Noemi Bertomeu's Posts - Community life competence2024-03-28T14:22:08ZNoemi Bertomeuhttps://aidscompetence.ning.com/profile/NoemiBertomeuhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2523261227?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://aidscompetence.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=0ngmlzq4mtxku&xn_auth=noChallenges in applying SALT: INCLUSION, rank and egalitarian dialogue.tag:aidscompetence.ning.com,2018-03-05:2028109:BlogPost:1689462018-03-05T15:32:28.000ZNoemi Bertomeuhttps://aidscompetence.ning.com/profile/NoemiBertomeu
<p>Learning from applying SALT in Catalonia. (it follows the previous post on Who are we?)</p>
<p>(AER) some interesting challenges to reflect upon:</p>
<ul>
<li>One important aspect was to clarify the role of the Government administration. Clearly reflecting clearly on power dynamics is important in the beginning of a participatory process, specially as an ethical issue with participants:</li>
<li>Clarification on what are the overall intentions of key actors like government in this case, or…</li>
</ul>
<p>Learning from applying SALT in Catalonia. (it follows the previous post on Who are we?)</p>
<p>(AER) some interesting challenges to reflect upon:</p>
<ul>
<li>One important aspect was to clarify the role of the Government administration. Clearly reflecting clearly on power dynamics is important in the beginning of a participatory process, specially as an ethical issue with participants:</li>
<li>Clarification on what are the overall intentions of key actors like government in this case, or private sector is crucial.</li>
<li>Sometimes for the process to be owned,<ul>
<li>a need to clarify power dynamics can be strongly present,</li>
<li>and there is need to also facilitate that everyone feels free to express, and</li>
<li>sometimes inclusion can have as consequence that some people will feel not comfortable to speak up (like the classical debate on when to bring men and women together, and when to split the two groups ).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p> Thus in multi-stakeholders projects, it seems important to reflect on <strong><em>How and when</em></strong> people should be included, is something that cannot always rationally be planned.</p>
<p>Holding the INTENTION for inclusion at the right time and place, that would be a guiding principle. Noticing signals of <em>the field</em>: what is the emerging process?</p>
<p>In Tarragona the emerging process was the creativity and new ideas on options to articulate that differ from those that had been boosted in other provinces by the government. Thus, meeting and exploring this emerging process <em><u>without</u></em> government representatives seems to have had amazing results.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2540753795?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2540753795?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p><em>Photo: reframing the allocation of chairs from linear/classical listening to panellist into a participatory SALT approach to learn from the “Local Response” already existing.</em></p>
<p>As we have shared with other SALT facilitators supporting the SALT on-line course that we are engaged in The Netherlands:</p>
<p>“As much as we aim for <strong><em>an egalitarian dialogue,</em></strong> that shouldn't obscure the impact of rank and power distance/power structures. The government has a very specific position in the field, which implies the <strong><em>authority</em></strong> to allocate budget and make various kinds of decisions. Stimulating dialogue on equal footing is important. At the same time we need clarity on roles, authority and the like, in order to build trust among parties and partners. Pretending equality when there is an actual power distance (different ranks and decision making authority) can be very detrimental. I have seen a lot of trouble coming from 'fake democracy'. . . “ (Birgitta Schonmaker)</p>
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<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2540753795?profile=original" target="_self"></a></p>
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<p></p>Who are we? Uncovering strengths through story telling and exploration of Hopes and Concerns in Catalonia.tag:aidscompetence.ning.com,2018-03-05:2028109:BlogPost:1691302018-03-05T15:27:49.000ZNoemi Bertomeuhttps://aidscompetence.ning.com/profile/NoemiBertomeu
<p>Dear all,</p>
<p>I would like to share my experience in applying SALT to a project with Civil Society Organisations in Tarragona, Catalonia.</p>
<p>A gathering was organized on 20<sup>th</sup> January, which was facilitated using SALT to get to know better <strong>"Who are we".</strong> Some organisations / reference persons know each other, and also have a history of working together, but not all, so diversity was there, which was hugely needed to be taken into account in the facilitation…</p>
<p>Dear all,</p>
<p>I would like to share my experience in applying SALT to a project with Civil Society Organisations in Tarragona, Catalonia.</p>
<p>A gathering was organized on 20<sup>th</sup> January, which was facilitated using SALT to get to know better <strong>"Who are we".</strong> Some organisations / reference persons know each other, and also have a history of working together, but not all, so diversity was there, which was hugely needed to be taken into account in the facilitation process).</p>
<p>Participatory exercises were used to help creating the atmosphere that supported sharing and trust. Later, in smaller groups, we worked together on concrete experiences and stories of linking up among the organisations, giving also space for <strong>the Hopes and Concerns</strong>, which appear in relation with possible future collaborations and networking .</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2540699803?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="450" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2540699803?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="450" class="align-full"/></a> </p>
<p>Sharing the Hopes and Concerns has been key in order to give space to both the strengths that were implicitly present in the shared stories, and the ways that challenges were overcome. Given space to the challenges had a powerful effect, in connecting differently, from a more human communality.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2540712458?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2540712458?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p><em>Those were some of the strengths and challenges overcomed:</em></p>
<ul>
<li><em>Capacity to network and to achieve greater citizen participation in the region, which is a common feature of some experiences of articulation among social movements in Tarragona, specially to address together key environmental challenges in the territory.</em></li>
<li><em>Strong creativity and capacity for adaptation by some small organisations in the way they articulate actions and successful fundraising in the region due to the Inclusion of diversity of stakeholders.</em></li>
<li><em>Trust and recognition among immigrant entities participating in emergency response such as the typhoon of the Philippines of 2013. This experience is valued by the perseverance, resilience, energy and enthusiasm generated during the process, which allowed the achievement of specific objectives.</em></li>
<li><em>Ability to articulate the work of organizations in Tarragona with the work of organizations in Central America, addressing problems that are common as human being and sharing experiences (Conference on Historical Memory)</em>.</li>
<li><em>Strong roots in the province, being present and connecting rural areas, facilitating access to Tarragona University, which campuses are decided to be decentralized across the territory.</em></li>
</ul>
<p><em><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2540713219?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="450" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2540713219?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="450" class="align-full"/></a>Afterwards, the stage was set for talking about a vision for the future, and which type of collaboration and networking can appear.</em></p>
<p><strong><em>What was my main learning from applying SALT?</em></strong></p>
<p><em>By unfolding the strengths through story telling and exploration of Hopes and Concerns, interestingly creative energy appeared, willingness to explore different options to coordinate that might differ from other experiences in mores centralised provinces like Barcelona. Owning the own way and wisdom of solving their own situation was powerful, a starting point, that seems will have a follow-up in the near future.</em></p>
<p><em><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2540713773?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2540713773?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-full"/></a></em></p>
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<p><em>Noemí </em></p>Attack to the Kurdish community and People’s Protection Units (YPG), a self-organised movement that could be an example of SALT approach towards community dream and local response.tag:aidscompetence.ning.com,2018-01-25:2028109:BlogPost:1685252018-01-25T12:34:38.000ZNoemi Bertomeuhttps://aidscompetence.ning.com/profile/NoemiBertomeu
<p>I would like to share with all of you, The Constellation, my concern and sadness on the impunity on Turkey’s offensive against a Kurdish enclave in northern <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/syria">Syria</a>. Up to 24 civilians have been killed and an estimated 5,000 displaced in the first three days.…</p>
<p>I would like to share with all of you, The Constellation, my concern and sadness on the impunity on Turkey’s offensive against a Kurdish enclave in northern <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/syria">Syria</a>. Up to 24 civilians have been killed and an estimated 5,000 displaced in the first three days. <span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/23/turkey-admits-first-soldier-to-die-kurdish-offensive-syria">https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/23/turkey-admits-first-soldier-to-die-kurdish-offensive-syria</a></span></p>
<p> I am sad and confronted as human being with all the horror, and also reflecting on how the real politics /factual power can brutality respond to self-organisation, and local responses from community.</p>
<p>“The Kurdish Project” in Syria (organised through People’s protection units (YPG) and PKK) has been able to develop and normalise a communitarian social system, liberating the territory from the logic of the state and capital. Making their dream a reality, fighting for it, in order to live with the logic of believing on community strengths and love, the strength of the willingness to make a more peaceful and equilibrate world.</p>
<p>Is this not SALT?</p>
<p>My reflection is: Are SALT’s principles when unfold in practice, when creating a Local response, creating ownership process to believe in people’s capacities to construct their future and dreams, be threatening to the power dynamics in place and considered a danger to status quo, that need to be annihilated?</p>
<p>Through PKK, and YPG, Kurds have been self-defending their dreams and also fighting ISIS. Through popular militias, where diverse religion, and gender and cultures can join, lots of people have lost there lives to construct a liberated territory where to build their dream.</p>
<p>With the democratic confederatioanlism, they have created a “local response”, and they are working decades on it with the background of a millenary culture, that bring a cosmovision/ world view that supports communitarian strengths’ so that they can be out of the influence of the siren calls of the global dynamics of economic interests.</p>
<p>In this website you can find Strengths’ stories coming from personal experiences, like this one explaining how syrias-arab-kurdish women join forces to fight for future:</p>
<p><a href="https://thekurdishproject.org/stories/syrias-arab-kurdish-women-join-forces-fight-future/">https://thekurdishproject.org/stories/syrias-arab-kurdish-women-join-forces-fight-future/</a></p>
<p><span> Noemí </span></p>