Section 2: Considerations for Facilitators

In this section, we focus on issues that facilitators need to think about when running a girls’ program. Our concentration is on leading and learning with your girls’ group. We have found that it is important that everyone (no matter how many years of experience they may have) approaches facilitation as a learner, not as an “expert” who imparts knowledge to others.

In this section we discuss how to navigate the role of being a facilitator, negotiating personal boundaries, why and how to find support systems, how to work with a co-facilitator, becoming familiar with your identity as a facilitator, as well as how to facilitate across difference.

We offer facilitation tips, such as creating a girls’ space, doing group check-ins, how to facilitate group discussions and debriefs, how to give and receive feedback and engage in critical questioning, as well as how to facilitate group dynamics and work through conflict and intense topics.

Finally, we provide tips on workshop design. We introduce the popular education approach and consider how to design a balanced workshop.