Rebecca Buckley returns as Assistant Facilitator for We are Here to Write

It sometimes feels odd to call myself a writer. As if I am pretending, or trying to convince myself that is what I am. In the past I have felt more comfortable describing myself as a visual artist and creative facilitator than as a writer. Being part of ‘We are Here to Write’ since the pandemic has provided a safe creative space where I have been supported to come to terms with accepting myself as a writer.

At the beginning of this year, I applied for the second time to support Corinne as an assistant facilitator for the group. I was keen to develop and put my learning from my first time supporting Corinne in this way last year. Again, I also saw this as an opportunity to give back to a group that has supported me over the last 5 years.

In my creative life outside ‘We Are Here to Write’, I have been developing my skills for a number of years as a lead facilitator for workshops in visual art and poetry. I tend to work with older participants and am enjoying providing workshops for older participants for The Albany in Deptford, both in person and on the phone. Working as an assistant supporting the ’We are Here to Write’ group often employs a separate set of skills than those I use outside the group. This I think is because of the unique dynamic of the group.

I found the opportunity to support the group for a second time meant I could employ my learning from my previous experiences to employ a more hands on approach to help shape the sessions for the term. Because I wasn’t new to the experience, I was more confident in doing this the second time round.

I was also able to respond to something crucial about the way Corinne responds to the group. I am no stranger to workshop plans, but something I have learnt through these facilitation experiences is that the participants in this group are confident enough to ensure their desires for a session are met by directly shaping the session content, in the moment. This means the original session plan is often directly influenced by our writers during the sessions. This not only keeps Corinne and I on our toes, but also allows us to directly respond to the needs of the writers in the group during the session. It can be a slightly scary experience, responding ‘on the fly’ as it were.  Our skills as facilitators are tested but the result also helps us be more responsive to our writers, whilst also developing our own creative ‘muscle’.  This can be an exhilarating experience. 

I am proud to have been a part of supporting our writers development especially helping the group with goal setting and developing writing routines. I know I still have a lot to learn to develop as an assistant facilitator and look forward to future sessions where I know I will not only enjoy the camaraderie of our group, but develop further as a writer within this supportive creative space.