Wellness Calendar: Saturday 18 October

Gold dust

When we run support groups within supportive learning environments, it can take time before people feel comfortable enough to open up and share their own thoughts and feelings about whatever topic is being discussed. But when they do, it’s often a moment to behold. This is where the group hits the jackpot, where it comes alive – where the real learning takes place.

We often refer to people using their voices – live, in the room – as gold dust, because there’s so much richness to be gained by all those present to hear it.

People are responding to information and applying it to their own lives. Other people are then encouraged to share their reaction to the initial reaction, and so the process erupts into multiple insights, discoveries, reflections and revelations – and so much more besides.

When people start to talk about personal stuff, these are seismic moments for the learning and development of the group as a whole. This easily trumps everything else that might be planned. This is where we down tools and abandon time-tabling, and just go with the flow. This is the ultimate aim for us as facilitators. We are set up for these occasions.

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