# FYP Slay Index Interview Protocol **FYP Slay Index Interview Protocol** [**FYP Slay Index**](https://wiki.foryoupage.org/books/5-foryoupageorg/page/fyp-slay-index "FYP Slay Index") **1. Introduction (5 minutes)** 1\. **Greeting and Rapport Building** • Welcome the participant; thank them for volunteering. • Briefly introduce yourself and your research team/organization. 2\. **Study Overview** • **Purpose**: “We are exploring how youth advocates become involved in mental health activism, what motivates them, and what supports or resources they need to be more effective.” • Emphasize that **their experiences and perspectives** will help design better solutions for future youth advocates. 3\. **Ethical Assurances** • Reiterate informed consent: • Participation is voluntary; they can withdraw at any time. • Their responses will remain confidential/anonymous as agreed. • Confirm permission to **record** (audio or video) for transcription and note-taking. **2. Personal Background & Lived Experiences (10–15 minutes)** **Objective**: Build a contextual understanding of the participant’s personal history (4 Ls: Lived, Loved, Labored, Learnt), setting the stage for their advocacy journey. 1\. **Could you tell me a bit about your background and how you first became interested in mental health advocacy?** • Possible Follow-ups: • “Were there any personal experiences (Lived) that sparked your interest?” • “What supportive relationships (Loved) influenced you early on?” 2\. **What aspects of your daily life or work (Labored) overlap with your advocacy?** • Possible Follow-up: • “How did learning experiences (Learnt)—like formal education, training, or even online resources—shape your approach to advocacy?” 3\. **Could you describe any specific turning points or ‘aha’ moments that made you decide to take action in mental health?** • Possible Follow-up: • “Was there a particular event or challenge that motivated you to shift from awareness to active advocacy?” 4\. What does flourishing meant to you? **3. Advocacy Journey & Motivational Drivers (10–15 minutes)** **Objective**: Map out how Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation (COM-B) have influenced their activist behaviors, and uncover the evolution of their advocacy work. 1\. **How did you start your advocacy work?** • Possible Follow-ups: • **Capability**: “Which skills or knowledge did you feel you had (or needed) at the start?” • **Opportunity**: “What kinds of opportunities or enabling factors helped you get started?” • **Motivation**: “What internal or external motivators kept you going in the early stages?” 2\. **What challenges or barriers have you faced in your advocacy journey?** • Possible Follow-ups: • “How did these challenges affect your motivation or ability to continue?” • “Were there times you felt you lacked the capability or opportunity to push forward?” 3\. **Has your motivation changed over time?** • Possible Follow-ups: • “Were there new personal experiences or external events that boosted or diminished your commitment?” • “Did you develop new skills or gain different kinds of support that shifted the way you advocate?” **4. Needfinding & Resource Gaps (10–15 minutes)** **Objective**: Identify the specific resources, support systems, or interventions that could better enable youth to engage in mental health advocacy—core “user needs.” 1\. **Thinking back on your journey, what resources or supports do you wish you’d had early on?** • Possible Follow-ups: • “Were you looking for mentorship, peer networks, funding, training?” • “What would have made the biggest difference in overcoming barriers?” 2\. **What are the biggest unmet needs or gaps you still encounter as a youth mental health advocate?** • Possible Follow-ups: • “Are these gaps related to funding, policy support, organizational backing, emotional well-being, or something else?” • “Where do you currently turn for help, and what do you struggle to find?” 3\. **If you could design or improve a program or platform to support youth advocates, what would it look like?** • Possible Follow-ups: • “What key features or tools would it need to include?” (e.g., mental health resources, leadership training, policy education) • “How could it address issues like burnout, stigma, or lack of institutional support?” 4\. **In your opinion, what do emerging youth advocates need most to become effective social change agents in mental health?** • Possible Follow-ups: • “Could you list the top 2–3 supports (e.g., skill-building, networking, mentorship, technology, funding) that are essential?” **5. Cross-Cultural / Intersectional Considerations (Optional, 5 minutes)** **Objective**: Understand how cultural, socioeconomic, and identity factors influence participants’ advocacy experiences and needs. 1\. **How do you think your cultural or community context has shaped your advocacy work?** • Possible Follow-up: • “Have you encountered cultural norms or beliefs about mental health that made it harder or easier to advocate?” 2\. **In what ways do your various identities (race, gender, socioeconomic status, etc.) interact with your activism?** • Possible Follow-up: • “Are there unique barriers or enablers tied to these intersectional identities?” **6. Reflection & Future Directions (5–10 minutes)** 1\. **What do you hope the future of youth mental health advocacy looks like in your community or globally?** • Possible Follow-up: • “How do you see your role evolving as part of that future?” 2\. **What advice or insights would you share with someone new to mental health advocacy?** • Possible Follow-up: • “Is there a single piece of advice you wish you had when you started?” 3\. **Is there anything we haven’t discussed that you feel is important for us to understand about your advocacy journey or the needs of youth advocates?** **4. Any questions you would like to ask other advocates?** **7. Closing (2–5 minutes)** 1\. **Express Gratitude** • Thank the participant for their honesty and time. 2\. **Next Steps** • Briefly explain how their input will be used (e.g., to inform solution design, develop an advocacy toolkit, shape subsequent research). 3\. **Invitation for Follow-Up** • Ask if they would like to stay informed about the project outcomes, publications, or pilot programs. • Offer contact information for any follow-up questions or clarifications.