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Not all children spend their holidays glued to the screen or getting bored. Several young philanthropists based in Bahrain are engaging in social work this summer, shining a bright spotlight on the importance of introducing community-oriented activities at an early age.
According to reports online, humanitarian work offers multiple benefits to adolescents, like improved critical thinking, more empathy, higher self-worth and fewer depressive symptoms, among others.
New Millennium School grade 12 student Alison Reeves concurred, asserting that her experience with social work has been ‘rewarding’.
The Indian Community Relief Fund’s (ICRF) Thirst Quenchers summer campaign volunteer believes that participating in the initiative has been an educational journey for her.
The programme is aligned with the Labour Ministry’s summer mid-day outdoor work ban, where ICRF volunteers visit locations across the kingdom every Saturday of July and August to distribute refreshments.
“I started a year ago and can say that it has helped me hone my social skills,” the 17-year-old Indian expatriate told GulfWeekly.
“I learned how to introduce myself to different people and deal with various situations. For instance, many workers do not speak English, so we have to find a way to communicate with them. We also understand how to be polite with them,” added the Juffair resident, who aspires to pursue a degree in event management while continuing with community activities.
“ICRF has shown me there are communities like this wherever I go. So, even when I study abroad, I am hopeful I can find a place where I can volunteer,” she added.
Alison is inspired by her parents Althea and Basil Reeves, who are also committed to social causes and have always encouraged her to pursue the same.
Tubli resident Aamer Al Zaman also motivated his children, Rayyan, 13, and Jenan, 11, to volunteer at a summer camp for differently abled children, conducted by Shahzaib’s Club House – a community organisation dedicated to supporting individuals with diverse abilities.
“The turning point was taking them to watch the Bollywood movie Sitaare Zameen Par (‘stars on Earth’), which focuses on the same cause,” Aamer revealed.
“I then spoke to them about how we need to help these ‘stars’, who are just as talented as us. While they found it tough initially, we motivated them not to give up and the organisers were supportive too.”
Club House founder Amena Shahrukh said that sometimes, the young volunteers were assigned tasks to do with the children and at other times, they came up with their own ideas.
“Our young volunteers also assisted our teachers in the classroom,” she added.
Spurred on by the enriching experience, the siblings, who attend Naseem International School, have expressed a desire to continue volunteering every summer.
Youngsters Ali Ashraf, 12, and Fatima Zaynab Al Isa, 11, also volunteer at Shahzaib’s Club House’s summer camp, which will continue until the end of this month. The home-schooled children from Saar are equally excited about the experience and hope to continue it every year.
“I led an activity on recycling paper,” Ali said. “It was difficult when the differently abled children cried or when I didn’t understand what they were saying and I’m still learning to get better at that. But I learned how to be patient through this experience and had a really good time with all the children,” the Australian-Pakistani talent added.
