On January 26 and 27, 2021, CTC participated in the virtual training “Crafting Meaningful Online Trainings and Workshops”, organized by The David and Lucile Packard Foundation in collaboration with the Penabulu Foundation. The training is essential for CTC in preparing the implementation of various online activities such as trainings,  workshops, public outreach, and fun-learning activities for the community amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In general, the training was attended by around 30 participants from different NGOs in Indonesia, mainly those who have engaged in nature conservation and environmental protection. CTC sent four staff, namely the Business Development Specialist Herni Hastutie, the Program Communications Officer Yoga Putra, the Training Administration Officer Aulia Gustal, and the Virtual Training Officer Nadia Qurotha.

With facilitation from the InsightPact, the training was successful in guiding participants to recognize and explore various features of the Zoom online meeting application, such as breakout rooms, subtitles, the whiteboard, and so on. Optimizing the use of these features is important to increase the level of engagement and productivity among participants while still delivering the trainings and workshops in an effective way. Thus, using a variety of features will also prevent boredom and Zoom fatigue.

In addition, the training also emphasized the importance of understanding key principles in delivering online events, so that each participant can prepare themselves better. Several important roles that are generally attached to the online/virtual training provider are organizer, facilitator, and speaker/resource person, and each requires different preparation. Participants were also trained to prevent and deal with any possible technical issues to ensure that the activity can proceed smoothly.

Finally, participants also need to consider any personal limitations or unfortunate situations of the trainees, including all unexpected challenges that could happen in the field. The most common case found in Indonesia is a weak internet connection and inadequately functioning equipment, such as laptops and smartphones. If these matters are not well addressed, it will be unlikely for the organizer to achieve the main objective of the event.

Since the government began officially liming people’s movement and public activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, CTC has been forced to be more flexible and creative in delivering training and workshops. A few kinds of training have been migrated from in-person to online, such as the basic training on marine protected areas, fishery management, and capacity building for MPA personnel. One of the biggest challenges for our events has been in preparing the materials beforehand and how to deliver them creatively and attractively. Therefore, participants can understand it well without losing their excitement.

To date, CTC has trained more than 5,000 people to support the management of marine protected areas in the Coral Triangle. Prior to the pandemic, most of these training activities were done at the CTC Center for Marine Conservation in Bali, a connecting hub dedicated to inspiring people of all backgrounds to take real actions to protect the ocean.