IAF Facilitators
Marike Groenewald
When was your first time at IAF?
As a participant, I think my first time to IAF was in 2008 or 2009. As a facilitator, my first time was in 2015.
What topics have you facilitated at IAF?
Moderation and Facilitation Political Campaigns Leadership for Young Leaders The Power of Networks The Innovation Lab Political Branding Human Rights Empowering Women Political Leadership Workshops for FNF staff
How would you describe IAF in 3 words?
Empowering. Connected. Free.
What impact has working with IAF had on you—professionally or personally?
My role as a facilitator at IAF has perhaps been the single most powerful force of my career. Through it, I have gained the most incredible friendships, experienced connection with people from all over the world, contributed to making the world a freer and more empowered place, and have a truly global space in which to share my own experience, cultivate my confidence and support others in their own quests to improve their lives, and the lives of the people around them. It is a remarkable place that feels like a second home to me, and one that has enabled so many lessons and memories which I carry with me everywhere I go.
What do you associate most strongly with IAF?
A deep commitment to developing people. The freedom to be yourself.
Can you share a story or moment from your time at IAF that has stayed with you?
One of my absolute favourite memories at IAF was on excursion in Hamburg, when a group of participants and I went to the fireship (Feuerschiff in German) in the harbour (now operating as a restaurant and music venue) to listen to retired Jazz musicians jam together on a random Monday night. Some participants joined the band and played with them, and others stood sharing life stories into the early hours of the morning, listening to music as the lights glistened on the water outside. I will never forget that night and the serendipity of life.
What have you learned—about leadership, yourself, or the world—through your work with IAF?
I have learnt that open, easeful, connected conversation is the pathway to touching the heart, and that leadership is very much a matter of the heart. I have seen how the IAF creates a space for freedom-lovers to be themselves, to be vulnerable. I have learnt how powerful it is for people to feel seen, appreciated and to know that they are not alone. Regardless of where you come from, how you were raised, how lonely you feel, how tough your life is, how the odds are stacked against you - you are not alone. There are many, many people who believe what you believe, and they are out there in the world, shining a light, a beacon of hope.
How has your role as a facilitator evolved over the years with IAF?
I have loved trying out new topics and formats, breaking free from traditional methods, and experimenting with approaches and ways that most work for the group, and for the conversation we're trying to have. I have learnt to trust myself and my own approach as a facilitator, and so appreciate every bit of support, care and encouragement received by the remarkable IAF team - the powerhouse behind it all!
