Model II: On Site Small Group Work

Working in a group has many advantages:

• social contact
• people find that they share common problems
• works against isolation
• fun
• creates energy and peer support
• literacy can tie in to existing groups in a drop-in or shelter
• chance for different kinds of communication - discussion, reading, art, film

There are also many challenges to working in a group, especially in a drop-in or shelter:

• group may be multi-level in terms of needs and skills: hard to meet individuals' needs
  
  
• group members may have different levels of skills in terms of participating, listening, and speaking in a group, and dealing with conflict
  
  
• some people will not participate in a group, or will need lots of support and encouragement to participate
  
  
• members may defer to the facilitator or staff as the "expert" or "referee"
  
  
• one or two members may try to dominate or direct the group
  
  
• group membership may be transient and may change every meeting. It can be hard to build consistency or group norms. This is hard because it takes time to build trust in a group, and for people to feel comfortable speaking or participating.