What did we learn: The AER

After any event, the Constellation carries out an After Experience Reflection (AER). In the AER we look back and ask ourselves 3 questions:

What went well?

What could we have done better?

What did we learn?

Here is our AER for the Global Learning Festival

Date: 22 October 2017: Time: 10hr44 Venue: Peniel Beach Hotel

Facilitator: Autry Haynes,

Documenter: Meble Birengo

Participants:

Eunice, Saba, Silvia, Irene, Rafique, Rituu, Meble, Phil, Autry, Marlou, Luc, Laurie, Alessandra, Celicia, Loli, Usa,

Sohail, Kausar, Judith, Anita, Ruth, Dan Kintu, Annelise, Nathalie, Ranga, Jean Marie, Mélisa, Josiane, Jean-Louis, Elisha...

What went well for you?

The weather was perfect for the event.

The organization of the process was well done.

Capturing of the stories and getting them sorted and assimilated through Phil and the team.

The process leading up to the knowledge asset.

The variety of participants was very impressive and also their experiences and expertise.

HENU explicitly uses SALT in their communication. The visit of the Chair of Old person was an indicator that this is well used.

There was nothing that was not well done from the organization’s perspective.

I enjoyed the knowledge of CLCP and SALT. It was a sharing of process and a depth of the knowledge of what we are talking about.

Translation worked well, it helped people to share.

The whole process was healthy – Sylvia from HENU, to see this coming alive was really good.

There was a good interaction with the community, teams were respectful, there was no tension.

Translation and communication worked well, we understood each other.

Giving a Thursday afternoon off was a good idea. Members were excited to finish their work because of the motivation for the trip outside the conference.

We had different element of sharing, people felt easy to share what they are doing in their context.

The market place was a successful event and we have learnt how we can make it better.

The open space market allowed a lot of building together and creating something new and support to one another. It enabled members to think of practical things to do.

There was a lot of cross sharing and strengthening of each other through groups.

The process of linking the past and the present.

Including the founding members and having an opportunity to share.

Shared facilitation.It was good to see many people jumping in and helping to sort things out.

The staff was incredible; people would go out of their way to help out with little things.

The space, the food, the opportunity to interact, the area- the energy was superb. It allowed for extra connections that were not forced.

The SALT visits were well done and organized through the Constellation and the HENU team. The opportunity to go back to the same community was significant for a follow up learning and connection. The feeling for reconnection was mutual for the facilitation team and the community (two days in one community)

The facilitation team meeting and planning went well and strengthened setting the foundation for the process.

Having clear focal people who understand the process to bridge the process and the community.

We had enough time to document and continuously do that. We did not have to work through the night.

Allowing the group to participate in the writing and capturing so that it was not on one person.

The morning exercises were good and well done.

The presence of community members in the open space was a strength.

Having AER after the sessions were helpful, especially after the SALT visits was helpful to strengthen the next days. This also helped to make us speak constructively when things are not OK and feel it’s helpful.

This was a high standard GLF.

The party, dinners, the DJ, the moments of sharing beyond work were healthy.

There was a huge transfer of learning that was felt but not tangible. It was evident in the participants and could be seen.

The setting of the stage for the home visits enabled the facilitators to know what the outcomes were for the SALT visits.

We had connections, religion was not an issue, we had something special as a team.

The process of setting and restructuring of the governance was unique and wonderful. The facilitation was also well-executed and the participation of the members was also good.

The focus on older persons as a theme gave the participants a link for learning.

Participants were good in sharing with the key facilitators in the SALT visits

The flow of the process on day one was well balanced between the marketplace and the reflections.

The visits to different site in Entebbe and Kampala, the dinners at the restaurants and the fun times, added flavor to the process.

SALT approach to storytelling. The way SALT approaches stories is an eye opener for me. It was great to learn that the storyteller is part of the storytelling and not outside of it, observing people’s lives at a distance. Storytelling is an opportunity for action and not knowledge only.

The community visits.They were very power, enriching and full of energy.

The open space exercise followed by the market place

The different exercises such as authentic appreciation, constellation claps, life circles, mandala of truths etc.

The purpose of gathering material for stories (through listening and discussions) and writing the stories and discussing which story we lived and why.

The community visits were stimulating and women in them.

The purpose also of gathering material for stories (through listening and discussions) and writing the stories and discussing which story we lived and why… all this was a great learning.

The market place.

The informal chit-chat at breakfast , lunch and dinner, and at early morning exercise created a learning environment.

The setting itself contributed immensely. The open space method was also very effective.

The festival arrangement went well. Everything went as planned.

The was a great great participation and sharing of experiences between individuals.

I thought that the organization was exceptional. Marlou and Loli did an incredible job. It could not have been better.

The number of participants. Had it been many more or fewer, it might not have given the same energy. Of course, that part was a bit fate too, not much you can regulate too much.

It was great to have Arthur come every day and also John, the chairman of the "Coalition for the Aging." (That is not the exact name, but he will know).

I like the fact that Jean-Louis produced interviews/videos on a regular basis, which created more interest in the SALT community at large. Good move.

The synergies among participants was beautiful.

The idea of the market place was brilliant.

The logistics of the stay were brilliantly organised and we were always considered when having free time. There was an openness to be part of all sessions.

The market place and times during breakfast, lunch and dinner to hear from people about their actions in their work and communities was really enriching.

There were some practical ideas on how to bring together people in the communities.

Katabi community visit: I felt the first part of the day went well as we were encouraged to begin to get to know each other and it was a very good exercise for the community to work through their vision of the journey they've been on and to look at the example from Tanzania. There were some good lessons drawn out of this and I hope a real encouragement for the association to continue working on.

It was really good that the leaders of the associations were with us during the whole week.

The visits to the members of the community were good opportunities to see the SALT approach in practice and to learn from members of the community. They also enabled us to have a deeper conversation which led to people really giving us an impression of their involvement in the community association, as well as a chance to explore and appreciate their strengths.

Personally having all participants in the same hotel was fascinating.

The interaction between the participants was well triggered on day one it seemed like we were from the same background.

I had a chance to ride with members from Botswana who had never had a bodaboda ride.

Members were kept busy all and some through the night.

The people I met, the services received from the hotel, the time we spent together and the quick but interesting outings. Everything was perfect. I very much enjoyed the SALT visits and discovered a lot about what was done around the world on the market day.

Being able to come together with likeminded people

Interesting and unique as compared to other conferences. Many touching experiences and stories that are invaluable.

It was a good mix of sharing, experience, and reflection time. There was sufficient time in small as well as big groups.

From an organizational point of view, the preparation team prepared everything from the airport to the hotel, where we had no problems when we arrived. The driver who greeted us at the airport transported us to the hotel in an atmospheric chat, where we found our room well prepared with hotel agents who were eager to welcome us warmly .

The logistics were of good quality since we had planned all the necessary meals for the smooth running of the festival. The program of work and rest was there to help the participants organize themselves from where we had the opportunity and the chance to visit the capital KAMPALA at the time of free hours with local guides who gave us accompanied.

The presentation of the Stands was well prepared as each Country team had its own venue and the activities that took place in the hall were held in good quality because the use of the participatory approach allowed all world feels comfortable.

Facilitation at the time of the sessions was much more, given the dynamism that was observed in the room, which pushed us to know each other like brothers and sisters even if we came from all the corners of the world or the behaviors are not not the same.

The welcome went well and I found a certain conviviality throughout the week. The team put each participant at ease.

I also noted the generosity and openness of the facilitators during the group work sessions. This made sharing and exchanges easy.

Le festival dans son ensemble s'est bien passé , l'accueil, l'organisation , la disponibilité des organisateurs était vraiment très importante. cela à la fois pour l’hôtel, la logistique et les visites dans les communautés.

The fact of the participation of many countries the exchange with all the participants, on what is done in each country is really rewarding and motivating. This is a great breath of SALT that allows you to get back to work.

Everything worked well for me from arrival until departure. We were well received, well housed, well eaten. The service at the hotel was impeccable and fast. GLF was an unforgettable experience sharing experience. And I met wonderful people from different countries from whom I learned a lot from them.

GLF 2017 was a wonderful and an unforgettable experience for me.

GLF was a very stimulating event.

I can't tell it all but I want to say stories vary, I rode my bike 340 kilometers to and from the festival (a great experience).

From being picked up in the middle of the night at the airport to dropping me off at 4 am Sunday morning everything went well.

Extraordinary atmosphere

SALT practice

Impeccable logistics

Host practices SALT

Learning from earlier GLFs

Substantial learning

In depth visits

Two visits per community enabled adaptation of approach

Home visits added depth to the learning

Well prepared market place

This was my first time, I have no reference of the past festivals. I owe many thanks to the host and the organizers of a wonderful festival.

1. The sessions and the field visit were well done

2, The market place was also well planned

What could we have done better? Or improve?

We need more time for the market place. Some people did not have the opportunity for learning.

People had different expectations: a need for deepening the understanding and practice of SALT and the need to share applications/ideas etc. - how do we reconcile that into a single event without being superficial?

There were some frustrations with the open space; it could be organized in a different ways. We could have discussed 2-3 topics identified in advance (synthesis of online ideas) and topics identified by the participants. It would have been good to have more people to discuss on specific issues, or deepen some specific topics in the open space.

We can be sending an email early on specific topics we want discussed before the event to get input from members.

We should organize the market place in a way that it’s more inclusive and interactive and shared. Those speaking also to have a chance to visit others.

There was some confusion in some session; it would help if facilitators wrote in advance on key things and questions on a flip chart papers. We need to write things down so that we understand what needs to be done.

It would be good to be organizing the place for translation in advance and keeping in mind that this is needed.

It was not clear on the process for the story capturing.

The SALT visit on the second day we had people around who did not know what that was about. We needed a re-orientation of a SALT visit. We can make people feel what a SALT visit is before the actual SALT visits.

The facilitation team should have met to reflect and prepare and understand.

The facilitation team could have used the tools such as flip chart paper and write clearly what needs to be done.

We need to prepare with the team as a whole (not only the facilitators) for the SALT visits.

We should not use the word ‘International Facilitator or Local facilitator in the SALT visits preparations. The words should be Facilitators but the key facilitator is the person who can speak in the local language.

We could have planned a session in the whole week to reflect on SALT as a team to get everyone on board for understanding the process. People are at different levels in the practice and understanding of the SALT approach, we cannot assume everyone is at the same level.

It would have been good for all facilitators to know flow of session: we need to plan better as a facilitation team, to know the objectives, and flow of the process in each session so that we can support each other better.

The facilitators AER at the end of each day could have been done even with a few people to support giving direction for the following day and flow of the process.

We have mechanisms to use in “emergency” situations to help us work as a team. This can be done through requesting a short break for clarification with each other.

The challenge then is how do we maintain working as a team in the midst of a challenging environment.

More involvement of community members and their voice. It would have been good to hear them more or co-facilitate so that we are not co-facilitating ourselves.

We can have a suggestion to other team members who could be interested in the preparation & facilitation of the next GLF. This AER can be sent as an e-mail before the event begins.

The process of some exercises could have done better. For instance , the authentic appreciation. I was confused who should I talk to as we were all connected and wanted to talk to each other.

I could not visit all the stalls during the market place, also during the open space exercise. It can be better organized.

Outline of the community visit was not there. I did not know what are we going to do there. It would have been good if an outline was there or the facilitator could have given us on a paper.

The market place needs to be so organized that everybody visits every stall.

A session could have been planned to discuss how SALT trainings take place, as I got the impression that there is a variation. A panel discussion with all the Global Facilitators would have helped.

A discussion on ‘what stimulates’ could also have been useful

There were at least two facilitators who were conversant on the use of theatre (esp Theatre of the Oppressed) Their use in SALT approach could have been discussed.

Is it possible to arrange for a translator so that people can listen through head phones what is being said. The idea of having several translators was good but it was also noisy.

The idea of the market place was brilliant. But here comes my first suggestion: More time should have been given for the market place. Then again, that would have eaten into the time of the visits.

It was really good that the leaders of the associations were with us during the whole week, and when I spoke to Laurie Khorchi at the end of the day to share our experiences of community visits, we felt this process could have been even richer for the communities by setting it up so that the members of the three different communities visited each other too - this way the river exercise could have enabled the communities to share and compare their experiences and to exchange the strengths and challenges they face and solutions they've found. Apparently this was done in Mauritius and I think it would have been useful.

Ensure that there is time to see each stall during the marketplace. This is such a rich exercise, perhaps cut down the preparation talk for the marketplace and launch into it as it's fairly self-explanatory.

At times the dynamics went off kilter and we were more like analysts or journalists rather than having a conversation leading to fruitful exchange for action. Perhaps we could really emphasise the purpose of the SALT visit and the fact that we are there as equals to exchange and learn from each other, that they were welcome to also ask and find out about us as people and our experiences. Not so that we come with expert insights, but just as would normally happen in an equal conversation.

At the end of the first session in the group session on the first day it felt like our group of visitors were speaking a lot more than having real discussion that meaningfully engaged the members of the community. It felt like we were gaining a lot from this visit in terms of learning and being very welcomed and hosted warmly. I spoke about these concerns with Laurie Khorchi and the conclusions we came to were that the individual meetings with the members of the community could have been more of a guided conversation than information-gathering exercise. The discovery of strengths and appreciation parts were very strong, but I think we didn't really get to a strong exchange or building of relationships which could provide ongoing support.

Could the communities themselves be involved in the creation of stories?

Other projects practicing CLCP would also be visited for extended learning other than taking only Entebbe.

allowing participants time to tour the pearl of Africa would be wow.

I think it would have been great to have one day together to discover the country. But to me I think that the purpose of this gathering was met.

For those like me that do not have the chance to travel often, it would have been nice to have had a day or two to explore Uganda. In saying that though I realise that I should have stayed longer.

I think we could improve the time for the marketplace, give a lot of time to allow everyone to see the experiences of others.

It would be good to have more time for each country group to debrief, for application in our own contexts

It would have been good to spend a day with an older person or community in their natural routine. We would have done better if we had a better appreciation of their culture so it creates a context.

Kitubulu Community – the messaging was unclear as the women were there to sell their crafts rather than engage in a conversation. Perhaps there was a miscommunication

Katabi Community – would have been good to have some information on the families we visited prior to the visits.

Better organization of the marketplace so we could visit more booths.

During SALT visits in communities, elderly people were planned as the only target group, visiting other diverse groups would also be necessary to teach COUNTRIES TEAM to think of several communities and to improve more experiences in favor of several diverse groups.

Mais aussi pour un grand festival comme celui ci,la présence de tous les pays du monde serait de grande envergure avec plus de temps dedie au festival pour profiter beaucoup d'échanges.

It would have been necessary in my opinion to set up a kind of itinerary with a timing for visiting the stands so that everyone can fully enjoy the market place.

I would have liked that we stay a little more with the community and live during a day their daily to better understand and appreciate this real ownership of the community.

More time or a different organization of the market place that allows to visit all the stands for all participants.

Internet access

Facilitation

Facilition team spr

Flow announcement

Flexibility with time

Follow up

Email addresses

Sign up to Ning ahead of GLF

Clarity on platforms and their use

Symmetry with communities

More space for community learning from visitors

Intercommunity learning

Community participation in follow-up discussions

Community participation on celebrations

Community access to stories and platforms to allow for direct sharing.

1. Story telling from the field visit should be recorded on consent for sharing with others. Photographs of the community member (s).

2. More time should be allocated for a market place and if possible participant should move in a group from one stand to another, and receive in depth explanation of the products made by the Active Healthy Ageing groups.I think this process will give more information and learning what others are doing to stay active and enjoy good health from other parts of the world.

I like the idea of signing up in Ning before the GLF.

What have we learnt from this experience:

Even if we come from different countries, we share the same joy and happiness and stories.

We have more options for a learning structures than we had imagined i.e. the market place, use of themes, etc. We have to share learning for the communities but we need to have something to share with the world.

There are different ways of thinking about this.

I have been surprised by the capacities of communities to integrate and take on the CLCP approach. Not so much in the SALT visits but in the market place.

There are still results in communities, even if we do mistakes in facilitation; the results are also positive and interesting. I feel more reassured and very positive.

It is non-negotiable to get stories from the SALT visits; it’s important for the learning of the world and we need to listen and be deliberate in the learning that makes sense of what we are hearing. If we don’t have that consciousness to write about it and take away something to share with others, we lose it.

Until we start to write from our own experiences, it becomes difficult to share stories. We need to shift into being human…..we need to start using “I”.

In order for us to share the stories we need to balance the tension between being there for the community and understanding and have a lesson learnt.

The attitude in a SALT visit is for learning, listening, and asking questions that contribute to generation of stories was powerful.

It is a reminder that though I capture the stories, they are not mine and I have to remember that we take stories and share and there should be a system for that sharing. People will want to contribute further if they are involved.

We should think of how to systematically use them.

The sessions on special topics can also help us to capture stories and create additional Knowledge Assets.

If you make sure the why is understood, people will be able to participate and at ease to do things well and own the process. The clarification of the WHY at the beginning is a big learning for us.

The stories can be shared at all levels; HENU can share the learning’s with the communities and this can also inspire other communities. In other words, sharing needs to happen in all areas to influence transfer.

This learning festival has been useful in developing Knowledge Assets that are useful for the hosts.

Reflecting on the stories after the second day through the personal lens, as there was a parallel in my own story with that of Ramla’s story of Resilience, made me to change my perspective on tragedies in my own life. For, I saw that there was a “sad tale in every human heart”, and instead of repeatedly asking ourselves, “Why Me?”, we must change it to “Why not Me?”

This learning festival was wonderful – Phil

I have learnt that even if it’s a difficult topic, give us to do it in the way that we know….you can read a story and get a different perspective from the intent of the writer…this is a lesson learnt.

Next steps: key suggestions:

Can participants receive an email with the stories?

Can they get contacts of all participants for the GLF?

As the New Harijan Colony in Ettumanoor, Kerala, India, has the same fertile soil for transplanting the story of Musa in Kitubulu village by Laurie, we must immediately inform Phil and others in the Constellation whenever we are able to transfer the learnings from any of the stories in this GLF or the previous ones.

The greatest learning for me was how to tell/write a story from SALT’s perspective.

How to build a knowledge asset.

How to organize a market place.

How to integrate small reflective exercises during SALT training.

My learning about story telling and through them learning from the community was my # 1 learning.

The method used for looking at Governance of Constellation was amazing and very very stimulating. (I plan to use it in my work on the role of marginalization in health governance)

I suggest the constellation should try and have some of the stories printed out and designed into a small book with lesson learned.

What am I taking away, for my personal account? The necessity to document, document, document and share. Something I don't do as automatically as I should or want to :-).

Also, of course, this visit confirmed to me again the power of the human connection. This confirmation carries me and motivates me to continue doing this work.

I've been convinced of just how crucial it is to respond to the community, help them to come together and to listen openly to their priorities and needs. I've seen the importance of ownership and for those people to set their group and individual dreams. I hope to take this forward into the voluntary organisation Serve the City and in an idea for working with refugees in the UK.

Different colors Same blood

Dr Jean is too much down on earth that he embarrasses all of us who would think have done something and we desire respect.

Everybody on earth was given a gift that can help him or her to leave a legacy "Catherine lives on"

I have learn that I should be more outgoing. In my work I tend to wait issues come up to my level to act but if I were more outgoing, I would be more proactive. From all the stories I read, lived or shared during the GLF, it shows that things started to improve only when people started to get out of their way to meet, help and support each other. Personally I think that my duties doesn't give me the time to do it but then it also shows that I should work differently. This experience taught me to leave my comfortable chair from 9am to 5pm and shakes things up a little, get more involved, walk around the village and work with the community differently and make myself more accessible to them. Become a Catherine from Bugonga in Mauritius!

I have learnt that in life we need to listen and be attentive toward elder people, because they need us and we need them. I also learnded other tools countries use for a good facilitation

We are more alike than we are different - we are more connected across the world.

The SALT process is clearer, and there is a lot more to learn going forward

Knowledge asset session (sharing of stories) gave us fresh perspectives. Would like to be part of the process of documentation with Phil.

Learnt from the different facilitators in the groups (founding members, HENU staff, and other participants) – their styles, how they receive feedback and provide feedback to get the group on track

Looking forward to receiving the English version of the facilitator’s manual from Belcompetence. Laurie has my email address for that.

We had the chance to teach the team of festival preparers the organization of all activities and materials necessary for the smooth running, and invite all the personalities to contribute to the effectiveness of the events. exchange of experience, not to mention the advocacy to rights holders (administration) for contributions to groups visited.

The organization of the SALT (community) visits was well prepared because even the community was eager to share with us.

We have also learned from other Countries Team about their experiences which have led us to the creativity of our development initiatives in our communities.

It was above all a human experience very rich in sharing and exchange and it is a pride to have been part of this large family of "SALT.

This experience allowed me to:

- Consider more the local or community initiatives and that the change can be and will be initiated by the base ie the community

- Systematically integrate this SALT approach in my field of activity.

Facilitation techniques have a lot to me, I will surely "pique" one or two fun ideas for training sessions.

The strength of the group and of these moments and shared experiences in the sense that I spoke above in the sense of the motivation to feel energized.

Challenging misconceptions about the place of the elderly person in the African community, well integrated into their social and family fabric and there we saw people who were isolated and that the Henu association helped on many levels.

This allowed me to reflect on the place of the elderly person in France that we are doing so that the AP still have a place in the community and what can we do to break the isolation of the PA who live at home and who have little of social relations.

1. Out going concern and love for older people who need help (The case of Aida at Bugonga)

2. Active Healthy Ageing Groups unity gives more strength to sustain the ties of belonging.

It is worth the wait to get an AER!