Practical booklet for educators Community of Practices and Intercultural Knowledge
Practical booklet for educators Community of Practices and Intercultural Knowledge 2019
LIVE (DEAL) WITH THE CONFLICT Practical booklet for educators Community of Practices and Intercultural Knowledge 2019 Participating organizations: Apprentis d’Auteuil (France) CJD (Germany) La Salle Foundation (Argentina) Haute Ecole Bruxelles Brabant (Belgium) St Joseph University (Lebanon) Editorial team: Giacomo Baldin (Apprentis d’Auteuil) François Gillet (HE2B) Gastón Luis Picone (La Salle Foundation) Andrea Solander Gross (CJD) Amal Moukarzel (Saint Joseph University of Beirut) Art and graphic design: Sebastián Prevotel / Celeste Pesoa With the support of:
INTRODUCTION 5 1 PROMOTING COHESION OF A COLLECTIVE: 7 TOOLS, GAMES AND RECOMMENDATIONS 8 Recommendations 10 1. Space sharing and caring 12 2. Sharing rituals 14 3. Let the young people welcome 4. Maintain balance 16 18 The tools 20 1. Sing and dance together 22 2. The intercultural and iterspiritual iceberg 3. A storytelling tool: triangles 24 4. An intercultural game 25 2 LESSONS LEARNED 26 Recommendations for a good organization 28 Deal with the conflict 30 “Educators / Educators” and “Children / Educators” meeting 32 Coordination team - challenges 33 Place and time conditions Simple, practical and useful language 34 3 CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS 35 Educators 36 Popular education 37 The pedagogy of presence 38 Intercultural 39 Interspiritual 40 Group cohesion 41 The experience of the conflict 42 The Community of Practice and Knowledge (CPK) 43 This is how the community of practices defined the educator 44 Nomad Pedagogy
INTRODUCTION This „Deal with the Conflict“ booklet is for social workers, educators and leaders of multicultural groups. It is the fruit of collective work, between thirty professionals and young people, who have crossed their field of ex- periences and their academic knowledge. In order to promote intercultural and interreligious dialogue, they met in „Community of Practices and Intercultural Knowledge“, representatives of three child protection operators, as well as two training organizations for social workers: Apprentices of Auteuil in France, CJD in Germany, La Salle Foundation in Argentina, Brussels Brabant High School in Belgium and St Joseph Univer- sity in Lebanon. In the three chapters of the booklet, you will discover activities which have already facilitated cohesion and re-established dialogue within a multicul- tural group of young people or adults, but you will also find some practical advice and fundamentals of interculturalism. Finally, you can also choose to join the community of intercultural knowl- edge and practices by writing to the International Direction of Apprentices of Auteuil. The editorial team. Giacomo Baldin (Apprentis d‘Auteuil) François Gillet (HE2B) Gastón Luis Picone (La Salle Foundation) Andrea Solander Gross (CJD) Amal Moukarzel (Saint Joseph University of Beirut) 5
PROMOTING COHESION OF A COLLECTIVE: TOOLS, GAMES 1 AND RECOMMENDATIONS The cohesion of the collective is one of the conditions for the success of a training experience and the ex- change of practices. Below are offered a set of indica- tions and tools that a group of 30 professionals exper- imented for five days at “Casa Joven”, an educational space in Buenos Aires (Argentina) that supports young people in situations of social vulnerability. This group made a bet on the tools presented here, to manage to build, maintain or restore the cohesion of a collective, when necessary. Turn the pages in landscape format of this section for didactic use of the booklet. 7
RECOMMENDATIONS 1 Space sharing and carin Sharing an environment, a place, and taking care of it, helps to take a responsibility among different members of a group. Doing the cleaning, washing the dishes, preparing for lunch, etc. are activities which work well among foreigners that don’t speak the same language and they create cohesion. Casa Joven organises workshops every day for young people: woodwork, electricity, bakering, housekeeping and each one of these moments are an educational activity where the educator can give support to the young. “Every moment is an education opportunity” says the Popular Edu- cation approach. Every place is an education tool, so it is import- ant to change, improve and take care of the envi- ronment that surrounds the young because it has
ng the greatest influence on the group or the person: decoration, inside, outside, religious symbols and places, big or tiny places make the difference in education. Members of a group can be chosen (randomly or, for example, participants who lost a game or a quiz) to help the young to do the cleaning (dish- es, cleaning the dining room,). It is important that everybody in turn participate to the main tasks. Groups to decorate, embellish or taking care of a specific place can be also made by choice and interest of the participants. TOOLS, GAMES AND RECOMMENDATIONS 8
9
RECOMMENDATIONS 2 Sharing rituals Rituals can be very important for cohesion. Some examples: a unique way to greet each other to start the dayand say “hello”, adopted even by new mem- bers and foreigners; a key sentence to start the meal, pronounced each time by a volunteer at the table: this leads the group to focus on the present moment, even to thank for the food; a common rule to avoid the use of smartphones at the table: this leads the group to focus on the meal. If for example a person uses his phone, he will have to do the dishes! It works if every- one is committed to respecting the rule.
To do this, the members of a collective can dis- cuss different possible rituals together (“intercul- tural negotiation”). Agree which ones should be used during the group meeting period. At first, one or more people can take responsibili- ty for helping people remember to adopt the ritual. Discuss together in the group the different possible rituals. TOOLS, GAMES AND RECOMMENDATIONS 10
11
RECOMMENDATIONS 3 Let the young people wel When visitors arrive from outside, it is important to give young people the opportunity to present the place where they work, study or live. Anoth- er recommendation that the group of profes- sionals shared in Argentina, is that of entrusting young people with the responsibility of manag- ing a calendar of the week (planning of parties,
lcome moments of conviviality or even workshops). It is also important to give young people the space they need to organize any type of discussion, for example via school radio, drawings and tags, etc. These are simple tools for restoring confidence in young people and inviting them to take initiatives. TOOLS, GAMES AND RECOMMENDATIONS 12
13
RECOMMENDATIONS 4 Maintain balance When working with a collective, it is important to balance three dimensions, such as: allow the group to find common objectives through negotiation, explanation, motivation); create a balance between each person’s inti- mate sphere and group dynamics; promote informal, unstructured and relaxed learning activities.
During a meeting or working time, these dimen- sions should be kept in mind and explained to all participants. TOOLS, GAMES AND RECOMMENDATIONS 14
15
THE TOOLS 1 Sing and dance togethe Personal and bodily expression in a collective is a tool for cohesion: dancing and singing together are moments that help create a positive bond between people of different cultures, religions or ages. Even when a conflict has created tension between peo- ple. Creating a dance or music together, for exam- ple, can restore empathy and bond. Dancing and singing together, making a circle and exchanging head, shoulders or back massages with others ... all of this reconnects minds and helps build the cohesion of a collective, by doing things together and having great results in common. Con- necting with others through the body brings peo- ple to experience a second level of connection, to feel the same things together. It’s a basic condition for living together.
er Those playful moments can be offered during or after dinner, for example. They can lead people to discover different games, songs, dances and cultural habits. This type of activity can also be in- tegrated before, after or during a moment of dis- cussion or study; with the intention of resting or refreshing minds and bodies. In the presence of people of different origins or religions, it is import- ant to leave space for each “difference”, while cre- ating the link: for example, a group of people from the same country is responsible for organizing din- ner and after-dinner entertainment, open to all and with a concern for inclusion. This leads people to discover diversity (of tastes, games, songs, dances and cultural habits) with curiosity and pleasure. TOOLS, GAMES AND RECOMMENDATIONS 16
17
THE TOOLS 2 The intercultural This tool can be used individually to draw and write el- ements of one’s own culture, religion or spirituality. The intercultural community of practices gathered in Buenos Aires tested this introspective tool, in order to allow the participants to speak about their spiritual world and to put their world in relation with that of another person (time of sharing of the drawings and respective iceberg) . The intercultural iceberg can also become an “inter-spir- itual” iceberg if the person’s thinking is focused on their “spiritual world” only. In this case, the “inter-spiritual” ice- berg consists of two parts: the visible part, where you must write everything that can be seen by others, about your spirituality and / or your religion; the invisible part, underwater, where values, thoughts, beliefs are located. Exercise : fiEefnioalalvrccimhisnhiebodtklt,eaehtkyepowerasosrohr1tnda.0srtT)emhhettinehhcnueeotinrcegstrrieeoctnaueotptbsisceorrnooegfsfa, ttaa2henedv(pidiesccroieobapbnlwleeefrraagoannsnr.ddte It is difficult to talk about its values and spirituality, the pro- fessionals gathered in Buenos Aires were not too used to it! But if professionals want to help young people take into
and iterspiritual iceberg 18 account this spiritual part of themselves, it is important that they too experience their religion and/or spirituality. Sharing this tool in the intercultural community of practic- es led participants to a few considerations: It is very important to have a personal and introspec- tive dialogue, drawing on one part of your iceberg to develop the other; It is also important that the invisible part of the iceberg (values, etc.) is consistent with the visible part (behav- ior, actions, etc.); To talk about religion with another person, it is possi- ble to start from spirituality, which helps when a person does not believe in God; Spirituality can be expressed through actions, religious rules, values, love, forgiveness, empathy ... These in- gredients can be as much a factor of social change as of social conflict; Religion allows believers to belong, to find security and identity; the challenge is to create a relationship with another person without trying to change or convince them. The “iceberg” tool can be very useful in helping young people in the areas mentioned above. Drawing and writ- ing first, then explaining the iceberg to others, helps a lot to express an intimate part of everyone. It’s the starting point for real intercultural understanding. TOOLS, GAMES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
19
The “ iceberg” tool can be very useful in helping young people in the areas mentioned above. Drawing and writing first, then explaining the iceberg to others, helps a lot to express an intimate part of everyone. It’s the starting point for real intercultural understanding.
THE TOOLS 3 A storytelling tool: Trian In order to facilitate the exchange of practices and experiences, the members of a group can be organized into different “triangles” several times during the seminar. This triangle consists of three people talking together about an exercise they have done before, that is, a situation they have faced in the past. This method involves a few simple steps: Prepare in advance “a story to tell” about difficu ties or successes at work; Present the story within the triangle, explain the challenge and how it was solved or not; Note the suggestions for solutions from the tri- angle discussion; Summarize the key points and move on to a new “story” and discussion, and proceed as be- fore.
ngles This format for exchanging practices, simplified compared to a “co-development workshop”, quickly creates a kind of intimacy and trust be- tween professionals. This promotes empathy and mutual support. The discussion leads the partic- ipants to acquire or strengthen their knowledge and awareness of the situation analyzed. TOOLS, GAMES AND RECOMMENDATIONS 20
21
THE TOOLS 4 An intercultural game To underline the characteristics specific to each while developing the sense of belonging to the collective, we can use the exercise “I AM THE ONLY ...”: The participants stand in a circle, each has a chair behind him; One of the participants stands in the middle and removes his chair; The one in the middle says: “I am the only one ... who has black skin, for example)”; Anyone similar to this characteristic gets up and runs quickly to another chair; A person will not find a free chair and will have to stay in the middle; This new person starts again saying: “I am the only one ... (who knows how to prepare a pizza)”; Continue as much as you want in order to high- light the common characteristics.
This “I’m the only” exercise makes people feel unique while being part of a collective! This strengthens self-esteem but also mutual knowl- edge. This exercise can be used to create an ex- perience between people who do not know each other. TOOLS, GAMES AND RECOMMENDATIONS 22
23
S LEOÇNS APPRISES PN S AR S LESSONS LECCIONES ISE SSO LELAERSSNONS N T P T APRENDIDAS R LLLEEAECPASCRRSIONEONNNT SDESIDAS LECCIONES LE LLEEASSRONNESD 2LEARNTN LE CN P LE CIONESDIDAS A E S R Ç S N ISE O P LESSONS S LE R ÇN S A P ISE LEAARLPENUAEGRdCuenitriTtvmhoeEoCrarsrsns:iyt:GIyN)F,..POLGeicilbolDeantNne(oH(nLaI)a,uEGtSDe.aBEllSaecloAdFlioenuB(SnArdupaxpterioellnen,stiAsBrdrga’eAbnuattnientua) i)al,)nAd. MAL.oSuAoEklaarPnzCdeel (rSR-CGt JrooIsEsseOp(ChNJDN, DEISDASO P LE R A P 24
Recommendations for a good organization: 1 Announce which language will be used right from the beginning of the session. 2 Suggest to the participants to change their group to English, Spanish, etc., around a translator. 3 Important for k-speakers: take regular breaks to check that the translation is correct. It is useful to entrust someone with the task of „timekeeper“. 4 In group discussions: take regular breaks to facilitate translation. Sometimes participants ask for more information in 5 their mother tongue such as French, German, English, Spanish or even Arabic, especially when the discus- sion becomes particularly precise and difficult to un- derstand. 6 Use existing resources: people with various linguistic skills presented in the group will be able to do indivi- dual translations. 7 Distribute the responsibility for the translation as much as possible, while avoiding placing this burden always on the same shoulders! LESSONS LEARNED 25
Deal with the conflict We have learned As the conflict is part of reality, it should be consid- that a conflict ered while avoiding the pitfall of taking full respon- is not “simply sibility for it. During our training, we had to deal inevitable”, you have with a housing conflict. Instead of single rooms, as to learn to manage initially planned, participants had to share rooms it and live with in pairs. Furthermore, the bathrooms did not seem it, while reaping cleaned, there were insects on the walls and on the benefits of a the ceiling. The majority of participants cleaned successful training. their rooms and gradually adapted to the situation. However, after the first night, two participants de- cided to no longer stay in the accommodation and preferred a hotel in the city center for the rest of the stay, without abandoning their mission with- in the group. This inevitably provoked a conflict: training included by nature a dimension of group cohesion, which includes cohabitation in a com- mon space. Conflict creates confusion within a group and is a pervasive topic. We have learned that a conflict is not “simply inevitable”, you have to learn to manage it and live with it, while reaping the benefits of a successful training. In order to create a better dialogue with people in conflict, we have chosen from the group a rep- resentative for each person concerned. We have also learned over the days to detach ourselves from the conflict. 26 LESSONS LEARNED
Ultimately, conflicts are often inevitable within Conflicts are a group. It is important to be present in the con- often inevitable flict, as it has energy potential and may ultimately within a group. It prove useful for the group. In our case, being pres- ent consisted of maintaining communication with- is important to the two people in conflict. be present in the conflict, which has energetic potential and which may ultimately prove useful for the group. LESSONS LEARNED 27
EEdduuccaattoorrss”/mEedetuicnagtors” and “Children / We had the opportunity to work with educators from different countries to exchange experiences and es- tablish a community of practice. It was particularly interesting to learn how Argentinian professionals greet each other. We were also impressed by the quality of the presence of these educators at meet- ings, training and teamwork. The discussions we had on working philosophy and methodology with comments from educators from France, Germany, Lebanon, Belgium and Argentina were also enriching. It was also an opportunity to interact with the young people of Casa Joven. The latter were very com- municative. When they arrived at Casa Joven in the morning, they kissed the participants and had a little chat with them. Our group regularly had the oppor- tunity to eat with young people and share their daily lives. The discussions we had on the philosophy and working methodology with the comments of educators from France, Germany, Lebanon, Belgium and Argentina were enriching. 28 LESSONS LEARNED
In addition, we had various discussions on subjects such as hobbies, friends, the activities they had at Casa Joven, relationships between them, musical tastes…. We participated in their workshops (carpe try, bakery, gardening, etc.). It was also a good opportunity for several partici- pants to better understand what “social education” means here, especially with regard to the “educa- cion popular” philosophy. LESSONS LEARNED 29
Coordination team - challenges We have learned The 5 coordinators (one from each country) had not only that work numerous meetings in advance on skype to pre- can be inspired pare the training. The training with a full program spiritually by was well prepared. The program with additional working outside homework was sent to each participant before the when the weather training. The latter were also invited to prepare two permits, but also short stories, one concerning group cohesion and to enjoy a moment the other concerning inter-spiritual dialogue. of silence before starting the During the training, the coordination team tried to experiment. return this work to the group, but it turned out that only the “coordinator among the coordinators” had 30 LESSONS LEARNED taken too much on its shoulders. After 2 days of work, the coordinators corrected this imbalance and reorganized their workload accordingly. Another important thing to note is the absence of a first meeting between the coordinators the day be- fore departure. In the future, this could help shape the agenda for the first day and decide how often the coordinating team meets during the week. As we said before, this is very important for adjusting the training program every day. What we learned from the interspiritual experi- ence during those 5 days of living together. We have learned not only that work can be spiritually inspired by working outside when the weather al- lows it, but also to appreciate a moment of silence before starting the exercise. Participants were asked to write their own thoughts on the subject of the exercise. After these few minutes of “inspiring silence”, the participants began to speak and work
together. This allows everyone to be well connect- Singing or dancing ed with their inner world before interacting with together is also others. a very good opportunity to feel Singing or dancing together is also a very good a better connection opportunity to feel a better connection with one’s with one’s own own spirituality and to experience a common pres- spirituality and to ence within a group. It was also a good way to feel experience a common connected H-H-H- (Head, Heart, Hands), which is presence within a an important condition for working on (and in) spir- group. ituality. We had some interesting discussions during the “storytelling” exercises, in which each participant told and explained their own inter-spiritual experi- ence. These discussions were great opportunities to connect with other people’s spiritual views and emotions and learn to develop empathy. We have learned a lot! LESSONS LEARNED 31
Place and time conditions The training Our experience has shown that the place of train- location should ing is important. It should be a place where par- be a place where ticipants feel safe and comfortable. If this is not participants feel safe the case because the conditions do not meet the and comfortable. expectations of the participants, or if they do not If this is not the like their room, the environment or the food, it is case because the recommended to accompany them in the search conditions do not for an adapted solution. meet the expectations of the participants, We also observed that the start time of the work- or if they do not ing day is very important. Most participants should like their room, indeed have a clear overview of the planned pro- the environment cess. Therefore, the program must be adapted or the food, it is daily to the concrete and current situation. Our recommended to solution consisted in proposing a poster with the accompany them adapted schedule each morning. Before start- in the search for a ing the activities, we had a quick briefing with the solution adapted. group. We also took advantage of this brief infor- mation session to integrate the calendar as part of the training week. It helped the participants to connect the content of the previous day to the planned content of the current day. In addition, it was also an opportunity to recall the objectives of the training, namely to develop intercultural- ity through group cohesion, interspirituality and “popular education”. 32 LESSONS LEARNED
Simple, practical and useful language We were a group of 20 people. The two official languages were English and Spanish. We regu- larly had to translate, whether it was our presen- tations or more broadly our exchanges, from En- glish to Spanish and vice versa. In order not to waste too much time and ener- gy, we had to use concrete and simple means to express ourselves and be understood by all the members of the group. This understanding was facilitated by the use of words from everyday vo- cabulary. When the discussion focused on more abstract concepts, such as interculturality, it was appropriate to explain them in concrete terms. In- terculturality had to be understood in a situation where people from different cultures meet and interact together, like a working group in which a German, a Belgian and a French discuss. We have also experienced the power of key- words. These are a good medium for the trans- mission and exchange of ideas. For example, the head, the heart and the hands are simple words that explain very well the complexity of human communication. This can be indicated directly on the body and experienced in a group using games in order to be understood by all participants. LESSONS LEARNED 33
Search
