In February, 18 participants constituting 10 cohorts from the YI 2020 and 8 former members of the YI underwent a two-day Focus Group Discussion (FGD) training to facilitate FGDs. The facilitators were trained on FGD as a research tool, its components, nature of question and ethical considerations. It was followed by a session on transcription covering the basics of recording the discussion and transferring it into written records. A hands on session to handle recording kits and accessories was also conducted. In lead up to field works, participants ran two mock interviews, first among themselves and second engaging other young people. Simultaneously, interview questions with NYP 2011 as the framework were customized to suit the needs of a particular group.
Over the period of one week, facilitators reached out to 114 youths from 11 major groups including monks, nuns, Drayang (entertainment centers), persons with disabilities (PWD) and youth with conflict with the law. Besides Thimphu, the facilitators travelled to different districts, namely, Paro, Punakha, Trongsa, Chukha and Trashigang. Facilitators transcribed interviews of their respective groups which were later cleaned and organized by a few facilitators. The transcripts were then sent to the national consultant. Online survey was administered simultaneously with the FGDs. The questions were derived from the FGD questions which indeed were drawn from the NYP 2011. A total of 1099 respondents took the survey. The survey helped reach different youths spread across different parts of the country. Survey responses were shared with the national consultant.