13.12.2018
20 participants
60 pens and colors
10 flipchart leaves
2 facilitators
4 staff persons involved
1 bar… that is always a great thing for a good coffee break!
These were my numbers of the day, in that rainy and cold Thursday of December.
With these number, I played a new match: my first local training session for youth workers and social workers, a training called “All In”.
Why “ALL IN”?
ALL – like an effort for not forgetting anyone.
We talked about inclusion and learned how to work in the most inclusive way we can, considering all the different identities that, added all together, blend everyone of us in a singular and unique person.
IN – like when you leave the door open, so that people can enter and feel welcomed without even asking; like “inclusion”.
And “ALL IN” as in a poker match, because a training is always a bet!
My co-trainer and I prepared the programme of the activities, decided how much time we should spend in each moment, listed down all the material needed and all the documents to fill and sign, studied (again) all the concepts we were going to talk about, discussed about how to explain anyone of those concepts, tried to preview the participants questions and doubt…
But in the end, you never know what will happen in a training session: if the trainers and the participants will find a good “alchemy” to communicate, if the participants will feel engaged and motivated enough to participate and share their ideas and point of views. Actually, I guess these are the biggest worries for every trainer, whenever they cross the threshold.
So did I: I overcame the line of the door with all my knowledge and fears… and we started. The participants, even if not used to wake up so early (especially someone! Eheheh), they were listening and participating as much as they could, with all their opinions, support for each other (especially for the translations) and, of course, all their laughs and empathy! Everyone gave the most he/she could give in that moment to the discussion and, trying to keep the metaphor of betting, I’m pretty sure that day WE won!
All of us learned something and developed a lot more of awareness about the others identities, specificities and needs: someone wrote, in the end, to feel enthusiastic, someone else recognized the need to think more deeply about all these inclusive aspects we spoke about and someone else even shared something very personal!
13.12.2018
This has been a very nice and enriching day and I would really like to thank, one by one, all the participants… I bet the next will be even better!
Marzia
Vicolocortini 