Strategy shaped by staff, trustees and chefs.

Migrateful is a small charity that trains refugees and asylum seekers to be Cookery Class Teachers. They wanted to review their strategy for the next 18–24 months, and establish a direction of vision while also laying out practical and action plans.

As part of this they also wanted to work with trustees around their key roles and relationships, including building stronger relationships with staff.

I facilitated and designed a process for a three-day strategy away day retreat in Kent for the staff and trustees.

During the designing process we decided it would be useful to provide additional space for the Cookery Class Teachers and beneficiaries to feed in. As a result, I designed and ran a “Cookery Class Teachers voice” session ahead of the away day, which saw 25 chefs attend a Zoom meeting to give their opinions, which were used during the away day.

I used a blend of participatory methods to help staff step back to see the bigger picture. We ran several sessions where staff and trustees first worked together, then worked apart, giving them different situations and contexts in which their ideas could develop and grow. We also used LEGO® Serious Play® to promote creative thinking, which helped participants explore new ideas while feeling supported.

The away day successfully achieved everything the organisation had set out to do. Several strategic decisions about the future of the charity had been made. In addition to these specific decisions, the day was more about thinking strategically about the impact those decisions might have.

I also facilitated a half-day follow-up session a month later to check in on how things were going, while wrapping up any outstanding action points. I now continue to work with this organisation on a six-monthly basis, checking in on strategy, reviewing action points and providing ongoing support as they move forward.