Paper on facilitation skills in policy making process

Paper on facilitation skills in policy making process Top five skills that you will need for facilitations in Policy Making Processes.

Text Recorder: George Merdzhanov Graphic Facilitator: Alise Gaa Facilitators: Charlotte Huer / Aidas Gedminas Media communicator: Elif Özcan Year of publishing: 2018 Location: Daugirdiskes, Lithuania Target group: Ten participants – youth workers, facilitators, experts on active participation Countries: Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Turkey, Norway, Poland Date: 24.01.2018 Format: facilitated process /drafted during Facilitation (s)kills Training Course, Funded by Erasmus+/ Methods: non-formal educational methods, discussion, group work, brain storming.

Preamble: Going in to the field of Active participations in social life it is like always opening a new chapter with every different age group of youth. Youth are so diverse, immensely different, with various skills, interests and opinion that if we make a discussion with ten people on the topic of Facilitation skills in Policy making process, we would first have to start with the perceptions of policy making otherwise we risk to generate ten likely similar but yet not structured opinions on the topic.

Policy Making Process – Definitions Process where different stakeholders are discussing and creating practices and approach towards achieving a common goal. The common goal is often challenges or interests of citizens themselves and also the decision makers. Policy making is not an ending process, it more as a circling ecosystem.

It is continuing from one level to another, because you can always upgrade it, as the context is dynamically changing.

How does policy process goes (Levels): - Participating in discussions, meetings, round tables, events, initiatives and etc.; - Political documents, laws, reports, communique and etc.; - Advocacy process; - To reach other levels in social and political aspect.

When a policy paper is ready, than you start to advocate for it, reach institutions, make meetings. So there are steps and levels. This is why it is a vertical process and a cross-sectorial one.

Examples: National Debate Bulgaria – different stakeholders and over 150 young people discuss relevant topic for youth.

Skills Generated Participants acknowledge that although quite a big set of soft skills should be in the facilitator`s tool box, there should be an emphasis on most common and used. Those were listed in the next sequence, arranged by importance and relevancy to decision making process.

1. Communication skill The ability to share information or emotions to another effectively and efficiently. (e.g participants: The ability to adjust the way we talk, words we use to whom we communicate with and being aware how to.) The ability to control verbal and nonverbal signs, facial expressions, body language.

2. Time management skill – Ability to prepare an organized time framed process with some steps ahead in order to achieve a goal more effectively and less hard. Furthermore to balance the time in favor of the results and better participation.

3. Engagement skills – Creating an equal and friendly environment with supportive and positively provoking behavior.

4. Flexibility /adaptability/ - The ability of Improvisation and adaptation of methods according to the needs of the group. To be prepared to improvise and integrate methods, tools and activities according to the needs of the group.

5. Active perceiving / listening – is to understand and to feel the group dynamics. [Quotes] “To be able to empathy by including all the group members to the process!”

Other Outcomes not included in the report, but considered as relevant to the working group: Mediations skills, Interpretation skills, Policy Making skills;