Over a six month period, the facilitator will have six sessions with the core group. By the end of the sixth session the core group should have planned and be ready to implement a community initiative based on needs they have identified. This is a tough task. The following advice from other facilitators may prove valuable:
• Allow the core group members to set the time and dates of your monthly sessions. However, make sure that the group commit to a minimum of meeting for two hours each month. It may help to establish a routine of meeting by trying to meet at the same time and day each month.
• If time allows, having a meal together each month before the start of the session can be a very good way of team building.
• Don’t be constrained by the session outlines. Use these as a guide and adapt your own outlines to suit the needs and progress of the group.
• Some core groups get quickly frustrated with the reflection activities and just want to get on with “doing something”. If this is the case, use those activities that help people to reflect in more active ways, but don’t give up on this aspect of the session. Modelling spiritual reflection is a key aspect of helping to build the capacity of the team and of ensuring that the core group ground their action in faith.
• Try and make sure that no activity lasts more than 30 minutes – this helps to keep the pace going.
• Ensure that activities are visual, active and fun.
• Provide chocolates, food, etc during the sessions.
• Try and give people simple tasks between meetings (eg, taking pictures of their community using disposable cameras).
• Check with the church leadership how many people would be comfortable to write with a marker pen. If few people would be, do more oral based activities.
• Establish a contract on time that the facilitator should honour. If it is agreed to close each session at 9pm, close at 9pm, not later!
• Have a phone call with the church leader shortly before and after each visit. This will help to flag up issues in the church that it may be good to be aware of (eg, a recent funeral).
• Take time to talk through the training beforehand with the Community support worker
• Keep the head of the resource organisation regularly informed of progress with the church.