The First Balkan Facilitation Festival is a joint effort of CEE IAF chapter, IAF Europe and Middle East and Serbian Association of Facilitators. The coordination team* is inviting members to host sessions to a wide range of participants virtually. The sessions may include any topic relevant to facilitation for social change in order to promote the power of facilitation in the CEE region, Balkans and worldwide. Taking the current Covid-19 situation into consideration, topics regarding virtual facilitation are also very welcome. The sessions could be directed to the general public, businesses, teachers/trainers and civil society organizations.The festival was initially announced as a face-to-face event called “First Balkan Facilitation festival” to be held in Nis, Serbia. Due to the occurrence of Covid-19 organisers decided to transform it into online session, after one-time delay (originally planned for end of May, 2020). “The First Balkan Facilitation Festival” will take place on 24-25-26 September, 2020.
Speakers: Goli Ahmadifard and Javad Mahmoodi Rad Fact Questioning in Understating Communities Realities
Description of the session:
Most well-intentioned community development projects fail to complete or sustain their desired goals
and objectives. One of the main reasons is the ambiguity for both the external change agents (such as
facilitators) and members of the local community. Asking questions is a good tool for clearing up the
ambiguity. Having a dialogue based on “simple fact questions” can help facilitators reaching out the
realities occurring in the filed in order to bring about positive changes that last longer.
Sesion 4 14:45 - 16:15
Speaker: Jan Lelie Building societies: Structuring Engaging through Pattern Breaking
Description of the session:
1. Brief description of your session: our session – I expect active participation - will be based on Peter Block’s
book “Community – The Structure of Belonging”. I’ll also introduce a meta-model developed by me on the
ways we invent or realize reality through the metaphors we use (actions) and espouse (talk). 2. We’ll invent ways of facilitating social change towards restructuring the patterns of interacting participants.
We’ll start with visualizing change, and from there progress in abducing opportunities to shift trust (or
belonging, or social capital, or relationships, whatever you like to call it). Let’s see if we can find some
alternatives to work with.
Sesion 5 16:30 - 17:30
Speaker: Abhishek Somani Using the power of stories to facilitate change
Description of the session:
Stories have always been told and used to protect collective memory…They have importance and power to
move and initiate change. How we can use them?
25.09.2020.
Sesion 1 11:00 - 12:00
Speaker: Galina Tiurina Corporate volunteers online: experience of engagement and facilitation
Description of the session:
The case study would be shared on ways, technic and tips of engagement for corporate volunteers online
Sesion 2 12:30 - 14:00
Speakers: Tamara Zivadinovic and Paolo Martinez Innovation Hub - enabling innovations to emerge and bring the change
Description of the session:
How to initiate innovative thinking? Do you need a process in which economic, social,
technological, cultural and environmental challenges can be addressed at policy, strategy and/or
operational levels, and how they can be tackled and ‘solved’ innovatively by key Quadruple Helix
stakeholders and experts?
Sesion 3 14:30 - 16:00
Speakers: Dragana Tomic Pilipovic and Martina Staznik How to work with the nature as facilitator
Description of the session:
1. We are a species of story-makers and storytellers. Storytelling is the oldest form of human communication.
Stories are central to our development of self-concept and identity and how we distinguish ourselves from
others – a process central to our wellbeing. Counselling through storytelling is both an ancient activity and
an emerging conceptual model. 2. Nature is powerful facilitator and storyteller for group work. Can we use it in our facilitation work? Not only
that nature give us creative context for work, she also gives to us playground which we can use to tell the
story of community and thus to make or support social change. We can use heritage and symbolic of
community to make session which will lead us step by step through individual and group process of change.
www.connectingcircles.eu
26.09.2020.
Sesion 1 11:00 - 12:00
Speaker: Lora Petronic Petrovic Enlivening learning with LEGO® activities
Description of the session:
Participants will be introduced to ideas on how to adapt activities related to the subject they teach and
design content related to project teaching using LEGO bricks and accompanying educational software.
There will be presented activities that were done within the English language teaching, but which also
include the material of other subjects and the ways in which students are encouraged to write stories.
Sesion 2 12:30 - 14:00
Speaker: Kata Faix, Changing by playing- Lego® Serious Play® Workshop
Description of the session:
Special requirement for each participant: 15 pieces of normal Lego bricks (colour/size does not
matter)/participant 1.Welcome & Intro 2. Skills Build1-Technical introduction (first steps) 3. Skills build 2-Metaphors 4. Skills build- Storytelling, Individual models, 5. Feedback & Closing
Main topic: Social change- What thoughts and feeling do we have in terms of change? What do we need to make the first steps?
Method: Main sessions combined with breakout rooms: Challenge (question asked by the facilitator)-individual building- sharing-reflection
Sesion 3 14:30 - 16:00
Speaker: Savas Sahin Social Inclusion
Closing Sesion 16:00 - 17:00
Regional Director IAF EME Celeste Brito, IAF Central East European Chapter team and Serbian Association of Facilitators
Ask questions regarding the last three days and find answers to your questions before leaving the festival! Share thoughts about the festival with the organising team and give feedback.
