Martina Francesca

Who are you?

Martina Francesca is a facilitator in group dynamics working with community and grass root organisations. Her work requires engaging with citizens in consultation exercises and conflict resolution.

She decided to join the Pioneers into Practise programme to expand her range of skills by developing a new context for consultation and facilitation work. Martina has a long connection with the Transitions Towns movement and felt that the Pioneers programme would have similar values and connections.

What did you do?

Martina considered many different placements across Europe but found that the most exciting placement was in her home country of Italy in Bologna. Her placement was with ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development) and worked with AESS (Agenzia per l’Energia e lo Sviluppo Sostenibile) who are the Energy and Sustainable Development Agency to develop a community energy project in an industrial area. This was a completely new work experience for Martina where she was able to work with a diverse range of stakeholders, including industries and public bodies.

Martina helped develop the engagement processes with the varied range of stakeholders, using her existing skills but in a new environment. She also organised public consultation events to help create a long-term vision for the community energy project.

Martina’s approach was quite novel for her hosts as using professionally trained facilitators in an industrial environment was quite unusual. This allowed her to use some of the Pioneers tools taught in the workshops. Her work on creating a vision used backcasting and other systems innovation tools. She felt that this enabled her to work quickly to produce the vision, as well as being regarded as a professional with a constructive approach.

Although my placement was in my home country, I was working on a very different type of work in a different city with a new group of organisations. I met a lot of people on the Pioneers programme that I still keep in contact with, and hope to be working with some in the future.

What did you learn?

Martina learnt that using her existing skills in a new setting required her to create a new approach, including observing the different dynamics of diverse stakeholders and understanding the distinct language used by industrial businesses. She felt that she saw many differences between the various organisations, as well as many common expectations and challenges.

Martina learnt that being placed within her host organisation required her to understand the vision and unique approach of the host, together with the different skills within the team. Martina felt that working on a challenging placement project over a short time period was a great learning experience.

What happens next?

Martina believes that the Pioneers experience has enabled her to develop new work skills, including deepening her facilitation skills and using a systems innovation approach for work. Martina feels that the new perspective she gained during the Pioneers programme has allowed her to look very differently at not just her own work but also future opportunities.

Martina enjoyed working with her host so much during the placement that she has carried on working with them afterwards. She has continued to provide consultation and facilitation skills for ENEA and AESS, and is also supporting them to deliver a new circular economy training programme.