A learning festival serves as a platform for the exchange of good practices.  8 mothers and 3 youth from Singapore who are in Bandung this week were surprised that their experiences and reflections were valued by participants from other parts of the world. They may not always be able to explain their efforts with a philosophical or practice framework but that did not prevent them from inspiring others.

Khidir, a youth leader was listening to a sharing about the role of a local…

Third meeting:  mixed group of boys and girls (step one of CLCP) 

We started CLCP with adolescents who attend computer classes in SAATHI Community centre of Institute of Social Studies Trust, Delhi in India. The aim is how they can be themselves and discover their inner potential. Additionally, how can they value and support each…

I publish this story in the behalf of Kees Lafeber. It is also avaiable here: https://www.facebook.com/457271687691239/posts/1876640895754304/

“In the last four years, I’ve spent a lot of time in Maluku, Indonesia, where my wife’s parents are from. I’m retired and a photographer, so I spend a lot of time clicking pictures in the community. Through this, I noticed the massive waste problem in the…

October 22, Bandung. Pak Sonny takes the floor, visibly moved. In his address to about 70 participants  at the Global Learning Festival (GLF), he explains why he flew all the way from Papua to West Java. “Papua has known many programs to deal with AIDS, he says. They came and went. The one that stayed with us is SALT, because it made us understand what we could do on our own”. I cried. 6 years ago, a change in leadership  had dashed our hopes to support Papua…

During the whole November the focus of Constellations As You Open Your Eyes project will be on a young team of football players on the island of Mauritius.

For them football isn’t just a fun ball game but one way to escape drug and alcohol abuse and their violent surroundings.…

Sustainability of Local Responses and support organisations

Looking below the surface.

I had the privilege to participate at the Global Learning Festival in Bandung, from 21^stto 27^thOctober 2018. During that event, we carried out SALT visits in the communities around, and the local organisers had done an excellent job in identifying and mobilise 6 groups/communities/organisations…

"Forum Komunikasi Peduli Anak" is community initiative in Bandung that positions itself as a welcoming resource for children-at-risk. On 31 March 2015, 15 neighbours who were concerned about prostitution among the young decided to do something. They were parents themselves and felt a sense of duty to extend themselves to other children in their midst who lacked a sense of stability and were making poor choices. They held the belief that once someone becomes aware of a problem, not doing…

As a person with a teacher background, learning for me is like a big class monologue. My colleague and mentor, Sirinate Piyajitpirat, was on the same page with me when we were organizing session on SALT Experiential Lab Workshop on the GLF.

In # GLF2018 I really learned one form and face of learning. Why does learning need to be done in small groups? Why does learning need to be done in a warm atmosphere and even allow people to experience through touch, deep interaction and direct…

Towards shared responsibility in a sustained Constellation

IndoCompetence at the Heart of Global Support

Since three years a recurrent priority of the work plan of the Constellations Global Support Team is ‘organizing a Global Learning Festival’. It is our highlight of the year. People from all walks of life and all corners of the world come together. To connect, to share, to learn together. From Mauritius 2016, to Entebbe 2017 to now Bandung…

Soliloquy style [an utterance or discourse by a person who is talking to himself or herself or is disregardful of or oblivious to any hearers present]

“The good old days eh! These days are so full with threats of different types. How can young people especially, aspire to achieve their dreams? I want good for my family, but i am concerned about by 15yrs…

Let me take you down, because we are going to…… strawberry fields!

The drive uphill to village KB Sabilulungan is long. The curvy road takes us through the hills outside Bandung. The view on the tea-plantations is stunning. So fresh, so green and clearly maintained with so much diligence. During the #GLF2018 we are exploring sustainability of local responses. The 3 hours drive gives me time to…

In Lormagorhati, a remote village of Kamrup, the youth and ladies in the community have realised that the sanitary latrines being provided to every home in the village are either made of sub-standard materials or that households are being left out. Based on a Self Assessment done by the community earlier, proper sanitation was an issue that they felt they were lagging behind on, so it became a part of their action plan. They would ensure that each household would be covered using sanitary…

Today, Thursday 25th October 2018, I was interviewed by Anu about the online SALT-course my triad finished last summer. 

Preparing for that interview I was pondering about (among more) the question 'What is SALT for me?'. That is a powerful question that made me look inside and find answers I wasn't aware of before.  I like to share some thoughts with you.

For me SALT is:

- Respect for the individual, for the community and for the world.

- The wisdom of the…

(On 28th Sep 2018,  I facilitated a one-day session on use of SALT and Community life competence process in development and M&E . NILERD -National Institute of Labour Economics Research and Development (An Autonomous Institute under NITI Aayog, Government of India) organises M&E course for foreign professionals every year in Delhi, India. Here is a short summary of the discussion we had on our ‘common humanity’ and what it means in context of our work with people. This is part II…

A Taste of SALT: Intro session of 'Support, Appreciate, Learn and Transfer' (SALT) for ASHA or Ward Counselors as they are now re-designated, at the Family Health Center, Noolpuzha, Wayanad. This group of Ward Counselors will practice and facilitate SALT and Community Life Competence Process (CLCP) in their work and life to achieve the dreams of their…

On 28th Sep 2018,  I facilitated a one-day session on use of SALT and Community life competence process in development and M&E . NILERD -National Institute of Labour Economics Research and Development (An Autonomous Institute under NITI Aayog, Government of India) organises M&E course for foreign professionals every year in Delhi, India. Here is a short summary of the discussion we had on our ‘common humanity’ and what it means in context of our work with people. This is part I of…

We made a bridge !

(photo courtesy: Rafique Tunio)

The bridge may be rickety, but it is a source of pride for the villagers of Rato Rind of Taluka Mirpur Sakro, District Thatta.

At a SALT introductory session, when participants were asked to share the collective response for a common problem, (first question of the SALT session), one villager said: …