Workshop frogs

Frogs are popping up all over the place.

Last week, they even made their presence felt at a planning workshop for the HIV and AIDS program in Papua New Guinea.

Not content with observing from the front...

...they get in amongst the tables....

...and take part in the discussions.

And for those thinking this was just a blatant plug for the Frogsfordarcy blogspot, they featured in the report write up thus:

On the second day the workshop commenced with an ice-breaker activity in which participants were asked to make an Origami Frog using printed instructions. This manual task was intended to provide a change of pace to help participants refocus their minds on the planning activities rather than ongoing work priorities. The debrief on the activity highlighted some important points about skills transfer and capacity building:



 Participants start from different skills bases

 Written plans aren’t always useful

 Success is more likely with the support of someone who has done it before

 Learning by doing often provides a better outcome

 Early intervention (asking for help at the first opportunity) often produces better results

 Where the pool of expertise is limited, getting access to expertise can be a critical factor for success

The frog was selected as a useful mascot for the Program because:

 They are well adapted to transitions

 They are highly adaptable and can operate effectively in two different environments

 They are also fragile and can be adversely impacted by changes in the environment. For this reason they are often see as an early indicator of change.