Workshops & symposiums: How do we get the most out of them? [Archives:2002/12/Reportage]

BY IMAD AL-SAQQAF
TAIZ BUREAU CHIEF
YEMEN TIMES
TAIZ As anyone who has attended a workshop or symposium, which is most of us, can verify, they dont always seem to give a good bang for the buck.
Some, in fact, seem like theyre a waist of time and money.
Results of a recent informal survey show that there are indeed mixed feelings about just how many workshops and symposiums Yemen should have. Some even feel that some workshops are more for media attention, rather than for achieving real goals.
Further, some people feel that some organizers also have personal gains or funding goals in mind when they bring together a group of people.
The Times has received a copy of a letter by Ali as-Sunaidar, chairman of the Federation of Yemen Chambers of Commerce & Industry, written to Prime Minister Abdulqadir Bajamal in which he notes that though symposiums and workshops are a good means for improving the performance of different institutions, but yet they turned to be a mere phenomenon.
The letter maintains that money used for many workshops and symposiums is wasted because activities carried out by these institutions are not monitored.
The attitudes of others who are familiar with this issue suggest they believe workshops are beneficial, irrespective of any funds wasted. Others see such group meetings as a media -related phenomenon. Following are excerpts of what some people think about this issue.
Ahmed Jabir Afif, chairman of the al-Afif Cultural Foundation, wonders if the number of symposiums and workshops convened in a country with 18 million inhabitants is higher than what it should be.
He points out also, however, that it is a healthy phenomenon for sharing expertise and improving the level of performance, and organizing goal-driven workshops and seminars will ultimately develop and enhance the expertise and capabilities of the involved institutions.
Thats because the world is changing, and Yemen needs to cope with these changes.
As for the money disbursed on these workshops, he says, I dont think that it is a constrain because the benefits we gain are more important than the money used.
Faisal Saeed Farea, director-general of the Taiz-based al-Saeed Institution for Science & Culture, believes that if the topics of workshops and seminars are carefully selected and are to the point, they will undoubtedly have fruitful results.
Ahmad Salim Shamakh, a well-known businessman, began his statement with a familiar proverb that reads: Deeds, not words, as relevant to organizing workshops and symposiums. The majority of workshops and symposiums are meant for media propaganda and a mere show-off, he suggests.
What is noticeable is that the people who take part at the workshops and symposiums organized in Yemen are always the same people, and are always held in Sanaa. They need to be regional, he said.
Suaad al-Qadasi, chairwoman of the Women s Forum for Research & Training, said workshops and symposiums often dont, in fact, meet the demands of the target groups. Indeed, the target groups are in most cases ignored. In the long-run, these workshops and symposiums will fail to achieve their objectives, according to al-Qadasi.
In my opinion there are areas to improve. The objectives, demands and priorities meant for the target groups arent clearly outlined. As the outcomes of these workshops are not continuously assessed, with the view of learning their suitability for the new changes, they are in many cases useless. Still, depending on how much they imitate others, these workshops are often made very stereotypical.
Limiting foreign assistance to NGOs, which usually publicize foreign donors regardless of their objectives and outputs, as well as a lack of coordination among the related organizations and the government departments, further complicates the problem.
Ahmed Salim Shamkh thinks all workshops should begin with setting up permanent appraisal committees, which would operate across Yemen and report directly to the cabinet. Specialized committees should also regulate and supervise workshops and symposiums.
The capital Sanaa should not remain the sole venue.
Similarly, academics should not be the major participants all the time.
I actually share the view of Ahmed Shamakh who spoke out an appeal through Yemen Times to Sanaa University and the Central Organization for Audit & Control to record the number of symposiums, conferences and workshops held from 1995 to 2000. This count should include the amount of money disbursed and the benefits gained from these workshops and symposiums. This is in fact a national duty and will help us to best obtain results from these workshops.
In a nutshell, workshops are important but what is more important is how to benefit from these workshops, and how to translate their outcomes into practice.

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