Reflections from our Facilitators Retreat, plus what’s coming next across AoF programmes and events...

As we gather in the woods this week for our Facilitators Retreat at Hazel Hill Wood, this month’s newsletter focuses on the role of reflection in practice and our re-accreditation process.

Over the summer months, we have a number of our online Learning Labs, offering space to reflect on practice, explore ideas, and learn alongside others. These Learning Labs can also contribute towards your CPD if you are planning to re-accredit this summer (or later this year), offering a simple and flexible way to support your ongoing development.

Welcome to Spring! This month we’re looking ahead and wanted to share some opportunities to connect and learn, and reset and refresh with us.

With spring approaching, we wanted to share a few reminders and opportunities to stay connected with the AoF community over the coming weeks. We also wanted to share a reminder about our Practitioner Accreditation, which has come up in several recent conversations with guest members.

With just under one month to go, and some spaces still remaining, we wanted to share a reminder and invitation to join us for our upcoming Learning Day exploring Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed. Following the positive feedback from October, we’re delighted to be welcoming Nick Mabey back to run this experiential session exploring drama and theatre, and its relevance for facilitation today. This Learning Day offers space to experiment with participatory theatre approaches and consider how they can help us navigate power and complexity, support clients to see challenges from new perspectives and rehearse meaningful change in our facilitation practice.

As we move into February, we wanted to share a few ways to stay connected with the AoF community and some reminders about what’s coming up over the next month. Firstly, there are still spaces on our Group Dynamics course next week, the second module of the Foundations in Facilitation Skills Programme. If you’re looking to progress from our Facilitation Skills & Strategies module, or even if you’ve taken Group Dynamics before, this is a great opportunity to deepen and refresh your learning. Repeating a Foundations module can be a powerful way to refresh skills and gain new insights as your practice evolves. Do reach out if this might be of interest, we’re always happy to discuss what’s right for you.

As we begin 2026, we’re looking ahead to a rich programme of opportunities to deepen facilitation practice and connect with peers. From January to March, we’re offering a mix of core training programmes, Learning Labs, and Learning Days, alongside our newly announced Facilitators Retreat this summer. This newsletter brings together key dates and highlights for the months ahead, including Foundations and Certificate programmes, themed online Learning Labs, and experiential Learning Days designed to explore specific tools and approaches in depth.

To begin 2026, we’re delighted to invite members to a brand-new opportunity: our first ever Facilitators Retreat, taking place 3–5 June 2026 in the peaceful woodlands of Hazel Hill Wood, near Salisbury. Designed as a gentle pause rather than a training course, this retreat offers facilitators space to reflect, reset, and reconnect — with themselves, with others, and with the natural environment. Set in a secluded 70-acre woodland, the retreat blends optional, lightly facilitated activities with time for solitude, walking, and conversation, supporting both wellbeing and professional renewal.

As the festive season approaches, we’d like to thank you for being part of the Association of Facilitators community and share a look ahead to what’s coming in 2026. From our Certificate and Foundations programmes to learning days and supervision opportunities, the new year brings a range of ways to deepen your facilitation practice, connect with peers, and continue your professional development.