Personal Reflection of the Participation in Circle Participatory M&E Training, 7-9 Nov 2011

Writer : Theresia Wuryantari, Non Government Individual

It was like having a wish list comes true when the year end training on Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation was announced by CIRCLE. Having been absent from direct programme implementation works during the past 5 years except for a number of short-term consultancy assignment, I immediately cleared all my other schedules during 7-9 November 2011 and had myself registered for the training.  My main and only objective was to be re-charged again about monitoring and implementation, especially participatory ones.

The days lingered like an eternity until the time came for the training. Upon arriving on the training room, I immediately scanned the other eight participants and felt no one was familiar. The familiar faces of the facilitators/trainers were good sign that I would enjoy the training after long period of absence in trainings of such kind, regardless of what the participants would be like.

It took only 45 minutes for me to realize that the training would be full of fun. The opening session of introduction of participants and their hopes and expectations was led in a very participatory and interesting way that it laid the foundation for the whole three-days training. Everyone was certain that their hopes of sharing of experience and improved knowledge and skills as well as new enlightening would be fulfilled.

The three-days training went well – in fact beyond my expectation. Apart from the very systematic and easily understood presentation and sharing of materials by the facilitators, facilitators’ extensive experience in monitoring and evaluation have contributed to the participants’ understanding of the training topics. Sharing of knowledge, lessons learnt and best practices by facilitators were enriched by extensive sharing by the participants – who came with diverse backgrounds. Far from being wise guys, the participants’ knowledge was shared in the way that one would not easily forget: full of fun! I guess the appreciation from the facilitators that each of the participants experience was as meaningful as theirs has – I believe- made it possible.

And in fact, the combination of participants’ very extensive experience and the facilitators’ facilitation ability to make them share their experiences was the main highlight of the training. This is not to mention that the participatory methods that the facilitators applied have made us all felt that we were adults capable of our own learning and sharing.

Last but not least, the facilitators as well as the participants’ healthy and unbiased sense of humour and their wealth of participatory methods have made us – especially me – felt that the training lasted too soon.

Bravo for the well-managed and vibrant training that has made me gone home re-enlightened!