To be... a facilitator

I got the opportunity to take part in the European youth conference “let’s take care of the planet”, as a facilitator. I must admit that I did not perfectly know what I would have to do. But doesn’t, being with a lot of cool young people and do what you can to take care of the planet at the same time, sounds good? I think so. And it was calming to know that we had two days to get to know our role and the team, before all the delegations came. Before these two days I only knew that I would help with the conference and facilitate a workshop. But I was not sure about what it exactly involved. When I arrived I met nine nice committed people, whom I would facilitate with. And then of cause the helpful organizers of the conference. They guided us these two days through the program and our role and I felt safer after that. At this conference there are all the delegates, the organizers, the translators and the facilitators, both the technical and process facilitators. With white-, blue-, green, and orange/red t-shirts. All these people together form the conference. Our, the facilitators’, role was to guide and help and be there for the delegates. We had to take care of our national delegation, be sure they were on the buses, brought the most important stuff in the mornings and had a good time. At the workshops we had to guide the delegates though the responsibilities and make them use all their knowledge and abilities. But when the delegates are so committed and interested it is not difficult to do all this. It is on the other hand difficult to describe what you feel when you have been waiting for all these young people and they then arrive and they then prove to be better and nicer than you have ever expected. And when the facilitator team then also functions so well and everyone is so nice to you, it is just difficult to imagine that we are going home from all this in a few days. Even though we have a lot to do and get tired, it is not tired like in “I don’t want any more”. It is a wonderful tiredness with the good feeling of a long day with good work and wonderful people. So to be a facilitator is fantastic!

Lærke Denmark