Young volunteers creating culture of kindness in Blackburn with Darwen

Two young Community Volunteer Awards winners tells us why volunteering is such a huge part of their lives, as part of our series of articles to mark Islamophobia Awareness Month.

Sahil Usman and Fizza Zafar both picked up awards in these local awards, held in Blackburn’s King George’s Hall earlier this month.

19 year old Sahil picked up the Health & Wellbeing Award for his continued work to support others after cancer diagnoses.  

In 2018, at the age of 13, Sahil was diagnosed with leukaemia – and it’s this diagnosis that set the young man from Blackburn on a path of volunteering. Determined not to give up and to stay positive, Sahil took it upon himself to fundraise for gifts for children in hospital over Christmas. Then during Covid, he made food hampers that he and his family distributed to people in need.

Throughout his treatment, Sahil heard from other young people with cancer he met who had experienced bullying related when they returned to school. Fortunately this was not Sahil’s experience, but he took positive action to create a presentation to raise awareness of cancer in young people – which Sahil has now personally delivered to over 250 schools, colleges and universities, including in Turkey, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia.

Sahil has since hosted a programme on Pendle Community Radio about mental health, helping to tackle the stigma of talking openly about mental wellbeing among local Muslim communities. Sahil is currently writing a book on this topic too.

Sahil, who was awarded the British Empire Medal by the late Queen Elizabeth in her New Year’s Honours List in 2022, also volunteers with One Voice Blackburn, leading some of their youth groups. He is also at student at UCLAN in Preston.

When asked what drives him to give his time to boosting others’ wellbeing, Sahil said:

I’ve always been interested in helping others, but particularly after having leukaemia – it made me more empathetic. It made me appreciate how other people with a cancer diagnosis might feel defeated and give up.

Now I volunteer in various capacities and locations, to give back to my community and make meaningful connections. There’s a lot of focus within Islam on helping others, and spreading kindness and peace.

17 year old Fizza Zafar is studying DT, Maths and Physics at Sixth Form. She heard about the Making Rooms during the start of her GCSE years at school. Around the same time, she went on a school trip to an exhibition in Manchester where they displayed new innovative technology like 3D printers, which she found fascinating.

Although she knew she had an interest, it wasn’t until Year 12 that she ended up doing work experience at the Making Rooms. She fell in love with the place and immediately signed up to volunteer.

She went on to help out with The National Festival of Making and her passion for all things making continued to ignite during the two day festival and beyond!

Fizza said:

At first it felt overwhelming and personally I was very illiterate in technology but I’ve learned so much. In my journey I’ve learned and developed my skills and as a person. I have been part of many workshops held there – recycling plastics to experimenting with bioplastics – and I have a lot of things to pass on to the new volunteers.

I’ve met new volunteers and become familiar with the regular users and form connections and friendships that I hope will last long. It’s just great! I’ve just recently been offered a job to help out as a lab member on Saturdays, I can’t believe I actually get to work at the Making Rooms. It’s a dream!

Pakistan-born Fizza moved to the UK around seven years ago. She added:

Blackburn is quite a diverse town. I have met a lot of other Muslims in the community and have always felt like I’ve have fit in quite well. The Making Rooms and everyone in the community has been very supportive and welcoming.

Councillor Phil Riley, Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, commented:

Every year the Community Volunteer Awards are a fantastic celebration of the people and organisations who go out of their way to help other people through their volunteering.

Sahil and Fizza are two wonderful examples of the selfless volunteers we’re lucky to have in Blackburn with Darwen, and notable for their young age. They’re already growing a culture of kindness in the networks they support and it’s absolutely fabulous to see.