AWiB Listens: World Café Style

For the past 15 years, AWiB upheld the tradition of listening through World Café style experiences. A World Café Experience is a group dialogue that aims to harness participants’ collective intelligence to explore complex issues, generate creative ideas, and foster shared understanding. This January we will explore “Agency in Leadership” as part of AWiB’s 2026 theme “From Potential to Performance: Agency in Leadership”.

What does agency in leadership truly mean in a world that often rewards compliance over courage? It is our ability to choose, to act, and to influence, yet many of us quietly surrender this power. We wait for direction, follow familiar scripts, and avoid responsibility, mistaking silence for safety. When did leadership become something we observe rather than practice? This moment invites us to question the norms we’ve inherited and the habits that have made passivity feel comfortable.

Through AWiB Listens, World Cafe Style, expect a shared experience that can move us from passive observers to active shapers of our environments. We shall experience an honest, collective reflection on why we hesitate to speak up, decide, and take ownership and what it costs us personally and collectively. Together, we will unpack the barriers that keep us disengaged and explore practical ways to reclaim our voice. 

What will be expected of you, and what should you expect from the facilitators on January 1^st?

You will encounter:

Harvest: Following small group discussions, participants are encouraged to contribute insights or outcomes from their interactions at the session. In a World Café style, you will have plenty of time to network, connect, get insights, share knowledge and opportunities for yourself as well as your business. Join us to network and learn from collective intelligence and conversation.

Small Group Rounds: The process starts with the first of three or more twenty-minute conversation rounds for the small group of people seated around a table. Afterwards, each group member is assigned to a new table. Each table has a “table host” who greets the following group and briefly recaps what transpired in the previous round.

Questions: Each round begins with a question tailored to the situation and desired outcome. Subsequently, more questions will build on prior ones to focus or drive the conversation.

1. Do you usually take action within your environment when you notice a gap that others seem to overlook? If yes, what response do you experience from others and if not, what holds you back?
2. Share an example of a moment when you chose to speak up despite discomfort, and later felt proud of the outcome of the decision you influenced.
3. What do you believe AWiBers can do in the coming year to transform their potential into tangible results and create meaningful impact across the collective?

Bethelhem graduated from SPHMMC for her MD degree. She also earned her master’s degree in General Public Health from GAMBY Medical & Business College.

Now serving as Project Manager she is working to develop relationships with partners, identify key project areas, develop funding proposals and oversee the implementation of AWiB’s projects. 

Outside of work, she loves spending time with her family, listening to audiobooks, especially memoirs, and learning about new technologies.

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