Workshops for Workplaces
A suite of customizable writing workshop experiences designed to bring joy, trust and connection to organizations and workplace communities
A candle lantern with a wooden word “welcome” in front of it. Soft wood background.
At its core, a workplace is very simple — it’s a community of humans. The past few years have been really hard for humans.
Zoom headaches, touch hunger, second wave, third wave, cave syndrome, languishing… We’re all swimming through uncertainty, trying to catch our breaths.
Now some of us are on a new cusp, exploring the possibility of being in the same place again, shaking out cobwebs, starting to re-imagine coming back to the office, and to each other. Others are slowly wrapping our heads around distance in the long-term, and asking how to keep connected across space and pixels.
Leaders often do a wonderful job of focusing on consumers, investors and bottom lines, and it can be harder to turn our gaze to the human needs of our organizations.
That’s where these workshops come in.
We created these with one goal: to bring trust, joy, and authentic connection back into workplace communities.
They are designed for people who don’t consider themselves to be writers. There will be zero evaluation and we’ll ruthlessly push out competition. Instead, we’ll use writing as a tool for much deeper connection and listening than simple conversation. We go further, and hear one another newly.
We’ll meet you there.
Because something else is true about humans: When we feel seen and engaged, we can do things together that we never could have done alone. That is the great gift of a human workplace.
A dock stretching out into a blue lake. Photo care of Gorjan Ivanovski with thanks.
Stepping back in
So much has been lost in the heavy swell of COVID-19. Banter, small shared moments over lunch or commuting, the familiar idiosyncrasies of our specific team. How do we find that again? What is today’s version?
This workshop uses writing to help us take stock of who we are as we step back into the community of our colleagues. We’ll reflect on how this time apart has changed us, we’ll share stories and milestones from our seperation, and we’ll make powerful decisions about what we need as a team to thrive in this moment of transition.
Deliverables: Trust, self-awareness, team cohesion, planning.
The words “Come Together” painted onto the side of a parking lot. Photo care of of Etienne Girardet, with thanks.
Building Cultures of Belonging at Work
Belonging is a fundamental human need. Research shows a clear link between worker retention and feeling connected at work. But how do we create the conditions for belonging while maintaining important professional boundaries?
In this workshop we’ll look at the building blocks of a culture of belonging, and we’ll use writing as a tool to connect to one another and explore what we collectively want from connection in the workplace, what’s possible, and what’s already here.
Deliverables: Engagement, emotional connections, energy and purpose.
A old-fashioned compass on a chain, sitting on a patterned cloth. Photo care of Barby Dalbosco with thanks.
Reconnecting to Our Why
For many of us, our work is deeply connected to our values. We pursue work that we believe in, and we step into our positions with boundless energy. What happens when that passion gets lost in the daily grind of emails and meetings?
In this workshop, we use writing and storytelling to connect to who we are in relationship to our organization’s goals. We’ll remember the journeys that led us to this moment and rekindle the flame of our enthusiasm.
Deliverables: Group engagement, greater energy and purpose, team building.
A flock of birds against a blue sky, bright sun behind. Photo care of Rowan Heuvel with thanks.
Getting Out of Our Rectangles
While some workplaces are preparing to gather in person again, others remain in Zoom rectangles. How can we work with this reality to bring out the most cohesion possible?
High performance teams are teams who care about each other. In this workshop, we’ll use writing and storytelling to engage in the team cohesion that was lost over a year and a half of working remotely. We’ll unlock greater compassion for one another by witnessing more than we would in a formal work meeting, while holding the important boundaries that keep us grounded in our positions.
Deliverables: Group cohesion, team building, trust, energy.
Details and next steps
These workshops are designed to be delivered online. In-person meetings may be possible depending on location, timing and budget. Get in Touch to figure out how to customize an offering for your community of humans.
What organizations are saying about us
I managed an incredibly hardworking team at the Indigenous Justice Division, overseen by the Government of Ontario. We supported Indigenous families with experiences of loss, racial and social injustices. Day in and day out, my team offered selfless and nurturing care. I wanted to give them the chance to reflect on their courage and resiliency.
Firefly Creative Writing gave that back to us ten-fold. In a single afternoon, through the power of words and stories, we were transported out of our heads, back to our hearts and towards our shared connections. When we left, we had been lifted up, to be able to carry on the work. I highly recommend booking a workshop with Firefly. The value of building trust in this way with your team cannot be under-estimated.
Terry Swan
Former Manager, Programs Indigenous Justice Division, Government of Ontario
Firefly Creative Writing was incredible to work with during our process. They were enthusiastic and motivated to build something with our group that would best suit our unique needs. Our group loved the facilitator, Asifa, and felt she created a safe space for them to share and create within the session. Highly recommend their services!
Flannery Sadler
Health Equity, Patient & Community Engagement, Scarborough Health Network
I can honestly say that Firefly’s writing workshops brought our group so much closer together than I could have imagined. The sessions were thoughtfully and professionally prepared and the instructor brought joy, enthusiasm and inspiration to the creative process. The Firefly team was agile, willing to adapt to the group’s needs and interests on a dime.
I am so glad we decided to incorporate Firefly into our community. Their work is second to none and the outcomes in terms of building teamwork and mutual respect among my group were astounding. It was exactly what we needed.
Jodi Lastman
Manager, Communications & Partnerships, Hospitality Workers Training Centre
The simple-yet-revealing exercises were compelling and extracted the most amazing prose from each individual. It was a surprise to discover how “easy” it was to excavate our inner authors and it was an added bonus to discover even more hidden gems about our own personal stories. Beautiful accounts appeared that brought forward memories and poignancy that we weren’t conscious of prior to our session.
Professionally facilitated, this is an excellent workshop for any corporation wanting to offer employees an opportunity to discover and express their own inner writers and themselves.
Deb Niven
Former Co-President, The Wynford Group
Throughout the past few months, Firefly has sent us some amazing facilitators such as Kim, Asifa, and Mary who worked with our group of youth to deliver powerful writing sessions. Many of our youth enjoyed the process of taking time out on a weekly basis to put their thoughts on paper, reflect on their current situation and share their pieces with their peers. The facilitators did a great job in creating a welcoming environment while addressing heavy themes such as family, relationships, emotions, and self-talk. I can't describe the number of times I was blown away by the writing pieces shared by the group and how true to their lived experiences.
Labib Chowdhury
Youth Services Coordinator, Scadding Court Community Centre
I knew I could trust the Firefly team to run a writing workshop for the business mastermind I'm running—that it would be intensely thought-provoking and done with an anti-oppressive lens that is so important to my clients. The facilitator brought such depth of experience to the group, and customized the workshop to exactly what would be useful to them. She was able to hold tough conversations, and get participants thinking deeply about their work and their impact in the world. I would definitely have her back again.
Tarzan Kay
Founder, Storyteller-in-Chief and Writer of Highly Addictive Emails, Tarzan Kay Global
The Cultural Relations and Solidarity team at Indigenous Youth Roots loves to work with Firefly Creative, so much so, we decided to invite them to our IYR staff meeting to facilitate a writing session for the whole organization. We can't wait to collaborate with them again!
Stephanie Jeremie
Director, Community Relations & Solidarity, Indigenous Youth Roots
People we have worked with
