CIV-JAM
held its first partners’ workshop at
the Pegasus Hotel, entitled The Principles and
Practice of Effective Partnerships, facilitated
by Michael Silberman of MSI.
As noted
in the workshop agenda
and objectives , the day included both
presentations and opportunities for small
group reflection on their own partnership
practice. In addition to the information
and discussion provided in the presentation,
participants were
given a number of complementary and detailed
handouts .
To begin, each participant
was asked to state his/her dream for Jamaica.
These visionary dreams included:
Silberman
talked briefly about necessary it is that
we all work together to fulfill these dreams,
as they are wide reaching and ambitious—and
very important. To get an overall picture
of CIV-JAM partner capabilities, Zoey Breslar
then presented a summary
of the IDF results from December-January
surveys. These results showed that generally,
the partner organizations were strong—but
there were still distinct areas that needed
improvement, including the collaborative
work among them.
Upon group reflection, the
participants noted that they are most successful
at bringing people together, creating a
shared vision, and crafting organizational
roles
to reach their goals. More challenging
in their collaborative work was establishing
trusting relationships, collectively resolving
conflicts, supporting their individual
members’ efforts,
and evaluating the results of their partnership.
Finally, workshop participants identified
a number of areas where the CIV-JAM project
could assist in facilitating partnerships
among Jamaican organizations:
• |
Examine the role of civil society as
a catalyst for democratic practice |
• |
Assist organizations in identifying opportunities
for and crafting partnerships |
• |
Sharing of knowledge, skills, strategies
for advocacy practices and organizational
sustainability |
• |
Facilitate collaboration between civil
society organizations and the media |
• |
Train partners to catalyze partnerships
among community-based organizations |
• |
Establish communication strategies and
tools for building and strengthening coalitions |
Overall, participants
were satisfied that the workshop objectives
were met, and with the delivery of the
materials. One participant noted, “The
day was very useful. I’ve been reassured
that some of the strategies I was using
in my organization
to our programmed activities were good
ideas. It’s good that several organizations
could be privy to today’s proceedings because
we work together from time to time and
the information will better our working
relationship.”
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