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Facilitator Guide

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Act for Change Facilitators, We are so excited you are planning a teen anti-racism group based on the Act for Change Leadership model! To assist you in this high-impact process, we have put together this guide. Let it serve as the foundation of your new connections with the young leaders that will Act for Change in the world.

Context:

This curriculum was conceived in the call to action after George Floyd’s murder and during a global pandemic. In scanning the horizon, we didn’t find a comprehensive guide designed to facilitate anti-racist conversations with teens within an informal (and at the time virtual) environment. This framework is designed to be breathable and focused on teen discussion with minimal adult facilitation. Additionally, it has been designed to be spacious enough to complement the skills and individual experiences of its facilitators, along with the distinct needs and character of your community and teen group.

A Living Guide

This guide will never be perfect nor complete. Why is that? Our colleague Dhyana Kuhl Gonzalez said it best in stating that a living guide implies:

“-that there are voices that may not be in it yet, and there is still room

-that everything is emergent, and that’s important because there’s a lot that is emerging in these important times

-that no one has all the answers, but we must offer our actions and efforts”

 

Facilitator Grounding and Expectations

Most importantly, Facilitators must model a growth mindset and some vulnerability. Be committed to your own learning and improvement, and to anti-racism work. It helps to be well-versed in facilitation and drawing out knowledge. The first rule is “Do No Harm”- if you find yourself speaking without enough knowledge, pause and return to the subject or pose questions to youth participants. If there’s ever something you don’t know, youth appreciate looking things up together. The ability to be patient, kind and intentional are absolute musts. Experience working with contemporary youth is preferred though not required. It is crucial that facilitators within this program listen more and speak less, while creating a safe space for personal growth among emerging teens and adults.

Program Recommendations

In order to set your program up for success we have some strong recommendations:

  • This model is designed to be co-facilitated, and ideally facilitators will represent different racial groups representative of the youth with whom you are working
  • Dosage is still being explored; we recommend 1.5 hours a week for 12 weeks/sessions
  • Cohort size of 12 youth is ideal, and we suggest an application process (see sample questions)
  • Participation should be voluntary, not required
  • Youth contribute differently- there should be an expectation of equal youth participation while embracing different ways to participate (chat box, pair share, small breakout groups etc).
  • Program Recruitment- Consider starting the program with an established group, or by connecting with a school partner to start. A fresh start works too.
  • Use graduates from previous cohorts as partners, discussion group leaders etc.
  • Connect to other teen groups who completed the program by visiting and contributing to this Act for Change website
  • Be sure to engage with parents and youth supports (friends, mentors, etc.) early on as they may become invaluable resources as the week progress.

Program Components

There are some key components that should be honored:

  • Begin with some upbeat instrumental music within the background of each session to establish an informal educational environment
  • Connect/ground/gather for first minutes of each session
  • The first 2-3 sessions should have an explicit focus on trust-building and getting to know each other, which forms an important foundation for future discussions
  • Use a safe, youth-oriented messaging platform such as GroupMe to stay connected throughout week and further enhance the development of a safe community.
  • Create a collective agreement during session #1 or #2 that is revisited at the beginning of each following session, spending less time on it each session unless norms are being broken.
  • Each session should include time spent within breakout rooms, starting with adult facilitation/observation within rooms and, when possible, moving toward youth facilitation or less supervised sessions.
  • The program overview previews session topics and offers a roadmap. Session 1-3 are based on trust-building and the personal exploration of identity, sessions 4-6 on an exploration of group identities, and sessions 7-10 on movement, actions, and tools to combat racial injustice and inequities
  • Build toward a final showcase, honoring youth voice about showcase content that connects to teen group’s interests and abilities

Within this framework, there are plenty of ways to make this group your own, and to connect with local initiatives that will truly help your group to Act for Change. The way we get better at speaking about race and racial inequities across races is by speaking about race and racial inequities across races.

Documents to get you up and running

Yours in striving for racial justice and equity,

Guide Co-Developers and Compilers

Acknowledgments

This curriculum has been vetted by a teen graduate advisory group from our first cohort (thanks Brianna, Healee, Tyson!) and throughout the process, Cornell Cooperative Extension Educators, and Cornell faculty and undergraduate students participating in the Program for Research on Youth Development and Engagement (PRYDE) and the Einhorn Center (previously  Office of Engagement Initiatives). Sofia Urquiola contributed significantly as a PRYDE Lead Scholar in adding field notes. The time needed for creating a replicable guide was made possible by funding from Cornell Cooperative Extension Innovation Grants.

Additional facilitator preparation resources

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