This document provides an overview and training for facilitators of the GUTS! program. It introduces the GUTS! team and mission, which is to empower young women through leadership development, mentoring, and community action projects. The training covers topics like facilitating safe and inclusive discussions, maintaining appropriate boundaries, handling group dynamics, and utilizing a youth-adult partnership approach. Expectations for facilitators are outlined, including maintaining confidentiality and reporting any disclosures of abuse. Scenarios are used to demonstrate how to address common issues like an overly talkative participant or a shy participant. Resources for facilitators are provided.

1. WELCOME!
GUTS!
Facilitator
Make up
Training

2. This is me, Roe (she, her)!
GUTS! Program Manager
Meet the GUTS! team!

3. This is Tess (she, her)!
GUTS! Program Coordinator
Meet the GUTS! team!

4. • Overview of YWCA and GUTS!
• Issues that girls and gender diverse youth
face today
• Facilitation 101, setting appropriate
boundaries, other do’s and don’ts.
• Goals of GUTS!, Group structure and basics
• Scenarios
What we’ll cover

5. • Pathways – Domestic and Sexual Violence Services
• Ada’s Place – Housing for Homeless
• Planet Kids – Supervised Visitation Center
• Eliminating Racism– Promoting Racial Justice
• GUTS! – Girls’ Leadership
• Secret Seconds Thrift Stores-
– Volunteers get a 20% discount!
Come on a tour!- Sign up at
ywcaofmissoula.org
ywca missoula

6. ywca missoula mission
Eliminating racism,
empowering women
and promoting
peace, justice,
freedom and dignity
for all.

7. GUTS! Mission
To support young women* in
discovering their strengths,
developing their leadership skills,
and using their voices to activate
positive community change
through mentoring, small group
discussion, outdoor challenges,
skilled trades workshops, and
community action projects.
*GUTS! enthusiastically welcomes girls, non-binary, transgender
and other gender diverse young people to our programs.

8. After School & Lunchtime Action Groups

9. GUTS! High School Leadership

10. Summer Outdoor Adventures

11. GRIT (girls representing in trades)

12. Kids Explain Sexism
What are the issues
that girls/young people face?

13. GUTS! wants to create a world
where youth feel strong and
valuable from the
inside out.
We want youth to use
their strengths to
create positive change
in their communities
and their world.

14. Positivity
Openness
Willingness to Try & Risk
Equality
Respect
Loving Kindness
*Confidentiality*
GUTS! Values

15. The GUTS! Goals
INSIDE  OUT
GUTS! participants will:
• Identify strengths
• Improve self-esteem and self-confidence
• Improve body image satisfaction

16. GUTS! participants will:
• Seek mentors
• Develop critical thinking skills (understand
the impact of culture/media has in identity
development)
• Use their voice to advocate for themselves
and others
• Feel empowered to create positive change
in their community
The GUTS! Goals
INSIDE  OUT

17. Our expectations of facilitators:
•Commit to an entire semester or year!
•Work with a co-facilitator;
meet weekly to plan
•Come prepared with a plan,
back- up plan
•Be early and consistent
•Keep in good communication with
GUTS! and with your school contact

18. Providing Safe Spaces
•Physical Safety
•Emotional Safety
•Social/Cultural Safety

19. Providing Safe Spaces
Gender Affirming Policy and Practice:
Interested participants/volunteers who identify with girlhood or
womanhood are welcome to join GUTS! programs. This includes
participants who are transgender, non-binary, two-spirit, etc. and
feel that GUTS! could be beneficial or enjoyable to them.
•Please use gender inclusive language when referring to the entire
group such as “you all, everyone” instead of “girls/guys.”
•Do not assume any young person’s gender. Allow space to share
pronouns with group. Follow guidelines and introduce gender
snowperson/gender unicorn.
•Ask for help from GUTS! staff if you have questions, need support!

20. 6 Facilitator Core Skills
•Appreciating Diversity
•Stepping in and Stepping Aside
•Standing with Youth No Matter What
•Self-Awareness
•Observation, Listening and Tracking
•Curiosity

21. Confidentiality
Maintain Confidentiality of Youth
• Discuss confidentiality with young people in first day of
group and limits of confidentiality.
• Take away stories, but keep identities confidential.
• Confidentiality applies for sharing info to parents.
• We can talk to school contacts about what is going
on/they will not be able disclose additional info about the
participants.
• Do not post photos/names on social media, but DO take
photos and send them to Roe or Tess so we can use
them for GUTS! media!
• Follow their lead if you see them outside of GUTS!

22. Reporting
If a participant discloses abuse:
• Listen attentively
• Show support, not distress
• Let them talk freely
• Believe them
• Thank them for sharing, tell them they did the right
thing in telling you
• Maintain confidentiality… tell only program staff
• Don’t promise that you won’t tell anyone
• Immediately contact Roe to discuss proper course of
action
• Feel honored that she trusts you enough to disclose

23. Youth-Adult Partnership
• mutual learning
• youth-driven groups
• egalitarian

24. Youth-Adult Partnership
Shifting power from adult-driven to
youth-led means unpacking and
addressing adultism:
Acting as if an adult has more strength,
wisdom, and knowledge than a young person
or perpetuating the philosophy that young
people are not yet capable of making
important decisions or having a voice, and
therefore adults can make decisions for youth
without their consent.
From SPARK movement: http://www.sparkmovement.org/agenda/adult-
youth-partnerships/

25. Stages of a Relationship
• Stage1: Developing Rapport and Building
Trust
– Be predictable and consistent
– Expect testing
– Set goals for the relationship
• Stage 2: The Middle- Reaching Goals
– Expect to feel closeness
– Affirm the uniqueness of the relationship
– The relationship may be rocky or smooth
• Stage 3: Closure
– Identify emotions, such as grief, denial, resentment
– Provide opportunities for saying goodbye

26. Setting Appropriate
Boundaries
• Cell Phone/Contact information
– If participants need to call home, they can
use school phone or block number *67
• Social Media- do not follow or friend
participants or accept their requests
• Outside Relationships- must be 6 months
after end of programs to continue relationship
• Physical boundaries- don’t initiate, follow
their lead to your comfort
• Keep group together- don’t be alone with
a young person

27. When disclosing personal information:
•How will this information benefit the group?
•Is the purpose of sharing the information self-
serving or will it really help the participants? Am
I imposing personal values?
•Set boundaries for yourself: what are you
comfortable sharing?

28. Group Basics
• Outline of Group Format (afterschool)
– participants gather for group (snack)
– Check in- Question/Name Game (15 min)
– Outside play/game (20 min)
– Introduce topic/activity (30 min)
– Group Discussion (15 min)
– Check out (5-10 min)
• Establish a
Routine!

29. Group Basics
• Outline of Group Format (lunch)
– Participants get their lunches and gather -5 min
– Check in- Question/Name Game (while eating)
10 min
– Media clip/introduction of activity/short
discussion(if still eating) – 5 min
– Outside activity (game/play) 15- 20 min
OR
– Introduce topic/activity
– 15- 20 min
– Check out -2 min

30. Instilling Fun…
• Follow your passions!
• Take time to have fun… it’s relationship
building!
• Go with what the young people think is fun!

31. Tips for Behavior Management
• Set up clear guidelines/
expectations for the group (POWER
<3 and school rules) and stick to
them
• Remind about POWER <3
• Give options (take a break or join
the group)
• Establish a group call-
– “A hush fell over the crowd…” “HUSH”
– “Holy Moly” “Guacamole”

32. Co-facilitation
Questions for your co-facilitator or
new GUTS! friend.
• What is your instinctive
facilitation style?
• What are you hoping to get out
of this experience?
• What are you hoping to provide?
• Exchange contact info/set up a
time to plan!

33. Take care of
yourself so you
can be present for
the youth.
Bring your best self to GUTS!

34. Group Scenarios
• You are running your first group and it’s
immediately clear that one participant
loves to talk: above others, unknowingly
interrupting others, and all the time. Their
enthusiasm is exciting however they are
silencing others. How can you address
this situation?

35. Group Scenarios
 Thank them for their input. Re-direct
conversation to engage other members!
 Use and enforce talking object- Make it clear
that only one person should be speaking at a
time.
 Address head on and ask person to share the air
time.

36. Group Scenarios
• One participant in your GUTS! group is
very shy. The group has been meeting
for a few weeks now and they continue to
speak in a whisper and to only one other
friend. How can you address this
situation?

37. Group Scenarios
 Address them by name.
 Focus on continuing to create an open space- They will share
when they’re comfortable and ready
 Sit by them
 Offer them chances to speak and try to engage them directly,
but don’t force them. If the friendship is detracting from
participation, find ways to foster new pairs/work partners. OR
just let them stay in their comfort zone because anxiety is real
 Go with things they think is fun/utilize their strengths

38. Group Scenarios
• You notice that one of your GUTS!
participants is not excited to be there and
is resistant of participating in any activity.
How can you address this situation?

39. Group Scenarios
 Note: GUTS! only works if everyone wants to be there (for the most
part)- If a participant is saying they are being forced to be there,
contact GUTS! program staff.
 Talk to them after the group and ask how the group is going for
them
 Observe what interests them and pay attention to potential
underlying issues preventing them from participating
 Ask if they’d like to play a certain game next week and introduce it
to the group
 Ask what they want to do or want to get out of GUTS!; see if you
can incorporate activities they like, and ask them to be willing to
participate

40. Group Scenarios
• You have 6 participants in your group
and 3 of them are very tight knit and cling
to one another. They constantly want to
be together and have verbally excluded
some of the other group members. What
are some things you might do to trouble
shoot this situation?

41. Group Scenarios
• Remind participants about ‘o’ in POWER<3 that
stands for openness – we don’t have to all be best
friends, we just need to be open and kind to one
another.
• Create opportunities to do things in pairs, or small
groups and mix up the group members
• Plan to do the in’s and out’s of friendship activity

42. GUTS! Resources:
GUTS! of Missoula pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/
Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B7-
0rFhV4uKTVGJ1TWNXTGlPcjg&usp=sharing
Volunteer Facebook Group (look out for a friend request
from Gritty GUTS!)
GUTS! weekly emails from Tess!

43. Next Steps
• Group Details
• GUTS! Bag, Binder
• Volunteer Meetings
• Action Projects

44. Thanks for watching!
We’re excited to have you. Thank you
for being willing to volunteer.