How much should facilitators steer the process with young people?
In order to create trust, safety and ownership of the space, there should be a balance in relation to the decisions related to the enquiry. This will vary according to context and should be negotiated with the group. In general terms, if facilitators choose the topic and the stimulus, they should allow participants to choose how they will interpret those and the angle/questions to be explored in the debate. If facilitators steer too much and participants feel they have a low degree of choice in relation to the topic, they will tend to participate less in the discussion or try to arrive at the ‘right’ answer they think the ‘teacher’ wants them to arrive at. The focus of the intervention should be on building skills/relationships, not on ‘content’: on how to examine issues rather than on what to think or do about the issue. As a general rule: the less you influence the choice of topic for discussion, the more effective the space is in terms of ownership, safety and participation. If you
