NEW!!!!  Strengthening Facilitation Skills Level 2

Monday November 22, 5:00 p.m.  to Thursday November 25, 1:30

Are you an experienced facilitator of OPSEU meetings and education in your local, sector or region?  Have you ever wished you could have stimulated better discussion, challenged disrespectful remarks more gracefully, or handled tense group dynamics more effectively?

OPSEU’s new Strengthening Facilitation Skills Level 2 is designed for members and staff with at least five years experience of OPSEU facilitation work. It’s for facilitators with previous facilitator training, and with a demonstrated commitment to union meetings and education that mobilize and build solidarity between members.

By the end of this 3-day course you will have:

• reconnected with the basics of OPSEU mobilizing education

• self-assessed your own learning and facilitation styles

• practiced a variety of facilitation strategies to address conflict and/or inequities in group dynamics

• developed some practical approaches for running inclusive and mobilizing union meetings

• created some approaches using physical energy and laughter to build community and action in groups.

How do members apply?  

1.  Complete the attached application (Microsoft Word .doc) and send it to Michelle Langlois and Marty McFarlane in Training and Development either by fax 416 443-0180 or e-mail (mlanglois@opseu.org and mmcfarlane@opseu.org ).

Applications are due Monday September 27, 2010 by 3:00 p.m.

2. On your questionnaire you must demonstrate support from a Board Member in    your region.

3. The day after application deadline, the list of applicants from your region will be sent to your RVP to review with the other two board members. Each RVP will confirm one participant from their region, with one or two back-up names should the first person be unavailable or additional seats become free. The RVP will send that information to the Training and Development Unit, within 14 calendar days of receipt of the list of applicants. RVPs are asked to make their decisions based on the criteria outlined below.

4.  The Training and Development Unit will compile this list and send it to the President’s Office for final approval.

5.   Each program’s approved list of participants receives a formal invitation to attend from the President’s Office.

Selection Criteria

Applicants for the new Strengthening Facilitation Skills 2 should have:

• at least 5 years experience of OPSEU facilitator work

• previous facilitator training

• demonstrated commitment to union meetings and education that mobilizes and builds solidarity between members

• a recommendation for this training from an Executive Board member from their region

• As far as possible, we encourage participation in Train the Trainer programs from OPSEU members who:

• can demonstrate their interest and involvement in union education and facilitation

• can identify how they will apply the training (not just in OPSEU regional education, but also in work with locals, sectors and committees, and community)         

• play leadership roles (i.e. stewards, sit on OPSEU committees. All these roles require process skills in running bringing people together, running meetings, etc.)

• in the spirit of union renewal, are young workers, particularly young activists who are aboriginal, or people of colour, or workers with a disability

We try to ensure that collectively, each Train the Trainer program has representation: by region by sector gender, age, racial and cultural backgrounds, ability/disability

We encourage Board Members to help us apply these criteria in recommending the best possible participants for this program – activists who can help strengthen local, sectoral and regional education.