Global Flipchart #20

The Special Interest Group (SIG) for Social Inclusion Facilitators was started in late 2018 and grew out of a larger network of Social Inclusion Facilitators, mostly based in Africa, that have been working for many years to use Facilitation as a means of tackling discrimination, exclusion and oppression in order to promote Social Justice, Equity and Inclusion.

The specific goals of the group are as follows:

• To act as a means of organising for Social Inclusion facilitators globally
• To promote Social Inclusion facilitation amongst IAF members
• Development of Facilitation methods and Techniques in relation to Social Inclusion and for specific groups, e.g. people with disabilities (deaf, blind etc.), illiterate people, LGBTIQ communities, etc.
• To promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion through the work of the Special Interest Group.
• Sharing of learning, information, resources and services

Currently, the group has almost 40 members from 16 countries across 4 continents; the majority of our communication takes place in our active and lively whatsapp group, where members share experiences, resources and learning on a regular basis.  We also have regular online meet-ups and during 2021 will be meeting approximately once per month. 

In a review session at the end of last year, members reported that they enjoyed having a space to check-in and be supported during the lockdown and they enjoyed having in-depth discussions on key issues affecting social inclusion.  Some exciting new work also emerged in 2020 in the form of the “I Can’t Breathe” initiative, which can be read about here.

For more about the group, please also have a look at our web page here and if you would like to contact us and/or to get involved in the group’s activities, please write to socialinclusion@iaf-world.org