Learning Festival’s contribution to Community to Community transfer

[Autry Haynes]

In marketing we learn that when a customer is satisfied, that excitement is shared with on average 6/7 persons. That happens naturally! When a community share common experiences and learn from those experiences they too would share their learning. The sharing could happen naturally or influenced. A Learning Festival is a tool allowed for conscious sharing and learning (^_^). During the Learning Festival held in Mauritius in April 2016, 30 foreigners from 13 countries immersed themselves into mauritian communities and together there was sharing and learning. Communities share and learn and eventually reflect on what they can do differently or EVEN better from that experience. Transfer is an outcome of the subsequent actions from learning and sharing. We want to stimulate other communities we feel can benefit from our experiences.

In fact the Learning Festival emanated from transfer which started with the invitation of MCBFF to stimulate a common response around a core issue, drugs! The experiences and learning were transferred to stimulate local response around other common concerns as alcohol, marginalized, organization strengthening concerns and with vulnerable communities which eventually led to the Mauritius Learning Festival.

The post Learning Festival period witnessed a continued moment in transfer of local response of stimulating communities to take ownership and being responsible  for self-development using inherent strengths. The Poste Lafayette is one experience that continued from stimulation during the Learning Festival. Other transfer that happened naturally since April are Group A / Lacaz A engagement of SALT with volunteers and acuiel; Anges du soliel to strengthen way of thinking and working with volunteers of that NGO; engagement of communities of women of l’escalier, Souiliac and the community of African Township.

In reflection the women of L’escalier indicated how different they are:

How different are we since we started this journey?

We have learned what our values are and who we are;

We are at peace with ourselves;

We have learned:

• how to manage our anger

• how to realize our own dream

• how to bring family members together

• that we have to make savings to achieve our dream

We have reduced our stress.

See more reflection here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yHDiDIWjTCSqz0RREhtNfrNc4HKG6_i8tP7-tbZFYiw/edit

And what is being happening at Souiliac and Riambel here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b8KMFMn5NjEbN_H5ZtGfpnm9ftJ5fG-7d-1fzAvYivc/edit

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_aswokWsa3QW2Euc26kUwPfviu89jrnhj5OK58DuK84/edit

There was an invitation for these communities to engage in a ‘Bring-and-Share’. That event took place at Blue Bay. Here are photos of what transpired between three communities that have each come together to cope with life challenges but could find time to share experiences that really contributed to motivation. ENJOY! (^_^)

 

[Rituu B. Nanda]

What in your experience has helped in community to community transfer? Also has it been organisation to organisation transfer as well? Have communities transferred on their own initiative as well? Thanks Autry. This is one of my fav topics:-)