Facilitator s Guide. Version 1.6

Transcription

1 Facilitator s Guide Version 1.6

2 Local Co-Facilitator Model There are may ways to generate a good discussion around the docudrama Our approach is to use Christian/Muslim pairs of cofacilitators These co-facilitators are drawn from the local community and are trained to be conversant enough in the Sultan and Saint story to help explain it and to use it to relate their personal interfaith story 2

3 Time Travel Dialogue Use a compelling interest in yesterday to focus existentially on today Interfaith Co-Facilitators to set in motion change for tomorrow Audience Call to Action 3

4 Pre-Show Prior to the start of the program Background slide show of facts about Muslims in America 4

5 Modeling While Francis and Malik al-kamil were certainly very inspiring people, their story is history and the people playing those roles in the docudrama were actors. We, the facilitators, are the real present-day role models for communicating the story s meaning to our audience. Our facilitator actions and continence will speak louder than the docudrama. We are the key to making the docudrama come alive. As Francis would say: Preach the Gospel every day - when necessary, use words The facilitators will model the contemporary lessons of the docudrama in the way they conduct the session. There is never a second chance for a first impression. 5

6 Introductions Have the host of the venue introduce the facilitators The audience trusts their host and a good intro from the host sets the facilitators up for success Provide the host with an easy-to-read index card intro for you: Name (phonetic pronunciation if needed) Generic religious affiliation (you represent all Christians / Muslims) Why you are the best person to be there at this time 6

7 Greetings - The Ideal Don t react to those who greet you with peace by responding: You are not a believer. (Women 4:94) When you are greeted with a greeting, respond with something that is better than it, or (at least) return it equally. (Women 4:86) 7

8 Greeting - Practice The host introduces the two facilitators (using the bios we have provided) The two facilitators take stage, warmly greet the host, each other, and the audience. "As-Salaam-Alaikum" (ahs_alam alai kum)the Arabic greeting meaning "Peace be unto you. "Wa-Alaikum-Salaam" (wa_alai kum salam) meaning "And unto you peace. Pace e Bene (pack_eh ben_nie) the Italian for Peace and all Good (Note: some Franciscans today use the Latin Pax et Bonum, but here we will do it Francis way) Let the Muslim facilitator teach the audience to greet his/her Christian co-facilitator in Italian. Let the Christian facilitator teach the audience to greet his/her Muslim co-facilitator in Arabic. Having the audience engage in a safe participatory activity is a great way to begin. They are already learning and doing something new. 8

9 Facilitator Teaming Where possible and natural, try alternating dialog lines (see Red and Black text) Shows you are working together, have the same message, and there is no divisiveness between you 9

10 Session Objective / Intro We are here to pick up on where an 800 year old interfaith dialog left off. It is a dialog based on: Understanding displacing fear Love displacing hate Respect displacing conversion We are now going to show a video docudrama about an encounter during the height of the Fifth Crusade. We will learn about how a poor Italian preacher and the Sultan of Egypt pushed aside conventional wisdom and prejudice to have a conversation based on mutual respect and love of a common God. We will follow that up with a brief discussion of how we are resuming that dialogue today and answer any questions you may have for us. The docudrama will start with a bit of the backstory of the crusades and the story will be interspersed with comments from Christian and Muslim scholars. 10

11 Play the Docudrama Video (60 min) 11

12 Discussion (30 minutes) Our (facilitators ) own thoughts (7 minutes): Qualities of Francis and Malik al-kamil for us to imitate and perpetuate Three Levels of Interfaith Dialogue and quick examples from our own personal stories Audience Q&A (5 minutes) Wrap-up (3 minutes) Peacemaker Affirmation Survey 12

13 DocuDrama Themes Faith exchange vs. debate Francis and al-kamil engaged in a faith exchange, not a debate. Why do you think they were able to communicate on the basis of their faith? What is the difference between a faith exchange and a debate in your own words? Personal transformation in a societal context of violence and prejudice What are some of the ways that Francis and al-kamil changed as a result of their encounter? Do you think that promoting peace starts with personal transformation? Why? What are ways that personal transformation can take place today in the context of Islamophobia? Can you think of some examples of personal transformation in your own life that was inspired by your encounter with cultural or religious difference? Words matter. Dehumanizing rhetoric towards the other What are some ways that myths or stereotypes are broken down? Can you think of an example, in your own experience, of overcoming a stereotype? What are some of the ways that dehumanizing rhetoric was escalated in the crusades? Given what we learned about the human brain in the film, what are some ways that we can counteract the tendency to categorize the other as outside of our own group? Harnessing differences for peace Francis and al-kamil managed to harness their theological differences and even their exclusivist truth claims to promote a new vision of coexistence. How do you think they were able to manage this difference? 13

14 Qualities of Francis, Malik al-kamil, and Now All of Us Humility / Submission Pride and ego have no place. Our faiths are not football teams and we are not cheerleaders. Trust / Openness Prepared to encounter and learn from something new and out of our comfort zone because of its potential for good Confidence / Faith What others find uncomfortable, we do in the spirit of peace, because we know whose work we are doing. Courage / Fortitude Resist bullying, peer pressure, and recrimination even from friends and leaders. 14

15 Three Levels of Inter-faith Dialogue The Dialogue of LIFE: The dialogue of life is being neighbor to the other, getting to know him/her/them, in the most basic activities of life. Celebrations: birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, etc Sharing sympathy and support at times of tragedies Common interests: sports, classes, gardening, hobbies, etc. The Dialogue of RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE: As we share our own tradition, how much more deeply it comes alive to us. As we listen to the experience of the other, what richness is added to our own traditions! Baptisms, First Communions, a Christmas or Easter service Friday prayer at the mosque, a Ramadan iftar meal, sharing in the fast, listening to the story of the pilgrimage to Mecca, attending a whirling dervish event Weddings, Funerals, etc. The Dialogue of ACTION: This involves all the social causes, starting with and building up from the local community, all efforts toward peace and justice that can be shared. Community fundraisers, condo associations, neighborhood improvements Social concern efforts: such as environmental issues, immigration concerns, homelessness, healthcare, etc. Helping together such as: language skills,(esl), Habitat for Humanity, food pantry, clothing drives 15

16 Audience Q&A Route questions to the correct co-facilitator Rely on the authority of the scholars in the film 16

17 Handouts Business card with: Peacemaker s Affirmation URL Link(s) for more information 17

18 Wrap-up Facilitators teach the Peacemaker s Affirmation to the audience. It sums up the take away points of the docudrama. It is just an affirmation - a list of positive statements. It is not a pledge or prayer - audience members should be encourages reflect on it (and if lead, make it their pledge or prayer). Keep it interesting - alternate lines, try audience participation Hand our Affirmation cards (during the survey is a good time). 18

19 The Peacemaker s Affirmation I believe that I can be an instrument of peace. I pray to become more aware of my own ignorance and fear of others. I will take positive steps to deepen my understanding of the differences and similarities I have with others. I will not serve as an "innocent bystander to oppression, but will take a stand for peace and justice. I will, always and everywhere, and privately and publicly, support those who are targets of prejudice and hate. I will stand by these principles even when I appear to be standing alone. 19

20 Feedback Survey Right now on cell phones Survey Monkey 10 Questions (Event Feedback Template) 20

21 Thank you - see you soon at an interfaith event 21

22 QA Survey Questions How likely is it that you would recommend the event to a friend or colleague? Overall, how would you rate the event? What did you like about the event? What did you dislike about the event? How organized was the event? How friendly was the staff? Prior to the presentation, how much of the information did you already know? How did the presentation effect you? Was the event too long, too short, or about tight? Is there anything else you would like to share about the event? 22

23 SurveyMonkey Benchmark SurveyMonkey Benchmark of 45,582 Organizations from 4/1/2016 to 3/31/2017 Overall, how would you rate the event? Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor 43.70% 38.61% 13.25% 3.44% 1.00% How organized was the event? Extremely Organized Well Organized Somewhat Organized Not So Organized Not at all Organized 35.12% 50.85% 11.80% 1.75% 0.47% How friendly was the staff? Was the event length too long, too short, or about right? Extremely Friendly Very Friendly Somewhat Friendly Not So Friendly Not at all Friendly 61.90% 31.60% 5.06% 0.84% 0.59% Much too long Somewhat too long About right Slightly too short Somewhat too short Much too short 1.33% 4.53% 72.85% 7.98% 2.80% 1.83% Benchmark data comes from SurveyMonkey customers who used Question Bank questions in their surveys. Organizations of all shapes and sizes use Question Bank, like local coffee shops, schools, and Fortune 500 companies. It is matched to our profile. Benchmarks are updated ever 3 months. We can set some initial feedback goals 23

24 Notes on Titles and Names In this presentation Francis of Assisi s name presents a bit of a challenge. Francis last name was originally Bernardone", but after he renounced his birthright, he never used it. Actually his first name at birth was John, but his family called him Little Frenchman, Frenchie in English, Francis in Italian. Assisi was the name of the town where Francis was born. In his day Francis had no church title because he did not believe in holding church offices. Tradition holds that Francis may have been a deacon of the church. Technically Francis was not a monk, this is because he rejected owning monasteries and he lived as a mendicant (homeless beggar / preacher). In Italy he was and is still known as The Poverello ( Poor Little Man ). This parallels the clothing (coarse wool robes / rope belts), itinerant behavior, and world view of his contemporary Muslim Sufi. While some Christian denominations attribute the title Saint to Francis, other Christian denominations strongly reject the idea of attributing the title of Saint to any person. (Francis himself used to joke: Don t ever call me Saint, I can still fall into temptation and father children. ) Francis referred to his community of companions as Friar Minors meaning: brothers of little worldly importance For purposes of our presentations: Francis, Francis of Assisi, and Brother Francis are all good for any audience. 24