of the goals of the Outdoor Leadership Programme organised by the Youth and Sports portfolio of the Ismaili Council for Kenya.

The human and material resources required to sustain this programme are critical to its success. These, together with external institutional structures provide the catalyst for compounded growth and continuity. To succeed in this form of programme development, progressive structures, strong human resources, and being flexible in the face of change as better ideas come onto the scene, are necessary requirements.

Change is more than just essential, it is vital to reflect our dynamic world. To achieve its goals, the programme has to hold substance and be a benefit to the youth it reaches. The content of the curriculum has to ignite a passion. It has to inculcate positive attributes into the youth whilst taking them outside their comfort zone. This progressive training helps to shape essential ideals that instil qualities of leadership, physical development, creativity, technical skills, outdoor education, social responsibility, volunteerism and discipline.

Outdoor education - Technical skills development. The Ismaili Africa

The training is a build-up of experiences that get more challenging as the individual gets older whilst at the same time being consistent in their approach and their core messages. Mahmud Nanji, an Outdoor Leadership instructor, and one of the youth who has himself been through the Programme, commented that “this consistency over time is what eventually develops the individuals into confident, responsible leaders who will be better prepared not only to serve communities but also to lead lives that are model examples.”

The opportunities for grooming are numerous in the programmes provided by the Outdoor Leadership Programme. They are a chain of little links of knowledge that become powerful tools of utilisation. Learning how to use a compass and knowing how to interpret a map eventually lead to learning how to use it in the wilderness. Going into the wilderness means knowing what to take with you and knowing how to make travel arrangements. On getting there one needs to know how to set up camp and cook a meal. It does not stop there: one needs to be socially responsible by ensuring the environment is safeguarded with responsible techniques. Understanding weather patterns and predicting precarious weather conditions are also important skills. Hiking through the wilderness is exerting and also develops a person's physical endurance. Knowing the names of various animals, plants and birdlife develops creativity. Gazing at the constellations at nighttimes provokes discussions of the stars an with it an understanding of astronomy. Climbing trees, ropes and eventually rocks and mountains is not only a physical but also a technical skill. It requires a firm knowledge of knots, safety and technique. It is an art that it perfected with consistency and practice. What this ultimately does is make minds and bodies better prepared to tackle future endeavours in day-to-day living.

Outdoor education - cultural integration with local communities at a Turkana village. The Ismaili Africa

Ummat Somjee, an astute adventurer who received his early training through the Outdoor Leadership Programme and who now works as a part-time climbing instructor in Vancouver, notes that the Programme was responsible for building his character and helping define many of his life goals. In 2006, Ummat was one of only two Ismailis to make it to Batian, the summit of Mount Kenya, and considered by mountaineers as one of the toughest technical climbs in Africa.

When the Programme's journey evolves to the point where leaders emerge from the programme, another journey of learning begins, and this is about giving back to other young members of the Jamat beginning the same journey. And while this cycle may take a decade to complete sometimes, this is part of a journey of wisdom, leadership and knowledge that continues generation after generation.