Before getting started - Fem tec!

These documents were designed with help from professions who work with young people in different settings, especially at local youth services or secondary schools.

Our website is organized into guides and workshops. In each workshop, we present at least three documents (summary, worksheet and presentation) that are numbered and referenced as follows:

File name	Document contents	format
1_resum_G3T1_nomtaller	One-page guide/summary, with a synthesis of the workshop that can be used as memory aid during the session.	.pdf
2_fitxa_G3T1_nomtaller	A document with the explanations needed to complete workshop activities. It contains basic information and sources on the contents worked on during the session. It includes references to documents, websites, videos... (all links have been activated, and by clicking on them you can access the associated information).	.pdf
3_presentacio_G3T1_nomtaller	Presentation to accompany the workshop (for use during the session). When videos are also provided, a link is included together with this icon IMPORTANT: in order to view videos, we must have an internet connection.	.pps
4_G3T1_FEM_TEC_annex1	Some workshops include additional materials for using in activities	.pdf

The names given to each file indicate:

• the type of document: (1) summary, (2) worksheet, (3) presentation or (4) annex
• the guide and workshop each document goes with (GXWX): the number following the G (for ‘Guide’) indicates the guide number, and the number after the W (for ‘Workshop’) indicates the number of the workshop (all the examples in the table above correspond with workshop 1 of guide 3).
• workshop name (in the case of additional materials, annex number)

In order to get the most out of these activities, we suggest that the space where workshops are held be distributed in a way that’s different from what students are used to. Either the furniture should be rearranged, or the activity should take place in a new space. Either way, the setting should be as open as possible to ensure that the activities can take place comfortably.

Emotions are a basic part of our learning process: a positive, receptive emotional state strengthens the cognitive process. As a result, we suggest that before starting each workshop, educators offer students a space to share how they’re feeling and their expectations for the event about to take place, giving them the freedom to opt out of the workshop or activity. It’s important that we observe their reactions to these questions, and that we keep this in mind when presenting workshop activities.

In order to ensure students have a proactive disposition towards learning, we suggest that once they have expressed their willingness to take part in the workshop, we summarize the activities involved in the session using the information in “Before you begin this workshop”. This section also provides a context for the topics addressed during the workshop within the corresponding guide.

The different activities involved include concepts such as motivation, teamwork, creativity, communication and emotions. As a result, they work on individual issues such as self-learning, self-esteem and social abilities, while also reinforcing group consciousness and tightening bonds of trust. The workshops also include activities for working on gender relationships and equality among young people. We encourage you to use these materials not only to work on the contents addressed directly by the workshop, but also to address themes that bridge different workshops, especially regarding gender relationships and the promotion of non-discriminatory treatment among young people.

It’s important to place the group of students at the centre of the action; of the many activities proposed for each workshop, we should choose the ones that best match the interests and concerns of our group. If the group is particularly participative in one of the activities, we recommend encouraging this rather that rushing to complete all of the activities that go with the workshop.

Group activities promote spontaneity among students. As a result, these workshops can be a valuable opportunity to observe their reactions and attitudes. It’s important to remember that some activities can stir up emotions and feelings that students have not expressed beforehand. Under such circumstances, it’s important that the educators moderating the workshops be prepared to provide the students with the guidance they need. If necessary, it might even be a good idea to send them to professionals who specialize in these sorts of situations.

We recommend naming a listener (or, if needed, more than one) for each workshop to reinforce participants’ contributions during the reflection. The listener will be responsible for observing without intervening in the activity and recording it using a mobile phone or tablet. They will have the opportunity to share their reflections before listening to the reflections of their classmates.

We feel that an important part of the process is individual and group reflection on the activities. Each workshop will end with the activity “What can I take away from this?” Once the workshop is over, we’ll invite students to make their impressions public using the hashtag #fem_tec. Sharing their experience is a way to make their work more visible, and to make them feel like they’re participating in a project that goes beyond their immediate surroundings (their youth space, classroom, school...).

We’ve selected topics we see as key to empowering young people, and we suggest working on each topic or theme using a guide made up of eight workshops. Each workshop is made up of a series of activities that take about one hour.

The worksheet is a document providing a detailed description of the activities and resources that go with each workshop. All worksheets are organized in the same manner:

1. Workshop objectives - States the objectives of each workshop.
2. Key concepts - Describes the key concepts each workshop focuses on.
3. Timing - Provides a suggested duration for each activity. The duration of each activity can vary quite a bit depending on your objectives and group of participants.
4. Presentation - Shows the filename for the presentation included (useful as a tool when completing the workshop) and includes a preview of each slide.
5. Before starting this workshop - Includes basic information to be shared with students when introducing the session (what we’ll do today,...)
6. Description of activities - The description of the proposed activities always follows the same general outline:

• Activity summary - Brief explanation of the activity.
• What we’ll work on - A brief explanation of the specific goals of the activity.
• Development and aspects to consider - Explanations on the development of the activity and important questions that might arise during the course of the activity.
• Elements for reflection - Proposals for focusing the completion of the activity with a personal reflection by students.

In the margins of each document, we describe the materials to be used, the presentation slide number and an approximate duration.

7. What can I take away from this? - This section provides a suggestion for completing the session. It’s included in all workshops, so the text is coloured blue.
8. Publishing our impressions - This section is included in all workshops (the text is coloured blue), and it suggests that students share their impressions and what they have learned on the social networks.
9. Alternative activities - Includes other activity proposals in order to provide the largest possible range of possibilities for working on each topic.
10. To find out more - Includes videos, scientific articles and a bibliography to expand our knowledge of the topics discussed in the workshop.
11. Who works on... - Includes a university research group or organization dedicated to the topic discussed in the workshop. We can contact them if we need to find out more about the topic.

We should first greet the group and invite them to freely express how they’re doing, how they feel. It’s important that we pay close attention to their reactions to these questions and that we take this into account when planning workshop activities. If possible, we should give students the freedom to decide not to participate in the workshop or activity.

We should then ask if anyone would like to volunteer to serve as a listener (there can be more than one). We’ll then let them know that their job is to observe the activity without intervening. Nevertheless, if they would like, they can write down their observations; we should let them know that once the workshop is over, we would be happy to hear whatever they might like to share with us. If they would like, they can also take pictures or record video that they can later share with us or make public. If, during the greeting, we notice that any students are reluctant to take part in the activity, we can invite them to serve as listener.

These activities promote imagination and play, and the expressivity and creative potential of the students. During the workshops, we’ll suggest that participants find creative solutions to unexpected situations, generally by promoting cooperation and teamwork. We should let the group flow freely. As facilitators, we should focus on listening to and observing the development of the group during the activities, steering the activity according to their preferences: it’s better to complete only one activity and to get the most out of it than to complete them all in a hurry.

It’s also important that we provide a pleasant setting and a positive environment during the workshop. Music can be a good tool for maintaining a positive climate, especially while teams work on their own (this is especially true if the music is in keeping with the preferences of the young people participating).

We should make sure to provide positive reinforcement to our students by thanking them for any contributions they make.

Personal or group reflection is a basic element in Fem tec! activities. We suggest two different activities for completing the workshops:

• What can I take away from this?

We should first allow the listener to speak, inviting them to express anything they would like to say about what they witnessed during the workshop. We should then encourage the rest of the group to express their agreement or surprise regarding these observations.

In addition, if it does not arise naturally as a result of the contributions of the listener, we can ask each student what they will take away from that day’s workshop (emotions, feelings, things learned, ideas...), which questions they found most notable, or what they liked most about what they learned that day. We should encourage them to respond with the first thing that comes to mind.

If there’s time, it’s a good idea for students to let us know if participation in the workshop modified their views in any way or if they have decided to change anything as a result of what happened during the workshop.

We should listen to their responses without commenting on them: any answer is a good answer. We should acknowledge that the workshop went smoothly by applauding at the end of the session.

Some workshops address topics that might leave students feeling powerless at the end of the session. Before completing the workshop, we should allow students to express any aspects that bring them negative feelings, what they can do about it and where to start.

• Publishing our impressions

We might suggest that students share their impressions on the day’s workshop on the social networks individually or as a group (what they took away from it, what they liked the most about it, any ideas it may have inspired, related videos or websites) using the hashtag #fem_tec

With this hashtag, we can also find publications by young people from other towns who also took part in fem tec! .activities.

Our students may not have Twitter accounts, so we might consider creating an account for the group, or publishing these reflections using other means (Facebook, blogs, posters...)..

Fem tec! activities are designed to be as flexible as possible, so that they can be adapted to the needs of each group and environment, be it a local youth service, a secondary school or any other space where young people are educated and given guidance.

Each guide and its corresponding workshops are designed to be used by individuals, even if they’re only used partially, taking advantage of the resources that best fit each situation, working group or the interests of the educator directing the activity. The educator need only use the workshop or activities they feel respond to a specific interest or need their students have.

Some activities may last much longer than the estimated time if students are particularly participative. In fact, most activities can serve as an hour-long workshop on their own.

We encourage you to make these materials your own, and to select whatever activities, videos and resources are most useful to you.