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Community Consultation Discussion Guides

Discussion Guide – Parents

1. Introductions and Ice Breaker (10 mins)

Objective: Introduce the discussion and breakdown any shyness the group may have
to promote an open and engaging atmosphere.
INTRO: Facilitator to welcome the participants to the consultation and introduce the
team, topic, structure and ‘rules’ for the session.

 Today we are going to be talking about what it is like to be a young person in your
community, and specifically about the experiences young people have managing
their health and wellness.
 We are going to be asking you some questions. Please remember that there are
no right or wrong answers, we are just interested in what you think and feel about
things.
 We are going to be talking together, so please feel free to speak up and also listen
to what others have to say too.
 If there are any questions you don’t want to answer or if you don’t feel comfortable
that’s ok – you don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to.
 Explain that we will be recording our conversation with their consent and taking
notes so we can remember what you say. Reassure the group that we will not ask
you to use your real name, and only the research team will listen to the recordings.
o Facilitator to ask the group if they are happy for the conversation to be
recorded.
o Facilitator to inform the group that we may take photos of some of the
exercises, but not of you.

As a group, the facilitator will lead the participants in a short energizer such as
‘5,4,3,2,1, zero!’

Facilitator to ask each participant to introduce themselves to the group

 Name you would like us to use for this discussion (not your real name)
 The ages of your children and grandchildren.

2. Exploring gender norms (15 mins)

Objective: To understand the different rules and expectation of girls vs. boys in their
community
INTRO: I would like to understand the different rules and expectation for young men
and women in your community.

1. In your community, are there different rules or expectations for how young women
and young men should act and behave?
o Are there things that young men can do that young women can’t, or that
young women can do that young men can’t?

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 Facilitator to list these things out and explore why for each (if not
mentioned probe on decision making, places they can go, things they can
do etc)

2. Have these rules or expectations changed since you were that age?
o How have they changed?
o What has been driving this change?
o Are these changes for the better or for the worse in your opinion?

3. As parents, do you have different hopes and fears for your daughters vs. your
sons?
o Facilitator to list these things out and explore why for each (if not mentioned
probe on marriage and pregnancy)

3: Understanding attitudes towards sex and relationships (30 mins)

Objective: To understand the specific gender and SRHR issues that young people
face in their communities.
INTRO: We would now like to talk about sex and relationships.

4. At what age do young people in your community first start hearing about puberty,
menstruation, and sex?

5. How do young people start to hear about this?

o Where / who do they get information from?
o What things are they told about? (probe on information or warnings about
puberty, menstruation or sex)
o Is it different for boys and girls?

6. How do you feel about you children getting information about puberty,
menstruation, and sex?
o Are their people or places you are more comfortable your children getting
information from?

7. Are there particular rites of passage that prepare girls or boys for puberty or
sexual debut?
o What do look like / what happens?
o Why are they important?

8. What role do you have as parents in guiding / teaching your children about
puberty, menstruation and sex?
o Are there things you are more or less comfortable talking to your children
about? Which things and why?
o What would help to better equip you to advise your children about puberty,

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menstruation, and sex?

9. At what age do young people typically start having romantic relationships?

o Are these relationships sexual? What do you mean by that?
o How do you feel about this?

10. At what age do young people typically get married?

o How does a young women decide to get married?
o Who makes the decision?
o How do you feel about this?

11. Do you think most young women and men practice safe sex?
o Can you explain what you mean by that and why / why not?

12. Do you feel young women are typically able to make healthy and informed choices
about sex and their sexual health?

13. Do you have any concerns or fears about the relationships young women have
with boys / men in your community?
o What are these fears? Why do they concern you?
o As parents do you take any steps to help prevent these issues? What steps
and how are they helpful?

4. Accessing SRH services (20 mins)

Objective: To understand the motivators and barriers to accessing SRH services.
INTRO: Explain that we would now like to talk about the health services that are
available for young people your community – particularly those that help with sexual
health.

14. What health services are there for young people in your community?
o What help / services do they provide?

15. Why would a young person visit a health service?

o Are there any reasons why she may not want to visit a health service?
(probe: good service, confidentiality, fear, embarrassment, stigma) Why?

16. Apart from health centres, where else could young people get advice and
information in your community? (probe: online, friends, leaders, radio etc)
o Which do you trust the most? What makes these trustworthy?

EXERCISE: I am now going to read them a short story about some young people who
could live in their community and ask them to give her some advice about what they
should do next.

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“Gabrielle is 18 years old. She has been dating a boy called Ben from her village
for a few months. They really like each other and are considering having sex for
the first time”

17. What advice would you give to Gabrielle?

o What things does she need to know about to stay safe?
o Where could she go for information or support? Why these places?

18. What advice would you give to Ben?

o What things does he need to know about to stay safe?
o Where could he go for information or support? Why these places?

19. Sometimes there can be negative consequences to having sex such as

unplanned pregnancies or contracting STI,s, HIV and Aids.
o Without talking about anyone specifically, is this something you have heard
about happening in your community?

20. If Gabrielle and Ben found out they were unexpectedly pregnant, what do you
think they would do?
o What advice would you give them?
o Who would you advise they speak to for support?
o Would you advise them to go to a health clinic? Why / why not?

21. If Gabrielle and Ben got sick or found out they had an STI or HIV after they had
had unprotected sex, what do you think they would do?
o What advice would you give them?
o Who would you advise they speak to for support?
o Would you advise them to go to a health clinic? Why / why not?

5. Building Solutions (15 mins)

Objective: To understand what voices, channels and issues are most resonant with
parents in the sphere of health and SRH.
Materials needed
Image bank (types of media, types of people, illustrations of issues)
INTRO: Explain, that the last thing we would like you to do today is help us to create a
campaign in your community to help parents like yourself to learn more about how to
keep healthy and have healthy happy relationships.

22. What people would be best to help us communicate advice and information to
parents like you?
o Using the image banks, ask the participants to rank the pictures from the most
trusted, most relevant people to give them information on sexual health, to the
least. Why are these people placed there?

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23. Where would be best to help us communicate advice and information to parents
like you?
o Using the image banks, ask the participants to rank the media channels and
spaces from the most trusted, most relevant to give them information on sexual
health, to the least. Why are they placed there?

24. And what do you think the most important information or messages we could give
to young woman in your community would be?