At our imp!act events, we don’t tell participants which topic to focus on, or what is possible and what isn’t, but we create a space in which participants can explore their passions and interests freely. This is how they develop a real commitment for making a sustainable change in their local communities. In one word, this approach is called facilitation.
The facilitative approach is central to all euforia activities; it is a part of the organisation’s DNA. Whether we work with young volunteers, universities or business leaders, we never pretend to be experts that have all the answers. Instead, we see our main competences in offering transformative learning experiences, engaging the unengaged and connecting people who usually wouldn’t meet. We focus on the needs of our participants, and we help them find their own solutions through innovative exercises and peer-to-peer learning. In other words: we don’t teach, we facilitate.
(r)evolution lab (RevLab, former eTP) and imp!act are our flagships in working with young people. Both of them were co-created by Magdalena Musiala, one of Europe’s leading facilitators in the field of NGOs. We feel privileged to have been able to learn from the best, and hundreds of RevLab/eTP trainees as well as imp!act participants have already been inspired by the impact that comes from euforia’s facilitation-based approach. Not to forget that our interactive, non-formal methods such as the Marshmallow Challenge, the Pitch Festival and all our energizers are also a great deal of fun!
Good facilitation makes things look effortless. Still, the basis of flawless delivery is meticulous planning, and a sound understanding of the underlying theories and models. This is why we have summarized our knowledge on facilitation in this guide. We are very proud to present to you the first edition of the official euforia Facilitation Handbook! A huge THANK YOU goes to Simon Mathis, one of our euforia Trainers, who is not only a very talented facilitator, but also the initiator of this handbook and wrote many of its chapters. Another euphoric contributor was fellow Trainer Oswald König. We hope their examples and that of all the other dedicated volunteers will inspire you to become an integral part of the euforia family as well.
A euphoric welcome, and enjoy the ride!
Arne Reis
Former Co-Director Facilitation, Coaching and Training at euforia
Download your own euforia facilitation handbook
Did you notice our facilitation events?
Evening teaser in Zurich, September 4th and Solothurn, September 25th
Full-two-day course in Zurich, November 14th to 15th
