Purpose and background
The ZEGG-Forum is a facilitated process to create transparency and trust in a group, as it helps to unfold the potential of individuals and groups.
It has been developed in the intentional communities of the Project Meiga (Tamera, Portugal and ZEGG, Germany).
During the process people share emotions, deeper experiences and values by connecting with each other with an open mind and an open heart. As people connect also with a deeper source in themselves, it helps to explore new possibilities.
Altogether the Forum creates a conscious and resilient social field, where synergy and collective intelligence can emerge. Practicing Forum, the perspective shifts from the paradigm of perceiving us as separate individuals to a paradigm of perceiving the flows, relationships and connections between everything. Overall,ZEGG-Forum is a culture building process based on world views of high human and ethical values of mutual respect and mindfulness.
Brief Example of the Process
The group is sitting in a circle, the space in the middle is free for the „performance“.
One person gets up to explore what moves her. She enters the center as a performer and becomes the central focus point, while the rest of the group forms the audience. The one in the center has the space to speak and act without being interrupted by the audience. With the help of a facilitator, she explores her issue with questions and movements, connecting with all the impulses inside. Being present with what is lets transformation happen and new energies can appear and be integrated.
When the person has finished, the group applauds to honor the sharing and the entire process.
In the second step, the center is free for members of the audience to enter and give feedback about what they saw, felt and heard. “Mirrors” – as feedback is called in a Forum process – are the jewel of Forum and essential to all life processes. Through receiving feedback we can learn how others regard and perceive us, as well as what others have to say about the issue that we brought to the center of the forum. This is healing — receiving clarity about what other people think and value in us is how we learn to be competent social beings. We need to know what might stop others from loving us and what importance we each have for other. By sharing everybody’s thoughts we also get to understand personal and cultural limitations and witness this as a group, and by this, we can connect with new possibilities. Rarely in the everyday world, do we get this essential feedback in a completely pure and honest way without distortions or distractions. It is therefore a great gift when a holistic community provides this opportunity honestly — in detail and with unconditional love.
In Forum, the issue of the individual is always seen as an example of an overarching human theme. Each individual, who comes into the Forum, is made aware that her issue is deeply related to others from the same culture. Understanding this, we can learn to detach from our personal problems, and rather witness them as being connected to a wider field. In these ways, personal transformation is not only a personal issue, it is a necessity for cultural transformation.
Outcomes / Benefits, Influence on the 4 layers of CLIPS:
- Clears blocked communication
- Fosters Self-awareness and Self-responsibility
- Builds trust and deepens relationships
- Enhances cohesion and energetic motivation
- Helps to evolve Group Consciousness
- Creates a culture of connection
With all this, it has a positive effect on the layers “I” and “We”. It fosters personal growth, trust and the development of a community culture that is transparent, respectful and self-responsible.
The Forum can as well be used to dive deep into the layer of “Intention” and even “Structure”. It is a very profound method to explore the own values and attitudes – and through this come to a better understanding of the shared – and the not-shared – values of the group and thus to agree on a common ground in the layers of “Intention” and “Structure”.
What is needed to put it in practice?
First of all, this approach needs a group that is willing to speak about intimate issues and to deal respectfully with it. There needs to be a basic trust in the other group members and shared values about diversity, self-responsibility and respect. Participants need an attitude of empathetic benevolent curiosity about the human being in general, and about every participant in the concrete group situation. They should be able to open, share and question themselves.
The Forum is not an approach that is applied once. It is a method that should be used regularly, then it unfolds its potential for building a community-Culture.
Forum should only be hold if there are trained facilitators that facilitate it.
Further Information - Possibilities to get training in the approach.
More Informations about the Forum:
https://www.zegg-forum.org/en/
https://www.zegg-forum.org/en/background-info/mas-informacion-en-espanol.html
Requirement for a Forum is the presence of a trained forum facilitator.
Currently there are trainings in several countries.
- Germany, for more information contact Barbara Stützel b.stuetzel@gmx.de
- France, for more information contact Maité Gayet maite.gayet@posteo.net
- Spain, for more information contact Ena Rivière Feder iteshka397@gmail.com
- Brasil, for more information contact Ita Gabert itafelizbr@gmail.com
- For Trainings in English language contact Ina Meyer-Stoll ina@zegg.de
If you have the wish to bring Forum to your community you can get in contact with us.we can design a course idea that fits your needs.
Contact Barbara Stützel b.stuetzel@gmx.de