Our goal through this trip and workshops is to connect with people who are interested in community engagement and sustainability. As you can see from the 'Sustainability Principles' page, sustainability is a societal issue that requires collective action within organisations, municipalities, neighbourhoods and other levels. We think a lot of people are passionate about this. Some are supported by great networks, while others may be left frustrated by different conditions.
Thanks to organisations such as The Natural Step and Art of Hosting, methods and techniques exist to bring people together for meaningful conversations which enable them to act more effectively.
When we are done with this page there will be a description of the "World Cafe" and "Pro Action Cafe" as workshop formats. There will also be an overview of the "Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development" which is a simple formula for strategic planning towards sustainability.
The Pro Action Café
The Pro Action Café is a space for creative and action oriented conversation where participants are invited to bring their call - project - ideas - questions or whatever they feel called by and need help to manifest in the world.
The concept of Pro Action Café is a blend of 'World Café' and 'Open Space' technologies. It was first conceived by Rainer von Leoprechting and Ria Baeck in Brussels, Belgium.
What is Pro Action Café Good For?
As a conversational process, the Pro Action Café is a collective, innovative methodology for hosting conversations about calls, questions and projects that matter to the people that attend. These conversations link and build on each other as people move between café tables, cross-pollinate ideas, and offer each other new insights into the questions or issues that are most important in their life, work, organization or community.
As a process, the Pro Action Café can evoke and make visible the collective intelligence of any group, thus increasing people’s capacity for effective action in pursuit of good work. Pro Action Café can be used with a network of people and/or as a methodology for a specific group, organization or community to engage in creative and inspirational conversation leading to wiser and more collectively informed actions.
General Flow of a Pro Action Café:
Start with a quick check-in circle to connect to the purpose of the session and with each other. If check- in has already taken place as part of a longer process, go straight to building the agenda.
You need 2 ½ to 3 hours for a good Pro Action Café. Invite participants step forward with their call and in that way ask the community for the help you need to move your project into action. People with a call stand up, speak it and write it on the agenda that corresponds to a numbered café table.
Count the amount of participants divide by 4 that gives the amount of callers with projects that can be worked - with f. ex. 40 people you can have maximum 10 callers with each their project. The principle is first come first serve. If you have less callers add chairs to café tables but no more than 5 at each table. During this process each contributing participant (those who do not step forward) get to support 3 of the different projects.
When the agenda has been created invite the callers to go to their numbered café tables. There will be 3 rounds of conversation in café style of 20 to 30 minutes - each guided by a few generic questions to help deepen and focus the conversations:
Round 1:
What is the quest behind the call /question/ project? - to deepen the need and purpose of the call.
Round 2:
What is missing? – when the quest has been deepened, explore what could make the project more complete and possible.
Round 3:
What am I learning about myself? – What am I learning about my project? - What next steps will I take? - What help do I still need? – to help bring it all together for caller and his/ her project.
This 3rd round is in 2 steps:
First 20-25 minutes for the callers to reflect by themselves on the 4 questions above and harvest their key insights. Then a last round where 3 new contributors visit the tables to listen to the harvest of the caller, their learning, their steps, help needed – and then offer any insight and any further support …
Between each round create breaks for the contributors to have a drink, relax together and get ready to support another caller in their quest/ project.
Last step is to meet in the circle and invite the callers from each table to share answers to these 2 questions:
- What am I grateful for?
- What are my next steps?
If there is time the whole group reflects shortly on: What applications do we see for practicing Pro Action Café in our contexts? End the Pro Action Café with a collective gesture to appreciate the work done and the gifts offered and received.
Materials and Set-Up:
Ideally create a large circle in one part of the room and enough café tables with 4 chairs in another part (if the size of the room does not allow this, then participants will move the tables and chairs themselves as soon as the agenda is created). Dress the tables with flipchart paper, colour pens and markers as basic café set up.
Prepare the matrix for the agenda setting of the session with the right amount of sessions according to the number of participants divided by 4.
Have fun and do good work together.
http://sites.google.com/a/pro-action.eu/pro-action-caf-/how-to-become-a-host/hosting-kit
(Material from the Art of Hosting Karlskrona 2011 Workbook)
