Day 1 in Galway: From challenges to shared insights among the facilitators
A group of facilitators-in-training from Ireland, Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden reunited in Galway, the place where their 1.5‑year journey to become facilitators supporting rural social enterprises first began. Day 1 of the gathering served both practical workshops and a mid‑programme reflection, guided by Roy Clunie from the Social Enterprise Academy Scotland.
This article is the second in a series of three, exploring the MERSE Leadership Training Programme meeting in Galway 23-25 Februari 2026 and what the participants learned about coaching and supporting rural social enterprises.
Roy Clunie opened the first meeting day in Galway by establishing a space of safety and openness among the participants, essential for sharing both achievements and the challenges encountered over the past year in the MERSE Leadership Training Programme.
The participants then looked back on their first 1.5 year in the programme and exchanged experiences from their work as facilitators‑in‑training supporting social enterprises in their own rural communities.
Participants’ reflections revealed some common themes across countries: funding difficulties, the importance of clear boundaries with groups being coached, and how diverse backgrounds can influence group dynamics. The facilitators together summarised a core challenge:
– We need to often go back to the why we should do this. It is easy to get stuck in what we should do.
This became a reminder that it is not enough for facilitators to guide other social entrepreneurs through processes, they also need to help the entrepreneurs to stay aligned with their purpose.
Shifting from challenges to possibilities
To help the group from the Leadership Training Programme to explore new perspectives, Roy led an exercise where the participants interviewed each other about strengths, community assets and local issues. The activity highlighted how assets and challenges always coexist and how starting from what actually works well, can energise change. Roy Clunie captured the essence:
– When you ask yourself what is good or special about your local community, don’t stop at ‘the people’. Ask what is special about the people there, what is special about the peoples ideas and qualities. There you will find the opportunities, and that is what will energise.
The method offered participants practical inspiration for helping community groups discover their own resources before focusing on problems.
Learning that includes everyone
Roy Clunie also introduced Kolb’s learning cycle, reminding the group that people learn differently and that the facilitation of other social enterprises must combine experience, reflection, analysis and action.
Key insights from the first day
By the end of the first day in Galway, the group had identified several important insights:
- Purpose acts as a compass for both facilitators and the groups of social entrepreneurs being coached.
- Facilitation depends on shared boundaries.
- Asset‑based approaches build more agency and energy, than problem‑first thinking.
- People have different learning styles and the facilitator needs to recognize and meet them all.
Reflections from Iceland
Here are what some of the participants from the Leadership Training Programme had to say about the first day of the programme meeting in Galway:
Anna Þórarinsdóttir, Iceland:
– This course really helped to solidify the knowledge that I have gained earlier in the Leadership Training Programme. It has also really strengthened my relationships and network with my peers in the other Nordic countries and Ireland.
Heiðrún Björk Jóhannsdóttir, Iceland:
– I take with me and am inspired by the people who were in the meeting in Galway! Roy was also such an engaged teacher for us during these days, it is clear that his expertise runs very deep.
Learn more about the MERSE Leadership Training Programme
In 2024, the MERSE project partners recruited a total of 12 rural social enterprises from the five participating regions within the Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme (NPA). These enterprises took part in approximately 1.5 years of leadership training through the Leadership Training Programme, designed to test new methods, transfer successful practices, and develop a peer-to-peer learning model for rural social enterprises.
