Agency: Navigating new and familiar experiences

This image is of artwork by artist Jolly Kunjappu on the Berlin wall. His painting “Dancing To Freedom” portrays his hope for freedom and peaceful coexistence and was inspired by his passion for music. It speaks out against imagined borders and the walls in people’s minds and calls for mutual respect.

Continuation from- Reflections on a sprint funding process: The Facilitator. The Group. The People. & Me.

This was a space where some people have walked the path before, while others were experiencing the journey for the first time. 

This wasn’t about who knows more - but about how we learn together. 

In this philanthropic sprint, I've watched how we can’t get to that point of learning together till you’ve danced with the experiences people bring.

Dance with the experiences people bring...

Some of the group carried the wisdom of previous sprints - they knew the rhythms, the potential pitfalls and had an idea of where it might go. When and how do you bring this in, when you are trying to do something new?

Others brought fresh eyes, new experiences, skills and ideas. When and how do you bring this in, when you know that there has already been great learning from doing this before?

It’s easy to say every experience mattered, I think that everyone involved in this process believed that and wanted it - but it is not easy to navigate that 100% of the time - we are all human.

Practicing agency...

This wasn’t a space about being nice - it was about creating space for agency. I watched the facilitator work hard to create this. I watched people get bolder, more willing to speak, able to be themselves. 

Sometimes this was uncomfortable. Sometimes there was tension. This is exactly what is needed. 

It was interesting to watch people and I can only make a best guess… but what do people push on and what do people let go? And where does this come from? Position, tiredness, apathy, frustration?

This highlighted to me why we need to build repetition into the process.

When people feel they can say "This isn't working for me" or "I see this differently" or “I need to do this differently” - that's when the conversations get better and the real change begins. Agency is something we can all practice and it's strengthened through use.

Making space for people to use it is not easy, but worth it.

Do you have conversations with people about agency? What helps and what gets in the way?

To return to the first blog in this series please click here - Reflections on a sprint funding process: The Facilitator. The Group. The People. & Me.