Before The Workshop: Interviews & Lifestories

Home visits and 1st recording of participant life story:

Each workshop participant is visited at his/her home by Xavier about one week prior to the workshop.  Many appreciate this as a welcome opportunity to get to know Xavier and hear more about the impending workshop in a relaxed and familiar environment.  It also helps us to gain more insight into the participant’s social context and understand particular difficulties in that person’s life.  Together, we prepare a first (taped) document of the person’s life story.  Topics during the informal interview at home include key moments in the participant’s life, his/her experiences of living with HIV/Aids, the support available, and his/her vision of the future.

The home visits also inspire many participants to make more time before the start of the actual workshop to remember important life events and reflect on the meaning they have found in their lives.  All this prepares participants for the intensive work during the workshops.