ABOUT THE AFN

The Australasian Facilitators Network (AFN) is a self-organising community of practitioners based in Australia, New Zealand, South-East Asia and the Pacific, who have been meeting since 1992. 
 
Our focus is on working, learning and sharing with each other.
 
We share a passion for facilitation and participatory practice in pursuit of better communication, understanding, collaboration and harmony in workplaces, communities, and the world at large.
  
As an informal unincorporated association of peers, we pay no membership fees for AFN.  
 
As a self-organising community, we choose for ourselves when to connect, communicate, collaborate and contribute with each other through the network.  

We take responsibility for developing initiatives and organising AFN activities which contribute to our core purpose, developing and spreading new knowledge and capabilities, and fostering innovation.
 
In return, AFN provides us with a wide range of benefits, including:

• opportunities to connect with others in a community of interest  
  
• a safe forum to explore and test our ideas or validate proposed approaches 
• access to diverse experience and expertise to expand our horizons, gain knowledge and seek help in addressing challenges in our work and practice 
• support to be more conscious of, and feel more confident in, our own personal knowledge and practice  
• a greater sense of professional commitment; and 
• enhancement of the standing and reputation of facilitation as a profession or calling.  

AFN is also able to have input into ethical, educational and development issues at a global level through affiliation with the International Association of Facilitators (IAF).  

Click here for a pdf of the IAF Statement of Values and Code of Ethics.  
If you do not have Adobe's Acrobat Reader for pdf files, you may download it by clicking the following link:

CONNECTING WITH AFN

There are several ways in which associates can connect with AFN and be supported in their practice.  These include:

• the AFN email list
• AFN local and regional networking sessions 
• the annual AFN Conference
• shared resources. 

The AFN email list:

Moderated by Bob Dick at Southern Cross University, the list provides an interactive and responsive vehicle where subscribers can:

• raise issues and queries 
• make suggestions; and 
• post advice of forthcoming events

relating to:

• facilitation, community engagement, planning and related areas; and 
• the role, integrity and accreditation of facilitators.

To subscribe send an email to the list, with the Subject = subscribe.
 
Alternatively, visit http://lists.scu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/afn-l and follow the instructions.
This is also where you need to head if you wish to unsubscribe from the list.
 

AFN local and regional network sessions

Many areas have regular network sessions.  Here is a sample:

• South Australia - Adelaide - Jennifer Repper or Joan Firkins  
• Victoria - Melbourne - Ed McKinley  
• Victoria - West Coast - Geoff Brown or Fran Woodruff or Viv McWaters    
• New South Wales - Sydney - Greg Jenkins or Sharon McGann 
• Queensland - Brisbane -  Cheryl Gilroy or Paul Norrish  
• Central Queensland - Raylene Hansen
  
• Western Australia - Perth - Colma Keating or Robyn Williams   
  
• ACT - Canberra Region - Mark Butz 
• NZ Waikato/Bay of Plenty - Wendy Boyce    
  

Further contact details will be added to this page over time.  
Please advise if you have additional network contacts.  

Annual AFN Conference

This is where professional and voluntary facilitators, supporters and students gather to ‘sharpen the saw’, reflect, discuss, debate, learn, share, meet, mix, create and recreate. 

Visit the AFN Conferences page to find:

• information about the forthcoming conference(s)
  
• a record of past conferences (with links still available to some) 
• material posted following conferences e.g. evaluations, proceedings etc.  
  

Shared Resources

The rich and varied experience and expertise available through AFN leads at times to pooling of information and other resources.  This arises from threads of exchange on the email list, from local networking sessions, or from individual subscribers.  This kind of shared material is accessed through the Resources: Reviews & Links page.
 

ROBERTA MEAD SCHOLARSHIP (WA)

The Roberta Mead Scholarship aims to support the development of practicing facilitators in Western Australia by providing funds (Annual Scholarship) to encourage international or national participation in a learning event which will develop Facilitation knowledge and skills.  This may be such things as attending the IAF Conference, or attending a particular  training program.
 
The Scholarship honours the outstanding contribution made to the profession of facilitation by our late and highly esteemed colleague Roberta Mead. 
  
Please see the Background Information for more details.  
 

MAKING OTHER CONNECTIONS

Visit our other pages:

Links to OTHER ORGANISATIONS	Links to FACILITATORS (AFN subscribers)	Links to TRAINING (AFN subscribers)
Links to EVENTS	RESOURCES: Reviews & Links	AFN CONFERENCES

 

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Note: The publication of email links on this Web site does not constitute consent for the receipt of unsolicited electronic messages which are not directly related to the subject matter to which those email links refer.
 
Disclaimer 
 
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http://www.afn.net.au
HTML © 2006-08 Mark Butz
Last update 12 June 2008
Email for feedback or enquiries

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