The Training of Trainers Manual - UNFPA

Day 5
It is important, therefore, to make sure that all peer educators in the group
begin to increase their confidence and expertise so that they can cover all
of the topics taught by your group. How can you make sure this happens
In an ideal world, you would train the group to a point at which you could
randomly select any of the topics, and a peer educator could demonstrate
how to teach the topic right away. You can teach them early in the training
that they are responsible for learning everything required in the programme,
perhaps by establishing a certification/qualifying test for which they can
prepare. Your group may appreciate receiving a certificate marking their
completion of the training, since this will demonstrate an accomplishment
about which they can feel pride and which will increase their self-esteem.
As a trainer, you are likely to find yourself having to monitor and respond to the
way in which peer educators behave towards one another. As with any group,
interpersonal tensions may erupt. It is also common for cliques to form within a
peer group. If the programme is well structured from the beginning, the use of
trust-building and team-building exercises will be incorporated into the training.
During the training, the facilitator should randomly assign participants to small
groups and activities, so that the trainees gain maximum exposure to each other.
This may help reduce the tendency for sub-groups or cliques to form. When peer
educators have more opportunities to discover things they like about each other,
there may also be fewer tendencies for cliques to exclude someone or treat a
participant in a negative way.
Retention
Turnover, when peer educators leave the project, is to be expected once peer educators or trainers
complete their contract and fulfil program expectations. Managers and trainers can help increase
rates of retention by good recruitment and management and also by providing regular feedback,
information, and incentives. Identifying low cost ways to retain or keep peer educators in programs
should be considered an essential part of any training program. Strong youth-adult partnerships can
assist in retention, including working with parents, community stakeholders, and program staff.
Section 2. Guidelines for Training of Trainers
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