Coaching for Emancipation (CFE) was a turning point in my life, not just because of the work I did with the coachees, & the impact it had on them, but for what it opened up in my personal journey. As someone who believes in human development, I first applied for CFE, hoping for coaching to become a tool I could further help people in my society with; & it was much more than that. Individuals in our communities live in multi-layered oppressive surroundings, & that’s what CFE helped me see; up-closely, & more importantly, it equipped me with some life-guiding tools for my life, & that of the coaches.
I had two main highlights with the CFE; “assumptions” & “choice”. Knowing that a person lives with many falsely-held assumptions; which could be the main reason for self-invoked oppression, was an incredible eye opener for me; as well as the fact that we all have the absolute freedom to make our own choices as long as we take full responsibility for them. These are but a sample of how CFE acts as a process of self-liberation to the coach, & coachee; alike.
The way I handled the sessions were of course highly within the CFE framework, but because every single person is different & unique, it was important to find the best approach to adopt with each coachee, individually. It’s always important to know first why the coachee is here, why she/he approached me & thought that this is what they need, then it’s taken from there. I try to give them all the time & space for them to talk, to let out, to express themselves in whatever manner they’re mostly comfortable with, & react to what they’ve got to deliver to me. Some coachees, more than others, needed to see their lives – or their specific story – before their eyes, & this is when I would seek some illustrations & drawings; others would be more into talking. What was absolutely important, was pinpointing the instance or the “thing” in the coachee’s life that seemed to be the answer, or the entry point to the answer, & never lose track of it, no matter how deviated the sessions would go. It’s all about the coachee, & the coach should guide the sessions in the best way to help the her/him help themselves.
- Master’s degree in Euro-Mediterranean Studies, Faculty of Economics & Political Sciences.
- Fundraising Officer at an NGO working with some of the most marginalized women in Egyptian informal areas.
- Freelance Social Sciences Researcher.
(Translated): “You made me discover things in me, I never knew existed”.