Mental health and gender-based violence 2016 | Page 38

28 Day 1 . Welcome . The training and its purpose .

TO THE TRAINER
PART II : THE TRAINING

Day 1 . Welcome . The training and its purpose .

Aim . To establish a good working relationship between the Trainer and the group , and develop a shared understanding of the aims of the training . To emphasise that the participants bring their own knowledge and experience to the training .
Start the training in a warm manner . Thank the participants for their interest and engagement , their commitment to human rights , and their willingness to work together against violence , especially violence against women . Introduce yourself in a respectful and humble way .
Introduce the training and its purpose .
Comment on the nature of the group . Say where we come from , and note that every member of the group works in various ways with trauma . If members of the group work with GBV in different ways , underline that it is important to respect everyone ’ s contribution and express the hope that participants will be inspired during the training to identify what they share with one another .
Introduce yourself and describe your background .
If you use translators , be sure to introduce them . It should be made very clear to the group why they are there , and that they do not represent , for example , the government or the police .
It may be wise to talk beforehand to someone who knows the local society , to find out how people are used to meeting in a group setting . It may be useful to ask the following questions :
• How do teachers introduce themselves in this culture ? What do they emphasise ?
• Are there any dress codes ?
• What is polite and what is impolite to say and do ?
• How do participants usually expect to share in settings like this ?
Present the overall objectives of the training , making sure that participants understand its objectives and expected outcomes . Facilitate a brief discussion about these expectations and the expectations of participants . Tell the participants that some of their expectations will be met ; if some stated expectations cannot be met , park them for the present .
Emphasise that the training builds on experience and knowledge that the participants already have . We will explore together , and learn from one another . This is a central activity for the group . Specifically , you might discuss :
The scale and gravity of violence against women . This problem is often overlooked and courageous women have fought hard , with some success , in international organisations , governments and their communities , to get it recognised . Their struggle defends the human rights of us all .
Human rights . Adopting a human rights perspective gives our work direction and hope . Each of us , in our daily lives and work , in our contacts with women who have been attacked or victimised , can make small but vital contributions to ending violence against women .