active

Hikmah Social – Building Brotherhood Through Football

It’s hard to meet with the founders of Hikmah Social and not leave feeling energised by their drive to serve the community and genuinely transform the lives of the people they’ve come into contact with. Their tenacity is infectious and rouses up local people to bond over their love for football and to build deep-lasting friendships that nurture growth and success.

Football has always been a way to bring people together, no matter your background or current circumstances, everyone can enjoy it.

Abu Jahaid, Co-founder of Hikmah Social Tweet

Humility has been a common thread in their story. Hikmah Social was born out of the four friends; Abu Jahaid, Asef Rahman, Muminul Haque, and Tahmid Shakib seeking to raise money for Darul Mustafa Foundation – a school based in the most deprived area of Bangladesh. Collectively, they managed to raise above the target of £20,000 in six months, which allowed the school to acquire essentials for the students and school facilities as well as fund future projects.

The project itself provided the friends with key insight into organising successful football tournaments; including over 60 teams in the tournaments taking place in Barking Riverside, a charity dinner and inspiring many others to start a personal pledge. This experience; uniting the local community, became the foundation for the group today. “Hikmah Social” – meaning “wisdom for the community.”

Triumphs

The group has since become established in 2019, delivering various activities underpinned by their core values: envision, encourage and empower.

In conversation with them it’s clear what their greatest triumphs are: having a committed community and being able to create a sense of brotherhood amongst a diverse group of individuals. They note that it’s the sense of competition and pride that drives individuals to stay committed to the activities.

HS Community Football has also been an ongoing community session for over ten years! It has grown into a space where young men are able to talk more than just sports. The sessions have also become increasingly diverse bringing together different groups because of a common passion.

How TWCP has made a difference?

TWCP has acted as a convener connecting Hikmah Social with different organisations and helping to promote the project. Hikmah Social is now involved with the Active Through Football campaign being supported by the Essex County Football Association and other local groups. They have also been working in collaboration with the Thames View Community Garden to develop the surrounding space.

TWCP has also been able to provide equipment to the project, where previously it was funded by the founders personal finances, these include: football training equipment, nets, boards for coaching adults and children, a rebound net, and bibs.

HS have also been provided with a mentorship, which is helping them understand what makes them different from other groups.

Activities

HS Football League: Friday 8pm and Sunday 7pm

The community can get involved in competitive sessions! As each team fights for the title spot, a sense of excitement and willingness to succeed is felt. HS is committed to providing a well rounded service. The league boasts FA qualified referees and each game is filmed and can be accessed for enjoyment and development!

HS Community Session: Monday

Ongoing for over 10 years now. A list of players are organised and the bookings arranged every week.

To get involved email: Hikmah.social@gmail.com

HS U16s Coaching Sessions: Sunday 10am

London Sport fund £10K for YCAG – Getting active after lockdown

YCAG received funding from London Sport to have some youth activities delivered to young people, which would be decided by the young people themselves. The purpose of funding the activities is to get young people active after lockdown ends.

What have been the key successes of the project so far?

The young people from YCAG (Young Citizen Action Group) designed an online survey to understand their peers experiences of lockdown, their physical activity before/during/after lockdown and what kinds of activities they would like delivered. The feedback from the online survey was tremendous with 700+ students of Riverside School. This will provide a baseline of activity before lockdown and before commencing the project to be able to measure the level of benefit after its delivery.

Following this, YCAG used the results from the online survey to decide which kinds of activities they would like to offer based on what their peers would most like to get involved in. A short video appeal was then produced by them to local community groups asking them in turn to create their own videos to share their offer and raise awareness of the opportunities to get involved in. Great video submissions were received from local community groups summarising their organisations and the activities they offer and these were shown in form time at Riverside School and voted on by students.

Thereafter, YCAG took the results of the vote and invited the top 4 to a “Dragon’s Den” style interview with them where the young people asked questions to confirm the offer available. These were led by the young people and were received very positively by the community groups involved who offered high praise for the approach in general and for the young people involved.

“It was great to be part of YCAG Dragon’s Den, and brilliant to see young people being put at the head of the table. Those involved were strong minded and came out with amazing and important questions.”

Kayden, Dance Instructor at BDYD, former Riverside School student

"I was very impressed with the young people's resourcefulness. Not only did they survey the needs and preferences of the other students, but also asked pertinent questions to establish whether an activity would be beneficial to them. Very professional throughout the process!"

Nikhil, Surya Wellbeing

"It was very good to see young people on a board, working together to provide enrichment opportunities for their peers, schools and community. Everyone was very welcoming and polite and asked good questions. A great example that when young people come together they can design purposeful and impactful projects."

Lamar, Right Development Foundation

What activities are being funded?

YCAG decided on the following community activities, which will take place at Riverside School:

BDYD (Barking & Dagenham Youth Dance) – Dance classes (to take place at Riverside School, 3-4pm once per week Thursdays for Years 7-9).
Creative Wellness – Cooking & Healthy Eating Workshops (to take place at Riverside School, 3-5pm once per week day TBC, for Year 7s ONLY, Max 20 students.
RDF – Basketball (Thursdays) & Boxing Clubs (Wednesdays) (to take place at Riverside School, 3-4pm once per week, for Years 7-9).
Surya Wellbeing – Yoga and Mindfulness (Online, 5-6pm once per week Thursdays for all Years but focused on older year groups with exams and stress from school).

When will the activities start?

Activities will start on the week commencing 10th May, and end on the week commencing 21st June.

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