Happy Holidays from GIVE Network!

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Social Dancing & Facilitation

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As I return from my weekly social dancing classes on Sundays, my mind wonders what this experience is teaching me about facilitation... let's start by unpacking what actually happens in class.  As you enter the class, it is a warm and welcoming feeling - people hug, say hello as if they have known each other a long time... there is usually a five min chit chat time before the class begins!  Our instructor Aamir teaches us a new step set for the dance form we are learning (Waltz or Rock n Roll) in a sequential way. He first demonstrates how the step looks as danced with a partner - when we first see this - we are both "wowed" and "howed"... meaning we can imagine how it will feel when we do this effortlessly and then our enthusiasm is crushed by the thought of the complexity of the step! Aamir then breaks up the full step into parts and teaches the leads and followers the step separately. We are able to slowly get comfortable with how each one of us has to move w...
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What happens when 250 facilitators gather in one space?

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" I have never seen so many extroverts in a single space..." one of the volunteers captured the essence of the 9th IAF India Conference in Pune! I thought I was energetic as a person and as a facilitator, last weekend I was with 250 facilitators who were at a whole new level! Or it is just what happens when facilitators come together :)  IAF - The International Association of Facilitators is a very old institution dedicated to the building process facilitation practice across the world. Their India hub is very active. Though I had been following IAF for a long time, I finally decided to attend this year's annual India Conference. Totally volunteer led, it was a beautiful example of co-creation of an intentional gathering for a community of practitioners  - with clear purpose; an engaging design that spoke to the participants' needs; a steady way of engaging folks right from when they registered; the physical space designed for connection, exchange & learning; and...
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Virtual Reality & Facilitation - Breathing Life into Things

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photo credit - Rita Ahuja (my sister) It was the last stop - enveloped in a living version of the Starry Night with deep music playing, the tears just started streaming - Theo van Gogh finally found his brother Vincent in an asylum and the last scene was filled with joy in the open land with Vincent happily painting. This was my first experience in virtual reality as part of a live exhibition of Vincent van Gogh's work and life story in Melbourne - beyond just still paintings on walls, the whole experience created heightened awareness - it engaged the audience and brought them in through - touch, sound, sight, feeling ... my 13 year old who otherwise would have been bored out of his mind - was mesmerised - curious to explore what was at the next turn, behind the door, outside the window, up in the sky ... engulfed in a live sensory illustration of one of the most beautiful art work of all time. And I reckon this story will stay with him for a long time because he really "exper...
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