The LOWO Method
LOWO is a methodology for holding community conversations that provide people with opportunities to generate decisions that allow them to make sustainable life affirming changes.
By training local people as facilitators for conversations among small groups, LOWO seeks genuine leadership and problem solving from community members from project design through implementation.
The LOWO method centers around community participation at every level.
We believe that impacts or changes that unfold from within communities themselves and remain inherently more sustainable. LOWO’s people-centered focus has served as a core aspect of its success.
LOWO facilitator trainings are collaborative and interactive.
Facilitators practice their skills, learn how to become better listeners, ask open-ended questions, and become facilitation trainers themselves. This creates a cascading effect expanding effective communication skills and opens space for new ideas and perspectives.
LOWO maintains an open-minded perspective about potential outcomes.
Creating a safe space for taboo topics can produce positive effects, creating enhanced communication among family members of different generations, and empowerment of marginalized people. We believe that communities can achieve more when resources are not tied to narrowly defined results.
Past incarnations of LOWO have supported people in their decision to have smaller families, providing them with resources and information, while couples remained in charge of the planning.LOWO’s community conversations inspired community members to expand their education, start cooperative agroforestry projects, and launch savings groups. Although these results were not predicted at the outset, these conversations can lead to positive changes in communities based on their individual initiatives.
The LOWO method can serve as a model for projects or organizations in numerous sectors and topics.
