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Overall, the process of documenting, developing, and using a community protocol should:
Be defined and controlled by the community
Be empowering and rooted within the community’s values and procedures
Create a space for trust, respect, sharing, reflection, and learning-by-doing
Include the full and effective participation of as many community members as possible
Encourage dialogue and learning between generations, between different groups in the
community, and with other communities with shared heritage, resources, or knowledge
Value and build on the diversity of knowledge, skills, and capacities in the community
Emphasize the inter-linkages between social-cultural, material, and spiritual wellbeing
Increase awareness of relevant legal frameworks and clarity of how the community would like
to engage with them
Inspire community mobilization around key issues
Lead to tangible change in accordance with community plans and priorities
B1. Understanding Your Role as Facilitator
Facilitation can be challenging yet highly
rewarding. It requires skill, sensitivity, flexibility,
and willingness to learn and adapt to changing
conditions. There are a number of key
characteristics of a good facilitator that you may
wish to adopt (see Box 13).
Although there are many different ways to
facilitate a protocol process, workshops and
community meetings are most common. Further
guidance is provided below to be adapted to the
local context.
Facilitating a workshop or meeting
Be an active listener
Play a supporting role
Respect the local culture and traditions
Maintain an atmosphere of respect and openness
Foster trust and confidence
Be consistent and clear
Remain neutral and level-headed
Keep up positive momentum
Take notice of subtle changes in energy and tone
Develop positive rapport with a range of
community members
Keep the broader objectives in mind and help
focus discussion on key issues
Box 13: Qualities and actions of a good facilitator
It is the facilitator’s job to create the conditions
for a productive and impartial process. Before the workshop or meeting, certain arrangements should be
made in consultation with the local leadership and whoever is promoting the idea of a community
protocol (see Table 4). There are also certain tasks and roles to fulfil during the workshop or meeting (see
Table 5).
Table 4: Arrangements to be made before a workshop or meeting
Task
Draft an agenda
Identify key discussion points
Details
This should be done through consultations in advance. In longer processes,
a series of workshops may be necessary, in which case a whole
programme can be drafted. This is an important step for creating a realistic
understanding of what the workshop intends to accomplish.
This relates to Part I: Section III/A2 above on understanding internal
dynamics. Discussions need to be focused and somewhat contained to key
issues. It could involve a process of free-listing or brainstorming and
prioritization from a comprehensive list of topics and could be done as a
precursor to or at the beginning of the workshop. Try to find out if there
are some topics that people think are important but are unwilling or
unable to discuss openly and explore how they could be considered in
another more appropriate way.