No. Our interest clubs are focused on conversation, shared passions and friendship. There may be the odd quiz or mini-game, but no gaming experience or equipment is needed. If your young person would rather connect through playing together, our gaming clubs are a great fit.

Not at all. Some members know every detail, and some have only just discovered it. Everyone's enthusiasm is welcome, and listening to other fans counts just as much as sharing.

Never. Musicals Fan Club and K-Pop Club are about chatting and geeking out together, not performing.

Q: Do children need to use Zoom? Yes. We run all sessions through Zoom. Zoom enables us to provide tech support for anyone struggling to get on server, to voice-chat with each other and parents can DM us via Zoom to ask for additional support during sessions. Children can choose whether to have their camera on or off — there’s no pressure either way. Q: How do children talk to others? Children can communicate in two main ways:Voice chat on Zoom – this helps with real-time communication and makes it easier to collaborate.Text chat on Zoom– some children prefer typing, and this works well too. Many children will do a combination of voice and text chat. Q. What if my child struggles with reading and writing? Many of our members are dyslexic or have a reading or writing age that differs from their chronological age. For kids worrying about their reading or writing abilities, we always stress that we don't worry about spelling in server - its communication that matters! For children wanting to try using the message function, reading and typing in-game can be great low-demand way of practicing literacy skills. For kids not able read or write easily, we ask that parents contact us in advance of joining club. We'll talk through the adaptations we can make, and may recommend one-to-one mentoring sessions with a club leader before joining club. These sessions will ensure your young person feels confident and supported, they understand the adaptations we'll use to help them and (if possible) they're able to use the 10 simple commands many kids rely on to get round server.Q: Do they need a headset? Headsets are recommended if children are in a busy home environment as they cut down on background noise and help children focus. However, they’re not essential — many children join without one, and if its helpful for parents to listen along then we recommend kids not using headsets!

Q: What do I need to do before the first session? A little preparation helps things run smoothly. Once you've booked your club you'll be sent instructions to join our server.If your child is joining on a Nintendo Switch, XBox or PS5, you’ll need to make a DNS setting change in advance and may need to change your parent safety settings. If you're having trouble with this we recommend you contact customer service on hello@uncommonminds.co.uk and we'll book in a dedicated tech setup session.For all players, we recommend testing your setup a day or two before the first session, so your child feels confident logging in.Q: What if we have technical difficulties? Don’t worry — club leaders are on hand to help. We ask families to log in 15 minutes early for the first session so we can check everything is working. After that, it usually runs smoothly.

Q: My child is worried about starting — what can you do? It’s very common for children to feel nervous before their first session, and we take this seriously. We can:Arrange for your child to meet the club leader early (10 minutes before their first session) in Zoom or directly in Minecraft.Offer 1-to-1 Minecraft mentoring first, to gently build confidence before joining a group.Recommend smaller or quieter clubs that tend to suit more anxious players.Ask leaders to give extra attention during the first few weeks, helping your child find others they click with and enjoy playing alongside.Q: Can I let you know if my child struggles? Of course. Parents are always welcome to message us. You can:Send a private message in the Zoom chat during a session if your child is struggling.Contact us after a session to ask for more support. We’ll respond quickly and try to resolve things in the moment, so your child feels supported right away.