A: At the core of encouraging participation is ensuring a space where youth feel heard, valued, and supported. To foster an environment where youth are empowered to create change, be sure to review the principles of meaningful youth engagement, Trauma and Violence Informed Approaches, and the Developmental Relationships Framework in the Facilitator’s Guide.   Several helpful strategies facilitators can employ during workshops to encourage participation in discussion or group activities include:  [...]

A: This seldom happens but here are some approaches we find helpful:  Acknowledge the situation and check-in with the group on what might be going on.  Ask for their recommendations on how they would like to move forward in the workshop - suggest movement, a short break or a debrief depending on the context, adjusting the workshop plan where needed.  Revisit their community agreement to refresh the group’s intentions for [...]

A: As a community facilitator, your role involves initiating and modeling activities, moderating discussion,  and ensuring workshops run smoothly.  Encouraging participation through a warm, compassionate approach and by communicating that you recognize and value the multiple ways people might engage (including verbal, written, artistic, anonymous) is also part of the role. Other practices facilitators regularly implement include:   Offering validation and encouragement  Modeling empathy, conflict resolution, active listening, and respectful communication   [...]