April conducted a wonderful "Welcome" and Check-in reviewing all the prior Skills from the list in Slide 2 connecting 1-9 with Skill 10 – Engaging with Discernment. I loved the lingering exercise with the image on Slide 1….never even thought about until then!! Definitely "exuded" a safe space. ~CB

In general, April has a presence that is calm, welcoming and reassuring…and definitely feels safe. Her ability to acknowledge and amplify/elevate what participants share in her paraphrasing of it – in addition to referencing details they’ve shared in previous weeks – are among the most powerful tools available for creating safe and April has complete mastery of them.

It was also lovely when a participant shared something that, in the aftermath, they said came from a place of vulnerability and April assured them that we would hold the revelation in confidence.

One specific example of creating a safe space through paying a lot of attention to – and then weaving in – participant feedback was picking out the use of the word “chink” from a participant’s feedback and using its connotation in another context (“chink in one’s armor”) to emphasize the vulnerabilities within systems arising from direct, systemic, and cultural violence. ~RK

Lots of Break-Outs along with RW and MD in this skill. She explained in good detail the specifics of each, even though we did not actually "do them." I think she might have given a few details concerning the MD part of that activity/exercise. April did more than most do in going over these type slides. Most excellent. I really appreciated her embracing "silence."
She did a great job with Rawls' concept of "Veil of Ignorance," not an easy concept to explain. ~CB

Really appreciated the corollary/tie-in between the blurry image and what we’d be doing in Skill 10 to culminate in clarity. Great use of the PowerPoint in that what is, for most people, a “throwaway” image became a tool for insight.

Excellent work going to group with John Rawls slide – always a wonderful way to introduce new slides whenever feasible. CAVEAT: That slide hits some people in a way that they feel the word “ignorance” is pejorative and can have a hard time seeing/understanding that the “veil of ignorance” is actually a good thing. Because of that, it’s a good idea to check the group’s understanding (for misunderstanding) a bit before moving on from this one. ~RK

See above. Excellent. 😊 ~CB

Did a wonderful job of conducting a check-in that was both engaging and focused on how the skills had shown up for participants the previous week (something very important that many/most FITs forget or avoid).

EXCELLENT set-up of breakout, using clear examples to name many systems – breaking them down into sub-systems - and then groups within one of the sub-systems - (a prison) – and then individuals within that sub-system.

FANTASTIC job simulating providing instructions for and then debriefing the breakout as if it were actually being delivered to a group, perhaps the best I’ve ever seen (and this skill isn’t easy). ~RK

See above. Excellent. 😊 ~CB

April did everything exceptionally well. 😊

One specific example (that also created a safe space as noted in that section above) was picking out the use of the word “chink” from a participant’s feedback and using its connotation in another context (“chink in one’s armor”) to emphasize the vulnerabilities within systems arising from direct, systemic, and cultural violence.

Using participants to read the four steps of Engaging with Discernment was a great way to bring them back in after going through some facilitator-heavy material.

Very good at inviting and receiving further feedback.

Excellent re-introduction of Rawls after the Epistemic Humility elephant slide,

Excellent “on the fly” adaptation in adding the contemplative practice in the end, after planning to include – but then omitting – it at the beginning. ~RK

I really appreciated April including this "final" CP into Skill 10, a skill that could use a calming of the body and mind after such a complex skill to learn. Accepting Renee's volunteering to do this was special. ~CB

There is always room for improvement, but I would say nothing glaring from my perspective. Overall EXCEPTIONALLY WELL DONE! MUCHAS KUDOS! And definite GOLD Star…. / Charlie Barker

Wonderful work and there, with only a very little room for improvement. The check-in went on a bit longer than time would likely allow in a regular iteration of a CIT course, but it was well done and not inappropriate for our group’s last regular meeting. Overall, exceptionally fine Skill 10 facilitation. ~RK