activities for learning and mobilizing
15
Guided discussion
To have a shared understanding of health problems, people need to talk to
each other. A guided discussion is a way for a group of people to talk to each
other and to ask and answer specific questions. The “But why…?” activity (see
pages 7, 12, 38, 48, and 422) is one kind of guided discussion. Drawings for
Discussion (see pages 59 and 260) and Body mapping (see page 266) are also
kinds of guided discussions.
The person who guides the discussion is sometimes called a facilitator or
animator. Most of the activities in this book require a facilitator to make sure
each person participates to the best of his or her
ability, and to help make sure the discussion
or activity leads to action.
Community mapping
Community mapping is an activity in
which people make a map together
based on what they see and know
about their community. By making a
community health map, you can learn:
• where health problems are.
• who these problems affect.
• how these health problems may
happen because of conditions in
the environment.
Making a map can help people see
Make maps with pens or paint on paper,
or on the ground with rocks, sticks, and
anything else available.
patterns in health problems, begin
to identify root causes of these problems, and see how conditions in the
community have changed over time. A map can also help people identify
important community resources and strengths they may not have been aware
of. And mapping can be used as a step in protecting important traditional or
sacred places. (For examples of mapping, see pages 68, 164, and 444.)
Finding out what a community needs
People often have different opinions about what the problems are in their
community and how best to fix them. Making everyone aware of the range of
problems that exists and the various causes of the problems, and helping people
decide which ones to work on in the short and long term is sometimes called
a “needs assessment.” (For more examples of needs assessment activities, see
pages 72, 110, and 221.) A good needs assessment process can help make sure
everyone’s needs and abilities are considered in planning.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012