Street Campaigning training. Photo: Labour Behind Label
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We train people in the skills and states of mind they need to build:
- more participatory and democratic organisations and groups
- more powerful campaigns and change activities
This takes many forms. In recent months we’ve supported numerous groups with:
Consensus decision-making training
Consensus is often viewed as a highly participatory decision-making process. And when coupled with co-operative values, deep listening and empathy, it is. That’s why our consensus training emphasises the state of mind that underpins consensus and not just the technical process. We can also support you to explore consensus alternatives such as Crowd Wise and consensus-oriented decision-making.
Facilitation training
Facilitation is a key group work skill. Our facilitation training explores facilitation as a role shared between all group members, and focuses on facilitation as an attitude and not just a set of tools and techniques.
Mediation and conflict resolution training
We draw on the traditions of community mediation and process oriented psychotherapy to work with you to increase your understanding of conflict, and leave you feeling more confident and competent at dealing effectively with it.
Nonviolent direct action training
For some nonviolent direct action is an effective tactic. For others it’s a ideological statement. Our nonviolent direct action training explores these debates as well as focusing on practical techniques, safety, support, comfort and communication. It’s as experience-based as we can make it to allow all participants to get a real sense of direct action and make their own decisions about their role and involvement.
Strategic campaign planning training
Understandably many social action groups and organisations want to work more strategically. As well as facilitating your strategy and visioning sessions, we offer training in the skill of strategic thinking and planning. We focus on meeting people where they are at. Not everyone is a natural strategist, so we can cover a variety of approaches to strategy to ensure you can plan in a way that works for your whole group.
We also work on team building, group dynamics, campaign communication, working with the media, public speaking and more.
Other workshops
We can also offer physical activity workshops drawing inspiration from Theatre of the Oppressed, SOMA therapy, improvisation and clowning.
Don’t be limited by this list. These are just examples, and we’re happy to talk to you about designing other training to meet your needs.
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Hi ,
Im in Ireland ,
working with social centers and coops and community groups. I have some faciclitation experience, im wondering do you do a training the trainer event? i would love for the whole of the groups that i work with to take some communication,organising ,concenssu workshops, but at the moment i think I’ll hav eto wait a bit. If there was a trainig were I can get skilled up to provide training here for groups that would be a fantastic service.
What do you think about this?
Péars.
Hi Pears – I’m afraid we don’t run an open course for training trainers. You might want to try ICA though – they do some very reasonably charged events. See http://www.ica-uk.org.uk/our-courses/
I think we’ll also be putting some materials up soon, but need to sort out what and why.
Another option, Péars, is to gather some other folk from your community and networks who would also be interested and we could potentially run a bespoke training for trainers for you. And if we couldn’t do it we might well be able to suggest others that could.
hi, thanks appreciate the swift response. Can any one form Rhizome recommend the I.C.A facilitation courses? haven’t checked the price yet! the bespoke training for trainers sounds exciting I’ll have a think about that and would appreciate any more thoughts you may have on it or any other folk that may be able to accommodate this need.
all the best
Péars
Péars,
can’t recommend the ICA from personal experience, but I know it’s the course that a lot of facilitators I’ve come across have done. You could also try the Environmental Trainers Network. Again, not experienced it myself but seems popular…
Hi ,
Thanks. Ive had a think about that bespoke’ training trainer course ‘.
As the whole idea is to have a intense couple of days training workshops, with entry points for all developments of skills, no experience-training others.
From this there is the possiblity of creating a skilled group that can offer facilitation services in Ireland ,at least an energised new network.
We see this as being a process , we would need support after training.
I wonder what kind of expense would be involved ?
Would it be ok for Rhizome to pass on our contact details to people from Ireland that contact you searching for some similar workshops
the email contact is ki2life_AT_care2.com
Pears.
Hi wondering if you are doing any more training this year, where i can find out about it, so as to put it in the calendar if I want to.
just read the threads form that previous request for training. Here is the update.
Seeds for Change came over last October and facilitated four days of training. Which was well participated in. Emerging from that was a practice group for facilitation skills . Some people in this group just want to work on skilling up others are more interested in creating workshops and working as facilitators for groups. for more information contact
Parachutes. – parachutes@riseup.net
Thanks for the update Péars.
We hope to be doing lots of training in the next year, but most of it will be for specific groups rather than open workshops which is why it doesn’t get advertised on the website.
I expect to be running a ‘facilitating consensus’ workshop here in Leicester on June 11th, aimed at Transition Leicester folk, but it wouldn’t be a problem for others to join in (free, but donations welcome).
I also imagine we’ll be at the Peace News Gathering again this year.
Rest assured that we’ll advertise any open training we run right here on the blog, but don’t be afraid to ask if you don’t see anything, for example I wouldn’t have mentioned the Leicester workshop without your prompt as I was seeing it as for Transition folk only. But as I say, no reason why it should be!
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