Facilitator Guidelines

Thank you for taking the lead in facilitating an event with our community. We definitely are looking forward to this collaboration and learning from each other.

About Local Threads

Local Threads is a community-driven collective started in September 2023. Our initiatives are dedicated to resisting individualism and addressing urban loneliness through building local communities to play, rest, eat, and chill in the ever-hustling city of Mumbai. We do this by engaging in activities such as group reading sessions, clothes swapping, skill-sharing, group deliberations or cultural gatherings like potlucks. In short, fostering meaningful connections through shared experiences in safe communal spaces. We hope to create social traditions that prioritize sharing, supporting and collective growth where we also co-create memories of warmth and solidarity.

We structure our community events around the following core themes:

  • Recreational spaces: Group readings, movie screenings, play readings, and city walks. We hope these spaces offer us much required rest and relaxation in this productivity culture.
  • Arts and Creation: Facilitating dialogue through various art forms, dance, music, writing, and photography, encouraging artistic expression.
  • Environment and Sustainability: Holding critical discussions surrounding climate change, swap meet-ups, zero waste lifestyles, and exploring more sustainable alternatives.
  • Personal and Social Awareness: Organizing discussions on gender sensitization, body shaming, mental health, and urban loneliness.

We strive to create a non-judgmental, accepting safe space for all our community members. Since you will be facilitating the event, you are representing what Threads as a community stands for and what ideologies we promote, hence we have listed a set of facilitator guidelines which we expect the persons leading the event and discussions to abide by. These guidelines are designed to uphold the quality and essence of Threads’ ideologies and to foster a safe environment for our community members.

Pre Event

  • Please discuss any costs or fees with the team before the event is publicized online. Payment will be made after the event.
  • While curating your content, it is essential to rely on proven science and data that have undergone scrutiny by field experts if you make any claims. Please provide relevant and credible sources to support your statements.
  • Please notify the team at least a week in advance of any requirements, such as a projector, whiteboard, microphone, or printouts. This will help facilitate necessary arrangements if feasible.
  • We aim to foster interactive discussions in our events rather than adopting a seminar format. Include ice-breakers, group discussions, or crowd interactions for increased engagement. If you require assistance regarding this, feel free to reach out.
  • Please provide a detailed event flow with timings at least three days before the event date. This will enable us to review the content and plan effectively. A team volunteer will be available to assist with time management during the event.

During Event

  • Please ensure your arrival at the venue at least 15 minutes before the event. If any logistics setup is required, please inform us in advance and ensure your presence at the venue earlier, if necessary.
  • We encourage open discussions without insisting on a strictly apolitical stance. However, please avoid statements that can promote, target, or instigate people towards a religion, race, political party, or community, and refrain from using polarizing language such as “us vs them.” (If the topic of discussion requires covering any controversial points, it needs to be discussed and approved by the team prior to the event.)
  • We have participant guidelines that outline how members should interact with each other and build a safe, non-judgmental environment, encouraging everyone to feel comfortable expressing themselves. These guidelines also apply to the facilitator. Please keep them in mind while curating content and interacting with the community.
  • Local Threads Participant Guidelines.pdf
  • Promote inclusivity by avoiding gender roles in examples. Instead of saying, “She loves to teach, and he loves to study,” use more inclusive language such as, “The teacher loves to teach, and the student loves to study.” Also, use they/them or suitable substitutes for better inclusivity.
  • We strongly discourage facilitators and participants from promoting personal products, books, or businesses, as well as those associated with your employers during the event. However, a brief promotion of up to 5 minutes towards the end of the session is permitted, provided it has been discussed with the team beforehand.

Post Event

  • Accessing and messaging participants without prior permission from the team is strictly prohibited. Please ensure that you seek consent before engaging with any participants.
  • After the event, we will hold a retrospective meeting with the facilitator and the team. This meeting aims to review the event’s outcomes, gather feedback, and discuss any areas for improvement. The facilitator is encouraged to share their insights and experiences, while the team will provide constructive feedback on the event’s organization and content delivery.

Thank you for being part of Local Threads. Together, let’s create warm and meaningful memories while building a supportive and inclusive community. If you have any queries, feel free to let us know.