Welcome the class. Name the course (Gender and Health, HPS 433). Point to the map: Toledo District, southern Belize, bordering Guatemala. Set the frame: today is about what actually works in violence prevention -- and they will leave with a skill they can use.
Who I Am
Mario Morales
PhD Candidate in Health Behavior and Health Promotion Certificate in Computational Social Science
Weaving ethnographic depth with computational precision to understand and prevent health and environmental risks across borders.
I study gender-based violence, substance use, mental health, and environmental health using mixed methods across the US, Mexico, Belize and South Africa.
My training spans anthropology, demography, government, and public policy.
yeridu.com
Introduce yourself. Point at the URL and say it aloud: yeridu.com -- they can find everything about your work there. Mention the breadth: four countries, mixed methods, and computational social science. Keep it under 90 seconds.
How Today Works
Three Videos. Three takeaways. I'm asking at the end.
01
Why most programs fail
What works, what doesn't, and why.
02
How THRIVE is built
Seven modules that work as one system.
03
What facilitation looks like
What to do when a session gets real.
Walk through the three parts. Tell students: after the videos, you will design something. Their thinking during the videos is the raw material. Do NOT reveal the twist.
Before Video 1
What makes a prevention program actually work?
This video organizes the evidence into three categories. As you watch, practice active listening and try to identify:
Read the question aloud. Give them 10 seconds of silence. Then say: the video presents a framework with three categories -- four design principles, two implementation essentials, and four toolkit components. See how many you can catch. We will review them together after.
Video 1
Jewkes 2021: Elements of Effective VAWG Prevention
Press play. You may pause at key transitions. After the video, do NOT immediately show the summary -- ask the class first: what stood out?
What the Evidence Says
The framework: design, implementation, toolkit
4Design
Start from local realities, not a generic template
Challenge harmful gender norms directly
Build skills step by step, not all at once
Address multiple causes of violence together
2Implementation
Train and support strong facilitators
Follow the program but adapt it to the culture
4Toolkit
Session plans with clear goals
Safe-space rules and trauma awareness
Tools to track who shows up and what changes
Referral plans for when someone needs help
Ask: who caught something similar? Walk through each column briefly. Emphasize that content alone is not enough -- delivery and tools matter equally. Spend no more than 2 minutes here.
Why This Matters for You
Three things to remember when you design anything
Good content fails without strong facilitation. The person running it matters as much as the curriculum.
One workshop changes nothing. Norm change requires repetition, practice, and social reinforcement over time.
Design for transfer. If participants leave with slogans instead of actions, you wasted their time.
Click the Listen button to have the three takeaways read aloud in a British accent. Then ask the room: which of these three is hardest to get right? Take 2-3 responses. Then say: now let me show you a curriculum that tries to do all three.
Before Video 2
THRIVE has seven modules. Which one would you want to facilitate — and why?
As you watch, put yourself in the facilitator's shoes. Which topic feels most important to you? Which one scares you? Hold that tension.
Read the question. Say: I'm not asking you to memorize a list. I want you to pick one module that speaks to you and be ready to tell a neighbor why. This keeps them actively evaluating, not passively copying.
Video 2
THRIVE-Belize: Curriculum Overview
Play the video. After it ends, before showing the summary, turn to the class: quick show of hands -- who picked the same module they were initially drawn to? Who changed their mind?
The Seven Modules
Seven modules, three clusters
3Self
Emotions & communication
Body & mind
Substance use & saying no
2Relationships
Healthy relationships & assertiveness
Sexual & reproductive health
2Community
Masculinities & boys' health
Environmental health
Point out the three clusters: self, relationships, community. Ask: why would a violence prevention curriculum include environmental health? Let 1-2 students reason through it. Answer: because the environment shapes the norms you grow up in.
Before Video 3
How do you facilitate when the conversation gets uncomfortable?
This video walks through the Man Box module. Watch the facilitation moves — not just what is said, but how tension is handled.
Read the scenario aloud. Let silence sit for 5 seconds. Say: this is the hardest part of facilitation. The Man Box module trains facilitators to respond, not react. Watch for the moves.
Video 3
The Man Box Module: Deep Dive
Play the video. After it ends, ask: did you see a moment where the facilitator had to navigate tension? What did they do? Take 2-3 responses before showing the summary.
The Man Box Module
Four sessions, four facilitation moves
4Sessions
Name it — what's inside the Man Box?
Feel it — what does rigidity cost you?
Connect it — how do norms lead to violence?
Act on it — what will you do differently?
4Facilitation Moves
Set ground rules early
Use scenarios before personal stories
Validate emotion, redirect harm
End each session with a concrete action
Walk through the four sessions emphasizing the arc: name it, feel it, connect it, act on it. Then point to the facilitation moves: these are reusable in any difficult conversation. Ask: which one is hardest to do?
Your Turn
One task per video. Write it down.
1 minFrom Video 1. Name one principle you would demand before funding any prevention program.
1 minFrom Video 2. Which THRIVE module would you facilitate? Write one sentence explaining why.
1 minFrom Video 3. A participant pushes back. Write exactly what you would say, using one facilitation move.
1 minPair up. Share your three answers with a neighbor. They pick the strongest one.
Activity Timer
01:00
Step 1: From Video 1
Walk through each step before starting the timer. Steps 1-3 are individual writing. Step 4 is pair-share. During step 4, circulate and listen. This feeds directly into slide 15 where you ask for takeaways.
I told you I'd ask
What are your three takeaways?
You watched three videos. You designed a workshop. You practiced a facilitation move. Now tell the room: what are you taking home?
Raise your hand. Share one.
Remind them: at the beginning I said I would ask at the end. This is that moment. Call on 4-5 students. After each one, briefly connect their takeaway to the video it came from. Close by saying: you now have a framework (design, implementation, toolkit), a module you care about, and a facilitation skill. That is more than most professionals start with.
The Team
THRIVE–Belize
Toledo Community College (TCC), Belize
Aimee Slagle & Mario Morales
Hillside Health CareCommunity health partner, Toledo District
Global Health InstituteUA international health programs
Aimee Slagle, MPHExternal Research ConsultantGabriela Valdez, PhDCo-PI
Interested? Talk to us after class or visit yeridu.com
Frame this as a partnership, not a person. Name all three: Hillside Health Care is the community health partner on the ground. The Global Health Institute connects UA students to international programs. Aimee Slagle is the external research consultant. One UA student will travel this summer. Invite interested students to talk after class or visit yeridu.com.
Thank You
Keep building.
Violence prevention is not a single workshop. It is a practice you refine across your entire career.
yeridu.com
Mario Morales · University of Arizona
Close warmly. Thank the instructor. Point to yeridu.com one more time. Remind them: they have a workshop design, a facilitation move, and a framework. That is more than most professionals start with. Bear Down.
