Building Connection and Community @ WildJam

A few weeks ago I had the privilege to be part of Wildjam. An event held at a magical place called Embercombe just around the corner from where we live in Devon. Wildjam started as a passion project of Anton Chernikov, a creative challenge that he sets himself every year. This year the challenge was to organise an event, a retreat to escape busy (London) life and (re)connect with nature and each other.

It gathered a small group of creatives and entrepreneurial folks, with different backgrounds and nationalities and from different walks of life. Most of them were complete strangers to each other. However, within a couple of days, the retreat turned into a place where dialogue and meaningful conversations emerged. Where stories, experiences, emotions, knowledge and aspirations were shared. And where ideas and dreams were shaped and seeds were planted for friendships and positive change.

I was given the opportunity to contribute to the building of connection and community by facilitating a workshop based on Appreciative Inquiry. Guided by appreciative questions, people entered in meaningful conversation and shared success stories of feeling truly connected within community, their aspirations for a truly connected community and how this could come about. After having 1 on 1 walks and talks, people shared and discussed what they talked about in small groups. Finally each group shared their results to the whole group. The results were inspiring! Grounded in practice and meaningful to the people who were present.

The results almost visibly reflected the different shared identity of the smaller groups that emerged from individuals connecting.

After sharing results, everyone was given the opportunity to share what they got out of the workshop. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and such a reassurance and so extremely validating! So I’d like to take the opportunity to express my gratitude again to Anton Chernikov for giving me the opportunity to experiment and all the people who took part in the workshop!

See an opportunity for building connection and community? Get in touch!

Challenges and Learnings

Until two months ago I was facilitating progressive AI (Appreciative Inquiry) meetings at Banteay Srey Women’s Spa with the staff. Now the process has finished, it’s time to look back on the whole of the process, on the challenges and learnings. In my last post I described the design of the process. In this post I will focus on the challenges that arose and the personal learnings I took away from it. It has taken me some time to write this post. The challenges were very clear to me, even when I was still in the middle of facilitating meeting. The personal learnings have only recently come more clear to me.

Challenges in facilitating
Applying AI in English and in a totally different context made this process more of a challenge than I could have ever imagined it to be, in several ways. The level of general understanding and the level of English, made it difficult for the participants to connect one phase with the next, to create coherence in the results of each phase. So it came down to me to connect the phases. I found it a challenge to make sure I stayed close to the original data and not contaminate the content of the process.

It also was a challenge keeping people energized. Especially in the first meetings, it was a lot for people to take in at once ( English, new words and concepts, applying this, digging into oneself). Also the need for translation made it hard to keep the flow in the meetings. Because the process was spread over a considerable number of short meetings, it was difficult to hold on to the energy through the whole of the process as well.

The level of abstractness of thinking was something that I didn’t think of up front. For example, it seemed difficult for most people in the group to go from concrete situations and examples towards lessons that can be learned from them (e.g. formulating a strength from a very concrete story about personal success). This also made it difficult for people to have an overview of the process and to make sense of every little step in the whole. This especially made the design and destiny phase difficult.

Last but not least, I was definitely challenged in my role as facilitator I felt it was very different from my previous role as a policy advisor. I find that it’s so much more diverse, it’s different roles in one. There are a lot of things that I would like to know more about e.g. making the content of a session more experiential, getting to a deeper level through more experiential exercises.

Also in the relationship with the client (the owner and founder of the spa) I was challenged. Being a beginner at applying AI and being a facilitator made me feel less confident towards a strong personality and I let myself sometimes to be too intimidated. Also, I feel I should have invested more in managing the client’s expectations about the results of the process, what would be realistic and feasible.

Personal learnings
One of the biggest challenges however, was applying an appreciative approach to myself, my situation and my journey. Staying focused on the positive when other energies affect you. Appreciating all aspects of yourself, the good and the bad. And letting myself have an actual learning process and that includes allowing myself to make mistakes and appreciating them, as they allow me to learn.

Results are not always big and tangible. They can also be small and intangible, but just as deep. And small changes can be a base for further change. Also change not always emerges in the way we expect it. When I apply this to myself I also need to celebrate the smaller success more, acknowledge it’s potential and appreciate it’s form or appearance. In my professional and private life.

Last but not least, being on a journey (of any kind) allows you to meet wonderful people, who can inspire your, teach you, affect you in so many ways. Sometimes it’s only when you return ‘home’ that you realise how and to what extent. Therefor I hereby want to thank everyone I met and shared with me! Special thanks to people who have supported me and given me advise about applying AI throughout this journey, Ralph Weickel and Annet van de Wetering.

The most special of thanks to my love Daniel Cordell, for being crazy enough to have come with me on this journey. For staying by my side, for looking after me, for coping with the various challenges (including me haha!), for picking me up when I was feeling down and keeping me positive, for telling me I am stronger than I think I am. I love you!

And now?….the journey continuous!

The process of ‘Teamwork: one mind, one goal, one heart’

Over the past four months I have been facilitating progressive AI meetings at Banteay Srey Women’s Spa with the staff. Now the process has finished, it’s time to look back on the whole of the process, on the challenges and learnings. In this post I will focus on the design of the process.

Getting started
Upfront I had an interview with the founder and owner of Banteay Srey Spa about what results the process should deliver for her to be content: she would like her staff to be involved in realising in the real goals of Banteay Srey Spa and the staff to be more connected. Also the process should help build the staff’s capacity.

Also more concrete results were formulated:

• A structure for (ongoing) involvement and engagement of the staff
• A plan in place that everyone is clear on and ready to be activated
• Tools for the personal development of the staff

Based on this interview the change agenda^[1] was formulated as ‘All on board the Banteay Srey Learning Journey’. The meetings were held three times a week lasting for an hour to an hour and a half. It was not possible to work with an advisory team. Most of the decisions on the design of the meetings were made by myself, involving the owner of the spa whenever necessary.

Preliminary phase
In the first meetings I went over a few principles and concepts with the group through a number of exercises. We talked about how we all have a different perspective and therefor different stories and that we can choose what we focus on how we look and think about things. They experienced the difference to have a conversation with someone using ‘yes, but…’ and ‘no, but…’ and we used a re-framing exercise to reformulate a problem into something we want to create. After that we started with preliminary interviews through which the members of the staff got to know each other more in depth and were able to strengthen their relationships. They shared stories about  values, experiences, what gives energy to and what brings out the best in themselves and their colleagues. From all the stories the group derived topics that were put on one big list. After sharing all the stories and formulating all the topics, I gave everyone five colored post-it’s to choose their most important topics by sticking one or more post-it’s on one topic. They could divide the post-it’s however they wanted. The topic ‘teamwork’ was by far the most chosen topic. This topic was transformed into an affirmative topic[2] by asking them to come up with a title for a short text about teamwork based on input from the stories and the other chosen topics. After a discussion about all the titles that everyone came up with, the group decided on the title: ‘Teamwork: one mind, one goal, one heart’.

Personal profiles
Before we continued discovering about what makes great teamwork, I asked them all to make a visual and creative personal profiles that would show the rest who they are: what they value, what their hopes and dreams are for the future, what they struggle with etc. The results were beautiful and inspirational.

In comparison, the stories that came up during the preliminary interview seemed less abstract and deep, more linked to everyday experiences and activities than the stories from the personal profiles. Through the creative and expressive approach of the profiles they seemed to be able to tap into a deeper level of their personality and capture this in their creation. I don’t know if this approach just made it easier to overcome the language barrier, as they might have been less limited by vocabulary  and concepts. Or does a creative and imaginative way really allow people to dig deeper into themselves? If anyone has knowledge on this or reading tips, I would love to hear about them!

Discovery
After sharing the profiles and stories with each other, we started with an appreciative interview on teamwork. My first draft was an extensive appreciative interview, including questions going into the dream for the future dream and how to get there. I realised however, after the experience with the preliminary interview, that I wouldn’t be able to hold on to the energy that was build up during the personal profiles if we did a full-size interview. Also I thought it would be more effective if the phases Dream, Design and Destiny would involve more creative and visual exercises than (just) answering interview questions. So I limited the interview to questions about the high point experiences about  teamwork, learning and growing and becoming your best. Afterwards I realised that I probably should have focused only on teamwork. That would have allowed them to focus all the energy on the main topic Teamwork. And I found that usually the same examples or experiences were used to answer the different so the amount of new data was limited.

To derive the positive core from the stories, I used a format containing a limited number of possible success factors that I thought would be applicable to their situation and easy for them to understand. Every time we shared (part of) a story I asked everyone if they could identify a success factor. To have a visual of all the collected success factors, we put all the data in an image of a lotus flower (part of the spa’s logo). In hind sight I should maybe have let the team come up with a metaphor themselves and should have allowed more time to make it more visual, creative and a real expression of the team.

Dream
I was struggling how to approach the Dream phase after the success and all the energy that was released with the personal profiles and, in my view, lesser success of the interview. Should I start with a creative exercise visualizing the desired future? or ask them to create an image of the future in words. I chose to start with asking them to draw a picture to show the others what the team looks like when it is working with one mind, one goal, one heart. The picture had to show all the people involved in the spa in it: the owner/ director, staff, trainees and volunteers. The challenge with this exercise was ensuring everyone drawing their own personal view in their personal way. What happened looked a lot like people copying ideas of what to draw. To tackle this as much as possible I asked the people who seemed to be copying, to share their stories first. What surprised me (in a positive way) was that they did come up with a story to go with the drawing. This left me a bit puzzled: is copying a sign of lack of inspiration or self-confidence? Or is this just their way of doing things as a more collective culture? So I’m not sure how and if I should try and prevent copying next time.

After this exercise we went over some questions with the group as a whole about how a team with ‘one mind, one goal, one heart’ should behave (what behaviour is shown), what the goals of the team would be, what values are important to them. Also we talked about how the team and everyone individually had contributed to the future success.

The last part of the Dream phase would have been a group exercise in which the team would have had to bring the dream to life in an active and creative way e.g. a song, a dance, a yoga exercise, a poem, a play etc. This, together with the pictures and stories, would have been presented to the owner/ director to introduce her back into the process after being away for 7 weeks. As a result of certain developments at the spa, this didn’t take place and in the end the meetings were postponed for three and a half weeks.

Design
After 3,5 weeks I decided to go ahead with meetings on design. To make all the results from the previous meetings visual, mostly the dream phase, I made a picture of a lotus flower on a big piece of paper. In the design and destiny meetings we could add to the picture. Again, in hind sight I should have introduced this from the beginning, making the overall process, the different phases and how these were linked, more visual for them.

The concept of design elements being so abstract, it didn’t allow the group to formulate the elements themselves. Therefor I chose them myself based on all the dream stories. Looking back at all the dream stories, I decided on the following five design elements:

• Working together
• Growing and opening like a flower (learning and growing)
• How we talk with customers, with each other, with Freya (communication)
• Positive energy
• Making it happen together (participation)

Working together and growing and opening like a flower already got pretty much designed during the dream phase. Therefor we focused on the last three elements. Every meeting we started with a group exercise to focus more on the topic in an experiential way and to get the energy flowing. Also I made formats to write the results on per design element. The new results were then added to the big lotus flower drawing.

Destiny
Because of the available time, during the destiny phase I focused on one aspect per design element, the most concrete one. I asked the group to think about steps we needed to take or things we needed to do, to make it happen. The results were again written on a format and later added to the big lotus flower. I asked everyone to draw an outline of their hands on the paper, one per design element, in which the formulated steps were written.

In the last meeting the owner/ director was asked to make her role visual in the big picture of the lotus flower by sticking her own photo in a specific spot and telling the team how she perceived her role and how she could/ would contribute to the team.

Challenges and learning
In this post I already shared some observations with you. In my next post I will go into detail on the more general challenges and learnings I can identify now that I am looking back and reflecting on the past months.

Anyone with tips on process design or reading tips on one of the topics I scratched the surface of during this process, feel free to share them with me! Also if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to message me. Or maybe you see an opportunity to create positive ripples? Please leave a reply or contact me via email marjoleinrijken@hotmail.com or via Linkedin.

 

[1] A change agenda is the purpose or strategic focus of your initiative and answers the question: “What are you trying to accomplish?”.

[2] Affirmative topics define the direction of the initiative and answers questions like: “What is to be studied?” or “What do we want more of?”.

The Ugly Dutchy and The Appreciative Facilitator

Currently I am facilitating progressive AI meetings at Banteay Srey Women’s Spa in Kampot (Cambodia) for the permanent staff. The process focuses on  teamwork and creating a team that works with ‘one mind, one goal, one heart’.  

The Ugly Dutchy
A few weeks ago I read an article in which the writer shared his experiences about working in cross-cultural journalism and his struggles trying to detail the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on survivors of the Cambodian genocide. The article spoke about how the English and Khmer language are highly incompatible when it comes to translating from one language to the other. Khmer has a much smaller vocabulary than English. Also not all concepts translate in terms of what they entail and how they are displayed in terms of behaviour. He finds himself sometimes feeling like ‘The Ugly American’ who is trying to define the truth. He pleads for checking your assumptions at the door and trying to keep your thinking as open as possible. I wouldn’t call myself ‘The Ugly Dutchy’ just yet but I must admit that also my assumptions or expectations sometimes get in my way as a facilitator.

Be appreciative of what emerges
At Banteay Srey Spa when we were talking about high point experiences about teamwork, one of the girls shared a story about successfully selling rice at the market with a group of friends. At the time my reaction was : ‘is this it? Is this a highpoint?’. To us ‘westerners’ our highpoint experiences should have a certain amount of ‘wow’ factor and we often use a lot of abstract words to describe them. In the case of teamwork, we might be sharing a story about experiencing synergy or about meaningful relationships that brought out the best in us. Here at the spa, experiences of the staff seem more linked to day to day activities. Afterwards I realised that if this was a meaningful experience for them, I should appreciate that. It is their reality. And I should be aware of my own assumptions and images of what I think a high point experience should look like.

Not defining the truth
When applying an appreciative approach as a facilitator, I believe AI can actually help to not become ‘ugly’. As a facilitator you are not trying to define the truth because the people involved determine the content. It is their stories, their words. They give meaning to them and they create their own reality. Their ‘truth’. Through questions you can direct people’s attention to certain aspects of their own story or stimulate someone to go deeper and look at a different layer of their experience. This is however not about defining the truth, it is about making sure they are getting the most out of the process.

Although I am not too worried about being the ‘Ugly Dutchy’ when applying AI here in Cambodia, there are still a couple of things that I have not yet been able to form an opinion on:

• Should the people involved go through the process in their own language? Would this be more effective? How then can you as a facilitator stay connected to the process and facilitate?
• Is the AI vocabulary suitable for Asian cultures? Do words and concepts translate? And do they evoke or tap into what they are supposed to?

If anyone has a view on these questions he/ she would like to share, I would be very grateful! Also reading tips are very welcome!

Next time I will share more about the actual process and the challenges to make the design suitable for the staff at Banteay Srey Spa.

The journey continuous…

Dan and I left our loving Ozzie family behind about a month ago and are now in Cambodia where our journey continuous. It is and has been a journey for the both of us. Dan is equally facing challenges, is learning and growing. Also in our relationship, we face challenges, we learn and we grow.

Photography by Daniel Cordell

A change of scene and society…..
When we arrived in Phnom Penh somehow it was a bit of a culture shock after being in Australia for over a month. We were tourists again and that includes being asked every 5 minutes if you want a Tuk Tuk ride somehere, or if you want to book a tour to see the temples or book a trip to the killing fields. Also the overall contrast with Australia was so big that I felt somewhat confused all day. It felt like a relief arriving in the small town of Kampot. A  place that has not yet lost its townish charm due to tourism overload. In the four weeks we’ve been in Cambodia, we’ve got to know the place and some of its people a little bit more and got into our routines. Life is fairly easy here , from the perspective of a foreigner who’s here temporary. Kampot has a peaceful atmosphere, the people are very friendly, the kids are very lively and a lot of them say hello and wave to you when you pass by on your scooter or push bike. A lot of people find themselves extending their stay here. We are staying at a beautiful place (Eden Eco village)  close to the river with our bungalow right on the riverside. But of course we did not come here to just relax, eat good food and swim in the river: we came to work!

Opportunities to learn and grow
Dan is helping out at the Eden Eco Village with all sorts of practical stuff that needs to be done: putting up a fence, making signs, adjusting coconut shower heads (pretty cool btw!) etc. together , with S. a young guy from the local village. In the meanwhile whilst working with Dan, S. can practice his English. Dan has been self-employed for almost all his working life. Working alongside and under someone is therefor a bit foreign to him. Cultural differences and the language barrier add to mix of challenges.  These new dynamics push his boundaries and give him new experiences.

I’ve started an AI process at Banteay Srey Women’s Spa: a women only spa that offers young Cambodian women an opportunity to develop themselves (spa training, life skills, personal development) and giving them better life-chances. The current situation at Banteay Srey creates an opportunity for change and development. The founder and owner of Banteay Srey took this opportunity to get everybody on board the Banteay Srey learning journey and the staff to be actively involved and engaged in the whole operations of the spa.

Again it’s an amazing opportunity for myself to learn as well. Talking to the founder and owner of Banteay Srey I realised I could have made things a lot easier for myself by starting applying AI in Holland. I doubt though if I would have learned as much as I already have now. One of the challenges of facilitating in a developing country is getting abstract concepts across. Concepts that are very  much woven into our day to day life. People here people don’t have the luxury to think about abstract concepts and higher goals in life on a regular basis. Maslow’s pyramid is finally really making sense now. English not being the native tongue of all the people involved (including me) also pushes the boundaries of my creativity in using all sorts of words to describe things.

What brings life
Of course also Cambodian culture, beliefs and values, customs and traditions are very different. I am especially curious how these cultural differences influence the course and the content of the process. Also if there are limits in applying AI in an Asian country as AI is a philosophy and method based in western practice. I like to believe that despite our cultural differences it is possible to connect with one another as human beings and that we are not that different when it comes to what brings life to people  and human systems.

Stories from the Raja Ampat: Energy and Inspiration

This post is a little bit overdue because I was waiting for feedback from the people I interviewed. Even though I’m still waiting for the feedback, I have decided to post it now, leaving out their names.   

 I haven’t posted anything for a while because me and my partner had to make the decision not continue our project in Papua. We are currently researching other opportunities to create positive ripples elsewhere.  

Date: 2 November 2013

Last week we enjoyed the beauties and the peacefulness of the Raja Ampat, a group of islands in front of the coast of Sorong. It’s only a skip, hop and a jump away, but you find yourself in a completely different world.

A re-energizing experience
We stayed with the family Mayor in their homestay on Yenbuba. This was our base for exploring a few of the natural beauties that the Raja Ampat has to offer. Our accommodation was simple but adequate and located between the other village houses. This gave us the opportunity to experience the day to day life of the local people: the way they build their houses, fish and provide for their family, prepare meals, practice their faith, interact with one another and socialize.

Our program consisted of lots of underwater marvelling. Spotting turtles, sharks, snake and fish in every colour and size imaginable. In addition to that we saw bird of paradise, caught and baked our own fish (well…maybe the locals helped a little…) and hiked through the forest. The people, the pristine surroundings and our guide (Oliver Shenon Tenu of ‘Oliver’s Travel’) made our tour a re-energizing experience. But there was also work to be done! I had two interviews scheduled. Both their stories inspire!

Friends v.s. Rascals
Mr. M has a homestay on the island of Gam. He is a member of the Homestay Association. Unfortunately Mr. M had to cut his interview short, as he had to take one of his guests to the ferry in Waisai. But in half an hour I found out a lot about what drives this man and what views he holds on education in Papua. He is of Indonesian origin and works with people from the local Papuan community dealing with social problems. Other people refer to them as ‘rascals’. He calls them ‘friends’. He believes his faith and spreading God’s word is not the way through which to change people. Instead he focuses on teaching them life basics and skills to enable them to fore fill their basic needs. How can you expect people to worry about greater things if they are still hungry?

According to Mr. M, the way to improve the education system in Papua is from the bottom up: start with primary school (SD), then junior and senior high school (SMP and SMA/SMK) and then university. He holds images of a future education system, that are rooted in the time of Dutch reign.

“People: what else?”
Mr. A was the first to set up a resort in the Raja Ampat offering diving facilities. When answering the first question it already became clear what his main motivation is for being here: What could be more interesting than working with people? To not just pass them by, but getting to know them and what drives them. Building relationships. It all started with a question he asked himself when someone came to his door asking for a donation for a good cause: ‘Why not do more than just give money?’. He decided to join ‘Doctors without borders’. Before he got his first assignment, he went to Papua and came in contact with the local people. Learning about their situation, he developed the idea of working with the local Papuan community.

He tells me he views his business as a means to pay for his work with, and for the local people: he wants to do more than just make money. His goal is to help them in a constructive way, through  realising opportunities together. The local people are not mere bystanders but contribute actively.

The projects he runs add value: to the people, to natural resources, to the community. For example: a Papuan can sell a tree for an certain amount. When he saws it into planks he can charge a higher price for the same amount of wood. Making furniture of these planks adds even more value. In the process, value is added to people by improving their skills, broadening their knowledge. Last but not least, value is added to the community by the employment provided. Allowing them to be more self-sufficient in a sustainable way. The projects also cultivate values. For example, one of the projects allow people to explore the Raja Ampat by kayak, paddling from one island and guesthouse to the next. Besides the business it supplies to the local people, it aims to build collaboration and awareness that conservation of the area is imperative.

In his relationships with the people around him, he values having an open discussion about the values that drive someone and the values he holds himself. In people he values if they show effort and commitment. He puts trust in people: he trusts that their effort and commitment will bring whatever they do to a good end. Everybody can contribute by using their own specific talent.

Inspiration
What inspires me about these stories? They are about people and the relationships we build.

They show that we have a choice in how we view and relate to others. What words we use to talk about, and with them. ‘Words create worlds’. The conversations we have with others (and the words we use) determine the reality we create and the relationships we build. We also have a choice in what we focus on in other people. What we focus on, determines what we find in people and experiences.

What also speaks to me is the theme of creating positive ripples in the lives of others. Through which we are not only having an influence on the people who we directly affect but also on the people, the community surrounding them and the environment they live in.

“I have a dream, a song to sing”

At the moment I am still conducting interviews with different stakeholders in education in Papua. For the last couple of interviews I have been accompanied by an amazing young lady from Papuan origin. Zora helps me conduct the interviews by translating my questions into Bahasa Indonesia for the respondents and translating their answers into English for me.

Last Monday we visited a junior high school close to where we are staying. Unfortunately the head of the school couldn’t have an interview with us, although we had an appointment for that particular morning. But that is just the way things are around here. We decided to make the most of our visit and asked if we could speak to a teacher and the osis (student leader) instead. The people were making every effort to make our visit worth our while.

First we talked to a honorary teacher (a teacher who not yet has a permanent position and the salary that goes with it). A young woman eager to perfect her English and her teaching so she would be able to teach her students better. She was also very keen on becoming my friend, allowing her to practice her English. During the interviews she told us that she thinks they should be open to other cultures and influences: to have an open mind about the way we teach. Next we spoke with the osis of the school. She considers scholarships abroad one of the potentials of education in Papua. Improving the name of education in Papua. One of her personal goals for the future is to be a good influence on her environment.

After the interviews the honorary teacher asked me to introduce myself to her students so they could practice a little bit with their English. This is probably the fate of every ‘buleh’ (foreigner) visiting Papua but I was happy to meet her request. After telling a little about myself the students were asked to ask me questions. One of the questions was after my hobbies. Among other things I replied singing, what of course meant that I had to sing for them. But I asked them to sing for me first. Instead of singing all together, one student was asked to sing in front of the class, in front of all her class mates. And she did, how brave! Especially considering how shy most of the children are to speak or even to tell you their name. She began singing: “I have a dream, song to sing…” (Westlife cover of an ABBA song). It was so pure and from the heart that I couldn’t hold back the tears. It was just too overpowering!

I will not tire you with an account of my emotions at that time but those two sentences do some up what I have discovered so far about the people here. Yes, they have dreams, for their future and that of Papua. And they have a song to sing, a personal story to tell and their own personal way of contributing to building their own land, people and future. Even under these circumstances they have hope for a better future. I wonder if I would be able to do the same.

The journey has begun….

We (my partner and I) have been in Papua (Indonesia) now for just over 3 weeks. We tried not to have any fixed expectations upfront of what life here was going to be like. With the emphasis on ‘tried’: do you ever hold absolutely no images of the future? The last few weeks have been filled with a lot of different emotions and experiences. Some positive, some not so positive. It’s dawning on me that the scope of my learning process here will exceed bringing AI into practice.  It will entail much more: experiencing working abroad, staying with the people you work with and working with someone (D.) who you consider in certain ways to be the opposite of yourself. In other words: it’s a genuine challenge! The most important thing is keeping our own positive energy alive and flowing!

INdo4D
I’m in Papua to facilitate an Appreciative Inquiry into the positive core of a local education system (its strengths, resources, and capabilities) and the hopes, dreams and goals of those involved. The Inquiry focuses on enhancing the quality of education and by doing so, creating a better future for all members of the community. I’ve already experienced that facilitating an Appreciative Inquiry in this community will have some side-effects. Unlike the ones caused by the malaria pills that I’m taking, these side-effects are positive. By facilitating this process of positive change, the people involved will be encouraged to interact with other people in a different way. Different in the way they ask questions, what they ask questions about, the way they view and relate to each other, the things they focus on in others etc.

First experiences
At this point I am conducting preliminary interviews with a number of the stakeholders: schools, local businesses, local government, parents, local foundations and students. To get a ‘lay out’ of the land: to discover its strengths, resources, and capabilities and the hopes, dreams and goals of those involved.

Last week I had my first two interviews: one with the head of a junior high school and one with the head of a primary school. It reminded me why I’m here (and I needed reminding): I experienced the effect of asking people appreciative questions and letting them share their hopes and dreams. I could see the people ‘coming to life’ in the course of the conversation. I also asked the interviewees after their experiences: what did they think about the questions I asked them? Especially the head of the primary school gave me a really affirmative answer: he liked the questions, they were different from other questions, but most of all, he felt that there was an honest interest behind the questions, interest in getting to know him and in the situation here. On the way back, D. told me as well that he thought the questions were unusual. He is “more used to asking the type of questions a salesman would ask” . Questions that direct the answer the goal of the salesman: selling his product. He felt the AI questions were doing the people more justice as human beings.

The flowers of Papua (Bunga-Bunga dari Papua)
A few days later I had an interview with two people, M. and A.,  who run a local cultural foundation. They are both anthropologists and social workers. The foundation started when M. was confronted with the high number of dropouts in his community. He started setting up artistic activities for the children. He started off with 5 children but the number quickly grew to 50. By teaching the children (M. and A. call them ‘the flowers of Papua’) artistic skills: dancing, music, making  music instruments, learning how to work with a computer, make a film, he hopes to make them more self-reliant.

The organisation is run by volunteers and the children: the children also have a say in the activities of the foundations. The children come from the poorest parents. They make art or music instruments that are being sold. A part of the earning goes directly to the children (for example to pay for the transport to get to the cultural centre) and the rest is used to keep the foundation’s activities going. He also trains the children how to dance. The earnings they make by performing is for the children. The foundations pursues 3 goals:

• ‘Budaja’ or culture: passing on and preserving the Papuan culture
• Education
• Environment: the preservation of the forest

One of the projects involves going into different areas of the city to see if there are a lot of children on the street that should be in school. Usually children tend to not go to school because their parents can’t afford it. The foundation tries to find volunteers in the community concerned, who can be educated in order to set up a preschool in their community. Sometimes the parents benefit as well from the education given at these preschool.

From the beginning the children are taught that everybody is equal and that they have to respect each other and one another’s opinion. Being equal prevents problems, arguments and aggression. There is also equality between the children and adults: the children are not forced to do something. They let the children decide for themselves what to do and when to do it (within a certain timeframe).

Dreams for Papua
One of my questions asks after the greatest potential for education in Papua. According to A. this is education that is in line with the available natural resources (crops). Teaching the local people how to grow them in a natural way and how to make use of them. At this point a lot of the food products have to be imported (either from abroad or from other parts of Indonesia). A lot of these products have additives or are grown with the use of pesticides.

M. tells me the conditions here in Papua differ greatly from those in Java. Yet the same national education curriculum is taught here. It doesn’t fit here because of differences in terms  of faith, local needs and opportunities. There is a lack of people trained to carry out vocational jobs. People rather become a civil servant. In other words: have a steady and usually a higher income. So the vocational jobs are being taken by people from other parts of Indonesia. This development is turning the Papuan people more and more into a minority in Papua.