In mid-2022, Global Play Brigade (GPB) began experimenting with quarterly Global Playshops. These conference-like events provide a space in which hundreds from different countries gather to play. Someone in China might play with others in Israel, Canada, South Africa, and Argentina. For many of us, that's a very new experience! Playing together across borders gives people who might not otherwise interact the space to meet, explore, and create new possibilities for the world.

But how does one actually do this? If improving cross-cultural relationships were easy, we would all be doing it. Our volunteer facilitators are the creators of these transformative environments. When we do new things, we need support. This led to the development of the Facilitator Jams. These Jams happen quarterly in preparation for the next Global Playshop. They are a space in which both experienced and new facilitators come together to partner, train, and create. Some leave the Jams with a team, a brand-new playshop design, and a dedicated support coach. These are the facilitators who go on to develop and practice their workshops at the Global Playshop event.

"I learned about my fellow participants' multicultural backgrounds.  I relearned that this group is exactly what I was looking for. I was positively surprised by the energy I picked up during the session coming to it rather exhausted.

A BIG THANK YOU to all you lovely people from 17 different countries."

Manuela (Italy), Facilitator Jam attendee

We have been fortunate to work with talented and strong facilitators who already have a plethora of skills. Facilitator Jams and coaching are intended to support them to bring those skills to the global stage. The Workshop Development team, a team of volunteers made up of Susan Hillyard, Jenn Bullock, Rick Horner, and Charly Ford, works to design the Jams, Global Playshops, and provide continued support to GPB facilitators. Our efforts focus on gathering all these skilled people from different places and helping them to focus together on one idea that will be absorbable by the global community.

The last Global Playshop in June 2023 was the first time we experimented with assigning coaches to teams that came out of the Jam. Playshops aren’t polished performances so much as they are messy and intriguing invitations to play. The goal is to get people engaged and collaborative. It is with this focus that we can coach towards gaining insight and practicing different exercises and behaviors in the context of the playshop. Individual facilitator assessment and feedback are not evaluated - the key is team coaching related to improving overall team effectiveness. Reaching out and staying connected to make sure the team is on track and not stalled. Providing the resources of listening with a caring heart and suggestions when needed or required. All done in a fun, synergetic and empathetic way that helps connect humans in different geographical spaces and situations. 

Interested in facilitating? Join us at the next Global Playshop on November 3rd & 4th to see how we do it at GPB.