England-Wales
- London & South East - monthly coffee meetups in London, Brighton, Oxfordshire & Winchester; plus in London each month either an afternoon or an evening learning meetup, or an evening drinks meetup.
- North of England - monthly coffee meetups in Yorkshire, Manchester & Newcastle and three afternoon regional learning meetups per year. We are keen to support a new monthly coffee meetup in Liverpool in particular.
- South West of England - monthly coffee meetups in Bristol/Bath and Devon and three afternoon regional learning meetups per year.
- Midlands & East of England - monthly coffee meetups in Birmingham, Nottingham & Cambridgeshire plus two afternoon regional learning meetups per year and our England & Wales Annual Conference in Birmingham during International Faciliation Week each October (16-17 Oct 2020).
- Wales - monthly & bi-monthly coffee meetups in Cardiff and North Wales and two afternoon learning meetups per year.
March 2020 update: it is now easier than ever to connect, network and learn with other IAF facilitators and friends across in England & Wales! As the Coronavirus outbreak takes hold, and much of Europe is already under lockdown, we have concluded that now is no time to invite you to leave home, travel and meetup face-to-face. More than ever, however, now is a time to connect with each for mutual support, and to share and learn the skills of virtual facilitation and online meetings. That is why we are now holding all our local coffee meetups online until the end of April, at their usual days and times, and our April 22 London evening learning meetup as well. All these online meetups are open to all IAF facilitators and friends across England & Wales and beyond, so feel free to take advantage of this opportunity to join other local meetups as well as your own! For details and to RSVP, see the monthly schedule below and follow the links to the appropriate regional meetup groups. See also the IAF Chair's message on COVID 19 of 11 March.
February 2020 update: are you interested to join like-minded facilitators to network, create and share knowledge around, or act upon, a specific interest area related to facilitation in England & Wales? Join us in Slack to find your tribe, and to connect and learn with each other there. Consider launching an IAF E&W Hub, if you could benefit from further tools and support to act on your shared interest together. Topic threads already established include Diversity & inclusion, Climate crisis, Deliberative democracy & citizens assemblies, Co-facilitation & buddying, Recognition of IAF & CPF in official procurement, marketing & selling facilitation, and ToP facilitation - take your choice or add your own!
We asked some of our regulars what they have appreciated most about IAF E&W Meetups and why should others be interested - they replied:
"The sharing of ideas" - Jonathan Bannister
"Meeting diverse practitioners of facilitation - and learning together" - Michael Ambjorn
"Expanding my thinking AND facilitation practice through peers generously sharing their ideas" - Andi Roberts CPF
"A brilliant initiative - a great way to build your faciliation skills whilst networking with like-minded sorts" - Neil Fogarty
"Diversity of input, quality of input, creation of our "own space", snowball effect over time as our numbers have grown, commitment of some key players @martingilbraith @orford @penny_walker_sd to name a few" - Mike Pounsford CPF
"A wonderful opportunity to learn from each other, to share experiences and to practice new ways of facilitation in a friendly and fun environment... with fellow facilitators from different nationalities" - Pinar Akkaya
"Learning... It’s also great to feel a sense of belonging to a community... I think this feeling of being part of a profession or industry has all sorts of benefits to me as an individual (now a CPF) and my business." - Sean Blair CPF
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Setting out as a facilitator on my own was a scary decision but I have met so many great people through the meet-ups... Its a really wonderful community to be a part of!" - Camilla Gordon
- "I feel I can relax and share openly, have fun and learn loads... There's a generosity and love of learning which makes these meet-ups special. And a surprisingly wide range of people and ways that they use their skills" - Penny Walker
Please join us at a meetup by clicking on the meetup group links above - everyone with an interest in group process facilitation is welcome, including facilitators and others who use or commission facilitation, IAF members and non-members alike.
Connect with us online also, by joining over 1,000 IAF facilitators & friends in our Facebook and LinkedIn groups, by following IAF England & Wales on Twitter and Instagram, or by finding your tribe in Slack. Please also take a few minutes to complete our online survey, to help to make IAF England & Wales and our free facilitation meetups more valuable to you in the coming year - thank you!
Our monthly meetup schedule at a glance - now all online, until at least 30 April
Click on the image below to enlarge it, and please follow the links to our regional meetup groups above for further details and to RSVP to an #IAFMeetup near you!
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Gary Austin CPF-M, Hertfordshire - Board Secretary, Communications, London evening learning meetups
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Megan Evans, Cardiff - Board member, Wales region, Cardiff meetups
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Martin Gilbraith CPF, London - Board Chair, Twitter, virtual meetups
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Helene Jewell, Bristol - Board member, South West region, Facebook & Instagram, Bristol meetups
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Steve Lloyd, Plymouth - Board Treasurer
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Amanda Stott CPF, Harrogate - Board member, North region, York meetups
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Hilary Topp, Birmingham - Board member, Annual Conference, Birmingham meetups
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Penny Walker CPF, London - Board member, Professional Development
Join us! We are particularly keen to welcome new members to our volunteer Leadership Team in the following roles - please contact us for details:
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Local coffee meetup hosts for Brighton or Liverpool, or wherever you are!
- Communicators to curate our LinkedIn group and a new blog
- Podcasters to join our podcast team
- Regional meetup group co-ordinators for the Midlands & East region
- England & Wales co-ordinators for Membership, regional & local groups and Hubs and for Partnerships.
- our IAF England & Wales 2020 plan
- the 2019 Board report & Annual Meeting recording,
- the invitation to Stand for election to the IAF England & Wales Board in 2019 and 2019 Board election results,
- and the IAF England & Wales Chapter Bylaws.
