On Saturday 24th February, at the Hedgecock Community Centre (HCC), Barking Community Forum (BCF) held a youth seminar where more than 60 young people attended to get inspired by guest speaker Hassan Kausar Ahmed. 

The youth event commenced with a soothing Quran recitation and a captivating speech by Hamza Ahmed. Hamza’s performance left a lasting impression on the audience that echoed hopes for his leadership role in future youth forums. Hamza’s journey into Islamic learning and development started with a HCC-based Al Qalam Academy; a testament to the profound impact of the institution based at the HCC in nurturing talent.

 A huge congratulations to the trustees; Talib Uddin and Anwar Miah, and the youth team for working hard to put this event together. Their commitment and sacrifices were appreciated by BCF & the community.

One of the key objectives of the seminar was to highlight the challenges today’s young people are facing and also to encourage them to work collectively to mitigate those challenges either in School, college, university or in the community.

 Keynote speaker Hassan Kausar Ahmed highlighted the issues currently, faced by young people today and provided direction for the workshops.

 The workshops were led by youth leaders in the challenges they faced and the solution being steadfast and collective work. Each group gave some solutions and positive feedback after the workshops.

 They also took part in competitions, and awards were handed out by the BCF Youth leads Talib Uddin, Anwar Miah & BCF Chairman; Yousuf Khan.

 The event was well received as we have received good feedback from youth & some of their parents who took part in the event.

 As the day drew to a close, Chair of BCF Yousuf Khan’s concluding remarks echoed a vision of hope, highlighting the importance of youth leadership in BCF’s ongoing work and the promise of tomorrow’s leaders. 

Finally, what better way to conclude a day of growth and enlightenment than with a delicious meal shared among newfound friends, nourishing both body and soul?

Quote from BCF Chairman:

“Hope and aspire for a youth organisation, led by young people to emerge in the borough to lead the young generation of our community.”

Barking Community Forum is a grassroots community organisation dedicated to meeting the spiritual and social needs of residents in Upney and surrounding areas. Initiatives include facilitating Friday prayers at the Hedgecock Community Centre, the ongoing efforts to establish a permanent prayer space for residents, along with youth engagement program. BCF is steadfast in its commitment to fostering community engagement and enrichment. Further details can be found on BCF’s social media channels or by email at barkingcommunityforum@gmail.com.

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