REFLECTIVE LEARNING – UK

Reflective Learning-UK (RL-UK) is a social enterprise which aims to support all those who care for the well-being of each other, their organization and community. RL-UK works collaboratively with those who want to be part of building and sustaining better lives and livelihoods for all, and who have the faith and energy to strive to create such places. RL-UK uses a unique strengths-based approach to enable individuals, groups, organizations and communities to move forward positively. RL-UK develops strengths, resilience, well-being and positive emotions. It builds fulfillment through individual and collective engagement in activities that promote appreciation and kindness and the actualization of human potential.

RL-UK’s strengths-based approach contains five areas of transformation. These are;

SPACE (how we make, take and shape it to achieve humanly significant goals)

PARTICIPATION (becoming authentically involved in decision-making and finding places where we feel we belong)

APPRECIATION (valuing others through conversations of positive regard)

EMPOWERMENT (having the strength to change values, practices and policies that perpetuate inequality, prejudice and exclusion)

ETHICS (acting with courage to do the right thing)

RL-UK’s mission is to improve lives and livelihoods by learning through reflection. It views learning as a process whereby better knowledge is created through the positive transformation of experience. RL-UK seeks to transform feelings of isolation, vulnerability, fear, blame and self-interest, within organizations and communities, into connectedness, high performance, support and caring. RL-UK begins this process by shifting attention away from problems and towards possibility. Away from deficit-based conversations and towards strengths-based ones. These conversations are the leverage point for building a better future for all involved.

RL-UK was established in 2001. Its strengths-based approach has been co-developed in different cultural, organizational and community contexts in Europe, West and East Africa and India. It is used to support people and communities wishing to live and work in new, different and better ways.

RL-UK achieves its mission by action where;

The group is the unit for transformation: We believe transformation shifts from the individual to the group, organization and community only after a period of small steps, organized around strengths-based conversations and where all involved are patient enough to listen and learn from each other, with open minds.

Leadership is convening: We believe the role of leadership is not just to be better role models or drive change. Leadership is also about creating a positive, ethical and empowering context that brings people together to build a better future.

Questions are more transforming than answers: We believe that asking positive questions is a crucial part of the process of building conversations of positive regard. For organizational and community transformation the key questions are; ‘How do we choose to act together?’ and ‘What do we want to create together?’ These questions foster accountability and commitment.

Positive engagement brings possibility into being:  We believe creating a better future is different from defining a future by specifying a vision, goals and then defining a blueprint to achieve it. RL-UK seeks to discover and create possibilities for better actions and performance, through a relational process of positive engagement.

Valuing and building networks: RL-UK organizes opportunities for people to (re)connect with those with whom they feel they can achieve success and improve lives, workplaces and livelihoods. RL-UK has a view of ‘action’ where creating better relationships, better learning, creativity and the sharing of gifts and talents, are as valuable as agreements and plans.

RL-UK has a portfolio of services and products (please see other parts of our website). It also offers a range of ‘learning experiences’ (conferences and workshops) that emphasise how to;