Students create their own short stories in PEPY’s 2nd Annual Writing Workshop
August 26, 2011“Sharing Success Together” – Khmer Talks event launches in Phnom Penh
September 13, 2011by Daniela Papi
The PEPY management team and board, and outside consultants in deep discussion during the retreat
Photo Credit: Anna McKeon
There are many changes happening at PEPY, and through this all, we continue to grow more and more excited about our future. As many of you know from the interview letters we sent out and the feedback we have been seeking, PEPY is going through a strategic planning process. Just this month we had a planning retreat for managers, board members, and key educational advocates to consider how we can maximize PEPY’s impact in the future.
The meeting was based on addressing the issues which came out of an internal and external SWOT analysis. This analysis evaluates the major Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats across all our programs and departments, taken from the different perspectives of our donors, partners, and staff. We used this as a starting point to analyse our activities so far, and discuss a new potential strategic direction for the next 3-5 years.
Anna McKeon, our new Communications Manager, put together this video highlighting the process we went through on our strategic planning retreat:
In addition to our key focus for the week of developing a new strategic direction, some of the other outcomes included a list of PEPY’s core values, as well as a new PEPY acronym. Next month we will feature these outcomes and other strategic decisions which came out of the meeting, so watch this space!
Of course, the full process of strategic planning is not something that can be completed in a week. We have just finalized a 12-month action plan outlining the many steps we need to take before we can effectively implement a lot of our ideas. This includes activities such as needs assessments, thorough monitoring and evaluation of current programs, program transition, and a large amount of organizational development.
Alongside our new acronym and new strategic plans, we are also excited to have new leadership at PEPY. As you likely know, I am leaving Cambodia to pursue an MBA for the coming year in the UK. Though our board of directors (including myself) will remain involved in PEPY’s work, we are handing off leadership to an Executive Management Committee comprised of three senior PEPY staff. While we had previously made announcements about a transition of leadership to Layheng Ting, prior to our strategic planning retreat Layheng made the decision to pursue other interests. Though we will miss her and wish her well, it was mutually agreed that this decision will be best for all in the long run. Layheng will go on to improve education in Cambodia from Phnom Penh and we look forward to watching her impact and hopefully partnering together in the future.
Our Executive Management Committee, chaired by our Senior Education Program manager Samal Khath, is excited to continue to contribute to PEPY’s growth, and lead our team towards our new vision. The team also includes Sarakk Rith and Kimline Nuch. While we are continuing to look for talented leaders to join our team, through this transition and our strategic planning process one lesson we have learned is that we don’t need to put all of the weight of the future of our organization on any one person, when we have so many committed, smart people on our team. Last week, at our planning retreat, we were all reminded that it is our collective commitment to this work that will make PEPY successful in the future and that we can move forward as a team towards the goals we all share.
I will physically be leaving soon, but I will still be available to support our team, especially in this time of transition. I leave confident that we are on a very positive path and that PEPY will continue to grow and improve our impact, as we have for the past six years. I believe we have one of the best teams in Cambodia, and that together we will continue to have a positive impact on youth leadership and education in rural Siem Reap Province.
I want to thank all of you for continuing to be a part of the PEPY family. Now, more than ever, we need your ongoing support for this team and this work. I will continue to commit my time and energy to ensuring that our team in Cambodia has the resources necessary to run exceptional education programs in Cambodia, and I hope that you will continue to help us sustain this work into the future. (If you too want to commit to sustaining PEPY’s future, please visit our PEPY Sustainers page!)
Many thanks for all you do!
– Daniela
