This month I attended a ‘Facilitation for Transformation’ residential camp at Hawkwood College in Stroud. It was a course held by four co-facilitators from ‘Change in Nature’, ‘Navigate’, and ‘OpenEdge; Transforming Conflict’.
The week beautifully modelled Nature Facilitation as we learned it at the Change in Nature, ‘Nature Facilitation' course during the summer. It was a week, back-to-basic camping and outdoor learning within birdsong, the elements and the natural rhythm of the day.
We were encouraged to lean into the comfort, support, nourishment and holding of nature through solo sit spots, sensory explorations, wanderings and wonderings, and looking to nature for guidance.
For a topic of such depth as identity, power, privilege and oppression, plus it being shared as an embodied experience of learning and growth, nature felt like the perfect classroom in terms of its consistent nervous system regulation.
I think I personally may have experienced the full range of emotions in relation to the richness of our sharings, from emotive theoretical content to the witnessing each others stories. I felt welcomed as myself, and safe enough in the understanding that we were sharing a learning space specifically for us to meet our learning edges, which can be edgy and uncomfortable at times. And in leaning into the holding of nature and the village we had co-created to find the comfort within the discomfort.
Strong feelings that arose in me had an outlet through voice, movement, play, reflection, song, tears, celebration and the simplicity and rhythm of the daily tasks such as cooking and resting.
I received a depth of learning that I was able to internalise, and the new understanding gave me greater ease and acceptance of myself, my place in the world and the choices open to me.
Each facilitator stepped up in their own unique ways over the week and the days felt rich, so delightfully lengthened and held with such care. Really emphasizing the importance of curiosity and multiple social truths.
I felt the importance of a clear daily structure and of adapting according to the emerging needs of the group. It helped me to have regular reminders of the support options in place and how a regenerative culture of care can be built slowly and gently. The opportunity to reflect on personal relevance brought greater meaning which really works for me.
I learned that to support conversations about really challenging issues relating to peoples personal lived experience in relations to power and privilege requires a team of highly skilled facilitators in order to provide the holding for a group of 20 people.
I felt the power of planting seeds of awareness, (which can be disorientating at first), to take away and approach life from a widened perspective, wearing systemic goggles so I better understand my unique challenges when engaging in the world, and with this insight, more choice in how I want to show up in the world. And, really wanting to listen more to others unique social truths.
I was able to, on a personal level, be seen for the influence that systemic oppression and privilege has had on my own lived experience, the ease and difficulty it offered me, and to witness this in others. I felt challenged, and highly value the growth I received, which will continue to be a positive influence in my life.
I now as a result feel even more ease in my own skin. So much more self-acceptance. Empowered to really step forward as myself in my own truth and do the best I can, function with less socially imposed constraints, (continue to ditch the should’s and shouldn’ts), living my truth and in respect of multiple social truths.
In my context as a home-educator within a community of neurodivergent minds, I was brought in touch with deep grief in regard to the school system. Admittedly I still feel a sense of hopelessness with regard to this, however, I find a sense of relief and purpose in standing outside of it and in modelling another way.
I’ve been aware of some of the social power and dominance systems in place since I chose to home-educate 12 years ago, and through completing a Community Organising certificate which went pretty deeply into it both in theory and practice. My Herbalism and Naturopathic Health Coaching also work outside of dominant group culture, and through my NVC practice community of 6 years we have been co-creating and living a more interdependent and caring culture. However, by the end of this week I became even more aware of what little I do know about the lived experience of others within non-dominant groups, and the importance of each one of us stepping forward in our own contexts to initiate positive change.
I absolutely loved this ‘Facilitation for Transformation’ course! It was a living example of the change I want to see in the world, or at least the steps we need to take to get there. We were encouraged to dare to be courageous, we were challenged, and explored power dynamics even within our beautifully crafted village, and as a result we expanded. I found it a breath of fresh air to speak openly about taboo subjects and the realness of our experience here and now. We explored the relationship of systems of power, cultural constraints and individuals behaviour as influencing my lived experience, the uniqueness of it, and of each person. I really love that we are celebrating multiple social truths as the gift that they are!
This embodied learning was so valuable and so relevant that the main question that my home-group left with was, ‘how do we keep this all alive?’, because we really don’t want it to fade! We have chosen to keep in contact with regular check-ins, holding a space for our efforts to integrate our leaning into our everyday lives and work contexts. One early comment on leaving was “I know that I am changed, and I don’t yet know how”. It is taking time for all that we’ve learned to sink in and I can see the value in continuing to approach life from this perspective. Which actually, I always have, just now I am feeling the solidarity of a community to take it wider.
I for one have experienced a greater sense of freedom and also a sense of responsibility to continue to hold this awareness as we step forward along our unique paths.
This course was a powerful experience for me of shaking off layers and layers of social conditioning and the internalisation of beliefs and assumptions that have, at times, had me crippled in shame. Layer by layer, some more hard stuck than others and needing both internal and external work to shift personally and systemically, which may not even be achieved in my lifetime. However, I want to be a seed to this, towards creating a truly interdependent existence, with actions that are mindful to the restoration of all beings, both human and non-human.
I am very happy, in fact, honoured to be part of this restorative movement!
I also recommend attending the course to anyone feeling curious to explore the realness of power and privilege within the safe hands of nature, community and a team of awesome facilitators!
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