Looking in from the other side

Every new journey arrives with certain levels of excitement and great hesitance about what may come but similar to any new adventure out there you have to trust your instincts. Though it may take a bit of convincing.

From a learner trying to understand what STA Next Gen offers, to being a facilitator of an initiative that is trying to improve how we think about our messy lives, I can tell you the perspectives of how I saw it from the two different stages, was a complete 180. Still, the message remained the same and this time around far more enriching to me.

As a learner in this programme in 2022, with not so much interest, I could not uncover any truths about my thinking. I was not aware that my thinking may have been limiting me to seeing my mess with only a frontal view rather than opening my mind to seeing the bigger picture, other people involved in the mess and how they are affected by it. I am not one who can be easily convinced and often I think the way I communicate with my mess is perfect.

Fast forward to 7 March 2023, I am invited to the “Solving for X” programme at Krugersdorp High School, Girl’s Residence, to watch. Before that, I did not change my mind so much but there I was sitting at the back of such a mind-boggling, eye-opening experience. Seeing countless faces react as they discover that their way of thinking when they are in their messes has a term, not only that but the fact it can be identified and improved by a different way of looking at the mess - systems thinking. The impact as one of the attendants stands up in a state of vulnerability to share that this is exactly what she needed. It was then that I too, realized this is definitely what I needed.

As a facilitator embarking on this new adventure, I understand that I have the capacity to impact someone's way of thinking by not saying it is incorrect but by empowering them with systems thinking tools to improve their messes. Messes often leave people scathed but STA Next Gen gives one a different lens to look at these messes and it guides one on a journey of reframing their thinking.

I could not be more ready to give this programme to all those who need it. Excited is an understatement.

Milani