pathways to education, employment and training · pathways to employment, education and...

Pathways to Education, Employment and Training

Presenter’s Handbook

Acknowledgments

This program was produced as part of the Young Mothers for Young WomenPeer Education strategy.

It was written by Peer Mentors Adele Renwick and Sharon Gyde.

With the assistance of Peer Workers Shiloh Watts, Anna MacRae, Susan Timbs and Katie Bennett.

Thanks to the leadership of Karyn Walsh and Linda Richards.

Thanks to the members of the Young Mothers for Young Women DropInDay and Leadership Project who gave permission for their photographs tobe used.

We would like to acknowledge all who have participated in developing peereducation at Young Mothers for Young Women and the Qld Government forthe funding of YMYW’s Peer Support and Advocacy.

Special thanks to Young WomenWho Are Parents Program, Centrefor Women’s Health, The BenevolentSociety of NSW.

We gratefully acknowledge thefunding from the AustralianGovernment Department of Familyand Community Services for theprinting of this resource for young women to use in localcommunities.

We acknowledge that thispublication has ‘built upon’ a non-recurrent grant providedthrough the Qld Office for Womenand Partnerships Against DomesticViolence Australian Government in 2001.Copyright © 2004 Young Mothers for Young Women

gettingwhat you want

Contents

THE HANDBOOK ......................1

PEER PROGRAMS......................4

GETTING STARTED...................6

THE TRAINING PROGRAM ......8

Code of Conduct.....................22

SAMPLE 1: Invitation to Training Program.....................23

SAMPLE 2: Group Exercises ....24

SAMPLE 3: Certificate .............27

SAMPLE 4: Interest Sheet ........28

PO Box 3449SOUTH BRISBANE 4101

Ph - 07 3844 4866 Fax - 07 3846 5207

Email - [email protected]


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the handbookthe handbook

This handbook is designed for peereducators who will conduct GettingWhat You Want: Pathways ToEmployment, Education and Training.

It has been designed to be used withthe Participant’s Diary and GettingWhat You Want: A Peer Guide toFacilitating Workshops. Togetherthese resources aim to provideinformation to young women aged14 to 25 about how to create theirown pathways into employment,education and training.

This program has been designed byYoung Mothers for Young Women,with the aim of creating a trainingprogram acknowledging the needsand interests of groups of youngpregnant and parenting women. It is therefore designed to beflexible and easy to implement.

Getting What You Want: Pathways toEmployment, Education and Training

is a self-directed program focussingon creating pathways towardsreturning to either education,employment or training. As agroup, participants decide whatthey want to learn about and howthey will learn it. There are manythings in pregnant and parentingyoung women’s lives that impacton what they do as women and asmothers. This program can help toexplore areas of young women’slives and what they need to be ableto do to further education,employment and trainingopportunities.

Getting What You Want: A PeerGuide to Facilitating Workshopsshould be read before starting anysessions. This booklet will give peerworkers information aboutfacilitating groups, as well as someuseful information about peereducation and group exercises.


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Aims of Getting What You Want:Pathways toEmployment,Education andTraining:

• To create pathways toeducation, employment andtraining by increasing theopportunities and choices ofyoung women who arepregnant or parenting

• To provide young pregnantand parenting women withthe opportunity to accessaccurate information andappropriate support throughtheir peers

The program consists of 15 sessionsmade up of four sections.

1. Introduction and planningsessions (sessions 1 and 2). Theaim of these sessions is to preparewith participants the content ofthe program.

2. Information and trainingsessions (sessions 3 through toten). The aim of these sessions isto equip participants with theknowledge to access the resourcesand information needed toenhance their ability to return toeducation, employment andtraining.

3. Advocacy sessions (sessions 11through to 14). The aim of thesesessions is to increase theawareness and address the issuesand barriers affecting youngwomen’s access to employment,education and training.

4. Closing session (session 15). Theaim of this session is forparticipant’s to celebrate theirachievements throughout theprogram and to begin to thinkabout their goals for employment,education and training.

Young Mothers for Young Women,a peer support, education andadvocacy network, is a group ofyoung women who

• Acknowledge that young womenwho are parenting need theopportunity for support,information, friendships andeducation, as well as theopportunity to have fun.

• Recognises that peer supportand advocacy are important inassisting young womenmaintain safe, healthyrelationships and lifestyles.

• Runs a network of young womenas part of Coolock – A ResourceCentre for Young Women andtheir families.

• Recognises that informed peerscan enhance young women’saccess to information andservices

The network was established in1994 after a participative researchproject exploring the links betweengender and violence in the lives ofyoung mothers. One of therecommendations from this projectwas to form a network of youngwomen to offer peer support,education and advocacy. Thisnetwork is called Young Mothers forYoung Women (YMYW).


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Objectives of Getting What You Want:Pathways to Employment, Education and Training:

• Develop knowledge of existing pathways to education,employment and training

• Improve young women’s access to further education and training

• Develop knowledge and skills regarding individual, systems and community advocacy to address barriers for young women’s participation when they are parents

• Develop knowledge of existing services and resources that they and other young women who are parents and their children can access

• Recognise and enhance young women who are parents’ strength and potential

• Strengthen their support networks including peer support

• Develop confidence and self esteem of young women who are pregnant or parenting

(adapted from the Young Women who are Parents Opportunity and Choices Training Program)


peer programspeer programs

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The Getting What You Want:Pathways to employment, educationand training program is based onthe principles of peer education.

Peer education:

• Respects participants asindividuals

• Flourishes in a climate of trustand openness

• Sees the presenter as bothteacher and learner as are theparticipants

• Sees the presenter as part of thegroup and not over the group

• Encourages interchange, notonly between presenter andgroup but also among theparticipants themselves

• Is supportive and fosters selfesteem

• Respects the experience of theparticipants

• Appeals to both thinking andfeeling ways of knowing

See Getting What You Want: A PeerGuide to Facilitating Workshops formore information regarding peereducation.

Peer Education

A four-Session peer advocacyproject is included at the end ofGetting What You Want: Pathways toEmployment, Education and Training.This aims to provide participantswith the opportunity to utilise theskills they learn during the previousten Sessions.

Peer Advocacy occurs when a personspeaks out and assists others tospeak out, with or on behalf of thepeer group that they belong to, onissues and decisions that affect thelives of their peers. This may occuron a variety of different levels,ranging from advocating togovernments on policies; assisting aperson to redress individual cases ofdiscrimination; or participating in aprocess where a peer may bevulnerable to statutory intervention.

There is no person better to speakout on the issues affecting youngwomen than young womenthemselves.

The Peer Advocacy Project is a self-directed process and it is essentialthat young women identify theissues they feel affect them and

choose a project they can getexcited about.

Some examples of advocacy projects:

• Developing a poster or card with amessage

• Creating a pamphlet withinformation relevant to youngwomen

• Inviting Government and servicerepresentatives to an event to hearfrom young women about theirexperiences

• Writing letters to members ofparliament about assistance theycould provide to young womenwho are parents

• Speaking to the media to addressnegative stereotypes of youngparents

• Speaking out for more programsto create pathways to education,employment and training

• Bringing young women who areparents together to reflect on theexperience and plan actions toassist with creating positive changein the lives of young families.

Peer Advocacy


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getting startedgetting started


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Having agreed on the peer model for Getting What YouWant: Pathways to Employment, Education and Trainingand received organisational backing, the importantstages are as follows:

1. selection of group participants

2. finding an appropriate venue

3. creating a climate for the workshop

4. extra considerations

1 Group Participants- Where dothey come from?

Participants for the program can be invited from otherpeer programs, agency referrals, hospitals, personal orinformal contacts with other group members etc.Young women who have identified they wish to returnto or enter employment, education or training. (See Sample 2)

2 Finding the appropriate Venue

The ideal environment for presenting peer groupprograms for young pregnant and parenting womenhas the following requirements:

• An appropriate space for childcare to be available onthe premises in a secure and well-resourcedenvironment

• Located close to public transport

• A kitchen and catering facilities (plates & cups) toprovide healthy food and drinks during the program

• An interview room that allows for individual andprivate time between participants, peer facilitatorsand professional staff

• A designated smoking area close by, yet away fromchildren and non-smokers

3 Creating a Climate for the Workshop

Peer education flourishes in a climate of trust, respectand acceptance. These do not just happen. PeerEducators need to put strategies in place to try toachieve this climate while the participants aregathering.

Some suggestions include:

• Arriving in plenty of time for the workshop so thateverything is prepared and ready to go before theparticipants start arriving

• Greeting participants as they arrive and introducingyourself

• Handing the Participant’s Diary personally to eachparticipant rather than just leaving it on the seats

• Inviting participants to write their names on nametags. (In some situations the use of name tags freesparticipants to talk more easily to each other)

• Having appropriate music playing as participantsarrive

• Explaining child care arrangements and problemsolving any concerns about child care

• Ensuring participants sign an attendance register.

4a Transport/Childcare/Catering

Young women who are parents experience manybarriers to participating in education and training, andany program respecting the reality of these youngwomen’s lives needs to attempt to break down thesebarriers. Therefore the provision of transport, childcareand lunch are essential in the planning of GettingWhat You Want: Pathways to Employment, Education and Training.

4b A Variety of Situations

This workbook is designed to cover many differentsituations. It offers a variety of suggestions. It will beup to the presenters, however, to choose those thatwould be suitable for the particular group the presenterwill be leading.


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the training

program

the training

program


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The following components areimportant parts of each session in“Getting What You Want: Pathways toEmployment, Education and Training”.Peer workers need skills in all of thefollowing areas in order to facilitatethe program. These topics may formthe basis of peer worker training priorto beginning the program, as they arebeneficial to all areas of work thatpeer workers may undertake.

Pre-Session

• Greet participants as they arrive(a good time to check out howthey have been since the lastsession)

• Participants may choose to maketea/coffee/cold drink before thesession begins

• Assist participants to settle theirchildren into childcare/children’sactivities

Welcome & Overview

• Giving information about thelocation of toilets, tea and coffeefacilities, water, any designatedareas (smoking, childcare), anddiscussion surrounding the use ofmobile phones

• Pointing out to participants thatthey have the responsibility oflooking after themselves duringthe workshop and that they arefree to leave at any time

• Pointing out that the peerfacilitators can be approached atany time to discuss issues thatmay be of a personal nature ornot relevant to the whole group

• Give participants an opportunity toraise any issues from the previoussession, give any additional

feedback from the previous sessionor make any comments relevant tothe previous session

• Describe to the participantsbriefly what the session willinvolve, topics covered, breaksand activities. It may help tohave this prepared on butcher’spaper so that throughout the dayparticipants can check theprogress, next break time etc.

• Be sensitive to needs of youngwomen in relation to child careand assist in problem solving anyconcerns.

Breaks

It is important that regular breaks areincluded when planning eachsession. These breaks need to bespaced fairly evenly apart andparticipants need to know in advancewhen the next break will be.

A short break of about 20 minutesfor morning or afternoon tea givesenough time to grab a quick drink,cigarette or trip to the toilet. It alsogives participants an opportunity tocheck on their children, which isimportant particularly if this istheir first contact with childcare.

Lunch breaks should be least 45minutes long and no more than anhour. It is important that lunchbreak gives enough time for peopleto eat, have a quick chat and re-energise but not too long that focusis lost. Breaks need to be flexible tomeet the needs of the group.

Do not consider cutting out a breakif a session is running behindschedule, rather look at a balancebetween shortening breaks andsessions. These breaks are essentialfor people to remain active andenergetic participants throughoutthe entire session.

Forming the group

• The use of icebreakers/warm upexercises is essential. Not only dothey help the group to get toknow one another better, butthey also help to lift the energyof the group. It is very importantwhich icebreakers are used atwhat time during the program

• All of the exercises should bedone in the group, butparticipants need to have theoption to pass if they want to

• The facilitators should always gofirst, as this models how otherparticipants should respond

• Exercises should be chosen toreflect what stage of the trainingyou are in and what atmosphereyou are attempting to create. Will itliven up the room when you wouldprefer that people were calmer?

• See Sample 3 for examples

Group Contract

• This group contract provides awritten statement about what thegroup needs to work and learnwell together

• Everyone needs to agree to adhereto the group contract throughoutthe training program

• The contract needs to be reviewedregularly to see if people are stillcomfortable with it, maybechanges need to be made

• Once formed the group contractshould be displayed at every sessionso that participants can regularlylook over it for themselves


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Guest Speakers

Guest speakers will need to be foundand booked quickly as people’s livesare busy and they are often asked togive their time on a voluntary basis.If possible budgets should includepayment for guest speakers. It isessential that guest speakers be metwith prior to coming to the group.Sometimes due to time constraintsthis is not always possible, so at thevery least peer facilitators shouldhave a telephone conversation withthe guest speaker. This is so thatthey are well informed about theprogram and its participants. Thisalso gives the peer facilitators anopportunity to discover theappropriateness of the speaker forthe group. Letters should be sent toall guest speakers. Firstly, to confirmarrangements and secondly, tothank them.

Guest speakers will be received bestby young women if they present ina way that is:

• Informal and relaxed

• Encouraging discussion andgroup participation, by allowingparticipants to ask questions atany time and allowing groupmembers to share their ownexperiences and expertise

• Providing good handouts wherepossible

• Using language that can beunderstood by young women

By using these guidelines and someof your own, an atmosphere will becreated where young women willbe relaxed and comfortable andtherefore more open to learning.

Some examples of agencies that canprovide guest speakers:

• Women’s Infolink

• A working women’s advocacyservice

• Female General Practitioner

• Local domestic violence centre

• Office of Child Care

• Centrelink

• Community Legal Centres

• Local members of Parliament

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a great way ofgenerating lots of ideas within agroup.

• Brainstorming should be done ina relaxed environment whereparticipants can be as free withtheir answers as they want to be

• All ideas are valuable and shouldbe included no matter howridiculous and irrelevant they seem

• During a brainstorming sessionideas should not be judged orcriticised

• Only after the brainstormingsession should ideas be discussedand evaluated

Procedure for brainstorming

1. Define the problem or idea to bebrainstormed. Make sureeveryone is clear on the topicbeing explored

2. Set up the “rules” for the session.They should include:-

~ Letting the facilitator lead thebrainstorming exercise

~ Allowing everyone tocontribute

~ Ensuring that no one willinsult, demean or evaluateanother participant or theirresponse

~ Stating that no answer is wrong

~ Recording each answer unlessit is a repeat

~ Setting a time limit andstopping when that time is up

3. Start the brainstorming. Thefacilitator may need to selectparticipants to share theiranswers. All answers should bewritten down on butcher’s paperso that they can be seen by all

4. Once you have finishedbrainstorming, go through theresults and begin evaluating theresponses. Some initial qualitiesto look for when evaluating theresponses include:-

~ Looking for any answers thatare repeated or similar

~ Grouping like conceptstogether

~ Eliminating responses thatdefinitely fit

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~ Now that you have narrowedyour list down, discuss theremaining responses as a group

Discussion times

Getting What You Want: Pathways toEmployment, Education and Trainingis designed in a way that allows fora lot of discussion betweenparticipants.

Respectful group discussion requiresleadership by the peer facilitators sothat every participant feels thattheir input is respected and valued.

People may dominate discussiontimes regularly throughout theprogram, peer workers shouldmaintain an awareness that thiswill happen. It is important tofacilitate the discussions in such away that all members of the grouphave an opportunity be involved inthe discussion.

Often during discussion times thefocus of the discussion can be lost,peer workers need to be aware ofthis and have ideas on how theycan bring the group back to theintended focus.

Peer workers need to discuss andhave a joint understanding of howthey will handle disclosure ofpersonal information. When ayoung woman discloses personal orprivate information in a groupdiscussion peer workers shouldapproach her during the next breakand offer her the opportunity for amore private discussion.

Displays

• Butcher’s paper should be used todisplay group work around theroom each session

• The group contract, underlyingprinciples and reflections of each

session should be kept anddisplayed at every session

• The sessions overview should alsobe displayed, but only for thecurrent session, so participants cancheck the progress of the day

Session reflection

• Describe to the participants brieflywhat the session involved, topicsthat were covered, and activities.This is basically going throughthe session overview again

• Brainstorm the followingquestions and display onbutchers paper: What was goodabout the session? What wasn’tso good? How could things havebeen done differently? Anyconcerns about the program?

Possible dilemmas/difficulties

While planning and during thisworkshop you must always keep inmind some of the dilemmas anddifficulties that may arise forparticipants, peer facilitators andthe group as a whole. Listed beloware some of the dilemmas/difficulties that may occur. These canbe overcome with little problem ifthe peer facilitators and participantsare well prepared for them.

For Participants

• Other competing demands

• The complexity of their personallives

• Business, tiredness, stressors ofparenting

• Previous negative experiences ofservices and groups means theyare wary

• Previous negative experiences ofeducation or training programs

• Unrealistic expectations of theprogram and the peer facilitators

• Balancing experience and needsof children with participating inthe group.

For Peer Facilitators

• Other competing demands

• The complexity of their personallives

• Business, tiredness and thestressors of parenting

• Lack of adequate resources andprofessional support

• A need for clarity regarding theirrole

For the group

• Group dynamics may be rocky

• Established participants maybecome/appear territorial/tooconfident to newer participants

• Takes time for participants to getused to a new focus of group or anew group

• Personal issues may be raised forindividuals that impact on howthey participate in the group.

• Outside issues may be brought into the group.

For Children

• Pre-school children are all atvarying developmental stages inhow they adjust to being in asocial group setting

• Each day, each session childrenmay need the attention andreassurance of their parent nomatter how stimulating and wellorganised child care may be


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Healthy Relationships

a. Sexual assault

b. Child abuse

c. Domestic violence

Self Esteem

a. Self confidence

b. Parenting/working/

relationships

c. Having time for yourself

Women’s Infolink

a. Computer skills

Sexual and Mental health

a. Managing your health while

working or studying

b. Handling pressure

Childcare

a. Finding suitable childcare

b. Rights and Responsibilities

Differences in the community

a. Cultural

b. Discrimination

c. Disability

Centrelink

a. Financial management

b. What are you entitled to

while working or studying

Your rights and responsibilities

within the workplace

a. Discrimination

b. Harassment

c. Unfair dismissal

Legal Issues

a. Custody issues

b. Centrelink

c. Family court

Job seeking

a. Setting goals

b. Applying for a job

c. Writing a resume

Information on Courses

a. Careers reference center

b. TAFE and university courses

c. Internet sites

Housing

a. Public housing

b. Private rental

c. What are your rights

and responsibilities

Budgeting

a. Budgeting while working

or studying

b. Saving for long term goals

Examples of Sessions

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Your Program

Fill in the details as you plan them

Template for Planning

SESSION SUBJECT GUEST SPEAKER INFORMATION

Setting the context 1 Underlying Principles

Group Contract

2 Planning Session

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11 Peer Advocacy Planning Session

12

13

14

15 Personal Goal Setting and Presentation


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Notes

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Pre-session

Welcome and overview

Warm-up exercise

Setting the context

Discussion of underlying principles

Group contract

Interest sheets (See sample 4). It is a good idea tohand these out immediately before a break, so theywill not distract the group from the tasks that needto be covered or to allow some time within thegroup for people to complete them.

Reflection of session

Collect interest sheets

Setting the Context

The training program should begin with a discussionlead by the peer workers about what the training willinvolve. This discussion should include the following

• Introduction of the peer facilitators, including somedescription of your background and how you cameto be facilitating this program

• The aims of the program

• What will happen each week when they arrive

• Explanation of the things that will happen eachweek. Eg session reflection, group warm-up etc

• Opportunities for input

• Plenty of explanation of how the Participants Diaryshould be used

session 1session 1

Underlying Principles

A discussion surrounding these underlying principleswill set the tone and scene of the program; theseunderlying principles allow participants to gain agreater understanding of what the program is about.

These principles are a recognition and acknowledgmentof participant’ past experiences and knowledge. Plenty oftime should be allowed for discussion surrounding theunderlying principles. These principles won’t be relevantto everyone all of the time but none of them should beleft out, they are all important. But participants shouldbe allowed to express their personal views about eachprinciple, wether this be a positive or negative view.

The underlying principles should be written ontobutcher’s paper as they are discussed and displayedthroughout the entire program.


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Underlying Principles of the Program:

Recognises the benefits of education,training and employment

Acknowledges how hard it is for you toattend

Acknowledges your existing skills andresources

Acknowledges that previous learning/groupexperience may have been a negativeexperience

Acknowledges that previous learningexperiences mean helping participants torecognize the difference in this training

Recognises that your lives may help orhinder your involvement and learning (egyour lives may be complicated and ofteninvolve difficult issues)

Recognises that the facilitator has aparticular relationship with you that isfocused on the program. The facilitatormay not be able to assist with all aspectsof your life but can assist by pointing youin the right direction for assistance

Uses/observes the group as a learningexperience in itself

Responds to your needs: the pace andlanguage of the program is responsive toyour needs

Process (how the training is run, themethods used) and content (theinformation) work together

Recognises learning happens throughapplying new knowledge, ideas and skills

Assumes you learn better when you arehaving fun and enjoying yourself (as wellas being serious).

Recognises your relationship with yourchild/children who are with you

Group Contract

The group contract is a self directed process with allparticipants and peer workers being involved.Everyone needs to agree to adhere to the groupcontract throughout the training program. The groupcontract should be written on butcher’s paper as eachpoint is agreed to and displayed throughout theprogram. It is important that plenty of time bededicated to the forming of the group contract.Discussion should involve everyone and points shouldbe discussed and clarified if necessary. The groupcontract should allow for the other stressors in youngwomen’s lives and therefore it needs to be understoodwith flexibility. Eg. Rather than saying “everyone mustbe on time” say “everyone will try to be on time”.Then follow with some discussion around theimportance of being on time.

Points that must be covered

~ Confidentiality – what can be said to others? Arethere times when it would be ok to discuss thingsoutside of the group? Also the peer facilitators’commitment to confidentiality. It may be necessaryfor peer workers to discuss issues from the group in asupervision session, this needs to be clearly stated.

~ Disclosure – discussion should be had surroundingpeople thinking about what they are saying andthinking about times when they have said too muchabout their personal lives and how this has madethem feel afterwards.

~ Safety – there is no room for any form of violence orabusive behaviour within this program. All peopleshould feel safe within the group. Discussion cansurround how the group will deal with forms ofviolence and/or abusive behaviour.

Examples:


~ No pressure

~ To keep it relaxed

~ To go slow

~ Non-judgementalattitude

~ Differences are good

~ To give feedback

~ To have patience

~ Values, beliefs,backgrounds, ideas andthe way we learn aredifferent for everyone

~ Everyone has theopportunity to talk/askquestions

~ We look after ourselves

~ Everyone participates attheir own level

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Pre-session


Warm-up exercise

Planning exercise


Initial Planning Exercise

• During the planning exercise the entire group,participants and peer facilitators, will decide the contentof the program from a range of choices provided

• It is important during this planning session that thefocus of education, employment and training ismaintained

• If it appears that the group is beginning to plan aprogram that does not keep this focus it is essentialthat they be drawn back to education, employmentand training

• Brain storming exercise run by peer facilitators onwhat areas/topics the group would like to cover

• Peer facilitators should have collected the interestsheets from last session and had an opportunity toreview them. They will then have a goodunderstanding of what areas participants want to cover

Continuation of PlanningExercise

• In this section the group will begin to prioritise theareas they will cover and identify how they can learnmore about this area. Eg. Will a guest speaker beneeded or can it be run by the peer facilitators

• Remember, you can group related topics togetherand cover them easily in one session

You should now have a list of what will be covered ineach of the remaining sessions. Guest speakers need tobe contacted and booked for the appropriate sessionsand sessions that do not require a guest speaker shouldbe planned now

As the delivery of the program progresses you mayneed to make minor alterations to some of the sessionsdepending on the availability of guest speakers and thegrowing expertise of the group. However thesedecisions should be made in consultation with thegroup, remembering at all times that this program isand should be owned by the entire group.


session 2session 2


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session 3-10session 3-10

These sessions cover the topics identified and agreed upon in theprevious session. They may involve guest speakers or peer facilitatorswho may have the necessary skills and resources to present the topic.

Pre-session


Warm-up exercise

Information session


Note: Time needs to be allocated at the end of session ten, so that participantscan be reminded that this is the end of the information sessions and the nextsession will be the beginning of the peer advocacy project.

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session 11session 11

Peer Advocacy Project

The peer advocacy project will focus on the issues andbarriers that young pregnant and parenting womenface. This will be done over the four sessions andthere are three steps that need to be followed.

1. The first step should identify the issues and barriersthat young women are confronted with (Session 11)

2. An exercise which will plan what will be done inthe remainder of the advocacy project (Session 11)

3. Undertaking the project (Session 12, 13, 14)

Pre-Session


Warm-up exercise

Brainstorming

Planning session


Brainstorming

Peer workers facilitate this brainstorming sessionasking participants to suggest the issues and barriersfor young pregnant and parenting women.

Planning Session

Using the brainstorming notes about issues and barriers the group should work towards deciding uponthe activity that will be undertaken. Some questionsthat the group may work towards answering are:

1. Which issues do we want to address?

2. What will we do?

3. How will we do this?

4. Who is the intended audience?

5. When will the project be presented?

6. What resources do we have available?

7. Is there any preparation needed for next session?

8. Does anyone need to bring anything next week?

The following should be taken into consideration:

1. Time available

2. Ability of the group

3. Resources available (people who may be able toassist, money that is available)


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session 12-14session 12-14

Pre-Session

Welcome & Overview

Warm up exercise (optional)

Advocacy project

Session reflection

Continuation of advocacy project

The next three sessions will be focused entirely on achieving the goals forthe advocacy project. The role of the peer facilitators during these sessionsis to assist the group and offer any direction needed.

It may also be necessary for the peer facilitators to help participantsallocate roles and tasks in order to ensure the project stays focused and allparticipants have the opportunity to share the work load.

Note: Time needs to be allocated at the end of session fourteen, so thatparticipants can be reminded that this is the end of the advocacy project and thenext session will be the final session of the program.


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session 15session 15

Pre-session

Welcome & Overview

Goal setting

Presentation

Reflection of program

This session is an opportunity to acknowledge everything theparticipants have achieved throughout the program.

This session is also a celebration so peer facilitators may wish to useexercises that keep the atmosphere fun and light.

Goal setting

Participants may have set goals that they wish to work towards afterthis program. This time is an opportunity for participants to share theirgoals and where they want to go from here.

Presentation

The final role of the peer workers is to present participants withCertificates of Participation. This is an opportunity for peer facilitatorsto thank the young women for their participation and acknowledge theimportance of participants feeling a sense of closure/completion - asthey have achieved something by making it through to the 15th session.

Finally, have a party with lots of food and fun.


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All peer workers are expected to show a positive attitude towards youngwomen whom they have contact with and are asked to:-

• Respect the information given to them by young people withoutjudging or being critical of the choices and decisions made by others

• Recognise that physical, emotional, sexual and verbal abuse is totallyunacceptable behaviour

• Be willing to continue with their own personal development and self-care

• Respect the privacy of individuals when in group settings

• Maintain confidentiality about information shared and not enter intogossiping about other people’s lives and choices

• Work towards maintaining a positive and competent network of YoungMothers for Young Women within the community

• Ensure that their activities contribute to maintaining Young Mothers forYoung Women as an efficient, effective and accountable organisation forother young people

• Engage with young women in a peer support role following theprinciples of

~ RESPECTING the reality and experience of young women

~ SUPPORTING in agreed upon ways

~ EMPOWERING by not counselling or advising, but givinginformation and options

~ REFERRING to whatever services may be needed

• Report to project coordinator the knowledge of violence with partners,child abuse, or suicidal behaviour

presenters

code of conduct

presenters

code of conduct


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sample 1:

invitation to

training program

sample 1:

invitation to

training program

You’re Invited

To join with a group of

young women who are parents

to participate in a series of workshops about how to create your

own pathways into employment, education and training

The workshops will run weekly

Children’s activities included

Start Date:

Time:

Venue:

Contact name for your group here

Your group’s name here

Your group’s address here

Your group’s address here


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For the purpose of this programthe group exercises have beenbroken in to four categories:

1. Getting to know one another

2. Energy raisers

3. Reflection and closing the group

4. Smaller groups

1 Getting to know one another

It is important that the group isable to work and learn together. Forthis to happen all participants mustfeel comfortable with the othermembers of the group. Thereforewe have included group exercisesthat focus on getting to know othergroup members in a way that is notstressful and can be a lot of fun.

• Ask the group to go around andname something that they hadto give up to be able to comethat day

This warm up exercise recogniseswhat each participant andfacilitator had given up to attendthat day. This is a good exercise tobegin the program with, as it createsan environment that acknowledgesthe difficulties young women whoare parenting must overcome inorder to attend.

• Simply pass a roll of toilet paperaround the group askingparticipants to tear off as manysheets as they like, after thegroup is finished announce thatfor each sheet they have rippedoff they now have to sharesomething about themselves thatno one in the group knows.

This can be a lot of fun for a groupthat knows each other well, but alsofor a group that is just learningabout each other. Remember toremind participants only to sharewhat they are comfortable with(stories of childhood achievementsor accidents are always good.)

• Go around the room once askingparticipants to finish a statement.Make the statements lightheartedand easily answerable. Forexample:

“My ideal holiday is …………..”

“My ideal partner is……………”

“My most embarrassing momentthat I’m willing to admit tois…………..”

There are many different versions ofthis exercise and it can be made asfun or as serious as you want.

• All participants are asked to lineup in a given order (eg order oftheir birthdays, alphabetical

order of their first/last names).Participants are not allowed totalk but must do this by usinghand signals or other non-verbalcommunication. This begins toopen up deeper communicationbetween group members through(necessary) non-verbal actions.

2 Energy raisers

Often during workshops it can bedifficult to keep energy high andparticipants focused. This may befor many different reasons:

• It is the end of a long session

• Tiredness that comes withparenting and other stressors

• Not used to remaining focusedfor periods of time.

Whatever the reason it is importantthat peer facilitators make efforts toraise the energy in the group. Thiscan be done very effectively bytaking a break from the currentactivity and doing a short exercisedesigned to get participantsmoving.

• Ask participants to all turn awayfrom each other so that no onecan see the other members of thegroup. Then ask everyone tochange three things about

sample 2:

group exercises

sample 2:

group exercises


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themselves (for example: the waythey are wearing their hair,jewellery). Then ask everyone toturn back towards the group andone by one go around and askthe group to pick the differences.

• Ask participants to stand aroundin a circle and have a range ofdifferent sized balls ready. Startwith passing one or two aroundthe circle. Calling the personsname that you are throwing to.Gradually add different balls tothe circle, the idea is to keep allof the balls in the air at thesame time.

This is a great exercise to highlighthow everyone has many differentballs thrown at them. In life as inthe game we drop these balls, butare able to pick them up andcontinue on. Try this game atvarious stages throughout theprogram and note how everyoneimproves as they do it more often.

• All but one participant sits in acircle on chairs. Go around andnumber each of them off withthree or four fruits, for example:apple, orange, banana, pear. Theextra participant stands in thecentre and shouts out the nameof a fruit. For example, if sheshouts out apple, then all theapples stand up and swap chairs,while the participant in the centremust try to sit down also. Theperson left in with no chair thenhas a turn of calling out a fruit.They can also shout out “fruitbasket”, in which case everyonemust stand and swap seats.

• This exercise asks the participantsto pass the word “ha” around acircle. Ask participants to form acircular seating arrangement. Thepeer facilitator then explains theobject of this game is forparticipants, without laughing,

to pass the word “ha” around thecircle. The peer facilitator thenbegins the game by saying “ha”.The person sitting on their rightmust repeat the “ha” and thensay another “ha”. With eachperson another “ha” is added, forexample, the third person wouldsay “ha, ha, ha”.

• This activity is best used later inthe program when participantsare feeling comfortable andrelaxed with the group.

3 Reflection andclosing the group

Reflecting on what has happenedduring a session or program isimportant for participants to beready to move on to the next stage.This can be done through justtalking but can be made a littlemore fun or interesting by usingone of the following activities.

• Start with a ball of yarn or string.Say your name and somethingabout the program, for example,what was good about theprogram, what they would haveliked to see done differently etc.Then holding the end, toss theball to another participant, thatperson will then say their nameand respond to the question also.Then holding on to that part ofthe yarn or string, toss the ball toanother participant and so forthuntil all participants have had aturn. By the time all participantshave spoken, there will be a largeweb of yarn that can be displayedon the wall of a bulletin boardwith thumb tacks.

• Pass around a bag of M&M’s andask participants to take as many asthey want. After the group hasfinished announce that for eachM&M the participant has to share

something. For each colour there isa different question to respond to,for example, for red M&M’s thequestion may be “what did youenjoy about today”. Therefore eachparticipant will respond dependingon how many M&M’s they have ofeach colour.

• This is a quick activity to showhow everyone reacts differently tothe same thing. Each personshould have a pen/pencil and apiece of paper. Tell them that youwill be saying ten words, one at atime. After each word, theparticipant should write down adifferent word or short phraseabout this word. Use words that arevery abstract like education, trust,responsibility, love, children etc.

A discussion about how “meanings”vary from individual to individualand how this affects everyone couldfollow this exercise.

• Pass out face down copies of thequote following this exercise.When everyone has a copy, askthem to turn over the paper andsimply count how many timesthe letter “f” appears on theirsheet. Allow only a minute, and


26

then ask, “How many of youhave the sheet with the 3 “f’s”?(roughly half the group can beexpected to indicate so). “Who has 4 “f’s” on theirsheet?......How about 5?....Doesanyone have 6?”.

This exercise is great to illustratethat people only see what they wantto see; items of prominence catchour attention, while seemingly lessimportant items pass on by. It alsodemonstrates that everyone seesthings differently and at differentlevels. The Quote “FEATURE FILMSARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OFSCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINEDWITH THE EXPERIENCE OFYEARS”

4 Smaller groups

Breaking a large group in to smallgroups of two or three can beeffective when time is an issue oryou wish to foster team work.When the issue is particularlysensitive participants share withanother person or pair rather thanthe whole group. This can be lessconfronting and a way forparticipants to get to know eachother on a more individual basis. Itis important that the groups of two

or three are always different so thatparticipants have the opportunityto work with as many of the otherparticipants as possible.

• Pair off the group. Have the teamsinterview one another. Then haveeach take a turn introducing theother person to the larger group.Interviews should be timedanywhere from 1-2 minutesupwards depending on how muchtime you want to allow for thisactivity. You can prepare questionsahead of time or just providegeneral guidelines for theinterview. You should ask peopleto pick someone to interview thatthey don’t know very well.

• Divide the group into pairs orgroups of three. Ask them to seehow many different ways theycan divide the following list intotwo or more groups of relateditems. Try to have at least fouror more of the items from thelist in each of your groupings.They also need to be able toexplain the pattern or rule thatdefines each grouping.

This is a good exercise to use at theend of the program whenparticipants are setting andprioritising goals.

• Divide the group into four teams.Have four different (ten totwenty piece) jigsaw puzzles onhand. Give each member ofevery team just one piece of thepuzzle assigned to that team. Tossall remaining pieces of the fourpuzzles together on a table andmix thoroughly. The trick is formembers of each team to sort outand put together the pieces fortheir puzzle. The team that putstheir puzzle together first wins.

• Split the group into pairs. Ask one person in each pair toturn to the other person and greetthem as if they didn’t really wantto be there. As though you can’twait to get out of there. Theneveryone (simultaneously to createlots of fun and excitement) turnsto their partner and greets them asif they are a long lost, deeplyloved relative who has justreturned home for the first time inyears. In fact, you thought youwould never see this person againuntil this very moment. Now askeveryone (again simultaneously) toturn to that person again andgreet them as if this person hasjust told you that you won thelottery for 50 million dollars andyou have the only winning ticket.


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sample 3:

certificate

sample 3:

certificate

Name & Position here Name & Position here

Congratulations

This is to certify that

has attended and successfully completed

“Getting What You Want:

Creating Pathways to Employment,

Education & Training”

Presented by:

Your Groups Name here

Signed:

sample 4:

interest sheetsample 4:

interest sheet


28


29

This is just a short questionnaire to help us plan the workshops. The Getting What You Want: Pathways to

Employment, Education and Training training program is based upon the principle: that young women

contribute to what they wish to learn in this program. By filling out this form we have the information we

need to design a program to best suit the group.

Name:

Are you interested in further training, education, and employment options?

Yes No

What would you hope to get out of further training?

What else would you hope to get from a program like this?

Do you have any special needs that you would like us to take into consideration?

Can you list the good things about being a young mother?

Can you list the hard things about being a young mother?

Please Turn Over ...


30

Group work skills

Self esteem

Basic English/math

Job seeking skills

Sexual assault

Homophobia

Healthy relationships

Working with differences e.g.Disability, NESB, sexuality, cultural

Budgeting

Healthy Relationships

Sexual Assault

Child abuse

Domestic violence

Self Esteem

Self-confidence

Relationships with children

Having time for yourself

Computer skills

Mental health

Managing your health while workingor studying

Handling pressure

Childcare

Finding suitable childcare

Rights and Responsibilities withchildcare facilities

Centrelink

Financial management

Entitlements while working orstudying

Your Rights and Responsibilitieswithin the workplace

Discrimination

Harassment

Unfair dismissal

Legal Issues

Custody issues

Family court

Job seeking

Setting goals

Applying for a job

Writing a resume

Information on Courses

Careers reference centre

TAFE and University courses

The Internet

Housing

Public housing

Private rental

Budgeting while working or studying

Saving for long term goals

Community work

Sexual health

Legal issues

Would you be interested in any of the following topics, please circle the ones you are interested in:

Thank you for your time


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Notes


32

Notes

what you want!

Pathways to Education, Employment

and Training

Presenter’s Handbook

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