second chance for fixing

[chandra nurhasz]

We were at Manonjaya, West Java last week, together with JL, Rebeka, Lulu, Mustain (friend from Singkawang, West Kalimantan) and I. Jl has shared about this subdistrict and how beautiful a view at the side along the way.

At the second day, I facilitated the session of reflection. I proposed the question for all of us: when you woke up this morning, what did you think of? Well, this was actually an easy question. So I just said this question to audience. Some of participants gave an answer in line with the question, but the rest were not. Some said: when I woke up this morning, I do this and that, etc.
In the evening, we reflected on this. JL told that before we gave an instruction, we have to very clear telling to the audience what is an idea. I didn't do that, because I thought this was an easy one. I proposed to do that again in the next day. I planned to fixed it.

Finally, I re-facilitated reflection session in the 3rd day with the same question with prologue/preface, with a clear explanation about what I asked. Everybody was clear about the question and came out with an answer which is in line with what we expected.

What I learned are:
1. Review after what we've done (AAR) is very important to do. Even probably we feel tired after a whole day activity.
2. It's very important to give a clear explanation about what we instruct.

This morning, in the Indonesia Knowledge Fair at Jogjakarta, I facilitated a session called connectivity. This is the session to describe that Indocompetence member is actually connected each other. This is actually the strength that we have. But sometime we did not realize. In this session I gave a clear explanation, a prologue/preface that could stimulate people to come out with their experiences about connectivity.
I have learned from previous session to apply to another one.

I remember with what Gaston said: facilitator that stop learning is not facilitator.

cn

[Rituu B. Nanda]

Dear Chandra,

I had posted a blog on my experience on the dream building exercise. Please refer to Gaston's comment to that posting. He has shared some excellent ideas on facilitating this exercise. During this visit, we were with a group of young people and we asked them about their dreams everyone went quiet. It was a long silence, silence can make us uncomfortable. Sanghamitra another coach sitting next to me sensed by anxiety and murmured. Its ok. The community needs time to reflect.

I think if the facilitator shares his/her dream it can encourage the community to come forth. Also I recently attended a conference where I observed the use of art in dreambuilding- photographs, pictures, stickers, poetry, music and dance! In fact, dance and music is being used by an organisation in Indonesia.

Best regards,

Rituu

[chandra nurhasz]

Thanx for sharing, Laurence ...

I agree with you about requiring follow up the dream. Because sometime some of us even forget to re-visit the communities which was build the dream together.

[Laurence Gilliot]

I love it, Chandra! Your sincerity and your eagerness to learn, it is wonderful. I'm happy because you are so honest. It means that this feels like a safe space to share and show yourself vulnerable. It is beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing.

I'm also curious to hear more experiences around facilitating the dream. My experience is that it can be a very powerful exercise. In Belgium, we went to a school of physically handicapped children. We asked them about their dream in life. They were all beautiful: some wanted to swim with dolphins, some just wanted to be integrated in society... The session was so powerful that some of the children were upset that same evening and the days after. Anxieties about the future came to their mind... "What will happen to us when we graduate? We don't feel ready to work and have a normal life," some of them said. They then came up with the idea to create a student association to support each other when they would graduate and to help the younger ones.

So, lesson learned for me: the dream can be very powerful and it is important but it requires a close follow up after that to deal with possible anxieties emerging.

Take care

Laurence

[chandra nurhasz]

Hi Rituu,

Well, you remind me also as well about building the dream. Previously we (Pontianak team) did under-estimated when facilitated community to build their own dream, particularly for the some communities such as 'becak driver', ojek ('motorcyle taxi'), street kids, etc. In the meeting among us, we debated about do we able to facilitated these groups to build it. We though these peoples are not able to build it.
But we were wrong. Everyone has a dream for their own life. For the 1st one, the key word was practice. We debated, but we did actually not practice. Do practice, we will find out. Second one was how did we communicated/interacted with them. If we have a good way to stimulate them, then they will come out with their dreams.

So Rituu, do you have experiences to share with me about facilitated building the dream? how do you stimulated them to make them coming out?

[Rituu B. Nanda]

Dear Chandra,

Thanks for your wonderful posting. I am so inspired by the spirit to learn and then apply in both Gaston and you. Super!

Marlou, I liked what you said on inter-connectedness. And Chandra your sharing reminds me of a field visit in Mizoram two months ago. We were a group of facilitators where the community was doing the dream building exercise. We decide to put down our dream as well for India. We were all quite new to each other but that exercise created a strong camaraderie among us and we felt connected as we dreamt of India ACP. Our energies get elevated when we come together as a group, don't they!

Best wishes,

Rituu

[Marlou]

Great. Thanks Chandra. I can see the session taking shape!

[chandra nurhasz]

Hi Marlou,

Well, it was actually almost similar with what I presented at Chiang Mai, last June.

In Jogja I started with my dream about connectivity. My dream was about all of us in Indocompetence are connected each other. I drew a map of Indonesia, containing the islands: Sumatera, Java, Bali, Kalimantan, Papua, etc. In those islands, there are some cities which are implementing ACP. From Pontianak, West Kalimantan (I come from this city), I drew the lines with every city that I want to connect (by meet face to face, visit, email, facebook, etc), even with some cities in the world. Then I drew the lines describe what I've done (feel connected by meet face to face, visit, email, facebook, etc). So the map were telling a dream and also experiences.

Next, I asked all participants went to the group (of cities). Each group did the same with what I did, but only the experiences, not the dream. Then they presented their own in plenary. After that, they drew the same (their own) to the big map of Indonesia. In the end, we found out that we're all actually connected each other.

This was the strength we have. The challenge was how to use this strength. This is also in line with next session, peer assist. Peer assist would happened if we are connecting each other.

cn

[Marlou]

Hi Chandra,
Thanks for sharing. And now of course I am wondering how the exercise for connectivity looks like? What did you do during the session? Like members of IndoCompetence are connected, also we all in the Constellation are. How do IndoCompetence members feel connected to each other - and how can we in the Constellation learn from that to stimulate connections?
Terimah kasih,

Marlou

[chandra nurhasz]

Yup, and I guess sharing tips among facilitators - just like you did - is also important.

[Gaston]

Wonderful Chandra! Thanks for sharing this. I think self-reflection is critical for a good facilitator and you clearly are gifted with that. And the fact that you appreciated my advice, makes me to improve it and share it with others. Our process is so simple :)