Introduction: Recipes for Connection
Dear facilitators, educators, counsellors, social workers and team builders,
This is a collection of interactive activities for creating engaging learning events. I have been working in different parts of the world and wanted to share some of the workshop materials that have helped diverse individuals, groups, classes and staff teams learn about themselves and each other.
We are living in a very strange time. In 2022 my home province in Western Canada experienced heat domes with the worst wildfire summer in its history and then suffered through atmospheric rivers that swept away highways and farms. It is scary being alive right now. Floods. Fires. Pandemics. Mental health and addiction crises. Loneliness. Repressive governments. Gut-wrenching suffering in multiple war zones. More than ever we are needing experiences that help us understand ourselves and connect meaningfully with others so we can know in our bones that we are not alone as we fumble our way through living.
The activities in this book have been used in classrooms, campus residences, mental health agencies and retreat centers in Canada, Indonesia, the UK and Central Asia. Having facilitated these learning experiences for nearly forty years, I continually witness a longing for connection and community. We are tribal beings who still need opportunities to gather around the fire to share our insights, sorrows, stories and celebrations.
My hope is that you will browse through these activities, resources and case studies, and feel a spark of excitement about hosting a learning event that meets the needs of your people. You will find lesson plans that have been tried out in many different contexts and have a proven track record of helping people deep dive into their own beings and open to bonding and learning from each other. Think of it as a collection of recipes offering starting points for bringing elements together in new and delicious ways. I invite you to see these activities as suggestions, and I hope you will improvise and add the ingredients and magic that will make them your own.
This is an online facilitation manual, so it is a living, changing document. If you have suggestions or additions, please contact me. Your input could help other facilitators and educators see new and interesting ways to host social emotional learning events.
Test these activities out. Add the unique flavours of your particular personalities, eco-systems and cultures.
Let me know how they turn out!
