Facilitation Tactics Training Program

We still remember the first time we joined a youth exchange and saw the non formal education facilitators in action. We thought, “How do they do this? How can we become like them?” That moment planted a seed.

Since then, facilitation for non-formal education became more than something we admired, it literally became a lifestyle for us, it became the way we decide to learn because of how interactive and it is about us, as participants, we figure out our own learning, we are supported in a beautiful way to find out the answers, not being talked at.

Step by step, we discovered the small, invisible parts of it: how one gesture changes a group’s energy, how a simple question opens a new space, how presence itself can be a tool. And in all of that, we noticed how much this work changed us, not only professionally, but also personally, deeply with friends and family, so it doubled the impact by just learning this magic tool ‘facilitation’ and opened for us countless opportunities professionally.

We got certified in facilitation and coaching, and since we started facilitating numerous projects and cultural programs in different countries, we felt how much people appreciated the “behind-the-scenes” of those programs and the skill. Many participants started to ask us: “How did you learn to facilitate this way, and how can we start our career journey in facilitation as well?’’

So we decided in 2024 to run our first virtual facilitation training, and it was a huge success, we obviously wanted to do it again and this month we finally got to decide that we would like to put time into this Facilitation Training because of the impact that it created since we ran it last year and how many of the participants are kicking their career journey in facilitation globally already.

Another reason is that we would love to expand our community of qualified facilitators through the people that we will meet and train. So here we are, this time going to run it in Georgia with very limited spots, ready to go deeper, to share more of what we’ve gathered over years of facilitating, coaching, learning, and growing. Also sharing how we ran various mental health and wellbeing programs through art.

Training Program Overview


This facilitation training ‘’Facilitation Tactics’’ in Matsevani, Georgia is a week-long, immersive learning journey for people who want to get certified in facilitation in non-formal education methods, and start their career journey to facilitate intercultural programs in their own countries, work institutions, or different countries, understand, practice, and embody the art of facilitation, not as a theory, but as a real, living skill. This training is organized by Yellow vs Blue, the program bridges mental health, art, and creative group processes, combining years of experience from running mental health, wellbeing and intercultural programs around the world.

Over six days in nature, you’ll explore the foundations of facilitation with non-formal education, how to listen deeply, hold space, read the room, ask meaningful follow-up questions, and guide groups with empathy and awareness. You’ll learn how to design and run art-based wellbeing sessions, navigate challenging moments, care for yourself as a facilitator, and take your first steps toward building a facilitation career. This training is an invitation to anyone who wants to explore facilitation not just as a skill, but as a way of being and to explore it as a career further.

Why Georgia?


Georgia (the country) is an authentic place, that unfortunately not many people have explored its beauty and presence with its beautiful culture and scenery. So for us with the calmness of the countryside, and the amazing space of Yzavrl, is the perfect site for this learning, and hard working journey we will do together in the facilitation training

By the end of the week training, you will:

1. Understand the foundations of facilitation - you will learn how to truly listen, read the room, notice the energy shifts, the silences, the facial reactions. You’ll discover how to ask questions that open something deeper, how to stay neutral yet fully present, how to hold space when emotions rise, and how to connect with empathy without losing your role and neutrality. These are the invisible skills that make facilitation feel effortless, and this is where we start.

2. Design & run art-based mental health and well-being workshops - you’ll explore how to turn creative expression into safe, meaningful group experiences. How to use art as a way to let participants connect, reflect, and start a recognition journey. You’ll learn how to guide people through each step, from warm-ups to closure, while holding space for emotions and stories that may surface.

3. Respond to challenging dynamics & difficult conversations- you’ll learn what to do when things get intense, when someone shuts down, opens up, disagrees, or when the room goes silent. What if a participant started to get emotional, etc.. You’ll practice staying grounded in uncertainty, asking the right questions, and meeting tension with presence instead of panic.

4. Work ethically and compassionately with vulnerable groups - you’ll learn what it means to create a space that is intercultural and inclusive, and grounded in respect and consent. We’ll explore what “safety” really means, how to honour boundaries, and how to approach the group with humility and curiosity.

5. Kickstart your facilitation journey forward - by the end, you’ll start shaping your own path, creating your first artistic workshop idea, refining your style, and seeing how facilitation can grow with you. We’ll explore ways to continue learning, find opportunities, and stay connected to a wider community of facilitators.

This training is valuable for:

• Emerging facilitators and trainers who want to build strong foundations and learn how to design and lead workshops effectively and use creativity as a learning method for wellbeing

• Coaches, mentors, and educators who want to bring facilitation tools into their work with individuals or groups.

• HR, learning & development, and team leaders who guide conversations, manage group dynamics, or hold space for wellbeing and collaboration.

• Artists, art therapists, or creative practitioners who want to use their art and non formal education as a tool for connection, reflection, and emotional health (non-clinical).

• Youth workers, NGO professionals, and project leaders running intercultural, educational, or wellbeing programs.

• Anyone curious about facilitation as a personal and professional skill, how to listen deeply, create psychological safety, and guide meaningful experiences, or anyone would like to be able to manage a team or organisation, run workshops, meetings, organise events and network effectively, and work better with stakeholder groups.

This training is NOT for:

Those who already have advanced facilitation skills and are looking for supervision-level or high-level specialization (this program focuses on facilitation strong foundations).

Group size: small and intentional, around 8–12 people, so we can work closely and learn better in a smaller group.

Ahmed Abdelsalam: Egypt/UK

Ahmed Abdelsalam is an Erasmus+ certified Dialogue Facilitator and Facilitation Coach, with extensive experience in facilitation, coaching and training. He has over five years of experience in designing and leading transformative learning spaces that inspire personal and professional development both virtually and in-person. Ahmed received his Facilitation Training in 2019 with Soliya, US, which has been instrumental in shaping his approach in addition to the Advanced Facilitation Training of Trainers in Poland in 2021, where he deepened his practice in non-formal education and creative learning.

As a trainer and facilitator, Ahmed led several international programmes with Yellow vs Blue, such as Art of Change in 2024 & 2025 in Norway, Beyond The Lens Filmmaking Program, and the Human Theatre workshops in Valencia, Spain in 2023. He also led the Facilitation Tactics training, a programme designed to equip emerging facilitators with foundational skills of facilitation. In addition to this, Ahmed facilitated other programmes such as the ChangeMakers Reflection Groups with Now Institute in 2021 and the JoveSolides pilot Virtual Exchange programme supported by Mandela Mile organization in 2020.

Now based in the UK, Ahmed currently serves as a facilitator for the Global Professional Awards programme at the University of Huddersfield, supporting learners embark on a journey of personal and professional growth. Known for his reflective and human-centered approach, Ahmed believes in education as a powerful tool for self-awareness and transformation, empowering individuals and groups to engage in meaningful experiences that inspire authentic change.

Shrouk Hussien: Egypt/Spain

Shrouk is the founder and director of Yellow vs. Blue, a certified NLP practitioner, facilitator, and coach. She integrates art, theatre, and coaching practices to support young people and adults in promoting mental health and well-being. Her facilitation journey began with Soliya where she became certified in Erasmus+ facilitation and coaching, followed by an advanced Training of Trainers in non-formal education in Kielce, Poland. She has since organized and facilitated multiple international and local projects, including two rounds of Art of Change in Utoya, Norway (2024 and 2025), where she worked as organizer, project manager, and co-facilitator, and the pilot Facilitation Tactics training by Yellow vs Blue.

She has also organized Human Theatre Workshops in Valencia, and she regularly facilitates Art Therapy Workshops through Life as a Local in Valencia initiative by Yellow vs. Blue, connecting expats and locals through creative expression. She has facilitated a workshop on mental health with Peace First in the USA, coached a virtual exchange program organized by Jovesolides Egypt supported by Mandela Mile, and led reflection groups with NOW and IOFC in Switzerland.

Shrouk worked with HLAB Japan as a global side mentor for mental health and wellbeing facilitated sessions to support Japanese high school students, and she also worked as mentor and co-lead mentor with MCW Global in New York, to support leaders to bring their projects to life in their community. Additionally, she recently co-facilitated an intercultural retreat in Koppang, Norway, focused on art and theatre for well-being. Within Yellow vs. Blue, she currently manages and facilitates various international and intercultural programs, bringing inclusive facilitation and creative methods to empower participants around the world.

Please note that this training is self-funded, if you would like to receive the full info-pack with the program fees via email, you can sign up below.


What will the program cover with the participation fees?

- Shared but comfortable and simple accommodation in the middle of nature (you will be sharing a room with 3 people from same gender)
- Three nutritious & delicious meals (plus coffee breaks!)
- Private Bus Transfers from Tbilisi to the training venue and back
- All materials, art supplies, and activities of the whole training learning experience
- Certificate of completion by Yellow vs. Blue & ongoing facilitation journey support

Stay in touch for future opportunities