**Before enrolling please note that Usernames/Gamer Handles will be seen by other learners enrolled.  At times gamer handles/usernames may have to be shared with the teacher to connect to each private server to participate in a specific game or class. Upon enrolling in any "Artful Gaming with Maryam Awan" classes, families are giving consent for their learners to participate in classes where gamer handles will be used and referred to by the educator and learners in class for class purposes only, as needed.  Learners are not to ask for or accept friend requests with one another per Outschool Trust and Safety Guidelines.**

*******************************************

What separates Maryam Awan’s gaming classes from others? 

Let’s face it; teens get the short end of the stick. 

While children 12 and under have endless ways of socializing, teens are far too often clumped together with kids younger than them for convenience. 

The truth is teens desire a space of their own! 

While teens can get along and work well with younger kids, they are on a totally different plain. 

They have different social skills, different joking styles, different topics of conversation, and are definitely at a different maturity level than those younger than them. 

They want and deserve to have social outlets where they can be and act their age, with other teens, without holding back for younger children. 

This is where Maryam Awan’s classes come in. If you are looking for a genuinely teen-focused and relaxed safe environment for teens to exercise fundamental Life and Social Skills through gaming or to simply make friends, you are in the right place!

With Maryam Awan, teens (and mature 12-year-olds) not only spend time gaming with one another they are building genuine relationships while exercising social and life skills in ways that are entirely natural for them. 

Through supervision and the guidance of a National Certified Counselor and Bullying Prevention Specialist, teens finally have a safe place purely for themselves.  

Maryam Awan has been working with children and teens as an educator, counselor, life coach, and mod for over twenty years and has successfully helped teen after teen build social communities with one another casually and effectively through her gaming classes and social hours. 
So hit the pause button on life and enroll your teen in one of her fun classes today! 


*******************************************
Weekly Schedule:
Each Week learners will log into class to socialize and strategize with other gamers with the option of working on socializing in ways in which they prefer. The social hour is heavily learner-directed to help foster genuine social connections, independence, creativity, and a sense of autonomy through the challenges of gaming.

*******************************************

Emergency Meeting! You're Sus!

Report! It's time to expose the "sus" among us! 
Who?! You and our trusty crewmates!
Where?! Floating in space!
When?! During You're Sus Among Us: Teen Night Social Hour
Task? Socialize and Strategize with like-minded teens.

What better way to enhance your public speaking, social, persuasive argument, collaborative and debate skills than in a safe and supervised setting with legit people your age? 

No need to log on to "sus" public lobbies. 

Here you will find a chill, moderated, inclusive, respectful, and logical environment, the perfect setting for friendly gamers who appreciate strategic conversation and deduction while enhancing beneficial life skills.

During this teen night social hour, the social level and age range of teens are honored and respected. The ages of our players are kept in the teen range (mature 12 to 18-year-olds) so that connections can genuinely be made and social, strategy, and persuasive argument skills can be practiced on an even playing field.  

If you are a younger player, close to turning 13 or are at a more mature social level who can handle the social level of teens you are also invited to take this session for a spin. 

*******************************************

How does "You're Sus Among Us: Teen Night Social Hour" work?

In this subscription-based, weekly, supervised, and moderated, social/life skills hour, players will meet to chat and hang out while enhancing and practicing social and life skills through casual conversation, deduction, persuasive argument, and social skills through gameplay. 

Each learner must be familiar with the online game Among Us which will be used as a tool to inspire the above-listed social skills should learners choose to practice them individually. 

During this social hour, learners will be able to verbally collaborate, strategize, use persuasive arguments and discuss their thoughts or simply have fun (and often quirky) student-led (yet moderated) conversations while using video chat while gaming together.

While supervising and moderating, as a facilitator I will also be participating. There will be a lot of social interaction during play and members are expected to be inclusive and respectful to one another each week. 

A little about myself: As a Counselor/School Counselor, artist, and art teacher for over a decade, it is very important that my classes are structured in a fun way with a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. Teaching social classes and art classes are my focus and in each style of class, I try to put on emphasis on the communication, social, and rapport-building aspects of the class to create a relaxing and inviting atmosphere for all of my students. 
My classes focus on celebrating one another's talents and building each other up, helping to grow self-confidence in all learners. This is achieved by my moderating of and participating in fun conversations throughout the class to provide students with opportunities to share their awesome personalities and interests with one another in a safe environment while learning new skills. 

*******************************************

How Do My Social Gaming Classes Work?

I place all of my gaming classes in the Social and Life Skills category for a very productive reason. Amazing progress and goals can be achieved through gamification!

Gaming with live groups, in moderated and supervised settings, offers a safe and inclusive space for learners and gamers to be faced with many real-life decisions, challenges, and goals. Through my classes, without handholding, I encourage gamers to take the lead and navigate these challenges safely and at a pace and in a social way that is comfortable to them with the goal of learners gaining confidence, independence, and autonomy. 

Social skills like patience, empathy, leadership, conflict resolution, how to ask for help, how to help others, confidence and even just being happy with being yourself are practiced as opportunities arise in my classes. 

Those who are on the introverted side are honored and respected just as much as those on the extroverted side and everything in between! No one will ever be put on the spot to present themselves in ways in which they are not comfortable. 

We are all works in progress! 

As a National Certified Counselor, my training includes a gradual approach to easing children and teens into new social groups, similar to that of easing a new fish into a fish tank. This approach is used for all sessions allowing new member gets a feel for the environment, our gaming world, and the communication styles of other players. 

Each session allows players to gain naturally gain independence and autonomy by letting *them* choose what style of socialization and gaming they prefer.

In each class, we have a wide variety of gamers with different social norms. Some are very outspoken and continually speak up during class while others prefer to communicate by typing in the chat with one another and some simply enjoy being a part of our group while quietly playing along in ways that are comfortable for them.

Essentially, in my social sessions, I foster a stress-free environment where learners have a comfortable and inclusive space to simply be *who they are and how they choose to be* in social settings without pressure. 

This approach builds stronger connections with others but most importantly creates a sense of confidence, independence, autonomy, and a feeling of belonging without having to change who they are. 

In all of my gaming classes, learners lead the way in how *they* choose to present themselves. This is a great way for learners to make their own informed decisions on how they want to socialize and game. This approach allows personal social goal-setting. Learners can choose to practice different social styles in a safe and inclusive setting to see what clicks well with them.

Striving to create a safe space without pressure in a chill and inclusive environment, please feel free to reach out any time. Parent/Teacher communication is very important to me, so should you or your child have any concerns or issues, please reach out and we can discuss and collaborate on how to make things better as needed. I have found that parent/teacher communication really helps in creating the quality experience that learners look for. 

Should you find that your child is looking for collaboration or more engagement than they are getting, please let me know and we will work on ways to help them achieve their social goals! 

Often, learners are shy and don't speak up so there is no way of telling whether or not they would like to join in on some collaborative action, so any communication before or after each class is always welcome. 

While my classes are not “how to play” or “how to socialize” structured classes they are wonderful atmospheres for learners to showcase who they are and give them avenues to grow in the ways in which they choose to. 

If your learner comes to class and is on the quiet side, I will always honor and respect their choice! They will never be asked to turn their cameras on or to speak up and socialize, unless *they* choose to, after the initial daily video verification. I will always encourage engagement and at the same time let them lead the way! 

*******************************************


Learners are free to work on and enhance the following skills during this gaming session:
- Buildings Self Confidence 
- Public Speaking
- Social Skills
- Persuasive Arguments
- Team Building
- Empathy 
- How to work together
- How to defend one's stance/perspective politely and effectively
- The Art of Friendly Debate
- Connection with Others in a Diverse Setting

No experience is necessary to participate in this social/life skills class.

*******************************************

A Note on COPPA Compliance 

Good Morning Parents of Learners 12 and Under,

As Outschool continues to improve their safety standards for learners, classes are now required to be COPPA compliant for children 12 and under. For this class, since learners are under the age of 12 please review the following information to assure you have assisted your young learners in creating a safe account in "Quick Chat Only" mode. Innersloth, the developers of Among Us state for learners 12 and Under, parental support and consent is required to make a COPPA Compliant Account. Please review the following Privacy Policy. Below the quoted text you will find a link to the privacy policy.

"Quick-Chat Mode

If a user of the Game self-identifies or is identified by us as being a Child, their gameplay experience will automatically be set to “Quick-Chat Mode,” unless the parent or legal guardian of the Child permits otherwise. Child users in Quick-Chat Mode (collectively, “Child Users” and each, a “Child User”) are restricted from communicating with or otherwise making their Personal Information publicly available to other users of the Game. Child Users will only be able to use a set of fixed phrases to communicate with other users in Quick-Chat Mode and will not have links to social media in the Game. Each of these features is designed to limit our access and the access of other users of the Game to the Personal Information of Child Users in compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 and its rules (“COPPA”).

Accounts

Child Users may register an account with us using a registration process similar to the one adults go through; however, in compliance with COPPA, Child Users will first be subject to a parental notice and consent process prior to activation of their account. To initiate the registration and consent process for a Child User, we collect a parent or legal guardian’s email address. We will automatically generate randomized usernames for registered Child Users, unless the parent or legal guardian grants the Child User permission to create a custom username.

Use and disclosure

The Personal Information we collect from or about Child Users is used to give them access to certain features of the Game and communicate with a parent or legal guardian about the Child User’s registration, including for the purpose of verifying their information in connection with the registration. We do not share or otherwise disclose Children’s Personal Information, except (1) as may be necessary to protect the safety of a Child, including by disclosing their Personal Information, where appropriate, to law enforcement agencies or for an investigation related to public safety; (2) to enable us to take precautions against liability; (3) to protect the safety and security of the Game; or (4) where required to do so by law or legal process."

https://www.innersloth.com/privacy-policy/

*********************************************
A Note About Technology and Troubleshooting During This Class

Before enrolling in this session please be aware that this is not a tech class. This is a heavily “kid-powered” Life Skills and Social Class. Out of respect for all learners and families, very little time is allotted to assist in connection/technology issues.  This includes most components of online/group gaming, mics issues, headphone issues, Zoom, Wifi connections, and all components of online/group gaming. Learners and their families:

*Must* have a basic knowledge of the technology and devices used in each individual home. Due to the wide variety of devices and technology, the teacher holds no responsibility for the troubleshooting or tech support of learners who have difficulties connecting to the games/servers used in this class. Families are welcome to do research during class to help their learners troubleshoot when tech issues arise during class. If a learner or family experiences sound, mic, and issues related to Zoom the teacher may be able to assist. If the teacher cannot help efficiently please reach out to Outschool Support.  

*Must* know how to access and effectively use and/or add the private servers and/or online games used in this class. Please do research and work with your learner *before* class on how to connect with the teacher with usernames if needed, connect to/add private servers if necessary, type in-game codes if needed, and all components of online gaming.  Many of these gaming classes are high-energy, social, and move quickly. Out of the respect for all learners who are here to game, practice life skills, and socialize, in-class time cannot be spent on extensive tech support and troubleshooting. That being said, we sometimes have helpful learners in our groups. As part of the life skills component, they may be invited to exercise their leadership skills to assist with tech to the extent of their knowledge. Please note, the teacher or learners are in no way responsible for conducting extensive tech support. 

*Must* understand that at times learners and families will experience server and in-game technical issues which are out of the teacher’s control. Additionally, to the ones listed above, other tech issues include learners disconnecting from games or servers and learners unable to connect/re-connect to servers due to unforeseen circumstances.  

*Must* understand that during a loss in a game and/or disconnection issues some learners may have to wait for one game to end before joining another round. Wait times vary as some games may take longer at times to conclude depending on the number of players and skill levels. 

*Must* be aware that out of respect of learners and their families and in order to preserve the security and safety of all learners class recordings are only shared with the Outschool Trust and Safety Teams. All Class Recording Requests will be denied. 

*Must* be aware that the “mute all” button is used at times when gaming. Please remind your learner that if they are not heard they may be muted or have mic issues. Learners are free to unmute when they are able and when mute is not required for the game. Also, note if a learner does not get a reply from other learners or the teacher there may be tech issues involved where the learner was not heard. Some learners are more soft-spoken and may need to increase their mic volumes when speaking. Another option is to use in-game chat when available. If a learner does not get a response they may also use Zoom Chat to connect with the teacher.