March 31st 2023
Well Grounded’s year-long Facilitators for Change programme (F4C), which trained consultants based in the Congo Basin region in the facilitation of organisational development processes, came to a close in a graduation ceremony for the 22 participants on 31 March 2023.
Facilitators for Change is a 12-month programme which seeks to equip highly committed individuals not only with the technical skills to be an effective facilitator, but also and equally importantly, with the soft skills to inspire trust, to create a space for all voices within an organisation and to enable them to be effective change agents.
The 2022 cohort welcomed three times more participants than the programme’s first iteration in 2017, including consultants from Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The participants came with diverse backgrounds that converge around a common goal of acquiring the skills necessary to become facilitators for change in the Congo basin region.
The graduation event was opened by Andrew Mackay, Well Grounded Co-director: Operations and Legal, with participation from Nathalie Walters of the Samworth Foundation, which generously supported the programme, and representatives of programme partners INTRAC, Footsteps and The Kairos Project.
As well as celebrating the graduation of the F4C programme participants, the ceremony was an opportunity to recognise the critical contributions of the 16 professional coaches who supported the participants throughout the programme, as well as four graduates from the first F4C cohort (2017-18) who mentored the participants during their practical organisational development assignment with a CSO in their region.
During the event, graduates shared their stories of learning throughout the programme in passionate presentations describing the impact the programme had had on them.
Christoph Stein, representing the group of 16 professional coaches, gave a speech expressing his gratitude and appreciation for being involved in such a programme and urged participants to continue to renew themselves through the training.
The keynote speaker, Catherine Squire (INTRAC), guest facilitator and trainer of programme mentors, addressed the graduates in her speech:
“I encourage you to continue to work together and not to be overwhelmed by the obstacles on your future paths, but to support each other.”
To close the ceremony, Well Grounded’s Stephany Kersten (F4C programme lead and facilitator) and Mireille Kayijamahe (F4C initiator), announced the names of the winners and presented them with certificates recognising their successful completion of the programme.
The end of the formal programme is not the end of the learning process for the F4C graduates. The cohort plans to stay in touch as a network, and Well Grounded will engage regularly with the group and support further learning and development opportunities.
