Population Education Facilitator Exercise: Working with Young Adults
Intended Outcome:Through personal recall, volunteers and staff learning facilitators) will be able to empathize, understand, and relate to the thoughts, feelings, and decisions of youth at that stage of "life development".
Method:Learning facilitators will be asked to recall their own thoughts and feelings at the same stage of life development as the youth. Facilitators will share their answers and identify three things they personally will keep in mind when designing or facilitating population education curriculum materials and when working with youth.
Exercise:Before answering the following questions, take a few minutes to quietly think back to when you were 16 to 18 years old. Think about what you looked like, felt like, and some of the things you were thinking about, doing, and the conditions and experiences had. Write and/or share your answers to these questions:
Think about a problem you were faced with or a decision you had to make that you considered to be major to your future. Describe it.
Describe how you approached the situation and if, and how, you came up with a solution or decision. Did anyone help or influence you?
Describe a time when you regretted the way you solved a particular problem or a decision you made. How did that make you feel?
Describe a time when you were really pleased with the way you solved a particular problem or a decision you made. How did that make you feel?
list three or four things or situations that made you feel really stressed (these could be positive or negative things) and the kinds of things you did to cope with them.
Think of a goal you set for yourself at that age. Did you achieve it? If so, how? If not, why not?
Describe the process/considerations you used to decide who and when to get married and start a family if you did, or if you did not or have not:
Think of a specific rural out-of-school youth you know personally. What kinds of issues and changes is he or she going through? What do you feel is his or her primary concern?
Take a few minutes to review your responses. Based on your responses, list three or four things you plan to keep in mind as you work with youth as they relate population education factors to their own lives.
