Proud Melanians

MELA 4, DAY NINE: 15 MARCH 2013

This is a capstone: 

It represents the culmination of a process, and brings an object to aesthetic and functional completion. Comprising the agenda for Day Eight, the MELA Capstone Project engages participant teams to employ all the capabilities they have been practicing during the entire program. The goal by the end of the day is to elaborate and present fresh outlooks for the MELA organization under the rubrics of Growth, Branding, and Bonding. 

This is a beach:

It is the venue of choice for Reunion attendees, who meet for bonding exercises while luxuriating in the sun. 

Dan is impresario and moderator for the Reunion events, which include MELA member updates. Lama ("La Jabasini," see MELA 4, Day Eight) has won the prize for Best Story.

Lana shares the award and the limelight. (Or is that sunlight?)

Ali, too, has tales to tell.

This is a MELA Board Member:

This also is a MELA Board Member:

Both Michael Kouly and Abdullah Alkasabi have been cooped up in a room all day attending the marathon Board meeting. Michael celebrates his freedom by throwing himself on a deckchair. Abdullah celebrates by throwing himself on Adel.

Other Board members, meanwhile, have gathered in the ballroom as a committee to listen to the Capstone Project presentations.

The first team (a.k.a. Fifth Dimension Consulting Group) illustrated the potential to maintain connectivity and bonding with the concept of "the MELA Grid."

Team 2 declared themselves "Proud Melanians." Their interpenetrating recommendations to ensure MELA's bright future included an original vision of male bonding.

Team 3 focused on the challenge of leadership in the region, where nominal leaders do not necessarily exercise the kind of true leadership which MELA catalyzes and supports.

Team 4 laid out a development plan for MELA from 2013 to 2016 with annual benchmarks along three parallel tracks: network bonding, program branding, and membership vitality.

Team 5 applied the Y Methodology (studied earlier with John King) to evaluate whether MELA's resources and behaviors were sufficient to reach its objectives. The thrust of their recommendations was a more concentrated branding effort.

There was an abundance of fruitful ideas and valuable questions contained in today's presentations, from a committed group of Melanians whose productive criticism was a way of saying, "We care." Huge thank you to all!