We would like to hear from our teenagers!

City of Knowledge School is considering developing a new religious and educational programme for teenagers aged 13–18 within our Hussayniah community.

Before developing the programme, we would like to hear directly from teenagers about their interests, ideas, and what they would like such a programme to offer.

We are organising two small group discussions to give teenagers an opportunity to share their views and help inform the school's plans.

What will the discussions involve?

• Two separate group discussions, one for ages 13–15 and another for ages 16–18.

• Each group will include approximately 6–8 teenagers, both boys and girls.

• Each discussion will last approximately 60–75 minutes.

• The discussions will take place at the Hussayniah and will be facilitated by two adults from the community.

We will discuss whether teenagers would be interested in a dedicated programme, what religious and educational topics they would like to explore, what activities they would enjoy, and what would make a programme engaging and accessible.

There are no right or wrong answers. We are interested in hearing their opinions and suggestions.

Who can participate?

Teenagers aged 13–18 from our Hussayniah community.

Participation is open to all teenagers in this age group, regardless of whether they previously attended City of Knowledge School.

Is participation voluntary?

Yes. Participation is entirely voluntary.

Parents or guardians must provide consent for participants under 18. Teenagers will also be asked for their own agreement (assent) at the beginning of the session, using a short paper form.

Teenagers may choose not to answer particular questions or withdraw from the discussion at any time, without giving a reason or affecting their relationship with the school or community.

Participants aged 18 will provide their own consent.

How will their views be used?

A designated person will take written notes to capture the main ideas, views, and suggestions. No audio or video recording will take place.

A summary of the discussions will be shared with the City of Knowledge School Committee to help inform decisions about the proposed programme.

Individual participants will not be identified in the report.

Privacy and confidentiality

We will respect participants' privacy and will not identify them in the consultation report.

As this is a group discussion, participants will be encouraged to respect one another's privacy and avoid repeating personal comments outside the session.

If something shared raises a concern about a child's safety or wellbeing, we may need to pass this information to the appropriate safeguarding person or relevant authorities, in line with our safeguarding responsibilities. Information would only be shared with those who need to know.

Because notes will capture collective discussion themes without identifying individual contributions, it may not be possible to remove a particular contribution after the session.

How will personal information be handled?

Contact details collected during registration will be used to organise the discussions and communicate with parents or guardians about participation.

Information will be accessible only to authorised organisers and handled in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.

What happens next?

Parents or guardians interested in their teenager participating are invited to complete the online registration and consent form.

As places are limited, submitting the form does not guarantee participation. Selected families will be contacted with the session details.

Thank you for helping us give our teenagers a voice in shaping future activities at City of Knowledge School.

Contact for enquiries: Zaid at 086 896 4623