One of the most exciting areas I’ve been involved with since becoming part of the MOE training team in 2013 is the development of the MOE community on the beautiful island of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands.
It all started after Darren spoke in April 2014 at the inaugural TEDx conference in Guernsey created by the Dandelion Project (aka Marc Winn and Jon (Jock) Pettitt).
At the conference Darren told the MOE story, how MOE came about and what it had already achieved in the 2 years since it had been launched. As a result of Darren’s talk, several people (Marc & Jock included) convinced Darren to bring MOE to Guernsey and the first coach training course was run in Guernsey in June & July 2014.
I was not involved with the first 3 days of the first course as the fantastic James Wright, one of MOE’s fabulous trustees, led the training, but I was asked to join James for days 4 & 5, so that I could help with the assessments, and that, as they say, was the beginning of a wonderful journey for me helping to develop over 100 coaches on the island and countless wonderful experiences.
What I love about the Guernsey MOE community is that it is so close knit. On an island that is 12 miles long with an area of just over 24 square miles and a population of just over 63,000 people, the island probably already has the highest ratio of qualified coaches per head of capita in the world.
Also, because nobody lives too far away from anyone else on the island it also means that there is always a great turnout at any MOE events on the island and fellow MOEbsters from the UK always comment on the special energy and feeling of community that exists amongst the Guernsey MOE community.
On the Guernsey MOE courses I’ve seen long-term unemployed people who haven’t been able to get a job, land a job at their first interview after their course, people who said on the course they absolutely hated public speaking stand up and speak in front of a large group and say that they absolutely loved it, and course participants who have thanked me for changing their life, but then corrected themselves and said “actually, thank you for helping me to change my own life”.
One of the highlights for me in Guernsey was the 1-day introduction to listening, communication and coaching skills course I was asked to run in Guernsey prison with a group of offenders, and the most exciting project on the horizon is the 5-day certified MOE coach training course that we are planning to run in the prison starting in late March 2019 with a mix of prison officers and current prison residents, something that I believe will be a world first!
MOE is truly having a positive impact on the culture of the island, but it doesn’t end there. The first MOE course in Jersey is also launching in March this year.