As a team we have sought legal advice for a strong foundation, written the Memorandum of Association, set up, researched and chosen both an ethical bank (Starling Bank) and a ‘green’ insurance company (NatureSave) who we feel as far as possible are fit for purpose.
We are very grateful to have a wonderful team of AoCS Leads and International Coordinators who have stepped up to crucial roles around the globe. It has been so encouraging to see how motivated they are to take AoCS into a new and exciting phase. Please go to the website to see what resources and new projects are available such as podcasts, book club, conversation spaces and co-supervision to mention a few. More is being added and please let us know if you’d like to contribute.
We are looking to extend our collaboration with professional bodies, international conferences, news outlets and magazines. Also, we wish to nurture those we already have in place, for example to join forces in extending further research into coaching supervision.
We welcomed the offers from several attendees to step up into lead roles and we encourage all members to promote the new status of AoCS to their networks. In 2022 we will continue to co-create our vision and strategy and welcome the new leads from around the world. They will introduce themselves to you formally in the next News Update.
We asked the following two questions – perhaps you’d like to reflect on them too?
What will make AoCS even more relevant to you?
What’s important to your supervision practice?
We ended the meeting by passing a ‘virtual’ drink to each other from around the globe and thanking those who have worked tirelessly for AoCS Limited.
In particular, we thanked Peter Welch and Neil Williams for their wonderful contributions to AoCS and have offered them both well-deserved Lifetime Memberships.
Cheers everyone!
Jackie, Jenny and Lorenza (AoCS Ltd Board)
UPDATE ON THE REFLECTION SPACE FOR COACHING SUPERVISORS ON D&I
A group of us at AoCS came together to inaugurate this series of dialogue for Diversity and Inclusion. Our collective purpose at this point is “To learn with courage and curiosity on self and system about D&I. Generate more balanced voices representing the under-represented in our coaching profession by way of written reflections and intentional daily interactions. exploring how our double consciousness and holding parts of ourselves in brackets might be impoverishing our coaching and supervisory relationships.” Our next 90mins dialogue and work space is on 21 January 2022 at noon GMT, zoom to follow next month. I look forward to more voices in the room. Email Felicia Lauw with what you notice about yourself as you think about our role as coaching supervisors in the D&I aspects of our profession and our client’s work. Wishing you a happy year end and celebrating it your way. May you be well. Felicia
Sile Walsh has generously offered her reflections to be included in this newsletter.
During the conversation, I noticed three layers to the conversation and the work that we do within the profession of supervision in terms of inclusion. However, on reflection, I saw an additional one, so four emerged in my awareness.
There is the individual and personal development and understanding of inclusion and oppression that each of us needs to do as supervisors. With insight into our privilege and our visible identity and how this plays out in interactions with everyone not just with those that we deem as different to us.
Then I noticed that there was a desire for our practice to be more inclusive and this is another layer of work that needs to be done to ensure that we are practising supervision in a way that is genuinely inclusive and isn't covertly oppressive.
The third layer was the professional layer of inclusion and while we spoke about supporting the profession of supervision being inclusive, I think there's also a layer in which we need to think about how the committees and organisations within the profession are practising inclusion and addressing covert oppression. How does an organization ensure that it is being inclusive while addressing any inherent oppressive practices that exist within it?
My reminder following this session was predominantly that understanding inclusion of our full identities and our clients, our defences, our desire to belong, our experiences of oppression, our experiences of being used, our resistance, our projections, our desires to be seen as good, imposter syndrome, our desires to be understood, our ideas about diversity and inclusion are central reflections to creating inclusive engagements.
The first 2022Co-Supervision Spacesession with Michelle Lucas and Yvette Elcock will be on 7th January 2022 from 11.00-13.00 GMT/UK time. Please note this new time as we look to cover a wider band of time zones in the hope even more of our international members will join us.
This session will concentrate on the Eclectic Philosophy and Techniques.Come and take the opportunity to practice existing or new approaches to coaching supervision in a great learning community. Click here for free tickets for members and our free membership offer to those attending three sessions at the non-member rate.
For January only, we will be offering you the chance to bring along a friend for FREE. If they are not a member of AoCS, please contact Sam Fremantle for the special Promo Code.
For the first time you will be able to book an individual or multiple sessions depending on your planning preference and this will be available from our February date onwards. Here are the rest of the 2022 dates for your schedules all of which will be held at 11.00-13.00 GMT/UK unless stated below:
4th February 2022
4th March 2022
1st April 2022 - 90 minute session, 11.00-12.30 BST/UK
6th May 2022
27th May 2022
1st July 2022
29th July 2022 - 90 minute session, 11.00-12.30 BST/UK
2nd September 2022
7th October 2022
4th November 2022
2nd December 2022 - 90 minute session 11.00-12.30 GMT/UK
The 90-minute sessions are a new format specifically designed as a response to feedback about insufficient time to debrief learning. This session will concentrate on sharing use of techniques and learning in a deeper way.
THE JOINT GLOBAL STATEMENT GROUP ON CLIMATE CRISIS
The Joint Global Statement Group on Climate Crisis met on 17/12/2021 with representatives from each of the signatory professional bodies participating. We focussed on our Purpose, our Effectiveness and our Process.
The JGSG on Climate Crisis is here to raise awareness of what is happening, and focus on how Coaching, Mentoring, Supervision and Coaching psychology is relevant: researching, sharing and building resources; creating life-affirming movement together and as individual members. We exist through our partnership with members and clients, and our co-creation with them is going to have emphasis in 2022 and beyond.
We celebrated the work accomplished: with the Joint Global Statement on Climate Change, with the webinars, and with the JGSG website where you can catch up and explore findings.
We renewed our intention to amplify the message in the statement, to equip and support our members alongside our clients and to work with our members and clients on the how, while holding open the door to all groups to participate. These intentions will be focussed through Research and Roundtables throughout the year, that we will host together. More details will be communicated in January. Lorenza formally handed the baton to Jackie Arnold, to take forward the work of this group.
