Personal safety and development program for Muslim students in Victorian Islamic Schools

The purpose of this research project is to develop a comprehensive school-based personal safety and development program for Muslim youth in Victorian Islamic Schools; build on research informed and culturally/religiously aligned practices to enable school leaders and teachers to develop and implement strategies which prevent the risk of child sex abuse; and to develop young people’s capacity to understand, make and implement appropriate decisions that ensure their personal safety and those of others. This project has a community and participatory based approach to the design, development and implementation of a culturally appropriate personal safety and development program for Victorian Muslim youth. It will include professional development workshops and curriculum mapping that brings together Muslim community leaders, principals and teachers, health educators, and sexual health professionals to explore the program and develop skills to implement the program. It also includes the development of child safety curriculum including RSE (relationship and sexuality education) in Australian Islamic schools for Muslim youth. The program will also include an evaluative component to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the personal safety and development program for Muslim youth to improve personal safety awareness and sexual health literacy for Victorian Muslim youth.