Form GONA_Youth_Instrum GONA_Youth_Instruments

Attachment 3 – Key informant GONA Participant – Youth Instruments
Document A.3: GONA Youth Follow-up Focus Group Guide

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX
Expiration Date: Month Year

Public Burden Statement: An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless
it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this project is xxxx-xxxx. Public reporting burden for this
collection of information is estimated to average 60-90 minutes per client per year, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching
existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments
regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to SAMHSA
Reports Clearance Officer, 1 Choke Cherry Road, Room 7-1044, Rockville, Maryland, 20857.

Evaluation of the Native Aspirations Project
Document A.3: GONA Evaluation – Youth Follow-up Focus Group
Guide

OPENING BLESSING (if appropriate)
Thank you all for being here today. Before we begin, I want to explain what we are going to be talking
about and why the information is important. As you know, the Native Aspirations project is federally
funded and the Gathering of Native Americans (GONA) you just experienced is an important part of the
project. We want to ask you about your thoughts and experiences at the GONA. We also want to get
your impressions about how the GONA might change your community. There are some guidelines for
this discussion that I would like to suggest, and would like to hear any other guidelines that you would
like to add.


First, there are no right or wrong answers. Please share your true thoughts, even if they are
different from what other people have said. We are interested in negative as well as positive
comments; sometimes the negative comments are most helpful.



Second, please speak up, and it’s very important that only one person talk at one time. We are
tape recording the meeting to make sure that we have an accurate record of what has been
said. If several people are talking at one time, the tape will be hard to understand and we will
miss what you said.



Please only use first names in our discussion today. In any of the reports that may later be
created, none of your names will be used. None of your names will be used in any of the reports
that may later be written.

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

Our discussion will last two hours. We will take breaks as they are needed. We’ve put name
cards in front of you to help us remember each other’s names.

Alright, before we get started, does anyone have any questions?
1. Tell me about your experience during the GONA. How did you feel about the GONA?
a. Did you feel welcomed and comfortable during the event? Why or why not?
b. Do you think other participants felt welcomed?
c. What activities made you and others feel welcomed?
d. What activities would you change to help participants feel welcomed?
2. What activities were interesting to you during the GONA?
a. What would you like to bring to the community that you learned during the GONA?
3. What was your favorite part of the GONA?
a. How did you feel after this part?
4. Has the GONA changed the way people in your community deal with problems facing youth, like
suicide, bullying, and substance use?
Probe: Are people more comfortable talking about these issues?
a. Do people talk about these issues differently now versus before the GONA?
5. Please describe the purpose of Native Aspirations in your community as you understand it.
a. How was your interest in learning more about risk factors increased by your GONA
experience?
6. How much do you feel you learned about risk factors for youth violence, suicide, bullying and
substance abuse at the GONA? What about protective factors?
a. What are some of the things you learned about risk and protective factors during the
GONA?
7. How do people and families in your community, in general, get along?
a. Have relationships in your community changed since the GONA?
8. What would you say are the strengths in your community that can help protect youth from the
problems that they face today?
a. Strengths can be particular activities, resources, particular individuals/programs in your
community.

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b. What strengths in your community can protect youth from:
i. Substance use
ii. Suicide
iii. Bullying or being bullied?
c. Were any of these strengths identified during the GONA? Which ones? How much did
participants agree or disagree with the strengths that were identified?
9. How much do you think the GONA gave you a chance to talk about difficult issues?
a. What were some issues that you would have liked to have discussed at the GONA that
weren’t?
10. Because of your participation in the GONA, do you feel like you are more able to help your
community? How?
11. What suggestions did the GONA participants have for working together to address these issues?
a. How likely is it that these activities will occur?
12. Were the GONA participants given a clear understanding of the next steps for planning activities
related to youth violence, bullying, suicide and substance abuse prevention?
a. What is supposed to happen next to make actions happen?
b. Who will be involved in these next steps?

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