UNDERSTANDING

Through the life stories of their hosts, which they gradually learn about as they talk to them with the help of facilitators and through their own observations, the participants understand the path that their hosts are following in order to overcome their poverty. They get to know the perspective of the poor, see the positive changes and get a feeling for the many different economic, cultural and political obstacles and for the strength that is needed to overcome them.

The encounter with the hosts in the exposure is characterised by a wealth of experiences. Writing down the host’s life story – even just parts of the journey their life has taken or certain aspects of it – helps the participants to sum up their experiences in the exposure and to understand and evaluate them.
Of course the life story is inevitably a subjective report, a summary of the memories of what the host related and how her or his story was heard. Thinking about the life story causes those involved to start reflecting about experiences in their own lives and the path of their own lives, experiences that provide a basis for understanding the experiences of others.

Events that make a particularly strong impression or seem to have played a key role can be related in the form of key stories.

Another way of reflecting on the learning process that has taken place during the programme is to write an experience report . This offers an opportunity to deepen the key question: “What does all this mean for me and why?”

Examples of life stories and experience reports