12 participants join the 4-session programme. Coming together for 3 hours at at time
Participants are invited to take part in each activity and then consider how to adapt it or deliver it them themselves.
The course is experiential, delivered as a facilitated group where relationships and trust can grow.
In 2023 so far, 13 participants from 11 organisations completed the course:
PRAXIS, ATLEU, Swindon City of Sanctuary, Welsh Refugee Council, Migrant Help, Refugee Action, Nottingham Refugee Forum, Refugee Women Connect, Bevan Foundation and West London Welcome.
In 2022, 24 organisations completed the course:
CARAS, MRSN, Migrant Help, Fatima House , PRAXIS, Women with Hope, SOLACE, Rainbow Migration, Joining Communities Together, Bristol Refugee Rights, PAFRAS, St. Augustine's Centre, Refugee Action, Nottingham Refugee Forum, RAMFEL, Spectrum Rainbow Community, AVID, Asylum Welcome, Bloody Good Period, Abigail Housing, Refugee Women Connect, Refugee Legal Support, Helen Bamber Foundation, Stoke on Trent CAB.
In 2021, 16 organisations completed the course:
Abigail Housing, St. Augustine's Centre, Southwark Refugee Communities Forum, Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network, CARAS, Brushstrokes, BEACON Bradford, AVID, Sheffield City of Sanctuary, PAFRAS, Bristol Refugee Rights, Bristol Hospitality Network, Refugee Women Connect, Doctors of the World, Refugee Action - Strategic Steering Group, Helen Bamber Foundation.
We hope to run this course again in October 2023. The opportunity will be advertised in our newsletter and on the events page of our website.
"I gained a greater understanding of the skills needed as a facilitator to accommodate and support a group. I am facilitating my first group at the end of the week, and this course gave me more confidence and awareness of my ability, but it also taught me skills I hadn't thought about before. I I learnt a lot from other people, making the shared agreement was practical in terms of how to facilitate, but it also created a space where I felt I could speak, trust and learn from other members of the group without judgement of not having any direct experience. Different ways of learning is something I will be taking forward, and the neutral ice breakers, especially where language barriers are involved". - Elinor, Bevan Foundation
"The role of a facilitator is to create and hold a space where people feel safe and empowered to share ideas and engage openly and honestly with what others are saying. At the same time, they need to know what the group is trying to achieve and help them to get there by asking the right questions, keeping the session on track and helping to avoid or manage any difficult dynamics. Good facilitation will create an environment where everybody contributes and is heard, and therefore better decisions are made." - Emma, Rainbow Migration
"I gained a good understanding of the initial steps towards good group facilitation and I learnt creative methods and ideas that can be used when facilitating a new group of people with lived experience." - Nikki, St. Augustine's Centre
After the course, participants shared their reflections and we wrote a blog about the importance of holding space to centre people with lived experience.
Read the blogSession 1: Breaking the ice and creating the container
Session 2: Building trust and establishing the group
Session 3: Learning styles awareness and planning
Session 4: Listening skills, creating choice and group vs facilitator responsibility
We want to continue holding space for people doing this work to come together to share and develop good practice. You can sign up to our Meet Up page to stay up to date and join in these conversations on our experts-by-experience channel in the Slack community.
If you have a question about the EBE Facilitation Skills Training, please email Lora at Refugee Action. We aim to reply within one week.