SALT + APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY = We're Human!

[wiwin winarni]

Last week (25-29 April 2011), IndoCompetence and Inspirit worked hand in hand on training for facilitators to materialize a joint project steps on strengthening women's rights (SWR) . Along with comprehensive accompaniment from GIZ, as the donor, 16 participants of The ToF provided IndoCompetence a learning moment on how important we DO BELIEVE salt as ways of thinking and working.

At the first three days, Inspirit elaborated splendidly appreciative inquiry to rise participant's awareness on their strengths, enthusiasm, extraordinary ways to live their life, to catch dream and to believe elements of success they have to make their dream come true. I learned a lot, particularly to techniques Inspirit used. Then we learned about SEE VIBRANT Facilitation on asset based community development approach (ABCD). It was challenging, we tried to practice a lot using the recommended mechanism. Some were run well some were not, its common I thought since we were learning.

Then, IndoCompetence session began. Dewi and I shared SALT as WOW and WOT on CLCP mechanism. We focused on the ways of thinking and using last three days exercises and explanations as elaboration of SALT and CLCP. We then invited participants to put SWR's steps into CLCP mechanism. Then..we found the AHA phenomena, the very inspiring moment when participants and me particularly could de-fragmenting numbers of explanation and elaboration on AI, See Vibrant and ABCD into comprehensive, circular ad simple community dialogue on SWR.

We introduced after activity reflection (ARR) on simulation session. The session was practicing session when participants conducted simulation of next facilitation planning they will do at communities. We used See Vibrant and ABCD frameworks, while SALT was adopted as Wow and WOT. Participants learned fast from AAR and could revise their facilitation planning/flows based on AAR inputs. Along with AAR discussion, Abror - a participants, asked me a question whether he could create another flow on facilitation planning instead of what had been recommended. My answer to the question is obviously yes. I said: Yes you could Abror, when you could create another facilitation techniques or flows based on your intuition and creativity, in the same time you do believe that you have great capacity to facilitate community. Community member then will respond to your facilitation and will again revise and improve your facilitation competence. why? because we are human, we learn and improve by process.

We we all happy then. This was not because we could absorbed what trainers and facilitators explanation but we were happy and were confident because we are SALTY. Then could combine any principles, believes, approaches, mechanisms, frameworks, planing etc that close to our facilitation works and functions.

Wider Smile o my Face
With Love

From Indonesia

[Gaston]

What a wonderful posting Wiwin! Please also share in a general blog. 

 

This is something that we observe in so many places now: the combination of ACP/ CLCP with other methodologies and approaches. It's something that we MUST do if we want to spread this way of thinking and working. And it's striking how many approaches resonate with our approach. In Ethiopia, we combined Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction (CMDRR) with ACP. In Papua New Guinea, we are trying to combine CLCP with community conversations. In Burkina Faso, we'll combine CLCP with UNDP leadership development programme. In Suriname, we combined CLCP applied to WASH with the PHAST methodology. 

 

Your experience is another great example of this alignment of strengths of approaches. We must remain open in our minds and learn from other approaches. At the same time, we have to be clear what our non-negotiables are in terms of our process.