|
Hello SAATA members,
SAATA is a 16-year-old organisation. We are growing in our numbers. We are growing in our visibility. We have an incredible opportunity to shape the future.
The BOT, Certified Members and members of the Executive Committee gathered on March 3rd and 4th at the beautiful and green Fireflies Intercultural Centre in Bangalore to reimagine SAATA. That 18 of us were present at the SAATA visioning retreat was a testament to the commitment in our community. We were a well-motivated, committed and resourceful group that came together to design and act on a shared future vision for our community. In this letter to you I share what emerged in our retreat.
Suriya and Susan shared with us the story of SAATA – how it was born, what challenges we faced and how we evolved. We were moved and inspired.
We then moved on to a SWOT analysis which turned out to be a simple but profound exercise. We immersed ourselves in a deep understanding of what is and that allowed us to meaningfully move into what we could be.
The strengths that the participating group listed were the following:
1. TA as a robust contemporary theory with a legacy of over 50 years, offering personal and professional applications
2. Our high standards – the depth and rigour of our training.
3. The size of our community today allows us to hold standards and build connections.
4. Our organisation is run by volunteers, many of whom have been associated with SAATA for decades. Our connections are the reason why people volunteer
5. We have our own journal
6. We are resourceful with people and money. We are good at getting things done – like organising events, conferences etc. We came up with the SAATA covid helpline in response to a crisis
7. We are a resilient and responsive organisation that has been transforming itself with time, for example we have been open to automation and technology. The organisation is strong and stable, with competent role holders in clearly demarcated divisions
8. We hold regular consistent events to engage our community
9. We operate with a sense of service – we want to make TA accessible, and have personal and social impact
10. There is space for dissent in the Executive Committee and the BOT
11. The community has a passion for TA and desire to belong
12. We partner well with the international communities (ITAA / EATAA / SATAA). We have built connections internationally.
13. The trainer group shares values, comes together periodically, helps each other stay honest and uphold TA principles
14. We are reasonably apolitical and have a sense of community
Weaknesses
1. We don’t have a collective vision of what SAATA is
2. The members have a stronger relationship with trainers than with SAATA
3. Are our standards too high? The rigor and quality are not helping us scale up. How do we make certification more achievable?
4. Many choose to not qualify. What happens when people don’t want to certify? We have no governing rules for practitioners.
5. How do I belong if I am not part of EC or BOT? Is there some unconscious exclusion? Does communication flow seamlessly?
6. We are not offering enough benefits to members. We are not engaging with lay enthusiasts. We engage only in bursts.
7. Not many read SAJTA, Newsletter. Not many write. Trainers are not engaging enough with SAJTA
8. Volunteers drop off sometimes – we need to explore why they are dropping off. In anger? Disillusioned? Also being run only by volunteers has its limitations – sudden exits create issues for the rest who are holding it together.
9. Lacking in networking with other mental health professional, especially the medical community
10. We are not recognised by the mainstream
11. We call ourselves South Asian, but our reach is not South Asian
12. We are laid back, and take action at the last minute. There are delays in communication to members.
13. We as a community are very much in our comfort zones – not pushing boundaries.
14. Not enough marketing efforts by SAATA, there is no business model for growth - Growth is through trainers
Opportunities and Threats
We all agreed that we have an opportunity to create something that unique, creative and relevant to us in this region. We need not copy what the west is doing. The growing awareness around mental health and the growing interest in psychology are opportunities for us. If we can get recognition by the government or educational institutions, we have a tremendous opportunity to be part of the mainstream and enjoy fast paced growth.
The threat of course is that we may not be recognised and we then continue to be this community that is small and, in the fringes, – but nevertheless together, proud and effective.
The next day we allowed ourselves to dream wildly and enacted our dreams. Some highlights that were hilarious but spoke of our deep desires included that the Union Health Minister had attended the TA 101, the SAATA President was the keynote speaker at the NIMHANS Convocation and that we had our own building and 75 crores in the bank! It was very evident that we really wanted to be recognized by the mainstream and be a large and successful enterprise.
We then clarified the role of SAATA and agreed that there are three important aspects of our role: Defining and Upholding Standards, Community Engagement and Growth of Transactional Analysis. The last two were new focus areas. We defined our community as members and enthusiasts. And the development function in SAATA gained significance given our desire for growth. The PSD team of course has dedicated efforts significantly to creating standards relevant for our region and getting recognition.
This is what we arrived at as the new vision statement for SAATA.
SAATA is the nodal body for defining & upholding professional standards for transactional analysts in the South Asian region. Our aim is to grow a vibrant community of TA practitioners to promote mental health of individuals, groups & communities.
The addition of mental health as a focus and that we wanted to grow a vibrant community was the clarity we achieved at this retreat.
Our immediate goals include running a very successful conference on September 23 and 24 in Bangalore. We have called it Heggidira? – Dialogues on Mental Health. We need all of you to participate and make this a grand success. As a lead up to the conference, we have started a monthly initiative called the TA Thursdays. SAJTA authors present their work through this. Please attend and spread the information widely.
Other initiatives will follow soon. Overall, the visioning retreat was a very successful endeavour. Everyone was re-energised and wanted to contribute to the growth of SAATA. And we had immense fun together playing, singing, laughing and eating – creating some lovely memories that hopefully will be shared in future retreats.
And I am really looking forward to moving together with greater hope, mutual support, creative ideas and shared responsibility.
Yours sincerely,
Aruna Gopakumar, President SAATA
|
