In this paper, we focus on the experiences of facilitators in informal settings designed to engage families in creative computing, or making, designing, and tinkering with computing. Facilitators can play important roles in developing welcoming spaces that enable youth to create and to learn computational literacy skills; however, research is still needed to examine the practices that facilitators use to engage with families in these activities. In this study, we highlight the ways that new facilitators came to take on the role of facilitators and focus specifically on the role of relationship building in their development and practices as facilitators. We worked with 9 facilitators during 5 intergenerational computing workshops to examine the practices they used to develop relationships with participants and the ways they interpreted and reflected upon these relationships to deepen their development as facilitators. Our findings indicate that facilitators and families in these workshops built relationships by leveraging common language and learning practices, sharing family stories, and using space to influence interactions. Additionally, as facilitators recognized and reflected on
these relationships, they also reported growing in their understanding of facilitation.
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