On July 26, 2011, nine people met at DePaul University in Chicago and formed the IAF Chicago Chapter. We are the second IAF Chapter within the U.S.A. Currently, our membership includes over 30 IAF members from Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana.
The purposes of our IAF Chicago Chapter are to support and further, to the best of IAF Chicago Chapter's ability, the purposes of the International Association of Facilitators (IAF), to include:
- Giving credibility to and furthering the work of the field of professional group facilitation.
- Providing a network to foster interchange between practitioners of facilitation.
- Developing appropriate opportunities, methodologies, models, tools and modes that support the practice of exemplary participatory facilitation.
- Promoting international support and interchange among practitioners of facilitation.
We meet once a month. We alternate a business meeting with a presentation/conversation hosted by one of our members. Breakfast meetings are in downtown Chicago from 7:30 to 9:00 am. After work meetings alternate between downtown Chicago and suburb locations and run from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. The schedule is laid out one year in advance and posted on the IAF Chicago Chapter website.
This alternating schedule may encourage you to participate as we grow our local IAF Chicago Chapter, expand our local presence and inspire the field of facilitation to serve the increasing demands of collaboration and rapidly innovative change.
We also hold periodic events for professional development. These events are highly interactive and designed to provide attendees with new ideas and tools, and networking opportunities.
Join us. This is an exciting opportunity to network and develop your professional skills. We welcome Facilitators as well as anyone who uses facilitation as part of their job (e.g., Project Managers, Business Analysts, etc.).
Come and share. Come and learn. 