IFP: Consolidation of Learning

IFP this year has taught me many things. It taught me to think about the bigger picture, and then showed me the small things that I can do in order to encourage change in the world. At the start of IFP, I didn’t really think that I would be getting this much out of it that I did. The sessions and activities we did were not only fun, but also taught me skills and qualities that I can bring outside of IFP. It taught me about working with other people, enhanced my own leadership skills, being a good communicator (as well as listener!), and then also taught me the practical things that I can do in order to be a better peace builder. I can apply these skills and qualities in everyday life, including when I’m at home, in school or out with my friends. In school there are plenty of opportunities including project work where leadership skills and team work skills would really help. At home, I can bring home the ideas I learn in IFP and teach them to my family- and same goes for when I’m with my friends.

Collaboration and working as a team is a really big part of my takeaway from IFP this year. The joint training at Dover allowed me to experience planning and leading a session for someone else, alongside my team of IFP members. I learnt that not everyone in the team has to be extremely vocal, as long as everyday participates and contributes in their own way. I learnt that even the simplest thing like being the person in charge of changing the slides in a slideshow presentation can be a very valuable input to the team. I enjoyed working with people who I normally would not have chosen to work with as I wasn’t very close to any of them. I learn that people can surprise me and that I should be open to working with anyone. Experiencing the teacher led activities in the sessions also allowed me learn different techniques when leading a sessions (e.g. make it interactive, stand in various parts of the room to draw on people’s attention, etc.).

One time I was a mentor to other people this year was during the joint training at Dover (that was previously mentioned). When my group presented our topic to other groups (small group facilitation), we gave them time to discuss amongst their smaller groups about their ideas about the questions we proposed. When we did this, I sat down and joined the smaller group discussions. I acted like their “mentor”- not imposing my own views, but rather guiding them in their discussions. When I did this, I saw other members of my team follow and also join other smaller groups. The reason why I wanted to do this was not only see what they were talking about (to make sure that they are on the right track), but to also ask further thinking questions especially when I saw that the discussions were dying down. When being a peace builder, it is very important to be a good mentor to other people as well. By being a good mentor to others, it is ensured that they have someone who they can turn to in times of crisis and know that they will receive honest and good advice with peace at the core of it all. Mentors can also reach out to others and share their knowledge on building peace within communities.

The active listening session really showed me that being a good listener is equally as valuable as being a good communicator. What use is it to be good at talking when nobody is there to listen? I previously thought that listening was an easy job. However, after watching the video they showed us and discussing with other IFP members about what makes a good listener, I realised that there was a lot of room for growth for me. To be a good listener, I need to pay attention to the speaker and truly try to understand what they are saying. I need to be open minded to what they are saying and not enter into a conversation already thinking that I know everything. Being a good listener is vital when building peace. This is especially applicable to the IFP conferences, specifically the overseas ones. During those conferences, we would have the chance to meet other people from very different background and cultures from us, who have probably faced very different situations in their lives. In order to talk to them and build peace with them, we need to be able to listen to their opinion and their stories. This can make them feel valuable, listened to, and also give us the opportunity to learn something new from them.

A particular session that I really enjoyed was the one about personality types. It was incredibly interesting for me to see how people with (especially extreme) personality types can respond to situations in a very different way from someone with the opposite personality type. I have the personality code of ESFJ (but E is only 1% more then I). This meant that I am generally more extroverted, sensitive, feeling and judgemental. The activities we did made me realize that within a team, we need to have a mixture of both opposing personality types. For example, we need people who are both very structured/organised as well as people who adapt well to different environments/changes. This also applies to being a good leader as I now realise that I need to work on various skills that I may be currently lacking (eg. adapting quickly to change) so that I can help my team continue on the right path. A leader should encompass many various qualities so that they can lead the team well. Also, they will be able to communicate effectively to and understand the people within their team (eg. appointing specific roles to people who they know are more introverted). Specific skills that I learn in IFP includes using social media as a platform to effectively communicate my ideas to a wider audience. Before the social media sessions, I only thought it was a way to connect with other people’s lives – not so much sharing ideas. I knew of larger movements (eg. #blacklivesmatter), but I never thought about becoming part of one or even starting any movements myself. I learnt in this session that change is in our hands and that we already have all the tools needed to share our ideas with them world (especially by using Twitter).

I think that my engagement in IFP really grew ever since the first session, and I would hope that other IFP members can see this clearly through my participation and active listening during the sessions. Although I may not speak out very often in front of the entire group as I am not extremely comfortable doing so (something that I am also working on), I do try my best to contribute as much as possible especially when working in smaller groups. An example of a time where I contributed the most was probably either during the personality type session or the joint training at Dover. My friends and I all enjoy IFP immensely and often talk about the sessions after IFP as well. I would say that my friends in IFP know how much it means to me to be and take part in this movement.

 

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3 Replies to “IFP: Consolidation of Learning”

  1. After reading your post, I understand that our IFP experiences are mostly similar, because I too learned the important skill of small group facilitation which was confusing to me at first but once I understood it allowed my peers to have better, more comprehensive discussions.

  2. venka39826@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg says: Reply

    What you said about not always having opposing personality types in groups related directly to something I am exploring in IFP too. I believe that if we all work with similar people it will be hard to reach an outcome that is well rounded, as well as this, both personality types bring something different to the group and it always helps to have diversity in groups you are working in. Glad to see you have the same thoughts as me !

  3. I think this post is such a great advertisement for the IFP programme! It is clear to me just how much you have got out of it, how you have found it to positively impacts many other areas of your life, and how you feel it will change the way you approach things in the future. Your enthusiasm for the programme is evident, and your insight is really interesting to read. Thank you for sharing this Audrey.

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