Date: 28 January 2026
Time: 4:30pm – 7:00pm
Location: Youth Unity / Kailo session space

Session focus

In Session 4, the group continued their system-mapping work, building on the 5 Whys and root-cause analysis from the previous week. The aim was to move beyond individual experiences and explore the patterns, structures and beliefs that sit underneath the issues young people face — particularly around belonging, safety and opportunity.

This session used the Systems Iceberg model to help young people understand how visible events are shaped by deeper, often hidden, factors.

What we set out to do

The aims of this session were to:

• Help young people see how the issues they identified link to wider systems

• Explore patterns and structures that repeatedly affect their lives

• Deepen earlier discussions rather than rushing to solutions

• Ensure no important issues were missed from the group’s mind-mapping work

By slowing the process down, the group were encouraged to think critically about why challenges keep happening — not just what happens.

Check-in and reflection

We began with a simple one-word check-in, giving each young person space to reflect on how they were arriving that day. This helped ground the group and acknowledge that everyone brings different experiences into the room.

The group then revisited photographs they had shared previously, using them as prompts to discuss:

• Why they chose that image

• Whether it represented something positive or something that needs to change

• How it connected to the issues on the shared maps

This discussion helped bridge personal experience with collective understanding.

Building on last week’s work

Young people revisited the mind maps, problem statements and icebergs created in Session 3. Individually, they reflected on which issue they felt most strongly about and whether it had already been explored in depth.

They were invited to:

• Add to existing icebergs where deeper discussion was needed

• Identify new issues that hadn’t yet been examined

• Use post-its to capture thoughts without pressure to speak immediately

This approach ensured quieter voices were included and gave the group ownership over what was prioritised.

Mapping the system: going deeper

Facilitators introduced the idea that most of what we see is only the “tip of the iceberg.” Beneath visible events sit recurring patterns, structural issues and shared beliefs that keep problems in place.

Working in small groups, young people:

• Created new system icebergs from problem statements

• Added deeper layers to existing icebergs

• Used prompt questions to explore structures and mindsets shaping their experiences

Groups were split across different spaces, allowing focused discussion while keeping the energy manageable.

Sharing and connecting the dots

After a break, the group came back together to share their icebergs. As they listened to each other, young people began to notice strong overlaps:

• Repeated structural barriers appearing across different issues

• Similar beliefs and assumptions shaping multiple challenges

• Connections between school, community, services and wider society

The group were asked a key question:
“If you could shift one thing in this system to make the biggest difference, what would it be?”

This helped move thinking from description towards insight — without jumping prematurely to solutions.

Reflections and next steps

The session closed with a collective reflection on what had emerged and what it means for the next phase of the Kailo project. Young people recognised that many challenges they face are not individual failings, but the result of systems that were not designed with them in mind.

The insights from this session will directly inform:

• The project’s emerging themes

• Youth-led recommendations

• Future sessions focused on change, influence and action

Why this matters

Session 4 marked an important turning point — shifting from naming problems to understanding systems. This deeper analysis is essential to ensuring that the voices of young people lead to meaningful, informed change rather than surface-level responses.