Festival Forum KTI - Kaya Tangguh Inspiratif

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Festival Forum KTI - Kaya Tangguh Inspiratif

Makassar, IndonesiaMakassar, Indonesia
Year Founded:
2004
Organization type: 
nonprofit/ngo/citizen sector
Project Stage:
Established
Budget: 
$100,000 - $250,000
Website:
http://www.bakti.or.id
Twitter: 
http://www.twitter.com/infobakti
Facebook: 
http://www.facebook.com/YayasanBaKTI
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Project Summary
Elevator Pitch

Concise Summary: Help us pitch this solution! Provide an explanation within 3-4 short sentences.

”Festival Forum Kawasan Timur Indonesia – Kaya Tangguh Inspiratif” (lit. Eastern Indonesia Forum Festival – Rich Resilient Inspiring) is a ”stage of inspiration” to build a culture of exchanging smart practices of development solutions in Eastern Indonesia.

WHAT IF - Inspiration: Write one sentence that describes a way that your project dares to ask, "WHAT IF?"

What if everyone in development sector can learn from each other in positive, supportive, and equal setting?
About Project

Problem: What problem is this project trying to address?

Many smart practices of development existed, but they are scattered and not yet well documented or publicized. This makes it difficult for community in other areas with similar problem to learn and replicate the initiative. On the other hand, feeling they’re competing each other, community, government, and organization are reluctant to share their solution and learn from each other.

Solution: What is the proposed solution? Please be specific!

We believe that if everyone is willing to share solutions (smart practices) and learn from each other, development process in Eastern Indonesia would be more effective. We select, document, and promote smart practices from community initiatives that are effectively solving development problem in their area. The criteria of smart practice are innovative, participative, positive impact, sustainable, accountable, pro poor & pro gender. We provide a stage where community can proudly present their success story in a fun and equal space, and stimulate exchange by engaging people from various background in development sector. We encourage replication of these smart practices thru smaller forum, to cultivate the spirit of learning and exchanging.
Impact: How does it Work

Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.

Early 2009, we received an short text (SMS) from a friend about an effort that has succeeded in lowering maternal and infant mortality rate in Takalar, South Sulawesi. The effort was conducted by Takalar Office of Health and UNICEF. Within the same year, the initiative was chosen as smart practice that we presented in Eastern Indonesia Forum Festival. Representative from BASICS CIDA attending at the time was interested in this initiative. After a couple of exchange and learning visits, BASICS CIDA replicated the initiative in a number of districts in Sulawesi Tenggara and Sulawesi Utara. For us, this is something remarkable, seeing how a simple text about initiative in an area can save thousands of mothers and children in other area.

Impact: What is the impact of the work to date? Also describe the projected future impact for the coming years.

Through Eastern Indonesia Forum Festival, we build a database of 252 best practices and more to come. We also engage a growing number of participant attending the event, from 26 on first event to 250 people on 5th event in Ambon (2010), and 507 on 6th event in Palu (2012). We also see how initiator of smart practices are getting more confidence, invited to share more about their initiative in various forum in both local and national level, and covered by media, thus expanding the opportunity for them to replicate ideas. BaKTI also facilitates Forum Kepala Bappeda Provinsi Se-KTI (Eastern Indonesia Forum of Head of Local Development Planning Agency) and Jaringan Peneliti KTI (JiKTI – Network of Eastern Indonesia Researcher) to strengthen partnership with local government, NGO, and university.
Sustainability

Financial Sustainability Plan: What is this solution’s plan to ensure financial sustainability?

Eastern Indonesia Forum Festival is organized using creative and innovative approach, keeping participants eager about the next festival. One of our funding sustainability strategy is charging some fee to participants of the festival. Also building partnership with local government, private sector, and other development partners, without neglecting the principle of transparency and accountability.

Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?

In Eastern Indonesia context, BaKTI is the only organization providing this kind of solution exchange stage for development sector, attended by actors from various background (national and local government, NGO, academician, media, private sector, youth, and community group). Eastern Indonesia Forum Festival is different because it highlights the rich, resilient, inspiring solutions from the east, using creative and innovative approach of art and performance.
Team

Founding Story

During 2004-2007, Eastern Indonesia Forum was a meeting where every participants came with problems and complaints about how the Eastern Indonesia development was seemingly neglected by central government. We realized that this situation helps not in solving the problem, but we also saw that the forum was attended by people with loyalty, and immense power and energy to create changes in their respective areas. We then shifted from ”accommodating people to share complain” to ”creating space to exchange solution”. We started a different approach, using creative elements of art and performance to create a fun, equal, and stimulating space for learning and exchange of solution.
About You
About You
First Name

Caroline

Last Name

Tupamahu

LinkedIn URL
About Your Organization
Organization Name
Organization Country

, Makassar

Country where this project is creating social impact

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Impact
Full Impact Potential: What are the main spread strategies moving forward? (Please consider geographic spread, policy reform, and independent replication/adoption of the idea or other mechanisms.)

Through the wide network of BaKTI – development actors and media on local, regional, and national level; BaKTI media channel (magazine like BaKTI News) and social media like facebook, twitter, and youtube; and forums/ meetings on local, regional, and national level.
BaKTI also facilitates Forum Kepala Bappeda Provinsi Se-KTI (Eastern Indonesia Forum of Head of Local Development Planning Agency) and Jaringan Peneliti KTI (JiKTI – Network of Eastern Indonesia Researcher) to strengthen partnership with local government, NGO, and university.

Barriers: What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

 Limitation of area where we can explore best practices, we haven’t been able to cover all provinces in Eastern Indonesia.
 Limitation of funding from BaKTI working partners

Sustainability
Partnerships: Tell us about your partnerships.

We build partnership with local government, NGO, university, international development agency, media, and other development actors.
BaKTI also facilitates Forum Kepala Bappeda Provinsi Se-KTI (Eastern Indonesia Forum of Head of Local Development Planning Agency) and Jaringan Peneliti KTI (JiKTI – Network of Eastern Indonesia Researcher) to strengthen partnership with local government, NGO, and university.

Closing the Loop
How does your project primarily ensure that feedback delivers results?

Create an environment where people give feedback freely.

Please elaborate on your answer to the above question.

Eastern Indonesia Forum Festival provides a space for development actors to present and share their smart solutions already proven to solve education, health, environment, gender, governance, youth, and economic issue in their areas. This allow other development actors such as local government, international development partners, and other organizations to listen and learn from these solutions.

In the Festival, we create space where the participants can discuss their thoughts and feedback about the smart practices and the results of the discussions will enrich the smart practices.

Languages: In what languages are you able to read and write fluently?

English.

2nd Round Questions
Thinking about your feedback loop; what information are you trying to get from whom, to whom, and to bring about what change?

We provide space where people can share their development smart practices and the participants can learn and adopt/replicate the smart practices. In this Festival, we are trying to get input for the presented smart practices and also to grab new smart practices from development stakeholders who are the participants of the Festival. We believe that a lot of smart initiatives have been done in Eastern Indonesia but sometimes development stakeholders do not realize that their initiatives are worth to be documented and shared. This is to bring change to the development in Eastern Indonesia, more effective development. People can learn from what have succeeded rather than create something new.

What is the purpose of your feedback loop?

Improve quality of programs

If other, please specify
What mediums or mechanisms do you use to collect feedback? (check all that apply)

SMS, Phone or voice, Physical gathering.

If other, please specify
Could you briefly describe the way you collect the feedback?

We collect the feedback in the Festival by creating an informal and creative space where people can share their initiative or input freely. Besides that after the Festival we asked the participants about any input for increasing the quality of the Festival and also to encourage replication of the presented smart practices. In addition, we also asked whether the participants have initiatives that can be categorized as smart practices or lesson learned through direct interview, sms, phone calls, meeting.

What mechanisms are in place to protect people from retribution?

Secured protection on information

If other, please specify
What are the immediate benefits or incentives for people to provide feedback?

Confirmation of use of feedback

If other, please specify
How do you ensure new and marginalized voices are heard?

Specific targeted outreach efforts

If other, please specify
What are the incentives for the intended recipient to act on the feedback?

They understand that feedback is necessary

If other, please specify
How does the feedback mechanism close the loop with those who provided feedback in the first place?

Meetings discussing results with providers

If other, please specify
How is feedback published/transparent?

Written report

If other, please specify
Give two concrete examples of how feedback loops have brought a program or policy more in line with citizens’ desires.

1. After getting the information and learned about the smart practices in the Festival, some development stakeholders who attended the Festival replicated and adopted the initiatives in their area. Then the replicated initiatives have brought changes in the new area.
2. Some other development stakeholders who attended the Festival did not realize that the initiatives they have done are smart, in fact the initiatives have brought changes into community lives. After attending the Festival, the presented smart practices have opened their eye. They started documenting their initiatives in the form of feature/article, picture gallery and they gave us to be published in our media and to be included in the selection process for the next Festival.

If there was one thing you could change to increase the impact of your feedback loop, what would it be?

To support development stakeholders to replicate and implement the smart practices. The support covers funding, the implementation process, and monitoring the results. At this moment, the smart practices are replicated by those who have the resources to replicate. It is hoped that we can support the replication by stakeholders who do not have resources.

What are your biggest challenges or barriers in “closing the feedback loop”?

Lack of funding for feedback data collection

If other, please specify
Are you aware of The Feedback Store?

No, but I would like to be on it

What are the main uses you can envision for the Feedback Store?

To increase the quality of the program

What is the one thing you would most like to see changed to improve the competition process?

Clearer information about the competition

What are you doing to make sure that feedback providers know that they are empowered by the information they can give and that they know exactly what the information they are providing?

Providing responses to the received feedback

Comments

Mickael Hoelman's picture

I really like this initiative. If i may suggest, have you consider any strategy to ensure replication of so called "best practices".

In many cases, we might also learn from "failed practices" for backstopping or rethinking critically. Have this also taken into consideration?

Caroline Tupamahu's picture

Thank you for the comment. For replications, we consider many ways such as promoting through various media (newspaper, electronic, social media - facebook, twitter, you tube); lobbying to decision makers.

Regarding "failed practices", we considered it as lesson learned. But at this time, we only promote smart practices to really encourage positive and appreciative environment.

Elliot Marseille's picture

Dear Caroline,

This is an imaginative project – sharing best development practices among NGOs in a forum that includes creativity, culture and camaraderie. Three thoughts:

• What I did not find on your posting and would like to understand better is what you would do with the next increment of funding. Expand into new geographically? Explore variations on the existing model? Form stronger partnerships with other government and private agencies? As it is, I find it difficult to evaluate your proposal because it’s not clear to me what Festival Forum KTI wants to do next.

• How much documentation of impact do you do? The posting mentions an example of adoption of better practices that resulted in reductions of maternal and infant mortality. Have you been able to quantify this impact? I realize that your budget may not permit rigorous evaluation of impact for all of the best practices adopted as a result of Festival Forum KTI, but doing so for a selected few would increase your profile with donors. It might also sharpen your ability to identify strong programs and practices.

• A related question is “Who decides what constitutes ‘best practices’? What distinguishes demonstrably sound activities from just someone’s ‘good idea’? If Festival Forum KTI uses explicit criteria for identification of best practices, consider sharing them in the project description.

I hope this is helpful and wish you every success!

Elliot Marseille
emarseille@comcast.net

Caroline Tupamahu's picture

Thank you for your valuable comments.

* The next things after the Festival is to encourage the replications by promoting and disseminating the smart practices that have been presented in the Festival. This is done through various media (newspaper, electronic, social media - facebook, twitter, you tube); lobbying to decision makers.

* We do monitor the impact-the replications of the smart practices by communicating closely with the initiator of the smart practices and also development stakeholders in that area.

* We have panel who work on the selection of the initiatives. Several criteria have been set to be called "smart practices" which are Innovative, Participative, Pro poor and gender, Accountable, Having impact on community's lives, Sustainable.

Best regards