Program Evaluation of Healing of Memories Facilitators Final Report

Background
The Institute of Healing of Memories (IHOM) had adopted a workshop methodology as a primary way of doing work. The methodology was developed in the context of post-apartheid South Africa and was conceived at the time of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings in 1996 – 1998. The methodology was initially developed to help people overcome the trauma and violence related to the oppression of and struggle against the apartheid system. The methodology emphasizes attention to emotional and spiritual aspects above intellectual, understanding and interpretation of the past. In addition to relating to apartheid challenges, the methodology has been found helpful in healing trauma related to Gender violence, AIDS, ethnic conflict and to general conditions of poverty and other social ills

Purpose/Objective
To evaluate the effectiveness of the IHOM’s workshop methodology – with special reference to the facilitators and their roles in the methodology.

Methodology
Data was collected through interviews of private individuals. Proposed interview questions were examined by local and international experts on the research methodology, staff and senior facilitators and revised after feedback.
The interview protocol was structured around four sections as detailed below.
Confidentiality agreement: This section expressed appreciation to the respondent, provided with detailed information about the aims of the interview and how the Institute for Healing of Memories might use the respondent’s comments. Based on this, facilitators were asked to sign the confidentiality agreement form. The interviews were recorded if the interviewee gave permission.
Facilitators demographic data: The section included information relating to facilitators’ name, gender and race.
Facilitators narrative: The section included a range of open-ended questions that explore details of facilitator’s experiences with Healing of Memories, assessment of the training attended, facilitation process, experience in listening to participants stories, life changes as result of being a facilitator, sense of connection to the Institute, whether the facilitator feels motivated, honorarium, reasons for dropping out and recommendations/suggestions to improve the facilitation work.
 
Suggestions/recommendations: Facilitators were asked to highlight what needs to change for them to come back and to offer recommendations on how the facilitation work might be improved.
Interview sampling criteria were that 10 trained facilitators (7women and 3men) were interviewed. The sample comprised both those who had been involved in the healing of memories work but ultimately did not continue facilitating in the last two years, and those who were not involved in facilitating work after receiving the training.
Challenges in the interview methodology were that:
• Initially the researcher planned to interview between ten to fifteen facilitators from the list of twenty facilitators who dropped out. It was very difficult to trace some of facilitators as they changed their contact details.
•  Because of transportation problem, interviewees preferred the researcher to come to them, even though it was difficult finding a quiet place for the interview.
• Interviewees cancelled appointments that made it difficult to set up another date of the interview.
• Violence and strikes in townships where the facilitators reside resulted in postponing dates and places for the interview.

Key Findings
The heart of IHOM’s work consists of weekend-long workshops that give participants of varied racial, political, and cultural backgrounds an opportunity to come together and tell their stories in an atmosphere of deep listening and mutual respect. The caring group environment promotes healing. Although the emphasis is on individuals, mutual understanding and reconciliation arise from the opportunity to listen to others who have had quite different experiences. Workshops are lead by a number of trained facilitators who are recruited through the evaluation form handed out at the end of every workshop. Facilitators come from different professional, economic, ethnic and religious backgrounds. Attending two workshops as a participant, is required in order to begin training as a facilitator. The report on this evaluation is directly related to the facilitation aspect of the methodology aforementioned.
It is important to note that all facilitators reported that they had been attracted by their first personal workshop experience and realized the need of healing for themselves, for their families and communities. Facilitator’s training is one of the most important functions that the IHOM undertakes. Training is segmented into several modules and each develops critical skills that make a decisive and lasting impact on the facilitator trainee and on workshop participants.
Although facilitators indicated that they already had facilitation skills before attending the IHOM facilitator training, they found the training useful, especially the listening skills, which is the central part of the training and the facilitation process. Suggestions were made on how to improve the facilitators’ trainings. All suggested the need of ongoing facilitator training in areas of listening, counseling and conflict management skills.
New facilitators begin facilitation with at least two to three workshops under the supervision of an experienced facilitator. Several facilitators reported that they felt confident once they began facilitating by themselves because of the combination of their previous facilitation skills and the Healing of Memories facilitator training. All facilitators agreed that they became more comfortable in their role as facilitators by facilitating more workshops.
Asking about the most discouraging experiences, two respondents spoke of listening to participants painful stories.  Related to these experiences, all facilitators agreed that being a facilitator could be emotionally upsetting and it is difficult not to let these stories affect their normal life styles after facilitation sessions. However, the positive side is that several facilitators reported that listening to participant’s stories inspired them in their own journey towards healing and wholeness.
Asking if they were able to make themselves better, one facilitator said, “I used to speak to other facilitators as a way of debriefing from an emotional burden after a workshop. The other way was to go out with friends, have regular massage and going regularly to the beach. Another facilitator advocated meeting with a counselor on a regular basis. He said, “I realized that painful stories do not go away quickly or easily from my memory after a workshop. I decided to get a counselor whom we met once a week. It helped me not to be affected by participants’ burdens.”
 Asking what they can do differently, most facilitators mentioned that individual self-care is very important including debriefing after a workshop. Everybody that was interviewed highlighted strongly that the Institute needs to do more by organizing regular debriefing sessions to all facilitators.

Recommendations
Facilitators made some suggestions and recommendations that they depict as areas that need to be improved:
• Several facilitators suggested an increase of honorarium. Two facilitators suggested R 1500-00, one facilitator suggested R 2000-00, another facilitator suggested R 1000-00 then other two facilitators suggested R 700-00. Average is R 867.00
• written contract between the Institute and its facilitators on specific period.
•   follow up training: The training to take place when all new facilitators have already involved in facilitation work as co-facilitator to share lessons and challenges encountered through facilitation work.
• more ongoing facilitators ‘workshops on different skills that are relevant to the Healing of Memories facilitation work. Most facilitators suggested conflict management skills, counseling skills, presentation skills, time management skills, and listening skills.
• team building workshop for new and senior facilitators. The workshop will assist those who lack motivation to commit themselves to the Healing of Memories facilitation work.
• quarterly facilitators’ meeting for both senior and new facilitators.

Comments from NCA (if any) – none.