Virginia Ottolina
(she/her)Austria, Italy
I am a Grant Officer at Porticus and facilitator, passionate about creating spaces where people can learn, reflect, and collaborate across differences. My interest in facilitation deepened while working at the Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue Centre (KAICIID), where I witnessed the power of well-designed dialogue processes to bring together people from diverse cultural, religious, and social backgrounds and foster mutual understanding.
Over the years, I have integrated facilitation into many aspects of my work, from leading workshops, training sessions, and peer-learning spaces to supporting cross-functional teams and task teams. I am particularly interested in how facilitation can help navigate complexity, strengthen participation, and shift power dynamics towards more inclusive and equitable forms of collaboration.
My facilitation practice is grounded in deep listening, emotional regulation, and the courage to create authentic spaces where people feel safe to engage meaningfully. I enjoy designing participatory experiences that encourage collective thinking, shared ownership, and learning. At the same time, I remain committed to continuously improving my practice by deepening my technical facilitation skills, expanding my toolbox, and learning from fellow facilitators around the world.
Experience
Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Event Types: Conference, Festival, Offline, Online, Panel, Team Offsite, Training, Workshop
Audiences: Adults (36–64), External Stakeholder, Internal Stakeholders, Public Sector
Certificates: CXC Online Facilitation Training
Thematic Areas
- Â Facilitation & Training
- Collaboration & Co-Creation
- Team Development
- Community Building/Strengthening
- Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue
- Participatory leadership and co-creation
- Family and women support