FACILITATION

I design and facilitate events, meetings and sessions that activate the collective intelligence and self-organising power of the participants.

Imagine:

• a transformational event that enhances peer learning, connection or innovation,
• a facilitated meeting that creates the intended outcome and strengthens the group coherence,
• a storytelling gathering marking an important moment of transition for the organisation.

The outcome? More trust, more well-being and more action confidence. Weave a collective story. Unlock the innovation potential.

LEARNING AND CONSULTING

Do you long for a more purposeful way to look at collaboration? I offer participatory and experiential learning sessions to inspire you to be a positive change in collaboration.

Learn:

• how to run an engaging participatory meeting,
• how to build a thriving community or network,
• how to communicate consciously and effectively in your collaborations.

Equip yourself with insights, tools and practices that invite more conscious and participatory ways of collaborating.

I am a member of Enspiral, a community working at the frontiers of collaboration and organisation building, and I am connected to several other communities of practice.

I also appreciate the Inner Development Goals, a framework to help us achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. More broadly, it helps to address complex challenges and to contribute to a better world. The key idea is that we can learn practices that transform our way of being, thinking, relating, collaborating and acting.

“An coordinated and facilitated a Participatory Storytelling workshop for our movement School Leaders for the Future. She did this with a good dose of humour, warmth and professionalism. An’s strength lies in carefully building relationships and she knows how to streamline the process well via this route. Her flexibility and professionalism make her a pleasant facilitator. Thanks An!”

– Mees Schouwenaar, project leader Schoolleiders voor de Toekomst (NL)

“During the Enspiral Winter Gathering 2022, it became clear that An is not only a connoisseur of the hosting toolkit, but also a master of subtlety. With her invitations, presence and body language, she made calm moments calmer, deep conversations deeper and nurtured spaces where participants could easily open up about difficult topics. And all of that surrounded by other hosts, a daunting task that she performed with seamless grace.”

– Joriam Philipe, community builder

“An’s contribution to this training as a co-facilitator has been very helpful to me. With her clarity and soft presence, she was able to link the more human-oriented parts of the program to the more action-oriented ones without any rupture. I think it is her special gift to bridge these two realms that usually remain separated, to imbue one with the other. She helped me understand how to approach work and live in a more unified way and offered useful tools for that.”

– Wouter E., grassroots strategist

“An introduced the Open Space method into our organisation. She gave our annual Foster Care province Antwerp-day a fresh new impulse. An invited our colleagues in a safe, open way to step forward, speak for a large group, contribute to the agenda, dare to choose differently and for themselves. An combines decisiveness and gentleness, down-to-earthness and empathy, knowledge and intuition. An is a professional who gives confidence and radiates tranquillity.”

– Dorothy Arts,
management assistant
Pleegzorg Provincie Antwerpen

“An took care of creating a pleasant atmosphere in the group right away. Everyone could express his/her opinion freely and respectfully, which led to high-quality recommendations that made the Belgian part of the Conference on the Future of Europe a great success.”

– Dorien Nijs, Belgian citizen selected for the first Belgian federal citizens’ panel

The way you speak and move connected us deeper.

– participant of Art of Hosting Gathering 2022 in Slovenia

“An is a gifted facilitator of deep engagement and vulnerability work, one who I would wholeheartedly recommend. The storytelling circle she held at Enspiral Europe’s first Winter gathering in February 2022 was wonderful. All the feelings!”

– Alastair Thompson, communications specialist

“We want to live fully from spreading new ways of working and living, so that we co-create the societal transition towards more humane work and life. This is the driver we formulated yesterday under the skilful guidance of An Van Damme (as Sociocracy 3.0 practitioner). Thank you, An, for guiding us calmly yet resolutely through the processes. Even when we thought it would be better if the process went differently. We are happy with the manageable and measurable proposal that came out of it!”

– Percolab Belgium team

“An brings a serene and grounded presence as a facilitator. I found the sessions she facilitated during the Life Itself Cultivating Conscious Community residency in January 2022 to be spacious and held with perceptiveness, sensitivity, and care.”

– Catherine Tran, team member of Life Itself

“You greatly contributed to the success of this meeting – we got lots of thanks and positive feedback. I believe we achieved our main goals, which were to get people motivated, inspired and wanting to commit, as well as create ideas that may translate into concrete actions during the project.”

– Blandine Smilansky, Partnerships Coordinator, House of European History