Breaking the Silence:

Addressing the Realities of Health & Sex Education in Islamic Schools

December 1-3, 2023

Diyanet Center of America, Lanham, Maryland

Join ISLA to understand the complex realities surrounding health and sex education while working on a plan to address the topics more comprehensively in your own schools. Whether your Islamic school is only an elementary school, or if it goes up to middle and high school, discover core principles and learning objectives that are developmentally appropriate across the grade-span. Discuss contemporary issues that make the teaching of these subjects even more important, and learn how to do so in a way that is culturally relevant for your school community. 

The ISLA Leadership Retreat provides Islamic school administrators, department leaders, counselors, coaches and teacher-leaders the ability to explore this theme in a professional and supportive environment. Through interactive workshops and opportunities to learn from other experts in the field, ISLA Retreat participants walk away with a better understanding of the issues and possible solutions to this complex topic.

Intended Audience

• Islamic School Administrators
• Department Leaders
• Counselors
• Teachers of K-12th grade
• Curriculum Developers
• Youth Workers
• Imams working in Islamic schools or with youth
• Social/Emotional Learning Coordinators/Coaches

Retreat Goals

Join us at the ISLA Retreat 2023 in order to achieve the following goals:

1. Discuss contemporary issues that make the teaching of these subjects practical and realistic
2. Learn principles and objectives that are developmentally appropriate for you to teach about health and sexual education across the grade-span
3. Access resources that you can use for training teachers and teaching students
4. Synthesize your new learnings to create a customized approach that is best suited for your school community

Highlights

• Off campus visit to nearby Islamic School (Friday morning, optional)
• Understand the realities around health & sex education curriculum
• Learn about other schools’ approaches to these subjects

Retreat 2023 Schedule + Session Descriptions

Friday, December 1

Optional Visit to School: Al-Huda School

10:00-11:45 a.m.

Ready to Break the Silence 

Qur’an Shakir & Shaza Khan

2:00-2:45 p.m.

What happens when our schools disregard teaching a specific topic, either because it is too complex or because no textbook or curriculum currently exists that is suitable for your students? A null curriculum fills that void and children learn about the topic(s) from other sources, without a strong framework with which to interpret, analyze and implement what they are hearing, seeing and listening to.  In this session, Sr. Quran and Dr. Shaza spend some time discussing the theme for this retreat, and we help our participants get to know one another through interactive and enjoyable ice breakers. We build upon the rapport established in this session throughout the weekend in order to cultivate a strong culture of learning, exploration and growth. 

 

Where there is Silence, Media Fills the Void

Flordeliza Dayrit

3:00-3:45 p.m. 

Children’s media is a source of entertainment and also education. What messages are being given to children in today’s popular media when it comes to topics in health and sex education? What is in the pipeline? Which of these messages are aligned with health and sex education standards and which are contrary to them? What kind of framework can educators provide for children to be more critical consumers of media so that their values and beliefs about health are aligned with optimal health outcomes? 

 

Unleashing the Potential of a Comprehensive K-12 Health Education

Dr. Amber Khan

4:00-4:45 p.m.

In this session, Dr. Khan will discuss how a comprehensive health curriculum can benefit students in various ways, including by promoting students’ physical well-being and life skills development. Through practical curriculum design topics and insights, research and real-life examples, participants will understand how a strong health education program can positively impact their students. Dr. Khan will further explore contemporary issues that need to be included in a robust health curriculum in order to address the realities facing our youth.

 

Dinner

5:15-6:15 p.m.

 

Health & Sex Ed in YOUR School: SWOT Workshop

Rasha El-Haggan

6:45- 8:00 p.m.

This hands-on, interactive workshop will help participants uncover the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats currently facing their school’s health and sex education curriculum (or lack thereof). Participants will be encouraged to bring in their school and district textbooks and state standards that have a bearing on the development and implementation of health and sex education in their schools to make this workshop even more concrete. By the end of the workshop, participants should have analyzed the health and sex education curriculum in their school, as well as gained exposure to more resources they can use to address the gaps or weaknesses in their curriculum. This critical workshop will help participants frame the remainder of their engagement in the retreat so that they can incrementally develop a stronger health curriculum for their school.

Networking & Reception with Sponsors

8:00-9:00 p.m.

Saturday, December 2

Nature Walk 

7:00-8:00 a.m.

 

Breakfast

8:00-9:00 a.m.

 

Framing the Day 

9:00-9:45 .m.

Participants will get ready for a full-day of interactive workshops, prioritizing their take-aways from the previous day’s SWOT.

 

From Changes to Choices: Empowering Adolescents through Puberty, Hygiene, and Healthy Desires 

Dr. Amber Khan

10:00-10:45 a.m.

Dr. Khan will guide participants through a comprehensive discussion that equips them with essential insights and tools for helping adolescents navigate this critical phase of life. Strategies for school educators on how to address puberty with confidence, impart valuable lessons on hygiene, and engage in conversations about sexual desires and healthy relationships will all be explored. In addition, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the challenges adolescents face, and how education can empower them to make informed choices. 

 

Curriculum Crafting: From Defining Concepts to Developing a Scope and Sequence

Afeefa Syeed and Uzma Baig

11:00-12:15 p.m.

In this session, the co-founder of Al-Fatih Academy, Afeefa Syeed, and school counselor, Uzma Baig, share how their school team created a comprehensive health and family life curriculum that aligns with key principles they developed at their school and Virginia’s Family Life Education state standards. They will share excerpts from their school’s scope and sequence and provide templates to facilitate participants through an interactive workshop that helps them identify and expand upon a scope and sequence which participants will continue to work on in the second portion of this workshop. This session will build upon the SWOT analysis that participants engaged in the prior day.

 

Lunch
12:45-1:45 p.m.

 

Outdoor Activities

2:00-3:00 p.m.

Br. Abdul-Malik Ahmed from Silat will lead the group in some basic Silat exercises. 

 

Fostering Curriculum Success: Involving School Stakeholders for Buy-In and Harmony

Afeefa Syeed + Uzma Baig

3:15-4:45 p.m.

Fewer subjects lend themselves to more controversy than health and sex education, particularly in today’s day and age. How can schools engage various stakeholders, including local scholars and parents, in order to gain buy-in and avoid tensions and opposition to the implementation of their curricula? In this session, Sr. Afeefa and Sr. Uzma discuss effective strategies and guide participants to consider their school’s approach to engaging stakeholders in their community.

 

Dinner

5:45-6:45 p.m.

 

Bonfire: Burning Issues

6:45-8:00 p.m.

An opportunity for participants to gather around a bonfire and exchange ideas about top concerns and challenges, and to learn from one another in this casual exchange.

Sunday, December 3

Breakfast

7:30-8:30 a.m.

 

Understanding LGBTQ+ Issues When Teaching Health & Sex Ed

Mobeen Vaid

8:30-9:30 a.m.

Health and sex education cannot be addressed without understanding sexual and gender identity paradigms prevalent today. In this session, participants will be given space to ask questions that they may otherwise be unable to voice in order to gain a better understanding of these complex topics. 

 

Action Planning Workshop

Mussarut Jabeen and Aziz Ahmed

9:45 – 12:00 p.m.

Participants will be guided through an interactive workshop that helps them synthesize their learning from this retreat into an actionable plan that they can begin to implement when they go back to their schools. They will be given an opportunity to share their plans with other participants in order to gain feedback and improve their plans further.