At Semillistas, we often say that nature doesn’t plant trees—it sows seeds. And the same goes for organizations. A team isn’t built overnight; it’s nurtured, cared for, and allowed to grow. That’s why, every now and then, we need to stop and look inward.
That’s exactly what we did the other day: the first of two facilitation workshops we’re holding in partnership with PASOS, a cooperative with extensive experience supporting collectives and organizations in their collaborative work processes.
Why facilitation?
When a team grows, when projects multiply, and when energy is high, the challenges inherent in any human organization also arise: How do we coordinate? How do we make decisions? How do we ensure that all voices are heard?
Facilitation isn’t about someone from the outside coming in to tell you how to do things. Rather, it’s about creating a space—using methodology and care—so that a group can bring out the best in itself. And that aligns perfectly with our goal: for the association to be participatory, resilient, and community-oriented.
How the day went
We got together, paused our usual routine, and made time for what sometimes doesn’t fit into our day-to-day lives. We worked on exercises to explore how we’re doing as a team, what works for us, and what we want to improve. We practiced tools for generating ideas collectively and for making decisions in an agile and inclusive way.
And for dessert, we shared a meal and some laughs (well, and Alberto’s sweets, too).
What’s Next
There’s a second session coming up where we’ll continue to delve deeper and come away with
our own tools to move forward more independently. Because the goal isn’t
to depend on anyone, but to strengthen who we already are.
We’ll keep you posted!
