The closing of our AVP Training for Facilitators included a round of Namaste where two people bow to each other. This customary greeting from India roughly means “the Divine in me greets the Divine in you.” AVP is not associated with any faith, but it is often a deeply spiritual experience.
Everyone shared positive comments for each other in the Affirmation posters as well as brief thoughts about the ways the workshop affected their head, heart and hand. One participant said she very much wanted to apply what she had learned to create more respectful dialogue in the general meetings in her community.
We all applauded when the graduates received their certificates. They were all then eligible to be invited to join a facilitation team in a future workshop as an apprentice.
Participants share comments in evaluation of AVP Facilitator training
Two participants share Namaste greeting and farewell in AVP workshop
Participant shares affirmation with fellow workshop apprentice facilitator
"While concepts like punctuality, mutual respect, no put downs of self or others, and listening when someone else is speaking may seem like obvious guidelines to form a positive community, a commitment to actually practice and hold each other accountable to observe these agreements is profound in a culture where showing up late, malicious gossip, and interrupting a speaker are painfully common."
"Artisan facilitators should of course share what they know, but beginning and experienced artisans all benefit by remaining humble, enthusiastic about learning, and committed to encourage and affirm their fellow artisans. So many artisans said that the thing they most wanted to bring back to their communities was this spirit of working in a mutually supportive environment."
"Both men and women wore garb made with bleached llanchama tree bark painted with graphic figures from Bora clans. Several wore headdresses made with the feathers from macaws and parrots. They discussed the importance of nature and craft-making in their culture and then launched into a lively dance where the men chanted and pounded sticks into the ground to the rhythm of moving around in a circle. Visitors joined the undulating lines to share the vibrant energy."
