Facilitating Uncertainty – The Power of Our Stories

“We live in the most critical time in human history. We face interlocking crises of climate change, patriarchy, systemic poverty, plutocracy, bigotry, and perpetual warfare. Let us dare to dream and realize a new civilization of compassion. Let us take the necessary actions for environmental sustainability, gender equality, socioeconomic justice, participatory governance, cultural tolerance, and nonviolence and peace. Let us work together to do all of this as a movement of movements (MOM.) Let us do this as mindful activists using methods of innovative leadership including participatory facilitation, integral frameworks, and social artistry. Let us do this as global-local citizens. And let us do this while cultivating understanding and compassion, realizing happiness, celebrating gratitude, living lifelong commitment, choosing courage, dancing with time, and embracing sadness, sickness, old age, and death.” (Robertson Work, summary of A Compassionate Civilization: The Urgency of Sustainable Development and Mindful Activism)

This session has evolved out of a coming together of Facilitators from across the globe who are increasingly passionate about how we use the skills and knowledge we have as facilitators to support organisations in times of crisis and uncertainty.

As a collective or MOM (movement of movements) we are driven by our ability to be curious rather than neutral. To see our own humanity as facilitators, as well as the humanity of those we are seeking to support through, and those who we hope to see benefit from change. All of those involved have direct experience of working with stories as a means to influence change!

Stories are one of the tools we have to support ourselves and each other to work through uncertainty. The real and lived human experiences that haven’t been sanitized, edited or re-written to fit the ‘policy or system change’.

As a collective of facilitators we are seeking to learn and understand more about what it means to bridge the divides we face in society, how we can build stronger communities by including those labelled as ‘enemy’ or ‘different’.

This workshop will be a chance to listen to and understand the power of each others experiences, and appreciate the learning and insight that emerges from conversations in response to those experiences.

The overall aim is to explore how our stories might help us in the quest to support others to manage through uncertainty.

The session will be hosted by Hilary and Cat from IAF E&W LT and guests:

Algar Goredema-Braid:
is a citizen of the world practising life-long learning and connecting in spaces that are not constrained by ego, job titles or what she has done in the past. It is in such spaces that Algar best aligns with her deepest values and purpose. She believes you are enough and you have the answers to what you are seeking – together we can connect, to love and to care through listening deeply, with curiosity and fascination.

Ali Crowther:
has worked in the area of environmental conflict resolution, stakeholder and public dialogue around the world for 25 years, latterly with the UK Government. An adoptive mum, for the past 8 years she has studied trauma and now brings all these skills together to help organisations have very difficult conversations about our increasingly uncertain future.

John Varney:
is coach/facilitator, philosopher and change agent, with 30 years experience working with individual managers (people) trying to enhance the performance (behaviour) of major organisations in all sectors, as well as community groups. He believes we are all challenged to live a more sustainable lifestyle, reinventing ourselves and our society