Some time ago a small group of sisters and myself organized an event like what has been described in the “Back to School – Hijab” campaign.

Our proposal included the date and time of the event. It took place on a weekend so more people would be able to attend, and we started at Zhuhr Prayer and finished at Maghrib Prayer. Our plan included lunch, a show, stalls, and competitions.

After we finalized our plan we presented it to those who were responsible for the Islamic center in our area. We had a meeting with them and went over the proposal. The people there were very pleased with our efforts and were very helpful. They organized the tables and chairs for us, put up a public-address system and helped with advertising. They even organized the main hall to be extra clean and provided the basics for the kitchen.

We had three weeks to advertise the event, so we started by getting the young people to design and draw posters and placed them in all the Islamic centers we knew. We put an add in the community newspaper and in Muslim-owned restaurants, and we contacted all the sisters we knew. The tickets were set at an affordable price and included lunch and the show. Two artistic sisters made the tickets and then we started our own campaign to sell 200 tickets. As a part of the advertisement we mentioned the aim behind the fundraising and the amount of money we hoped to make from this event. We were very clear in describing our aims and the theme of the day, “Youth.”

Tickets were distributed among all the active sisters in the community to sell them. The sister who was chosen to be the treasurer for this event was given the money as it came in. As people paid for the tickets, their names and phone numbers were recorded so we could contact them if necessary.

We got a group of ten teenagers who were interested in decorating the hall and setting up the tables. This process started early the day before the event. Sisters were asked to cook food for the lunch. A menu was set and sisters were assigned certain things to prepare. Many of them didn’t want to be reimbursed for the costs, but those who did were paid in full. Five sisters were assigned to collect the prepared food and bring it to the hall. It was also their responsibility to organize the kitchen. Their efforts were greatly appreciated.

Two teenaged sisters were assigned to stand at the door on the day and welcome everyone as they came in and give them a program, which had been made on computer then photocopied. As people entered, their names were ticked off on a sheet. Things were organized and everyone was happy.

Two girls started the program off by reciting Qu’ran and making du`aa’. After that there was a performance by a group of teenage girls who had written and prepared a play. It was about two Muslim girls, one who was practicing Islam and one who was not. The play depicted some scenes from their lives and how people responded to them, the difficulties they faced, and how their lives ended up. It was excellent. Then some young girls sang Islamic songs and there were a few short skits.

By the end of the show everyone was hungry and sat down to a delightful lunch. After everyone finished, we started the competitions and stalls. Many women had baked and had their goods for sale. There were all kinds of sweets, bread, jams, and so on. Other sisters had stalls for handicrafts and that was very popular. There was also a stall for Islamic books, cassettes, posters, and games and another stall for clothing like hijabs and long clothes. We made an agreement with the sisters who were selling their wares that they would take a percentage of what they sold and the rest would go to the charity. The cost of the lunch was covered by the tickets and quite a lot of profit was made for the youth.

There were competitions for the children like three legged races, egg and spoon races, and a quiz for the older girls. There were also funny games to get everyone laughing and participating. This included charades and guessing games.

After the fun and games were over, everyone sat down again and a sister gave a short talk about the needs of the youth. She spoke about the background and aims of the upcoming youth camp and how important it is that the youth have the chance to attend. She also spoke about the rewards for giving charity, the responsibility the Muslims have to help each other, and how great such acts are in the sight of Allah the Almighty. The sisters were greatly touched by this speech and many gave extra donations. All in all it was a very successful day.

Many needy youth were helped to attend the camp and even after the event was over, sisters would call and ask if there were any other youth who needed help. They were ready, willing, and able to assist in any way they could.

The biggest lesson I learned from this experience is that once something is started, people follow. There has to be a starting point and a group of people willing and able to initiate the action. Not everyone has the time, ability, or inclination to do that, so whoever is able should try. We found that people streamed in with offers and suggestions once things got going.

I don’t want to overlook the role of the brothers. They were busy fetching and carrying things, and picking up and dropping off people. They helped to set up the stage and the public-address system, and were generally on call on the day, ready to help if needed. They were rewarded by being served a delicious lunch in adjoining rooms where the event took place.

After everything was over, the brothers started to clean up. They even washed up dishes, cleared tables, took down decorations and swept the floors!

May Allah bless all those who participated in this event. And may He the Almighty bless the youth who are in such great need of our love, care, and attention.