The first Climate Fresk workshop: a testimonial
The first Climate Fresk workshop... Whether it's a precious memory or the next step in your Climate Fresk journey, your first Climate Fresk workshop is an event! Here's some advice as well as feedback from Assya Guettaf, a French Fresker since the start of 2022!
First and foremost: the importance of being prepared
Doing your first Climate Fresk can be stressful for many Freskers. Fear of losing control, forgetting the training, or not being up to speed… All these fears are normal, but the NGO’s objective is for everyone to embrace the Climate Fresk workshop and be able to facilitate it!
That’s why there are many resources available on the platform, in the facilitator space. For Assya, the MOOC was particularly useful: “I recommend starting with this. It’s short and very helpful. If you don’t have a lot of time, you can take 10 minutes to review the parts of the course that you find most complicated. For me, it was the third set!” On this note, the English version of the MOOC will be released very soon, keep an eye out for that!
If you have more questions, there are two welcome meetings for new facilitators scheduled in English every last Wednesday of the month: one from 9AM to 10:30AM, GMT ; the other one from 4:00PM to 5:30PM, GMT. The next sessions can be found in your facilitator space under the “News” tab. You can also observe a workshop or co-facilitate with a more experienced facilitator. Just choose the option you prefer when you sign up for a workshop!
On the day
Choosing the location and the way you organise the space were two crucial elements that helped calm Assya’s nerves. She organised her first workshop at home, in a familiar space. Then she chose the participants herself: “I decided to do it with people from my close circle – some friends and neighbours. I wanted to be with a caring group that wouldn’t be afraid to give me constructive feedback because I was there to learn too!” Raising awareness among those around her was a driving force for Assya, who no longer wanted to be alone in her concerns about climate change. Therefore, the Climate Fresk tool was perfect! She was delighted that some of her friends and family had now become aware of these issues and had changed their behaviour, particularly regarding food and transport.
“You’re scared to take the plunge, but once you’ve done it, you’re very proud of yourself. The feedback is generally excellent: the workshop is well established, there is a good methodology, and you can trust the game,” says Assya.
Trusting the workshop
The Climate Fresk workshop was designed to be easily implemented using cards and collective intelligence: “What helped me a lot was to remember that we’re not here to be climate scientists or experts. I have resources, and I know the Climate Fresk tool, but there are bound to be things I don’t know, and that’s okay! I also rely on the participants: if someone knows something, they should be encouraged to share it with the rest of the group.” Becoming a Fresker takes time, and it never really stops: every day, we learn, we evolve, and we refine our thinking and our teaching…
Assya is now an orange belt, on her way to becoming a green belt, and we wish her all the best in reaching her next belt level! We also hope that these tips have helped you if you haven’t facilitated a Climate Fresk yet and that you’ll be able to take the plunge soon. See you soon around a workshop table!