Quarterlies behind the scenes

For most of us in EduCARE, Quarterlies is the time for gathering together, meeting new interns, forming strong bonds with some of them and learning as much as we can from each other. But for others, this is just the tip of the iceberg. As a member of the COM team, I had to help the Operations Coordinator to make sure that everything was running smoothly and that we had all the resources needed so everyone else in EduCARE could enjoy these four days in the new center in Harike and make the best out of them.

This was my first Quarterlies and, at the end of the day, I have to say that I enjoyed and I appreciated the challenges that I had to face. The never-ending working hours and meetings while people were relaxing and bounding, the ever-changing agenda, making sure that the breakfast was served on time, even if that meant to wake up early to cut fruits for twenty people… And taking photos! It was so hard for me to change my mindset from participant and listener to the external photographer during the workshops that sometimes I was so focused on what it was being explained that I totally forgot to press the button. I prefer to see all this extra work not as a burden, but as a chance to improve my management and organizational skills, something that I had never done before but that it turns out I like.

The members of COM Team with Isis. Me, Margaret, Hellen, Daniela, Isis and Shannon 

All the effort I put in before and during Quarterlies was rewarded during the workshops where I was able to learn more about the different projects, gain new knowledge about project and organizational management, and push my ideas and convictions to the limit and question them. Sometimes, when we are so concentrated in our projects, we may lose the focus and the reason of why we are here. And Quarterlies are the best way to take a step back, see what we have been working on from another perspective, be proud of it and reconnect with EduCARE values, one of the reasons why we all became part of this organization. After this week we can come back to our centers with new ideas, and a boost of motivation to keep working hard and do our best with the time that is left.

At the end of the week, I took a moment to think about what we all had accomplished during these busy days. And I’m happy that everything went more or less as planned which in India means that time is relative, nothing starts on time and you have to adjust and change the schedule all the time. But we made it, and I hope everybody enjoyed these days. And what made me prouder of this organization that we tend to call our family is that everyone was willing to push EduCARE forward with new ideas to grow stronger and help it thrive in the communities we work in.

Last night at the Golden Temple

Laura Sabater – Spain 

Communications Coordinator, Maiti (Himachal Pradesh)