Facilitated by Dr. Rebecca Tandug and Ms. Shiela Castillo, various lecture discussions and workshops were conducted focusing on organizational evaluative reporting, leadership capital, self-reflections, futures thinking and foresight, and causal layered analysis. Futures thinking and foresight is, accordingly, a mindset rather than a tool to view things differently. When used properly in planning, the future is used to change the present scenario. As Ms. Castillo emphasized, “the future depends on our decisions on how to make use of these information and knowledge to influence the future”.

In her opening discussion, DA-CAR Regional Executive Director (RED) Atty. Jennilyn M. Dawayan shared the Framework on Bridging Leadership which features its three segments namely: ownership, co-ownership and co-creation. This leadership type is seen as appropriate to promote multi-stakeholder processes to address societal inequities.

She added that there is a need to reflect deeply on the agency’s mission and vision to co-own and engage with one another so that they can build up and turn dialogues for shared understanding. RED Dawayan also emphasized the importance of feedback from agricultural stakeholders in the growth and development of the agency, to becoming more responsive in terms of its programs, projects and activities.

The latter parts of the activity delved in the six core competencies of the Foresight Competency Model. This model enables the participants to dig deeper and thresh out the current scenario towards the futures that they want to achieve putting in mind their stakeholders – being the most affected/concerned of the current situation. As emphasized during the lecture-discussions, it is important to work with the people who are most concerned with – they who are the most affected are the most expert of their own experiences.

Insights and knowledge sharings, interactive and creative workshops, and developmental games were conducted to complement the discussions. A Gallery Wall that aims to reflect briefly and recall the agency’s milestones and major challenges experiences since its establishment and an Appreciation Wall to express profound appreciation and gratitude toward colleagues and/or the various offices were put up at the venue. These serve as memory lane and a breather among the participants, providing further inspiration among the participants.//