Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, and HIV 101 Workshop Guide

The key focus of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance's Link Up project is to contribute to the integration of vital sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and HIV interventions for young key populations at country level. The Alliance's 101 workshop on linking up HIV and SRHR with young key populations has been designed to support this aim. This facilitator's guide describes how to plan, deliver, and evaluate the workshop effectively.

The workshop was originally delivered to project staff in the five countries of the Link Up project: Bangladesh, Burundi, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Uganda. It helped team members understand what integration and linkages mean, and what impact they may have on their community mobilisation, outreach, and service delivery mechanisms and approach. It also offered participants an opportunity to explore and reflect on their attitudes towards working with young key populations, supporting their leadership in addressing issues such as gender and sexuality, and stigma and discrimination. However, the workshop could be delivered by any organisation, in any country, working on SRHR and HIV integration with young key populations.

The workshop is designed to take five consecutive days in one week, although it can be adapted for shorter trainings as needed. Each day covers a different area of SRHR and HIV integration, with the order and flow of sessions designed to relate back to each other. The workshop culminates with a site visit and group discussion. Sessions include suggestions, tips, and reminders for facilitators, and list materials needed. References to useful resources are also provided. These can be sourced in advance and either distributed to participants or a reference copy shared during the workshop. Relevant country-specific documents and materials can also be used. The annex section contains materials referred to throughout the guide. These can be photocopied and used as handouts to support the learning.

Workshop principles for facilitators include:

• Ground or base each session on participants' own context through reflection and sharing of their experiences. Use the resources in the room.
• Adopt a sex-positive approach to the workshop.
• Establish a safe space and encourage open and honest dialogue. Agree with the group to keep statements and experiences shared within the confines of the workshop. Ask them to respect the confidentiality of all participants.
• Involve young key populations from your projects as facilitators or guest speakers in specific sessions.
• Be prepared for participants to find the workshop emotionally draining or upsetting. Appoint someone with skills, experience or personality suited to supporting individuals who may need to take some time out or talk privately.
• Allow participants to lead icebreakers. They often have fun ideas, and it makes everyone feel more involved in the workshop.
• Encourage critical and in-depth reflection to help participants identify aspects of their own practice and behaviour that may be stigmatising.
• Ensure everyone takes responsibility for their own learning during the workshop, reading ahead of the following day's sessions or reflecting on content and discussions at the end of each day.
• Remain practical and responsive to the specific needs of participants. You may need to build flexibility into the agenda to respond to the learning needs and dynamics of the group as they evolve during the workshop.