Threats brainstorm: assessing risk, threats, vulnerabilites, capacities

Key explanation points

Facilitators select two key threats from the group (either raised in previous discussions or during the discussion after the threats presentation). These are the ‘what’. Write them up on the flipchart. Ensure that one threat is a traditional ‘public’ threat and that the other is a ‘private’ threat.

Then, as an example for the following exercise, facilitators should ask the group to analyse:

• who are the sources of the threat; and
• the ‘why’ – what is behind the threat.

Next, ask the group to list the:

• capacities to address the threat; and
• vulnerabilities to the threat.

Ask the group to assess the level of risk that these threats pose, given their list of capacities and vulnerabilities. They can refer to the Threshold of acceptable risk handout.¹

Alternative options

In addition to these questions, ask the group to describe the potential impact/consequences of the threat – that is, if the threat is realised, what will happen in the ‘public’ sphere and the ‘private’ sphere?

Example structure