Entries Tagged as ''

We chat with Nicole Hunter about bush fire recovery

Geoff Brown and I chat with Nicole Hunter who is currently a freelance facilitator based in Dubai, U.A.E. Before shifting to the desert she was the Manager of Community and Stakeholder Engagement at EPA Victoria. And before that Nicole worked as the Manager Community Engagement, Fire, at the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment.

Nicole’s core expertise includes facilitation, community engagement and project planning and management.

She shares her experiences and wisdom from working with rural communities following the Grampians bush fires a few years ago.

winkipodcastDownload and Listen to podcast here (40 mins)

Why facilitation is necessary after a disaster

Created @ Wordle.net

Geoff Brown and I chatted with Gil Brenson-Lazan about the role of facilitators in disaster recovery. Gil has 35 years experience in this area and a background in social psychology. He is a co-founder of the Global Facilitators Service Corps (GFSC).

winkipodcastDownload and Listen to podcast here (32 mins)

Here’s an overview of what we covered.

Gil’s experiences of disaster responses – good and bad. What happened when 26,000 people were killed in Columbia.

Why it’s important for people to participate in their own future.

Training facilitators in psycho-social recovery: personal (psycho) grieving processes and building community (social) resilience.

An aid mentality compared with a facilitative approach to disaster response.

Thinking like a facilitator.

Role of Community Fireguard in building resilient communities.

The power of participating and dialoguing instead of being ‘talked at’ by an expert.

Secondary crisis – not dealing appropriately with the loss and turning to ‘escape’ behaviours.

The problem of staying in the aid mode for too long and building dependency. The ladder of participation.

When is the right time for facilitation after a disaster?

GFSC resources for facilitators

Arnstein’s article about the Ladder of Participation