Behind the Pandemic in Aboriginal Communities - Interagency ...

Getting Ready to Facilitate this Educational ResourceA Facilitator’sNote highlightsinformation andtips to help facilitate theactivity.Facilitator’sNote: Theeducationalprocess and subjectmatter in Behind thePandemic have thepotential to evokestrong emotions andopinions. You do nothave to be an expert inHIV but should be askilled facilitator and becomfortable leadingdiscussions aboutcomplex social issuesand supporting groupsto manage strongemotions.The following are some tips to help you get ready to facilitate Behind the Pandemic:Handling Difficult SituationsWorkshops on HIV can evoke strong opinions and emotions. You can increase yourchances of skillfully handling difficult situations by understanding the potential issuesthat may arise and identifying potential strategies. Here are some potential issues:Discomfort Talking About Issues Related to HIV: Talking about HIV means talking aboutmany topics that are controversial, closely connected to people’s core values, or seen assensitive or private - such as sexuality and drug use. It is not uncommon for participantsto feel discomfort or embarrassed when talking about HIV. People coping with suchfeelings may seem disruptive to the facilitator and other participants. Facilitators candiffuse disruptive coping strategies by being comfortable talking openly about these issues,acknowledging that people may feel embarrassed, and leaving space for respectfulhumor. Providing an HIV 101 session before doing a Behind the Pandemic workshop canbe helpful.Current Critical Awareness of the Issues Affecting Aboriginal Health: Participants will beinvited to discuss social issues and dynamics underlying HIV vulnerability. We hope thatparticipants will be able to draw from their existing knowledge to enhance the learningexperience for the group. Facilitators can draw on the additional information in theBackground Notes for Facilitators to explain these issues and dynamics.Perceptions of Responsibility: Participants may come with entrenched views that HIVis solely or primarily a result of people’s behaviour and that individuals are personalresponsible for HIV prevention. This can contribute to resistance to the idea that thebroader social, economic, political and historical factors influence people’s choices andbehaviour. Facilitators may find it helpful to highlight the primary difference betweenthe portrait and landscape frames, which is that individual choices and behaviours areconnected to broader factors; this encourages people to look at both personal and socialresponsibility. Another strategy for disarming this resistance is to encourage participantsto use the workshop as an opportunity to “try on” – or learn about and experiment with- the ideas in the population health approach, emphasizing that they are not obligatedto adopt the ideas. The definitions of portrait and landscape frames can be found in theglossary at the back.Unresolved Trauma: Participants may have lived experience with the issues raisedwithin the activity. This may trigger emotional reactions for participants who have unresolvedtrauma, such as anger or sadness. Facilitators are encouraged to take steps toensure the emotional safety of participants. This includes ensuring that participants areready to engage in an educational discussion about these issues and providing referralsto appropriate services.12