[Oe List ...] Facilitation challenge

[Susan Fertig]

I "sent" too quickly on my last message.  What I meant to say was, that on
the 3x5 cards for brainstorming they drew pictures and then a lot of it was
oral after we organized and named clusters, but we always came away with a
regular document that we could use for our donor reports or for municipal
authorities, etc.  (this was in Bosnia)  Similarly, when we had a visually
impaired participant, we paired them with another participant and they
worked as a team.
 
Susan
 

  _____  

From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf
Of James Wiegel
Sent: Monday, February 15, 2010 2:46 PM
To: ToP Trainers ListServe
Cc: OE list serve; Colleague Dialogue
Subject: [Oe List ...] Facilitation challenge


 I have an event coming up next week with some unique challenges and I would
be 
> grateful for your thoughts and experience.
I got this request from another list, looking for wisdom on how to engage
participants who don't read or write.  Wondering if some on the list might
have experience to share


Jim Wiegel
> 
> The event will be held in Addis Ababa for Oxfam and it concerns designing 
> baseline research for an 11-year program to develop water rights in 
> moisture-stressed regions. It is based on an innovative approach to
measuring 
> impact using so-called Theories of Change.
> 
> 
> The facilitator challenge (apart from the difficulty in getting my head
around 
> all this) is that among the participants there will be several illiterate 
> farmers. Looking at most of the design ideas I am working on, there is
always 
> the assumption that our participants can read and write. Furthermore, they

> (and a few of the other participants) don't speak English and simultaneous

> whispered interpretation will be provided.
> 
> 
> Have you had events with illiterate participants? How did you manage? I
think 
> the challenge is both inclusion and ensuring that we are not patronizing.
> 
> 
> Any thoughts or ideas would be most welcome.
> 
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> 
> Dan
> 
 
Jim


"If you really want to succeed, then you have to have the big heart, heroic
will, tenacity, courage, and commitment to fearlessly engage with the
evolutionary process until something profound, mysterious, and extraordinary
happens that cannot be undone." Andrew Cohen


Jim Wiegel
401 North Beverly Way, Tolleson, Arizona 85353-2401
+1 623-936-8671 +1 623-363-3277
jfwiegel at yahoo.com www.partnersinparticipation.com 


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