Adolescent Girls at Risk - African Centre for Disaster Studies - NWU

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Adolescent Girls at Risk: The GIRRL Program as a Capacity-Building Initiative... 239many of the social conditions that challenged the girls, the Life Skills teachers werealso identified as the contact persons for each of the project sites.The program facilitators came from various sectors, although the majorityoriginated from the North-West University where they were recognized for theirinterest in community work and maintain a specialization in a discipline of relevanceto the program sessions. These facilitators volunteered their time to present thevarious session components of the programs. They used their extensive academicexpertise and knowledge to ensure that the session content was of high standardsand that the participants received as much information available regarding thesession topic.The community and participants have a shared responsibility for maintaining thecontinuity of the program through cooperation and open communication. The entirecommunity has the potential to benefit from the program participants’ outreach andawareness activities; by improving the resilience of the community’s mostvulnerable members, the resilience of the overall area is increased.Participant SelectionThe participants were selected from a high-risk school (based on socialvulnerability) in each location as identified by the Department of Education. Thedecisions were guided by the advice of the life skills teachers in each of the threeschools; in the South African context, it is the Life Skills teacher that works mostclosely with learners and thus has a good understanding of their personalcircumstances.During the identification process the following participant criteria were considered:school registration status, maternal status, literacy, interest in supporting theircommunity, and poverty. School registration was important based on the programgoal to work with the local school not only as a central hub for activities but alsobecause the school itself provided a safe entry point to the community. The timedemands of the program would detract from the time available for caring for theirchildren, which would create undue stress, hence girls with children of their ownwere not considered. Literacy was an important factor in understanding theinformation better and for sharing the information with others.Following consultation with their parent(s) and/or guardian(s), the students wereinvited to participate in the program. The program description, and ethicalprocedures including informed consent, right to withdraw, and confidentiality wereexplained to parents and students in local languages. Written and verbal consentwere obtained from all guardians and students to confirm their understanding andwillingness to participate.Participant InvolvementThe girls were not passive onlookers during the program implementation but ratherwere actively involved. The program was based on the Participatory ActionResearch (PAR) Model, which allowed the participants to help guide the process.Krimerman (2001, 63) offers that PAR:
Adolescent Girls at Risk: The GIRRL Program as a Capacity-Building Initiative... 240is research that benefits the excluded, impoverished, marginalized,oppressed, and so forth by, for example, increasing their self-esteem, theirparticipation in institutional decision-making, and their access to politicalinfluence or economic resources.Based on the directives of PAR, insight, experiences and personal interest shapedthe direction of the program. The girls were involved in activities such as designingand hosting a community event that engaged local residents to become involved inchanging their behaviors to help improve their resilience. Further, the new skillsacquired through the capacity building project enabled the girls to devise thecontent of the messages conveyed to their community.Training InterventionsThe participants attended twice weekly training sessions of two (2) hours induration held on the grounds of their respective schools. The sessions ranged from25-32 depending on the dynamics of the community and spanned across a timeperiod of approximately 3-4 months.The session contents were dependent on the needs of the participants at thevarious sites and were informed by consultation with the guiding stakeholder body.Therefore the substance of the sessions varied across the three sites toaccommodate the specific dimensions of the community and the girls involved. Theoverarching goal was to provide critical information in an interactive manner thatencouraged two-way conversation in a safe environment for learning. Content wasage-appropriate, respectful of the girls’ level of knowledge without makingpresumptions and was designed to convey critical, current and locally relevantmaterial. Each session sought to provide information that would be central tohelping the girls make informed, empowered decisions about their individualwelfare through an appreciation and understanding of the facts, impacts andimplication of their actions.The GIRRL Program focused on human capacity building, realized through theprovision of critical training and information in a variety of areas such as first aid,fire safety, community-based disaster risk reduction, environmental education(Figure 3), and communication. However, social dynamics were also acknowledgedby the project team as having the potential to undermine girls’ welfare; as a resultthe sessions also addressed team-building; decision-making; family management;personal philosophy; physical, mental and sexual health; and leadership.
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Adolescent Girls at Risk - African Centre for Disaster Studies - NWU

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