5.4 Role of parents and siblings
The role of parents and siblings varied significantly from one participant to the next. In general, a parent was often visible in the camera’s field of view and their presence was necessary for sessions’ smooth operation: “I often get the comment, ‘Am I doing too much?’ and I say, ‘No, no, if you weren’t there it would be more difficult for me.”’ Some parents tended to be hands-off, staying present during the session “just in case.” Others, particularly parents of more introverted youths, participated actively in the activities to motivate their child to get more involved. Parents were also supportive of the intervention plan: they could clarify or reformulate instructions, intervene in case of inadequate behaviour, and reinforce good behaviours: “I know that if the parent wasn’t there, I wouldn’t be able to do the activity because the attention just wouldn’t be there.” Certain parents acted as interpreter between the leader and participant, to facilitate communication. As well, some parents provided feedback to session leaders to optimize sessions (e.g. activities, tricks, changes in their child’s interests…) and showed themselves to be proactive and open to leaders’ suggestions. According to the student facilitators, parents would probably have been less present or less involved in the activities and interventions in person.
Siblings, for their part, were a source as much of motivation as of distraction during activities. When they were visible on the screen, session leaders tried to integrate them into certain parts of activities, which might stimulate the participants’ engagement. On the other hand, siblings’ presence in the environment, particularly when the participant found themselves in common areas of the home, could contribute to distraction because of noise and interactions that could interrupt the rhythm of the lesson.
As the project advanced, some participants became more and more autonomous and responsible. The role of parents evolved into one of initial support, to deal with technical problems (e.g. internet connection) and then leave the room for the session. Certain participants even asked to be alone with the session leader: “A dad joked to me, ‘She chases me from the house, she really wants to be alone with you!”’ However, if a participant had difficulties with oral expression, comprehension could pose an additional challenge for a session leader lacking the support of a parent to clarify: “I don’t want them to feel like there’s a problem with how they express themselves, I feel bad, but I sometimes ask them to repeat themselves. I find it hard sometimes.” Finally, in some cases, the presence of a parent sometimes seemed to become an obstacle to the youth’s participation, taking up too much space in the course of the session and leaving insufficient time for the youth to explore or respond, or indeed in putting a certain pressure on them to perform: “I felt that one youth became impatient because his mother was telling him what to say and what to do, even though he would have been capable”; “When parents are there, I find it difficult because I want to adapt as much as possible to the rhythm of my students, and sometimes the parent will push a little, it’s more challenging”; “Others will be there for discipline and I find that hard because they have a shorter fuse than me.” It was beneficial in such cases to suggest that the participant be autonomous during sessions and that the parent be present for support if needed: “It’s very positive, there’s less pressure: the youth can take time.”