It was a pleasure to work with Aftab from start to finish. She is clearly a deeply experienced facilitator who can quickly glean the aim of a gathering and the tone.  We found that Aftab quickly became one of our team, able to track with out goals and to add valuable insights. Onsite, I felt confident to present her as one of our team due to her strong work as a graphic facilitator but also as someone who could integrate into the group well. I would recommend Aftab highly to anyone who asked and I hope our team will get to work with her again.Christine Ageton, Chief Program Officer, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE)

Thank you so much for your really great work facilitating the plenary morning of our conference. At lunch, I was told by a member of the theatre community who had come from the Philippines that this was the first time he felt happy about theatre in Canada. Thank you for giving that gift to him and to the rest of our community.

Dawn Brennan, Director, Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance

Thank you for the amazing work facilitating our Student Forum on Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. The tension between Muslim/Arab/Palestinian and Jewish/Israeli student groups has been ongoing on our campus and came to a head around BDS. The evening session you facilitated was unprecedented and many feel that of everything that has happened, that session has been the one really positive outcome. It was amazing to realize that a large group of people with very strong opinions can actually have dialogue even though they passionately disagree.Anne Kessler, Vice President Academic and University Affairs, UBC Alma Mater Society

We are a global community.Aftab Erfan

We are a global community.Aftab Erfan

As a social planner, it is essential to create safe spaces to share personal experiences, to be open towards the views of other people and groups, and embrace emotions that are more often excluded from the rational public discourse. During my studies at UBC, I was very honored to have taken two courses - Facilitating Group Discussions and Participatory Process Facilitation - instructed by Aftab Erfan. These courses were life changing for me at a personal and professional level. I now feel more comfortable facilitating community dialogues, I can address conflict more constructively, and connect with individuals with empathy.Jose Fernandez, Social Planner, City of Vancouver

As my coach and mentor in the Deep Democracy Personal Development program Aftab’s neutrality and capacity to be present modelled something to which I aspire. I learned to trust myself, and hold and value my alternative view, my ‘no’, as well as my ‘yes’. Aftab’s wisdom and skill, knowledge and compassion continue to be inspirational.Susan Kilgour, Principal, Wulagi Primary School

I took a Deep Democracy Intermediate course with Aftab to learn techniques for working with groups and to improve my skills as a facilitator.  As Aftab led our group she not only guided us through the content, she was also an active example of the skills and techniques in practice. Aftab has an incredible capacity for listening, and for gently but firmly challenging people. Through the facilitation training Aftab helped me identify and face some deeply held fears and judgements that affect my relationships and my ability to work with people. Amazingly, she managed to make me feel comfortable during this very uncomfortable process! I can highly recommend Aftab as a teacher for anyone because she tailors her approach moment by moment to the person or group she is working with.Katherine Trajan, Environmental Engineer, City of Calgary

It is awesome to work with you because you're not only an illustrator - you understand the business world. I felt that I was supported by a thinking partner. Thanks for bringing my vision into life. (Author of “The 30 Second Guide to Coaching Your Inner Critic”, Illustrated by Aftab Erfan)Susan Brady, Executive Vice President, Linkage

I was curious about visual facilitation and it far exceeded my expectations. Your work is so powerful and so useful in capturing what is essential to remember from a meeting. It was well worth it to have you on the facilitation team.Erin Kasungu, Manager, Community Foundations of Canada

I was so excited by your facilitation style and learned so much from watching you work. You bring such dynamic energy, lightness and appropriate humour even to the heaviest group situations - and it really works.Johann Rehnberg, Managing Director, Manaki Consulting

Thanks for making the conversation on equity in the Vancouver theater community go so smoothly. Taming a roomful of theatre-folk is no simple matter, but you made it look deceptively easy. Even us privileged white guys felt comfortable!David Copelin, Playwright & Dramaturg

You facilitated us through one of the most divisive issues our organization has ever faced. The process challenged us, but at the end we came up with a solid statement that clarifies our values, deepens our commitment to social justice, and stands up. I'm feeling really good and extremely proud that we came through the other side intact, and even more open and united as a team. Phew! And thank you.

Drew Dennis, Executive Director, Out on Screen

I am IN LOVE with the visual mapping you did to facilitate and represent the work accomplished by the food symposium. They were fabulous to look at and mull over, and I can see them being incredibly powerful pieces if displayed in community, for people to pore over, and then talk about and vision through.

Mary Coll, Co-founder, Sooke Region Farmland Trust

Congratulation. Our CEO was so impressed by your visual representation of the airport's economic impact that he has the Big Picture hung outside his office!

Mike Brown, Senior Planner, Vancouver Airport Authority

This day of facilitation training was exactly what our group of Indigenous community leaders had been asking for. You left us with some great practical tools and had a huge impact on the group. They are already wanting you to come back!

Colette Anderson, Community Initiative Officer, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada