1. Community Engagement Discussion Guide for
Unplanned Pregnancy, Adoption & Chid Abandonment
The following discussion guide will assist you in having a conversation with community members and individuals, around the issue of unplanned pregnancy, the option of adoption, and the steps that need to taken in the event of an abandoned child. Please use it in conjunction with the Adoption Community Posters.
Welcome & Introductions: Introduce yourself and inform the people or person you are talking to that the following discussion will be about the challenge of unplanned pregnancy, the option of adoption, and how to deal with a child who has been abandoned. But most importantly, it is about how we as South African’s can take care of all of our children, by creating more sustainable communities in our country.
The Adoption Community: Show your participants the Adoption Community Map, and ask them if they think this represents a typical South African community? Once they have had a chance to examine the map, ask them to think about what makes a sustainable community (make sure that they understand what the word ‘sustainable’ means). Then ask them what makes a community unsustainable for its future generations, and if they can see examples of this on the Community Map?
Unplanned Pregnancy: Ask your participant/s what they think leads to an unplanned pregnancy? (Encourage empathy and understanding by introducing issue such as rape, incest, lack of understanding etc.). Discuss the various options that a person can consider if they are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, using the Options Considered by a Person Experiencing an Unplanned Pregnancy poster as a guide, explore the various issues they will need to consider for each option. You could try a role-playing exercise where you pretend to be a councillor, advising someone who is experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, to really understand what this would feel like (swop roles so that you get both perspectives). Remember the four golden rules when talking to someone experiencing an unplanned pregnancy: 1) Reach out, engage, empathise; 2) Don’t judge; 3) Discuss the options or choices available; and 4) Empower them to make a decision, and try to link them to the right resources to assist them with their choice.
Adoption: Discuss the concept of adoption with your participant/s, and what they think is positive and negative about this option. Show your participant/s the Process for Adoption poster and take them through the various steps in the adoption process. Link these steps back to the Adoption Community Map, by identifying where a person on the map, could benefit from adoption. See if they can identify all of the key role players in the adoption process on the Community Map?
Child Abandonment: Discuss the issue of child abandonment with your participant/s, and what they think leads a person to abandon their child? (Again, try to encourage empathy by introducing issues such as rape, poverty, abuse etc.) Show your participant/s the Process for an Abandoned Child poster, and discuss each step. See if they can identify all of the scenarios that could lead to child abandonment on the Adoption Community Map. Reflect on this issue, and what it means for communities in South Africa?
Action Planning: Explain to your participant/s that it is important to turn our new understanding into action, this includes not just what we do, but how we do things moving forward. Tell your participants about the LOVE Values that support a sustainable community that puts its children’s needs first, these include: ) Lead by example; 2) Own your life; 3) Vision your future; and 4) Engage with your community. Encourage your participant/s to share how they are going to change their actions and behaviours based on your discussion today. Thank your participant/s for their time and input.