The Journey Begins

Make the most of your virtual experience! 

If you are exploring the FF Essentials at your own pace do the Virtual Activities and give yourself time to: 

• Repeat them as many times as you like!  A good moment to move to the next one is when you feel confident enough to explain the idea to a friend or colleague.

• Take notes about how the concepts are applied or experienced in your context. 

• Research more information on the topics that spark your curiosity. 

• Share your insights and learn from others by contributing to the online discussion forums.

Facilitator's Tips: manage participation like a pro! 

The Fish Forever Essentials can build empathy, relationships, and collaboration among participants.  As teams accomplish each activity, team members strengthen their teamwork, critical thinking, and leadership skills.  The following best practices can help you create a positive learning environment for everyone: 

• Contextualize: The activities included in this site were co-created and tested with program implementation staff from multiple countries, use them as they are or adapt them to your country's context and unique characteristics.

• Team size: Groups of four or five provide the opportunity for leaders to emerge.  Groups of six or more require a competent leader to be a part of the team.

• Team identity: Allocate time for teams to choose a name, and create a team cheer, slogan, or logo!  If feasible, provide materials for teams to make their own banners or flags. 

• Interactions: Review the participant list and, if needed, plan ahead to influence how individuals or small groups interact with each other.  For example, if you would like to improve communication between fish traders and government officials, consider pre-assigning people to teams that have members of both groups and provide them more time to develop their team identity.  Similarly, if you think an individual or sub-group of people may be overpowered by others, you can avoid assigning them to the same team. 

• Technology: Verify that virtual and in-person participants will have access to a reliable internet connection and hardware for the duration of the FF Essentials.  Plan de-brief and reflection activities that integrate virtual and on-site participants.  Even if you are facilitating an in-person FF Essentials experience, a participant may need to or prefer to do an activity in a digital format. 

• Opening: At the beginning of the FF Essentials, emphasize it is a creative and open space for sharing and learning, where all opinions and ideas are listened to and respected.  Ask participants to commit to and hold each other accountable to these principles. 

• Instructions: Ask participants to "repeat back" verbal instructions to ensure they have been understood.  Provide written instructions, preferably to more than one group member.   

• Roles: Recommend that each team nominate individuals to take on key roles, like time-keeping, leading, scribing (recording), communicating with facilitators, etc.

• Resources: Read the equipment and materials list out loud at the beginning of an activity for groups to verify they have everything they need.