On the 1st of March, a group of Common Purpose’s international leadership team joined Khulisa, at Caritas Anchor House, to experience our flagship behaviour change programme, ‘Silence the Violence‘. The session focused on supporting professionals to have “courageous conversations” and manage “points of collision” in the workplace.
"The session really got me thinking about the impact of my behaviour on other people. I would never have recognised myself as a violent person but there are some things I do which are actually types of emotional violence - I do these things only occasionally but when they're all added up, they must have a real impact on other people."
Khulisa's 'Silence the Violence' programme
‘Silence the Violence‘ is Khulisa’s flagship programme delivered to adults and young people in prisons, schools and other community settings such as temporary accommodation providers.
As an experiential and active learning programme, the course draws upon on a range of creative learning techniques such as art and drama therapy, storytelling and mask making, as well as restorative and trauma-informed techniques. Each programme is facilitated by a minimum of two therapeutically trained Khulisa facilitators and has a maximum of 12 participants, of whom at least 70% are motivated to change their behaviour.
Through art, drama, and storytelling, participants are encouraged to explore the triggers and the root causes of their violent or aggressive behaviour. Usually delivered as an intensive 5-day programme, by therapeutically trained facilitators, ‘Silence the Violence’ helps participants acknowledge and better understand their behavioural challenges. It provides tools to help develop emotional literacy and emotional resilience; enhancing confidence, self-worth and self-belief to help participants envisage a safe, healthy and crime-free life.
"The Khulisa visit was one of the highlights during the Common Purpose International Forum. To sum it up – it was transformational, emotional and inspiring. [The team] were kind enough to show us around and let us participate in a few activities that are part of the Khulisa programme. One of these activities really struck a nerve within our group. The violence exercise made us realize that often we think of violence as only in the form of physical violence. One of the key learnings from that exercise was that we don’t realize that we can be violent in our day-to-day interactions, whether it is typing away on a computer while a colleague is talking or storming out of the room during a fight. Many thanks for the truly amazing experience, Khulisa!"
Khulisa and Common Purpose
Although our programme was originally developed for use in prisons in South Africa and then extended to our work in schools and communities, Khulisa increasingly gives professional organisations the chance to reflect on the root causes of conflict that may exist within the workplace. This is often led by senior leaders who are keen to promote inclusivity in their workplace, and they may be looking to nurture highly productive, emotionally intelligent, cohesive teams. Among the organisations that have benefited from our taster sessions include the National School of Government, the Home Office and, most recently, Barclays Bank.
Our session on Tuhrsday 1st March, was the second taster session we have delivered for leaders at Common Purpose. This year’s forum had the theme of Cultural Intelligence in the workplace. Throughout the afternoon, our Director of Development, Damian Castello and the participants looked at ways in which cultures (defined as different internal operating cultures, generational divides, different backgrounds, beliefs, sectors, specialisms) collide in the workplace and how, instead of conflict, we can use these instances to innovate and suggest creative solutions. As part of this, we looked at ways in which we:
- Make difficult decisions
- Balance the needs of different cultures and agendas/politics
- Create a culture which is inclusive and creative
- Deal with the moments of conflict rather than bury them
Participants left the session equipped with conflict resolution techniques, motivation to develop a supportive culture in their workplace and a greater awareness of their needs and that of their colleagues.
To discuss how the Khulisa programme could help support your team or organisation, please call Cara Cinnamon on 07496 013 263, or email cara@khulisa.co.uk