Post #2

As of late, the chat cafe sessions with my groups have gone quite well! While the initial meetings for both groups were a little less than ideal, I attribute that to my lack of preparation. Nevertheless, the first session did involve breaking down some barriers, such as the seemingly invisible yet ever present facilitator-facilitatee dynamic as well as the awkward introductions. Ergo, I decided to further break down these barriers in the second week by playing some games as a group. These games led to interesting conversations, laughter, some banter, and overall merriment, which was far more than what I anticipated would arise from the games. It was a successful experiment, and is something I will attempt to implement in the future.

With regards to the class session we had with Carson from ELI, the most important thing I learned is to let time fix these problems of initial strain. Prior to actually hosting my first session, I had a somewhat idealistic vision for the sessions, where everyone was willing to talk to each other and not turn to me for guidance. However, to expect this from the first session is a bit too much. Not only will I attempt to cultivate such a vision later on in the year, but I will also not hold my members to such a standard. After all, each and every member of my groups (me included) are new to this experience.

Finally, with regards to the notion of a genuine conversation, I feel like that is one where people respond of their own accord in response to another. They don't feel obligated or required to say it, yet do so out of their own interest. To foster such conversations, I attempt to publicly note and respond to something that was said in the hopes that people will respond.