Participatory Facilitation Chilean style & Don Francisco!

For those of you who have worked with me either at Joyce Preschool or Lyndale Neighborhood Assocation, you will remember well the ubiquitous purple sticky wall! The purple sticky cloth is a tool used by TOP (Technology of Participation) and ICA (Institute of Cultural Affairs) along with a whole bevy of other wonderful facilitative tools and methods that foster maximum group participation and general gleaning of group wisdom.

I love these methods, so I was thrilled to be connected to the Chilean ICA team of facilitators. This week, I ran off to Santiago for a couple days to mostly observe a training workshop I'm very familiar with, but in Spanish! Very cool. In addition, the Chilean ICA team has focused their efforts on working with adults with disabilities. A group that is very marginalized, particularly professionally, in Chile. It was a very powerful experience.

I wasn't able to observe the entire workshop, as responsibilities back in Valparaiso called, but I'm hoping I'll be able to help out with another workshop before the year is out.
-Laura

p.s. On a side note, my gracious hostess in Santiago - Ana Mari Urrutia, also took me for a tour of La Sociedad Pro-Ayuda al Niño Lisiado or now known as the Teletón. It is a multi-million dollar organization which has clinics all over the country which treats handicapped children. She had been director for many years and her father was the original founder. Anyways, it was a great tour and we were there for the day of the Teletón kick-off, their big fundraising event. Why I am telling you all this? Because for all of you that have seen Sábado Gigante, which has been on Latin American television for the last 50 years, will be interested to know that the organizer and face of the Teletón is none other than Don Francisco, or Mario Kruetzberger, a Chilean, who I had the pleasure meeting this week! To give some context for those of you unfamiliar with Don Francisco, it was kind of like meeting the Latino Bob Barker.