Belonging

I have been reading “Building Better Schools with Evidence-Based Policy: Adaptable Policy for Teachers and School Leaders”, edited by Kelly-Ann Allen, Andrea Reupert and Lindsay Oades (Routledge, 2021).

I highly recommend it.

In reading the chapter on “School belonging” by Kelly-Ann Allen, DeLeon L. Gray, Gökmen Arslan, Kathryn Riley, Dianne Vella-Brodrick, and Lea Waters, I was particularly struck by the sentence “The process of refining the school belonging policy …  will be as important as the policy itself”. They emphasise a collaborative approach “ensuring that key stakeholders (e.g., students, parents, school staff, and community members) have a sense of agency and voice, and a role in shaping the policy content”.

This captures my work as a facilitator: the process is just as important as any product created, sometimes even more important. Through the process, relationships are built, different perspectives are heard, individual needs are incorporated, appropriate actions are identified and accountabilities are determined.  A well facilitated process holds the tensions and supports people through moments of discomfort as they bring their knowledge, experience and perspectives, use and build their strengths and set goals that will uplift the organisation, school and community.

Relationships matter. Belonging is important. Policies set directions for action. Reviewing and refining policies can renew and revitalise communities.

Facilitating Conversations can help schools (or any organisation) to engage the people who will be affected by a policy to shape its content so that it meets the demands of the context and can be implemented.