Table 4 Workshop challenges and areas for improvement from the perspective of workshop facilitators

Theme

Quotes

Workshop recruitment and attendance

F1: Recruitment. It is so difficult getting the parents [to the workshop]. It is very random. So typically when you're recruiting in all these settings you’re going through a third party, like the parent advisory committee person, inviting the parents through their network or the school principal or the sport club technical director. So, you have to rely on somebody to send out the notices to the list. So that broke down in some cases, but not all.

F3: I think participation was the biggest one… it’s easy enough to put it out there and say this is gonna happen and I think in theory like people want to know this sort of stuff … but like when it comes time to actually deliver the programs a lot of those like “maybes, ya sortas” turn into no-shows.

Unfavorable spaces

F1:…outside space is problematic I would suggest that the workshop should be done indoors and mostly because we use a lot of balloons and light things and they blow away. The second thing is the ability to bound your space. It's a bit chaos-y. You need an ability to bound your space

F4: … ya the classroom was a little broken [up] because of all the chairs and the tables and I remember thinking that it would be better had I pushed like the stuff aside and just created a more open inviting atmosphere.

F3: I think we tried to do it all together and when you’re- it’s like 7 o’clock after school and kids are expecting to be like playing games and you’re trying to explain things to the parents while the kids are just standing there and watching you do it, you lose a lot of that attention because the parents are now worried about what the kids are doing instead of what you’re explaining to them about.

F4: ….. when the parents that had small children with them, I think it was harder, it was more difficult for them to (pause) focus and really get the most out of the workshop. ….

Supporting parents after the workshop

F1: … I would do a let’s make activity and they would leave with the piece of equipment ……We did do a [simple] handout, …. but a more professional handout and a web resource where they could go to find some simple ideas probably would help.

F4: [The workshop] is engaging and parents get motivated but then once they leave- what are the chances that it’s sustained that kind of you know learning and positive energy. … so I think some sort of- follow-up, some sort of sustainability type strategy just to prompt that continued behaviour.