This section talks about the roles, skills and techniques that a YAN facilitator should consider as part of his/her practice. Practical tips are suggested to help you create the optimal environment for enquiry and action.This section discusses ways to plan a session, prepare the session materials, working with young activists and assess your own work.

Working with Youth

Objectives of sessions with young activists:

There are four general objectives of communication each or more applicable for a session. They are:

• To inform
• To stimulate thought
• To entertain
• To motivate for action
  

Besides these objectives, there should be a clear specific objective for each session. Your specific objective for the session should be such that the sessions and achievements of the participants can be evaluated or assessed at the end of the session. If possible, ask yourself what you would like the participants to be able to do after the end of the session. Try using words such as: to make, to write, to plan, to construct, to produce, to identify, to compare, to assemble, to draw, to solve, to measure for the objective. All activists should leave the session with the feeling of having accomplished something and that their thoughts have been respected. They should also have had fun while learning something interesting to motivate them to participate in future sessions.

Knowing the participants:

Whenver possible, facilitators should be clear about the background and aspirations of the participants well before the start of a YAN project. Try to find out the following about the young participants:

• How many kids will be participating?
• Why are they attending the sessions; is it their own choice or their parents or other some other adults have instructed them to?
• What are their fears and concerns?
• What is their range of experience in terms of YAN or other community projects?

The answers to these questions will help you be better prepared for the sessions and activities.