YOGYAKARTA. Yayasan SHEEP Indonesia (YSI) held its First Semester 2026 Staff Meeting from 14 to 16 July 2026 at the M. Soetopo Hall, STPMD APMD Yogyakarta. The meeting brought together 35 staff members from four commissions and two bureaus as part of the organization's consolidation process to review the achievements of the first semester, refine the work plan for the second semester of 2026, communicate board policies, and strengthen staff capacity and collaboration across the organization.

Day One. Reflecting on Achievements

The meeting opened with remarks from YSI Board Chair, Yulia Rina Wijaya. In her opening address, she encouraged all staff to reflect on the challenges facing civil society organizations amid declining public trust. She emphasized that organizations must not only deliver quality programs but also demonstrate tangible impact through accountable governance.

"We must reclaim civic space. Our visibility should remain humble, but when it comes to accountability, we must be firm while continuing to uphold the dignity of our partners," said Yulia Rina Wijaya.

Her remarks set the stage for a series of presentations highlighting the achievements of the Disaster Management Commission, Climate Change Commission, Primary Health Care Commission, Civil Society Organization Strengthening Commission, Secretariat Bureau, and Finance Bureau. Each unit shared updates on program implementation, key accomplishments, and lessons learned during the first semester of 2026. Beyond presenting results and recognizing achievements, participants actively contributed fresh perspectives to ensure that future programs remain responsive to community needs.

Tri Sulistyowati, Coordinator of YSI's Disaster Management Commission, emphasized the importance of organizational learning through stronger monitoring systems.

"Monitoring has often been understood as something that requires face to face meetings. We need to begin designing a shared digital monitoring system that everyone can adopt," she explained.

Hariyoso, Coordinator of YSI's Primary Health Care Commission, also highlighted that consolidation should extend beyond program implementation.

"Consolidation is not only about programs and activities. It is also about building a shared understanding of our methods and strategies."

These insights enriched the discussions and became valuable recommendations for improving future organizational programs within each commission and bureau.

Day Two. Refining Planning and Strengthening Collaboration

The second day focused on refining the work plans for the second semester of 2026. Each commission and bureau presented its revised work plan to receive feedback from all participants before finalizing the organization's collective planning document.

At the beginning of the session, Yulia Rina Wijaya acknowledged that YSI had made significant progress in organizational planning but emphasized that stronger monitoring and evaluation systems were still needed.

"YSI's strength today lies in its planning. Our weakness lies in monitoring and evaluation."

This statement became the central theme throughout the day's discussions. Most of the recommendations focused on strengthening data management, improving monitoring systems, and developing more systematic knowledge documentation.

Meanwhile, Fauzi Yulia Rahman, a Disaster Risk Reduction staff member at YSI, highlighted the importance of organizational communication as an essential component of public accountability.

"Our institutional branding needs a shared direction. The public should recognize YSI not only through its programs but also through the values we uphold."

The discussion expanded to cover several other strategic issues, including organizational digitalization, the use of artificial intelligence (AI), strengthening organizational databases, fundraising, knowledge documentation, and increasing the publication of field activities. All of these recommendations will contribute to the refinement of YSI's work plan for the second semester of 2026.

Day Three. Reflection to Strengthen Synergy

The three day meeting concluded with a Self Reflection session designed to help staff better understand their individual strengths, improve communication, and foster healthier collaboration in the workplace. Through this process, participants were reminded that organizational success depends not only on the achievements of individual commissions but also on the ability of all staff members to support one another in working toward shared goals.