Check out Noelle Pollet’s suggestions for experiential group exercises in PROS that support people to explore their biggest ideas!
Gem for the day:
“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and
don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather…
teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”
-Antoine deSaint-Exupery
Hello!
…So you’ve got your team, your flexible format, some experience facilitating and debriefing Alternatives to Violence Project (A.V.P.)-type exercises, and a measure of comfort among people having “voice” (see first four articles). Now onto specific (PROS and beyond) outcomes!
A Quick Note on “Growing Your Own”:
There’s joy to be had in the creative process of building an exercise or agenda, whether done with a team or on your own. (If done on your own, expect, invite and honor team feedback!) Growing skills to tailor-make experiences is especially useful for PROS… the mission of which involves honoring the needs of each “crop” of individuals being served.
My method is to imagine what is needed to achieve a specific outcome (perspective shift, skills development, energy release, etc.) and then ask for guidance from Transforming Power! (Article #4) Using knowledge of other exercises, sometimes flipping through the manuals, and doing my best to access an open mind, the ideas start to come…
This may sound unreasonable; as though I’m attributing my unique talents to everyone… And I am! But it’s not unreasonable! I have been facilitating prison and other workshops for 20 years and most A.V.P. facilitators (if not all?) develop skills to create agendas, and often, exercises. Some, immediately! If you’re at all drawn to be a facilitator, odds are you’ve got the goods!
The following agenda was created for a mental health conference and went on to be a staple training. It always engaged and encouraged loads of positivity. While outwardly addressing the “outcome” of employment, on a deeper level it calls up passion for the greater mission we all have inside us… I know of one person who participated in the “King of the World” exercise and achieved his dream!
