The Training of Trainers Manual - UNFPA

training or when supervising peer educators in their field work − the trainer
should be capable of responding adequately.
■ Exploration of personal values about the health issues being addressed,
including attitudes towards gender-based norms and biases. Trainers of
trainers must recognize their own values and biases so they can help the
trainees begin to understand their own. It is difficult to lead a group through a
process of self-awareness without having already done this same work oneself.
■ Methodologies for skills building, such as role play. Building skills is an
essential part of peer education. A good peer education programme will
include role plays and other theatre-based techniques as an approach to
developing skills. However, delivering constructive, believable theatre and role
plays requires some training.
■ Communication and group-work skills. Facilitating a training course and
working interactively with a group of trainees requires a thorough knowledge
of communication techniques. Future trainers must be able to serve as a model
for communication and group work, since the best training is conducted by
example.
■ Basic guidelines for planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating
peer education programmes. Planning and implementing a peer education
programme is not just the responsibility of the project manager. It is essential
that all those involved in the programme, including the trainer and the peer
educators, have a basic understanding of processes such as needs assessment
or monitoring and evaluation. Future trainers also need solid guidelines on how
to select, supervise, and support peer educators.
■ Strategies for outreach to vulnerable young people. Peer education can be
used either as an educational approach among mainstream youth or as an
outreach approach to reach groups of especially vulnerable young people.
Future trainers of trainers need to be able to inform the trainees about the
challenges of reaching vulnerable populations (legal, ethical, and logistical
issues) and specific techniques for working with them.
■ Information about peer education resources. Trainers need to be familiar
with resources that can complement their knowledge of peer education, such
as peer education training guides, textbooks on peer education and behaviour
change, and resources on content areas of peer education (e.g., reproductive
health, STIs and HIV/AIDS, or information on drugs). A TOT workshop should
offer opportunities to explore these resources.
■ Information about youth health services. Peer education programmes do
not operate in a vacuum, but instead are components of a larger framework
of resources. Trainers should be aware of the clinics, information sources,
pharmacies, and supportive services available in their area and should include
this information as part of a comprehensive peer education programme. They
24 Training of Trainers Manual