SIMAG Foundation of Silay, Negros Occidental hired Step Up Consulting Services to conduct organizational assessment of the operations of the foundation. SIMAG Foundation is a corporate social responsibility foundation of the Asociacion de Hacenderos de Silay-Saravia, Inc. (AHSSI) and Associated Planters of Silay-Saravia, Inc.
Mr. Canares, Managing Consultant of the firm heads the engagement team. The engagement runs from October to December this year.
Michael P. Canares, managing consultant of Step Up Consulting Services, upon invitation by the Vienna University of Economics and Business, attended a training on Evaluation of Sustainability of Development Assistance and Projects in Prague last 25 September to 2 October 2010. The training was held in the Czech Republic in the capital city of Prague and in the historic town of Slavonice.
Mr. Canares was the only Filipino of the 28 participants who attended the training. The other participants come from Vietnam, India, China, Spain, Australia, the United Kingdom, USA, Brazil, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Ireland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, and Turkey.
The opening and closing programs were done in Prague while the whole training activity was done at the building of the Institute for the Future at Slavonice. Workshop facilitators were renowned evaluation practitioners Wolfgang Meyer, Simon Bell, and Monical Lomena. In the class, Mr. Canares was the group animator of the one of the teams that proposed for the evaluation of a Mayan Reserve in Guatemala.
Mr. Canares said that the training was a very enriching experience for him. The last time that he attended an international training of this scale was last year when he was granted a fellowship by the International Development Research Center to attend a summer course on evaluation of peacebuiling programs in Ireland.
Michael Canares, Managing Consultant of Step Up Consulting Services facilitated the national forum of the Self-Help Approach promoters in the Philippines in Legazpi City last September 6-10, 2010. The forum was funded by Kindernothilfe (Germany) and was participated in by 12 SHA promoters across the country.
Michael Canares, the managing consultant of Step Up Consulting Services, assisted the Philippine Commission on Women in the re-scoping of the Great Women Project, a project that seeks to create a local enabling environment for women micro-economic entrepreneurs in the country. The re-scoping activity was done at Days Hotel in Tagaytay City last August 30 to September 3.
Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation – Integrated Development Center of Cebu City hired Step Up Consulting Services to conduct a midterm evaluation of its project in Bantayan Island, Cebu City.
The work team of this engagement included recent graduate of Queensland University of Technology, Ms. Doreen Lerin, and Ms. Joyce Barafon of GoDev.
During the Kadayawan Festival weekend (August 20-22, 2010), Step Up team headed by Managing Consultant Michael Canares was in Davao to launch the preliminary process of developing a guidebook on Child-Focused Community Development. The activity was funded by Kindernothilfe Germany and was attended by four organizations across the country – Pag-ugmad sa Kabataan Foundation (Davao), Ilog Kinderhome Foundation, Inc. (Negros), Tribal Leaders Development Foundation, Inc. (South Cotabato), Lipa Archdiocesan Social Action Commission (LASAC).
Step Up Consulting Services assisted three municipalities in the formulation of its Executive-Legislative Agenda. These are the municipalities of Jagna, Dauis, and Buenavista. The three municipalities had their ELA workshops at Bohol Plaza Resort and Restaurant in separate dates: Jagna (August 10-12, 2010), Dauis (August 18-19, 2010), and Balilihan (August 24-26).
These activities were well attended by the municipal mayors, vice mayors, sanggunian bayan members, NGO representatives, barangay captains, and department heads of the LGUs.
Mr. Michael Canares, managing consultant of Step Up Consulting Services was invited as resource person by the Peace and Equity Foundation on its two-day phase down planning for provincial access centers last 5-6 August at Maxwell Hotel, Cebu City. Present in the planning were three PAC respresentatives in the Visayas, namely, the Bol-anon United Sectors Working for the Advancement of Community Concerns, the Nortehanon Access Center of Samar, and All R Up of Cebu. Mr. Canares talked about financial health, portfolio management, cash flow budgeting and business planning.
The Municipality of Badiangan, Iloilo recently held a seminar-workshop on the preparation of a Gender-responsive Comprehensive Development Plan at San Antonio Beach Resort, in Roxas City. The activity was done last July 28 to 30, 2010 with Step Up managing consultant Michael Canares as lead facilitator. The activity was attended by 18 participants from the municipality of Badiangan, 1 representative from NEDA REgion 6 and the assistant provincial planning and development coordinator of the province of Iloilo. Funding of the activity was provided by the Great Women Project and coordinated by the Local Area Coordinator Bing Lao.
Step Up recently concluded the organizational development assessment of a child-focused non-profit organization based in Davao City, Pag-ugmad sa Kabataan Foundation. The engagement culminated with the preparation of a participatory OD plan that the organization will pursue in one year starting August 2010.
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