How "having" SALT visit and meeting communities ?

[Aude]

It is from a long time that I’m thinking to « how having SALT visits in differents communities » ? Is it by invitation, asking to the communities to meet them, what saying to them to meet them in a SALT visit ?

In Belgium, it is difficult to have a lot of SALT visit, because at this time, the new facilitators don’t propose SALT visit in their environment. We don’t know exactly why, maybe because they don’t feel enough comfortable with the ACP. Then, Aicha and I are going to meet different organizations, associations to learn from their experience, meet them, explain the ACP and maybe try to have SALT visit in the futur with their team or community. But it is difficult. Also, organization are surprising to have our visit because it is not in our habits to have an organization who wants to meet you, to learn from you, to understand what you do in the field and to share their own work.

Also, people are afraid that we could be an « secte or religious team » and in Belgium sometimes, a lot of people, just work and don’t think to their dream, their feelings,… And sometimes forget that they are working in a team, with other people. We have not enough sens of « community », people are leaving « alone, individualy ».

But I believe in the way to re-find that sens of community and value of human, value of active listening, sharing, learning from each others and recognizing of strengths and capacity in everyone.

Then, In your context how have you SALT visit ? How make you to meet organization, community, people ?

I think that we need to learn from others experience all around the world to find our way of working in Belgium and our way of meeting people, community.

[Novianty]

Dear Picavet and All who read...:)

It is true what Picavet said, it was quite difficult to have a salt visit among different communities at the first time. My experience in Pontianak-Indonesia about this is we are not using invitation, we are not using a large number of participant to do it. 4-5 people will be enough so it will not raise a different perception from the community we want to visit (sometimes if we are visit in a group more than 4-5 they tends to feel uncomfortable to see us, they will feel they are an object especially if u r visit marginalized group)...

What i do for the 1st time is building a network with other organization and community, my first conversation is not to talk about the ACP, but to gain information as much as i can about that organization and community, LISTEN about what they do, what are they expected in future (dream) as an organization and part of the whole community, etc. From that conversation i guess we could make some justification about their strength. And then we could visit them 'again', so in the second visit we could share about the concept of ACP and how ACP could be adapt for their organization or individual, again in here we still have to LISTEN what they think about the concept. If they think this approach is not appropriate to adapt in their organization/community, we still have to encourage by visiting them.

Well it will need a 'big' effort to deal with this kind of organization/community, change the mindset/culture/paradigm of organization or community is never easy but never impossible too rite??...:) most important is WE KEEP OUR FAITH, NEVER GIVE UP and ALWAYS PRACTICE and SHARE what we have learn to others...Because this is ACP is all about. I learn much from ACP, and already transformed into a better way as an individual but it is not the end of the road i still believe this is a starting point for me and others who have been transformed to do something 'bigger' for the whole community...and now i am in the process of it...:)

Another thing which is also important in having SALT visit is not only visit community and gaining their strength and encourage them, but it also about HOW WE CAN CONNECT one community to other community and share the same value...it is important if we want them to response to the several issues e.g AIDS/Malaria/Environment etc. So if we are be able to connect one with another we will see the 'community movement' and this is what we called SALT succeed transforming people...

It just like what i did several months ago with the community and religion leader, i visit them several times and asked them to join with me to community meeting (transgender). At that time i asked them to listen, listen and listen, do not giving any unnecessary comments even what the community said will be not appropriate with their 'head'... It works!!After the meeting they share about what they feeling to me, one of them said "Novi, these time i never know what they feel, now i know and i feel shame to myself as a community leader i did not do much to support community"..

So if they already touch by SALT concept, we would be easy to introduce the ACP instrument....:)
Well that's all experience from me..Sorry for my bad english...hehehehehe....:), so keep ROCK ON guys.....

[Aude]

Many thanks Novi for your answer :-)

You write very well english, you don't need to excuze yourself, otherwise i could also excuze myself for my bad english ;-) yeahyeah ;-)

It's amazing your story and feelings with the SALT. You have learned and learn a lot in your work and communities. It could be really powerfull to have your experiences. I could be wonderful to join community and religion leader together. What of SALT visit !!! :-)
I imagine that it was a very big moment for you and that you had a big smile after :-)

I knew that we didn't have a good enough approach with organizations, because i was feeling not so SALT and two weeks ago, we had with aicha a "bad but learning" meeting with a coordinatrice from an organization. She said that we were like "sellers" and that we were "not good enough", that our discussion was not reflected the beautifull and powerfull vision. It was bad because she was really "agressive" but at the end we learned a lot.
Others meetings were more positive and with more sharing but i was not really SALT meeting and i was feeling a little bit empty and "lack" of listening to their experiences, their stories, their strengths. The meetings were pleasant but frustrating in the SALT.

Yesterday i spoke with Aicha about your answer and realize how we were with organizations. We were too much in "selling" and not enough in "sharing". We have an objective with an commune of Brussels to develop the ACP in that commune with HIV and Diabete, then we were speaking too much about our work and the SALT, ACP to have organizations in our project. We forget to share a lot and listening to their experiences. But when i read you, i understand that we were in a wrong way, not in SALT'y, sharing and learning from the organizations.
I has opened my eyes with your sharing. Many Thanks.

I think that it is a really good way to first meet the organizations, learn from their experience, speaking and developping their dreams and it is enough. After, we could propose them a second meeting to speak more about our way of working and our way of thinking and find the common with organizations and how they could feel with the ACP. After, if they want to go further, we could then go to self assessment and others steps of ACP.

Maybe It could be more "difficult" in Belgium, i don't know, but i would try, because i would be more SALT'y and learning a lot from organizations and communities.
I know also that it could bring more time to develop and spread the ACP (and often in Belgium, we want a lot of results and move quickly), but may be with that way, organizations and people will really understand and feeling the SALT.

I saw also that we need to respect more the time for a community to share, to feel the SALT, to change. And sometimes we want to move quickly, to respond to "objectives" from us or from partenair or from organizations.
Like in october, we made a SALT week-end, it was wonderful and powerful but we develop the dream, practices and self assessment may be in 10-12 hours. The organizations asked to have results, we answered to the objectives of the organization and then went not enough in SALT. It was too short and we missed some sharing, discussions, reflexions, experiences,...
But it was a good learning and then, we move and change with our team :-)

You are totaly right when you said that SALT is also connection. It is our dream for the commune in Brussels. We will want to connect organizations and to have meeting that they never had (learning from each others, sharing experiences, transformed they way of working and thinking,...).

Big Thanks for your sharing. I'm feeling that you have a lot of dreams and i'm confident that you will realize those dreams.
We need to continue to share because it is too beautiful and strong :-)