Facilitation
I have worked professionally as a facilitator and community engagement practitioner for the last decade, working with organisations to help them achieve their goals. In recent years organisations I have worked with include Barwon Water, Merri Creek Management Committee, and Association of Neighbourhood Houses and Learning Centres. I have also done a lot of pro bono facilitation for The Greens. I am particularly keen on facilitating collaborative decision making processes and community participation processes which shape public policy decisions.
I presented papers on the potential of collaborative decision making in a political environment at the Australasian Facilitators Network Conferences in 2004 and 2006. The 2004 paper includes a comprehensive assessment of the pros and cons of voting versus consensus decision making; the 2006 paper outlines the challenges of trying to introduce a collaborative culture into a typically adversial political environment.
All the papers from both conferences (and information about the Network) are on the AFN website.