Making an Impact we can Measure

AmeriCorps has a few short snappy sayings that sum up the spirit of the work. One is “Getting Things Done” which says that the Project Change Team are all about ACTION, rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck in. Another that probably is used less but is just as important is that Project Change is about making an impact that we can measure. Too often, the NGO business relies on the presumption that, if ones actions are good,  you must be doing good. However, that is not enough. Unless we can measure it, and use the feedback to learn how we can do even better, we are actually working blind.

All this is to provide the context of today’s important meeting with Doctor Gila Shusterman who is our professional research scientist who guides Project Change in the process of measuring impact. The outcome that we have pledged to deliver is about academic engagement-(ED27)  showing that because of our work, students K-12 in our school and after school programs are doing better at school. They  have a more positive attitude towards school and are relating in positive ways to their teachers and peers and everyone else involved in their education.

Doctor Gila will be providing her expert training for the team after lunch on November 6th 2015 to prepare the team to deliver their Pre- Test to their students. Then she returns in the afternoon on March 11th 2016 to help us get ready for the Post Test of the young people we are working with.

We look forward to an exciting year where we are eager to prove that we are making a difference.

October 15, 2015