This morning the participants have been coming together to bond as a group and to share the story of the network so far.

Being aware of yourself

The morning started with a short exercise to encourage participants to be self aware in the process. In small groups and before introductions participants shared one initial impression or projection about everyone else in their group. Everyone spent a little time reflecting on the projections that other people had of them and were asked to be aware of themselves in the process. We considered the positive projects that would be helpful and aid the process, and also the ones that might not contribute.

Telling the story of the network

The group were asked to create and share the story of the network so far in a variety of different forms from a fairytale to a tabloid cover, a song and a pantomime. Throughout the stories (which were as brilliant as they were creative) several themes emerged…

• Too many leaders but no leadership – in the previous meeting in Ireland there were many participants trying to lead the process but no clear leadership emerged.
• Dreaming to create the network – trainers came together because they had a vision or dream to create the network so there is a need to invest themselves in the process.
• Participation to be inclusive – from the outset everyone involved has wanted to be super inclusive and bring in views from the wider pool of trainers but there is a recognition that this is not easy.
• Balancing outcomes and objectives with relationships – a large amount of time was spent working on relationships at the meeting in Ireland and as a result strategy and outcomes were not as concrete. This time round the group need to concentrate on the process.

Gallery of network stories…

Entering the process with freedoms

The group spent some time talking about what freedoms they would grant themselves within the process and the timetable for the next few days.

The objectives to come out of the coming days are to…

• Create the network strategy
• Design a consultation process for wider involvement

The rest of this morning’s session is to be spent on bonding and building connections further and then this afternoon will be looking at learning from other networks and finalising the vision and objectives from the International Youth Work Trainers network.

Share your thoughts

As always the group here in Budapest are keen to hear from trainers from the wider group so be sure to comment on the blog with your thoughts or post in the Facebook group.