Cohort 1 · 2026 · Session 6 of 8 · Run sheet

Small Steps and First Steps

Two hours. The minute-by-minute facilitator script for M9.

Date

Thursday 25 June 2026

Time

11:00–13:00

Venue

DKA, 475 South Stuart Hwy

Facilitators

Metia (lead) · Mandy (co-fac)

Session purpose · three things to land

Every participant breaks one goal into three small steps on the Small Steps ladder (P10 of the PATH BOOKLET) — smaller is better, and the steps are theirs.
Every participant can picture their PATH Plan day: WHEN, WHO, COLOURS, WHAT TO BRING captured on the Getting Ready worksheet (P11), a date confirmed (or a follow-up call booked), and an invitation list started — with help to send the invites if they want it.
Every participant leaves ready for their PATH Plan day — a personal Before/During/After plan for looking after themselves on the day (one thing circled per row) and the consent/photo form sorted.
S6 closes plainly, not as a finale — a short forward bridge to the two remaining sessions (Professional Skills 2 Jul, Meetings 9 Jul) and each participant's PATH Plan day. The program farewell now lives at S8.

The unspoken fourth one: every participant leaves wanting their PATH Plan day to come. That's the only one that matters in the long run.

This is a handover session — people arrive as a group and leave as individual focus persons, each preparing for their own PATH Plan day. A rough ladder the participant owns beats a polished one we helped too much with. And mind the arc: M9 was written as the program's final group session ('nine weeks'), but for Cohort 1 it lands at S6 with M10 + M12 still to come — pitch the close as 'the PATH work is done', not 'goodbye forever', and adapt the nine-weeks count to our six sessions since 14 May.

Pre-session prep

Three days out · Mon 22 June

OwnerLukas (Mandy calls unbooked dates)

Confirm PATH Plan day dates for each participant (Trello PATH – Participants) — co-fac calls anyone whose date is not yet booked
Print the booklets: PATH BOOKLET in colour, A4, saddle-stitched, 1 per participant; EXTRAS BOOKLET as needed
Print the worksheets: M9_W1 Small Steps ladder ×3 per participant, M9_W2 Getting Ready ×1, M9_W3 Invitation template ×1 + spares, Looking-after-yourself (Before/During/After) ×1 + blank consent/photo-permission forms ×1, Layer 1 feedback forms ×1
Confirm catering — cake / shared food if the cohort agreed at S5
Confirm whether the cohort agreed to a group photo at S5; confirm any interpreter or family member attendance

Day before · Wed 24 June

OwnerLukas + Metia + Mandy

Metia + Mandy walk through the deck together — Mandy names where she will go first
Re-read each participant's worksheet snapshots from S2–S5 (All About Me, Now, My Team, Keeping Strong, My Future) in the Trello record — bring forward any unfinished items so they can be picked up today before the PATH content closes
Lock Mandy's picks: her 'one thing I've noticed' line, her one-small-step icebreaker sentence
Pack the standard kit (markers, paper roll, sticky notes, camera, first aid, contact cards)
Check the venue is booked 60 minutes longer than usual (extra setup before, debrief time after)
15-min huddle — last walk-through

Day of · Thu 25 June, 10:00 arrival

OwnerAll

Both facilitators arrive 60 minutes early today (not the usual 30) — last PATH session, we set the room up well
Booklets on chairs; M9_W1 + W2 + W3 + the looking-after-yourself sheets on the side table
COLOUR CODED PATH wall poster (A2, DAS palette) taped up
Tea / food / water on the side table
Print and check the day-after SMS draft for each participant
Test AV + load the M9 deck (do not depend on cloud); 30-min huddle Metia + Mandy

Minute by minute

11:00–11:10 10 min Welcome + AcknowledgementFrom M9 · slow this one — it's the last PATH welcome Lead: Mandy (welcome) + agreed reader (Acknowledgement)
S6 deck slides 1–3 (cover up on entry · Acknowledgement · today's plan)

Mandy welcomes — and names the cohort: first names of every person. This is the last PATH welcome, so slow it down. Mandy shares one thing she has noticed about the cohort over our weeks together. Specific, not generic — locked at alignment. Acknowledgement — read the locked default wording, slower than usual. Don't paraphrase, don't improvise (pending cultural review — CRR-001, Lhere Artepe sign-off due Phase 8; use the locked default until it lands). Then Metia sets the frame for the day — source script, adapted for Cohort 1 (M10 + M12 still to come): "Today is the last PATH session. After today the PATH work is done — you each have your own PATH Plan day coming up. We've still got two more sessions together on other skills. We are still with you. DAS does not stop when this room closes."

Watch: Anyone visibly flat or anxious on entry — endings stir people up. Quiet check-in, no fuss. Don't let the front of the session sprawl; the close needs its full ten minutes more than the welcome does.

11:10–11:25 15 min Icebreaker — one small step you've takenFrom M9 · one short true sentence each · ties to today's Small Steps theme Lead: Mandy (models first)
S6 deck slide 4

Mandy models a short, true sentence first — one small step she has taken since the group started. Hers is drafted in advance. Then around the room — one sentence per person: one small step you've taken since we started. Big or small, in the group or at home. No pressure to elaborate. Pass is fine. 2026-06-25: this replaces the old '9 weeks in 9 words' / 'our time together' framing — it conflated a week count, a retrospective and a self-observation, and read as a finale. S6 is no longer the program close, so the icebreaker is present-tense and feeds straight into today's Small Steps work.

11:25–11:45 20 min PATH refresher + the map shapeFrom M9 · the COLOUR CODED PATH poster on the wall Lead: Metia (Mandy adds where it fits)
S6 deck slides 5–6

Walk the COLOUR CODED PATH wall poster — the map shape each participant will draw on their own PATH Plan day. Point at the poster, not the screen, where possible. This is revision, not new content — refresh gently and connect it to the day they're preparing for. On the partnership (read it properly — it matters): "DAS facilitates your PATH Plan in partnership with Inclusion NT under the PATH MOU 2025-26. The PATH method itself was developed by Jack Pearpoint, John O'Brien and Marsha Forest in Canada in the late 1980s. Inclusion NT in Darwin built the leadership-group preparation. DAS adapts it for Central Australia. You are part of a long line." The full attribution chain (CRR-015) is printed on the inside back cover of the PATH BOOKLET — show them where.

Watch: Watch for fatigue — this is the longest stretch of received content today. If the room sags, trim the refresher and get to the ladder early; the activities are the session.

11:45–12:00 15 min Activity 1 — Small Steps ladder (P10)From M9 · M9_W1 (3 copies each — drafts are fine), final into the booklet Lead: Both walk the room — Mandy helps with smaller-is-better
S6 deck slide 7

Metia introduces: "Small steps. Smaller is better. 'Phone Auntie this week' beats 'sort out my whole family this year'. The ladder is not a to-do list. It is the first three things, in order, that move you toward your goal." Each participant breaks one goal into three small steps on the M9_W1 ladder — 3 copies each, so drafts are allowed — then the final version goes into P10 of the PATH BOOKLET. Mandy walks the room. If a step is too big, she asks: "What is the very first thing you do? Do you call someone? Send a message? Catch a bus?" Write that on rung 1.

Watch: Someone who cannot think of any small steps — one prompt only: "What is one phone call you have been putting off?" Write that on rung 1. Done. Don't pile on more prompts.

12:00–12:15 15 min Break + shared foodTea · food · water · cake if the cohort agreed at S5 Lead: —
S6 deck slide 8

Facilitators ease off — but this break is also the cold-feet slot. If anyone has wobbles about their PATH Plan day, this is where Metia sits with them (see tricky moments). Lukas during the break: quietly stage the afternoon — M9_W2 Getting Ready sheets at each seat, invitation templates (M9_W3) and the looking-after-yourself sheets (Before/During/After) + blank consent/photo-permission forms stacked at each seat for the afternoon.

Watch: Watch dietary flags per the participant pack. Keep the food unhurried — it's the last shared spread of the PATH arc.

12:15–12:35 20 min Activity 2 — Getting Ready for your PATH Plan (P11)From M9 · M9_W2 · WHEN / WHO / COLOURS / WHAT TO BRING Lead: Both — Mandy scribes where preferred
S6 deck slides 9–11 (Activity 2 · Who's coming · Your PATH Plan facilitators)

Metia introduces: "WHEN, WHO, COLOURS, WHAT TO BRING. We need this before you leave today, even rough. We can fix details over the next two weeks." Four parts on M9_W2, final version into P11 of the booklet: - WHEN — their PATH Plan day date. Confirm it before they leave today, or book the follow-up call. - WHO — their invitation list. Who do they want in the room? The M9_W3 invitation template goes home with them; offer help to send the invites if they want it. - COLOURS — the colours they want on their PATH map. - WHAT TO BRING — photos, music, a support person, food. Mandy scribes for any participant who prefers it. The words stay the participant's.

Watch: The WHO list is theirs — don't editorialise it, even if someone invites a person others are uncomfortable with (see tricky moments). Confirm WHEN for every participant before the room closes — that's the non-negotiable of this segment.

12:35–12:55 20 min Looking after yourself for your PATH Plan dayFrom M10 'Looking after myself' (Before/During/After) · its weaving-guide Week-9 home · PATH-Plan-day prep Lead: Metia frames · Mandy scribes the flipchart
S6 deck slide 12

Frame: 'Your PATH Plan day is a big day — let's get you ready for it, like packing your bag the night before a trip.' Whole-group capture on the flipchart, three rows; then each person copies onto their own sheet and circles ONE thing per row to actually do. BEFORE the day: good sleep, eat breakfast, know the time and place, get there early. We help you sign the consent + photo-permission form — that's the paperwork done. DURING the day: it's your map and your day. Take your time. It's okay to pause, have a drink, or ask us to slow down. AFTER the day: rest, look at your map, tell someone about it, pick your first small step. 2026-06-25: this is the M10 'on time + paperwork' slot the M10 weaving guide assigns to Week 9 (M9) — relocated here to replace the program finale, which moved to S8. No new activity invented.

Watch: Keep it practical, not anxious — the goal is a calm, prepared participant, not a checklist to stress over. Anyone worried about a particular part of their plan day — note it for a 1-on-1 before the day.

12:55–13:00 5 min What's next — see you in two weeksS6 close · NO program ceremony — the farewell now lives at S8, the last session Lead: Mandy (Metia supports)
S6 deck slide 13

A warm, plain close — NOT a farewell. Cover slide 11 (Your PATH Plan facilitators) first if it hasn't come up: who's in the room on their plan day. Then the forward bridge (slide 13): 'Today you finished the PATH map work and got ready for your PATH Plan day. Two more sessions to go.' - Tomorrow: a short SMS or call from Metia or your DAS lead. - Next two weeks: we sort out the details of your PATH Plan day with you. - Thursday 2 July: Session 7 — Professional Skills. - Thursday 9 July: Session 8 — Meetings. Our last session together. No standing ovation, no leave-behind ceremony today — that's S8. Keep it light: see you Thursday.

Watch: Resist making this a goodbye — there are two sessions to go and the real send-off is S8. If a participant treats it as the end, gently redirect: 'Not the end — two more, and your PATH Plan day. See you Thursday.'

Mandy's choices to lock at alignment

Choice	Options
Welcome wording + her 'one thing I've noticed' about the cohort	Her own words. Specific, not generic — one real observation from the weeks together. Locked at alignment, rehearsed not improvised.
Icebreaker model sentence (her one small step)	Drafted in advance — short, true, hers, present-tense. Example: "Since we started, I've begun speaking up at my house meeting."
Acknowledgement reader	Mandy / Metia / both — read the CRR-001 locked default wording either way, slower than usual
If unwell mid-session (like S1)	Steps out — Metia + Lukas continue. Acknowledge briefly, don't make a thing of it.

Participant flags · keep in your back pocket

Participant	Flag
Brandon Williams	Hard of hearing Hard of hearing. Quiet, communicates more when safe. Needs help with spelling and reading. Loves food — remind when enough is enough.
Hosea Crafter	Contact via Tony (carer) No personal phone. Primary contact is his carer Tony · 0400 365 551. Tony will transport him to and from each session.
Jordan Sumner (Jordy)	Nut allergy Needs 30 sec processing time before he answers — be patient. Two support workers attending. STRICT nut-free diet per dietician.
Keyanna Williams	24/7 oxygenKP Services pickup 24/7 oxygen. Fatigues easily — calm room, regular breaks, flexible pacing. Simple, repeated communication. Structured routine, limited choices, 1:1 support. KP Services transport · 0403 574 249.
Michael Wallace	Hard of hearing Hard of hearing. Needs reminders to focus and to eat.
Mona Teamay	Eligibility queryIDDSI 4 / IDDSI 3 AAC (Eye Gaze). Pureed food (IDDSI Level 4), moderately thick fluids (IDDSI Level 3). EOI ticked NO to intellectual/learning disability — confirm eligibility with David.
Petra Haines	KWS / Auslan + whiteboard Uses KWS and Auslan; adapts via writing and whiteboard, plus animated expression. Keep communication simple. Has a current behaviour support plan — request from Codie.

Anticipated tricky moments

Cold feet about the PATH Plan day Sit with them in the break. What is getting in the way? Wrong date? Wrong people? Wrong room? Almost always fixable. Defer the day if needed — PATH Plan dates are not contracts.

Wanting to invite someone others are uncomfortable with Their plan, their call. Hold the boundary respectfully. Do not editorialise the invite list. If there's a genuine safeguarding flag, that is a separate conversation outside the room — follow DAS procedures and document in Trello.

Cannot think of any small steps Mandy asks one prompt: "What is one phone call you have been putting off?" Write that on rung 1. Done.

A participant doesn't show up Phone same afternoon — Metia, not Mandy, if the relationship matters. Find out why. Arrange a one-on-one to catch up on the worksheets — we don't write them off. Their PATH Plan day still happens.

A participant shares cultural framing (M7 'Keeping Strong' callbacks) Listen — do not author or correct (per CRR-011 / CRR-012). Bush food / animal / Country references stay observational; cultural meaning sits with the participant. If a new cultural-content question arises, log a CRR entry and route to the appropriate referee — DAS does not author Aboriginal cultural content.

End-of-session checklist

Each participant has their PATH BOOKLET with Small Steps (P10) + Getting Ready (P11) filled in
Each participant's PATH Plan day date confirmed — or a follow-up call booked within 2 days to confirm it
Each participant's invitation list captured (in their booklet or their Trello PATH – Participants record)
Layer 1 per-session feedback collected in the box at the door — any RED faces raised at the debrief and followed up within 24h
Cohort photo (if taken) saved to the DAS archive with the consent log
Cake / shared food cleared. Room left tidier than we found it
Co-fac debrief done (15 min, paid time)
Day-after SMS sent to each participant within 24 hours (per 06_Post_Workshop_Follow_Up_Template.md)
Trello PATH – Participants updated for each participant: PATH content complete — PATH Plan day [date] (cohort still meets for M10 + M12)
CRR entries reviewed — any new cultural-content questions raised today logged to the Register and routed to the appropriate referee
Layer 1 + 2 data filed; the Layer 3 end-of-program reflection is now captured at S8 — the full cohort report (Inclusion NT: CB&PLG MOU + PATH MOU + DEX) is aggregated after S8
M9 worksheet pile (W1, W2, W4) prepared for Mandy in menu-of-options form — peer review for the NEXT cohort's M9 build, not inspection of these participants' private sheets
Each participant has their Looking-after-yourself sheet (one thing circled per row) and their consent + photo-permission form signed for their PATH Plan day

Adapted for Central Australia by DAS, in partnership with Inclusion NT under the PATH MOU 2025–26. Original curriculum © Inclusion NT.