MALAYSIAN ASSOCIATION OF FACILITATORS
VO-073, Common Ground Mutiara Damansara,
Level 16 & 17 Nucleus Tower,
No 10 Jalan PJU 7/6, Mutiara Damansara,
47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
- admin@malaysianfacilitators.com
MAFA
Malaysian Association of Facilitators
Happening Now! - MAFa Facilitation Week
(16 - 30 Sept 2023)
Malaysian Association of Facilitators (MAFa) founded in April 2010, is a Community of Practice and we have commitment to growing facilitation in Malaysia and making it accessible to communities, organizations, and individuals as a key way to nurture and support dialogue and healthy relationship in all areas of life. We also focus on building capacity for working Learning & Development HR practitioners as well as individual facilitators and civil society organizations.
MAFa works with other organizations to bring world class practices into the region and promote value facilitation practices that enable the facilitator to be impartial and neutral in their service to stakeholders.
OBJECTIVES OF THE MALAYSIAN ASSOCIATION OF FACILITATORS
The Malaysian Association of Facilitators (MAFa), is formed with the following objectives:
- Share experiences and skills of facilitation.
- Provide a knowledge portal for members who wish to enhance their skills in facilitation.
- Provide a space for members to network in Malaysia and internationally.
- Assist and prepare individuals who are interested in gaining certification as facilitators.
- Hold regular forums and seminars to encourage the growth of professional facilitation as a discipline in Malaysia.
What is Facilitation
Facilitation is a term that has wide ranging meaning. To facilitate: to make easy, alleviate, or move forward.
There is a continuum in how this is understood:
It is the understanding and practise of facilitation as understood in Position 3 which is the essential skill for leaders now and in the future. This skill is also sometimes termed process facilitation.
The Malaysian Association of Facilitators (MAFa) is focussed on growing the understanding and practice of facilitation especially in the areas of facilitative training, coaching and providing process facilitation in large and small groups.
In these challenging times in the corporate and community environments, facilitation is an essential skill that will bring together diverse views and positions in an open and yet non-confrontational manner.
MAFa History
The community of practice now known as the Malaysian Association of Facilitators has its roots in the 1980s through the efforts of Ann and John Epps of LENS International. They initiated bi-monthly Saturday morning meetings to share facilitation experiences and techniques. The initial group included Ann & John Epps, Dr. Asma Abdullah, Peter Shepherd, Terence & Theresa Thong, Lesley Hoh, and Amy Wan Ratos. They reached out to training and HR professionals to establish a network and exchange experiences.
In 2010, a decision was made to formally establish an Association of Malaysian Facilitators. This move aimed to facilitate membership growth and encourage greater participation from interested individuals. It also aimed to provide a more structured and developmental focus for facilitator development, addressing the expressed needs of the informal group members.
On April 10th, 2009, a meeting was held with a core team that agreed to begin the documentation necessary to register an Association with the Registrar of Societies. This initial meeting comprised team members who had been active in the earlier FNS group and were eager to advance the formation of a community of practice and development. The group members included Shanmugam, Patricia Nunis, Dr. Hamidah Marican, Azim Pawanchik, Hediyati Hasbullah, Audrey Goh, Brandon Chee, and Kua Hui Min. Shan took on the task of seeking registration and locating the seven founding members from seven different states in Malaysia, as required by the ROS.
The group gained strength and was responsible for hosting several IAF Asia Conferences before 2008. During that period, a formal entity, the Facilitator Network Services (FNS) Malaysia, was formed, and this Malaysian group assumed leadership from LENS International. The 2008 11th IAF Asia Conference in Kuching marked the last conference held in Malaysia by this group. IAF Asia conferences 12th – 15th were subsequently held in Taipei, Seoul, Bangalore, and Shenzen, respectively. The 16th IAF Asia conference in 2013 was held in Japan.
The Malaysian Association of Facilitators (MAFa), registered in April 2010, is the result of the combined efforts of practicing Malaysian facilitators, some of whom are members of the International Association of Facilitators. This international association is globally recognized for promoting professional facilitation practices and techniques, and MAFa is committed to advancing the understanding and practice of facilitation, particularly in the areas of facilitative training, coaching, and providing process facilitation in both large and small groups.