Fourteen-year-old Shanzeh Amin will be seen in the new series of the hit BBC show 'Mimi On A Mission' where a group of young people are told to ditch their phones.
The programme’s ‘Digital Detox’ encourages seven different young people from across the country to spend seven days in the wild - cut off from the outside world.
Mimi Missfit hosts a range of shows, which have been nominated for a BAFTA, that lift the lid on a variety of taboo subjects affecting young people in the UK today.
Preston schoolgirl Shanzeh, who has family in Blackburn, was selected from thousands of entrants from across the country who applied to be on the show. She spent seven days in the wild alongside Mimi and several social media stars including Jack Fowler, Amy Hart and JoElla.
Shanzeh said: “All my life I have been judged by the outside world for being female, a Muslim and wearing a hijab. I just wanted to help break down those misconceptions and tell everyone we are just normal people just like everyone else.”
Casting for the show took one month and then the children had to spend a week away from their families. They were not allowed to call or text in any way to see how they would react in new surroundings.
The film crew also attended Shanzeh’s Islamic education classes in Preston.
Her mum Nilum Ahmed said: “It was really wonderful to see how she conducted herself.
“She is presently studying to be an alimah (Islamic scholar) and it was encouraging to see the support she got from the Al-Ansaar Welfare and Education. They gave her a lot of support as did staff at Penwortham Girls’ High School.
“We as a family are so proud of her. She did really well on the show. We would also like to thank Mimi, the survival team, the crew, the producers and directors for helping to put on this show.”
Chaperones from Lancashire County Council joined Shanzeh in Scotland as did others from other relevant authorities.
You can watch Mimi On A Mission: Digital Detox on BBC iPlayer from 25 September
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