Janaki Women Awareness Society (JWAS) held a Review and Planning workshop with 24 senior team members including executive committee members and project coordinators. The workshop was full of positive energy, open sharing, and creative reflection on the series of several agendas beginning with a question, "Who are you?"
Who are you?
Participants described themselves as difference makers, team players, career developers, and honest learners. Others said they are creative, curious, and committed to social change. Many also connected their identity with values like kindness, integrity, hard work, and self-confidence. Together, the team showed a strong mix of professional personal identities.
One participant, the youngest among all, Tulsiram, explained his identity in a creative way. He said he is a “thief”. However, this is not mean one who steals goods or money, but one who steals learning from another person. His reflection reminded everyone that the "Review and Planning" workshop was itself a learning event.
Participants' values
When talking about values, participants spoke about both personal and organizational values such as teamwork, excellence, honesty and flexibility. They also mentioned the joy of music, travel, reading, and meaningful conversations. Some gave high preference to their religious values, other shared about the value of their family.
Major learning
The workshop helped everyone realize the importance of reflection, cooperation, team work, and mutual respect while conducting their project activities. Participants also learned about the hobbies and priorities in the lives of their team members. Team members learned how their individual strengths contribute to collective success. They also recognized that understanding each other’s values and hobbies makes working together easier and more enjoyable.
Participant's self-evaluation- expectation versus achievements
At the beginning of the workshop, participants rated their expectations on a 5-point scale, with an average score of 4.3. When re-evaluated at the end of the program, the average score rose to 4.4. This is a small but meaningful increase, indicating that the program not only met participants’ expectations, but also provided learning beyond that.
