Activity: Expert interview
Taking action: Adolescents interview a member of their community with expertise and/or experience with something they find interesting
Activity overview
Energy level: 3/5
Literacy level: 4/5
Complexity level: 4/5
Time: 30 to 45 minutes
Purpose: Learn from a community member with important expertise and/or experiences to share.
Objectives
Adolescents will be able to:
- Collaborate in groups to map out project plan and timeline.
- Set future goals for the project.
Competency domains
- Cooperation and teamwork
- Hope for the future and goal setting
- Empathy and respect.
Works well for
Adolescents who are comfortable moving outside their activity space to interview another community member, working individually or in small groups.
Phase
Taking action
Before
Adolescents should have had a chance to identify a topic that interests them. This could be a topic they will explore or take action on together as a group, or another topic reflecting their personal interests and goals.
After
Adolescents should have a chance to reflect on what they have learned from their expert interview and use the story or information from their interview in an ongoing project.
Preparation
Remind adolescents to bring their idea for a project topic or an idea for another topic of interest that they want to learn more about. Use the Tips for a successful interview tool to help.
Activity steps
Step 1: Warm up
Facilitator asks adolescents to briefly share their project topics, or other topics of interest, with the rest of the circle. These can be project topics that they plan to work on in small groups, or topics of interest to them individually that they hope to learn more about.
Step 2: Facilitator says
"Now we are going to brainstorm and think of people here in our community that have expertise or experience that is related to your topic. Try to brainstorm at least four people in the community who have some expertise and/or some experience related to the topic that interests you. Remember that there are lots of different kinds of people who might be ‘experts.’ They might have studied your topic or work in a profession that is related to your topic. Or, they may have important life experience related to your topic. Be creative and open minded as you brainstorm, because there are lots of kinds of people you might learn from, including older adults, and also your own peers.”
Step 3:
Organize adolescents into small groups to brainstorm. If they are already working on a project topic in small groups they can brainstorm together in that group. If they are working individually on projects of interest, they can sit together in groups of three or four and help each other to think of ‘experts’ who know about their topics.
Optional: If adolescents are having trouble thinking of experts, help them to think of possibilities. Remind them that they can think of someone with expertise in an area that is related to their area of interest even if it isn’t the same.
Step 4: Facilitator says
“Now we are going to prepare to interview experts in our community to learn more about them.” Explain: As you prepare your plans, include the following:
- Who will you interview? Write the name of the person you chose.
- What would you like to learn about from them? Write a few sentences about how this person could help you to learn more about your topic.
- How will you invite him or her to be interviewed? Write some notes for when and where you will contact your expert, and what you will say or write when you interview him or her.
- What questions will you ask during the interview? Write your questions down. Remember to include open-ended questions that allow the expert to tell stories from his or her experience, and follow-up questions.
Facilitator reminds adolescents: “Be prepared when you carry out your interview. Bring a pen and paper to take notes and anything else that will help you to explain to your ‘expert’ why you are interested in interviewing him or her, and how you will use the stories and information he or she shares.
Step 5: Sharing and Take away
Bring the circle back together once they have finished brainstorming.
Step 6:
Invite adolescents to share their plans for how they will invite the experts they have identified to be interviewed.
Optional: Adolescents can practice inviting experts to be interviewed through role playing.
Step 7: Discuss
- What strategies will you use to convince your experts to participate in your interviews? What are your back-up plans if they are not interested or willing to participate?
- Which interview questions shared in our circle are especially good? Why? (Remind adolescents that there are no perfect interview questions, but they can use this opportunity to recognize questions that are likely to elicit interesting responses from their interviewees.
- When will you carry out your interview? Optional: Adolescents can use their next session times to carry out their interviews. They can invite the experts to come to their activity space, or move outside.
Do and don't
Do
- Encourage adolescents to take the time they need to prepare for their interviews.
- Encourage adolescents to carry out their interviews working in pairs or small groups if they will feel more comfortable and confident working together.
- Support adolescents in planning and preparing for their interviews thoroughly - Give them additional time in future sessions if that will help them.
- Inform adults in the community about adolescents’ plans to carry out interviews, so they understand the purpose of the interviews and support their goals - Talking with your steering committee about this plan may be one way to do this.
- Ensure that the experts who are interviewed understand and agree to how adolescents will use the experiences and information they share - Make sure that adolescents understand and respect their interviewees’ wishes.
Don't
- Push or force adolescents to carry out their interviews unless and until they feel comfortable doing so.
- Let adolescents approach adults for interviews in ways that might leave them vulnerable to risks - For example, it may be more comfortable and appropriate for them to carry out interviews in public spaces, accompanied by a peer or another adult.
Adaptation
Low literacy: If adolescents have limited literacy, encourage them to prepare and plan for their interviews verbally. They may use drawings or symbols to remind them of the questions they will ask during their interviews, and to remind them of responses during the interviews.
Environment
Indoor or outdoor space.
Supplies
- Flipchart or marker board.
- Notebook or writing paper for each adolescent.
- Pen or pencil for each adolescent
Improvise
Instead of interviewing a real person, adolescents can write or role-play an interview with a famous or historical person they admire. Adolescents can interview young children who, like adolescents and adults, have important knowledge and stories to share.
Continue
There are many ways that adolescents can use the stories and information from their interviews, including:
- Write or create a profile of the experts for a newspaper, magazine or radio programme (including one that the adolescents create themselves).
- Create a drama based on an interview
- Create a storyboard, road map or graphic novel to tell a story that the expert shared
- Create a photo essay about the expert, and/or draw portraits and other illustrations
- Create an exhibition that celebrates the expertise of others in the community, and invite others in the community to attend.
Highlights
Learn from a community member with important expertise and/or experiences to share. Works well for adolescents who are comfortable moving outside their activity space to interview another community member, working individually or in small groups.
