aes24 International Evaluation Conference

Authors: Samantha Abbato (Visual Insights People )

The psychology of evaluation capacity building: Finding the way with the rider, elephant and the pathway
Evaluation capacity building is increasingly becoming a core part of evaluation practice and a critical part of incorporating evaluation into the everyday activity of organisations (Preskill and Boyle, 2008, White, Percy and Small, 2018). Reaching the point where evaluation becomes the way of doing business requires a change of knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Changes need to happen at the level of individuals, teams, organisations, and partnerships. This journey requires supporting and managing change to systematic enquiry processes as much as it requires evaluation expertise. In this skill-building session, we introduce Jonathan Haidt's 'rider, elephant and pathway' metaphor as a framework to support change and strengthen evaluation capacity (Haidt, 2018).

Haidt's metaphor for change includes the rider (our rational thinking side) atop an elephant (our emotional side). Behaviour change for individuals and collectives requires steps that (1) support the rider, such as giving clear directions, (2) motivate the elephant by tapping into emotions, and (3) shape a pathway to change, including clearing obstacles. In this interactive session, the facilitator will provide case studies applying Haidt's metaphor,spanning two decades Through these examples the power of this framework to support evaluation capacity building is demonstrated. Examples include using Haidt's framework for:
1. Building a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) system with a medium-sized community organisation;
2. Increasing the maturity of MEL in an existing large organisation; and
3. Increasing the impact of evaluation partnerships.

The active skill-building component incorporates:_

• Cartoon elephant, rider and pathway flashcards;
• A 'snakes and ladders' style game; and
• Evaluation-specific examples.

The combination of examples and activities are designed to support participant learning. The session will encourage discussion of barriers, enablers and actions to build evaluation capacity relevant to different situations and contexts.

Learning objectives include:

• Knowledge of a sound and memorable psychological framework for supporting evaluation capacity building;
• Ability to apply Haidt's metaphor

Authors: Caroline Crothers (Allen + Clarke Consulting)

A collaborative effort between community organisations and Victoria Police has demonstrated significant impact in addressing youth offending in Victoria's northwest metropolitan region. This initiative brought together 12 partner organisations from various sectors, including police, legal services, and youth support services around the shared goal of reducing youth offending. By diverting young offenders from the criminal justice system, the initiative seeks to enhance overall justice, health, and wellbeing outcomes for vulnerable youth. Allen + Clarke was commissioned to evaluate the success of this initiative during its inaugural year. In this presentation, we share key lessons learned from the evaluation including how minimally resourced and small-scale interventions can have an outsized impact on organisational change to culture and practice. We also reflect on the journey embarked upon and explore how the evaluation process itself serves as a tool for navigating through complex challenges and adapting to changes encountered along the way. Through critical reflection, the presentation delves into the differing perspectives of the delivery partners involved highlighting how the evaluation journey facilitates a shared understanding of the path forward and shaping future strategies and interventions.

Authors: Skye Trudgett (she/her) - Kowa, AU, Katie Stubley (she/her) - Griffith University, AU, Terri Reid (she/her), Chloe Wegener(she/her), Banok Rind (she/her), Sophie Spry (she/her), Niamh Kealy (she/her)- Wiyi Yani U Thangani Institute for First Nations Gender Justice, AU

Measurement and data does not need to be all about numbers—it is about our heart and spirits, it is about voice, story, emotion—it is about truth. Numbers can tell us all sorts of lies, Wiyi Yani U Thangani is and always has been about—your voice—what you are saying about your lives, how you see your future and what matters to you.' June Oscar AO, Chair of Wiyi Yani U Thangani Institute.
Quantitative data often dominate measurement and evaluation, yet true understanding requires tapping into the heart and spirit of communities. As June Oscar AO poignantly reminds us, it is the voice, story, emotion, and truth that bring depth to data. This session at the AES conference offers a hands-on experience that transcends traditional data collection, engaging participants in co-creating collaborative Impact Yarns through deep listening, yarning, and creative expression.
Join us in a dynamic workshop where sculpture and artwork become powerful tools for storytelling and knowledge sharing. Participants will learn to capture the nuanced experiences of First Nations communities, reflecting on how these creative practices can reveal the interconnectedness of our lives and contribute to systemic change. By integrating Indigenous methodologies, we will collectively explore the rich, qualitative data that emerges from individuals' lived realities and aspirations.
As we craft and shape our narratives, we will reflect on how these stories can inform and transform policies and initiatives. This immersive session is not just about creating art; it is about embodying the principles of gender justice and equality, respecting cultural heritage, and acknowledging the diverse ways communities envision their future.
Experience the power of collaborative creation, where every word spoken, and every form sculpted enriches our collective understanding of impact. This workshop is an invitation to step away from the spreadsheet and into a space where every voice contributes to a tapestry of change. Come, let us shape a more empathetic and embracing approach to measurement—one that values the stories and truths of all peoples. truths of all peoples.

Authors: Julian King (Julian King & Associates), Adrian Field (Dovetail)

The rapid growth of video-conferencing technology has increased the ability for evaluations to be conducted across multiple countries and time zones. People are increasingly used to meeting and working entirely online, and evaluations can in principle be designed and delivered without need for face to face engagement. Translational AI software is even able to break through language barriers, providing further efficiencies and enabling evaluation funds to be directed more to design, data gathering and analysis.

Yet the efficiency of delivery should not compromise the integrity with which an evaluation is conducted. This is particularly true in situations where different dimensions of equity come into question, and in an evaluation where two or more languages are being used, ensuring that the design and delivery are meaningful and accessible to all participants, not just the funder.

The growth of remote evaluation working presents a very real, if not even more pressing danger, of the consultant "parachuting in" and offering solutions that have little or no relevance to the communities who are at the centre of the evaluation process.

In this presentation we explore the wayfinding process in designing and implementing a Value for Investment evaluation of an urban initiative focusing on the developmental needs of young children, in Jundiaí, Brazil. We discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by a largely (but ultimately not entirely) online format, in leading a rigorously collaborative evaluation process, and gathering data in a way that ensures all stakeholder perspective are appropriately reflected. We discuss the trade-offs involved in this process, the reflections of evaluation participants, and the value of ensuring that underlying principles of collaborative and cross-cultural engagement are adhered to.

Authors: Allan Mua Illingworth (Mua'akia Consulting and Insight Pasifika) Fiona Fandim (Pacific Community (SPC), FJ), Eroni Wavu (MEL Officer for Pacific Women Lead at Pacific Community (SPC) and cofounder of the Fiji Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Community), Mereani Rokotuibau (Balance of Power Program, FJ) and Chris Roche (La Trobe University),

In recent years there have been a number of Pacific driven initiatives designed to promote monitoring and evaluation practice which is culturally and contextually appropriate. These have occurred with projects and programs as well as at national and regional levels. At the same time geo-political interest in the Pacific region has resulted in an increased number of bi and multilateral donor agencies becoming present in the region and/or funding development programs, local organisations, national governments and regional bodies. This has in turn led to an evaluation landscape where notions of 'international best practice' as well as donor policies and practices and associated international researcher and consulting companies, risk crowding out emergent Pacific led evaluation initiatives.

This panel will bring together key participants who are leading four examples of these Pacific experiences: the Rebbilib process initiated by the Pacific Community (SPC ), Insight Pasifika (an emerging Pacific led and owned collective focused on evaluation in the first instance): the Fiji Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Community and the Balance of Power program (a Pacific-led initiative, supported by the Australian Government, focused improving the political, social and economic opportunities for women and girls) each of whom are seeking to create space for processes of monitoring, evaluation and learning which are consistent with Pacific ways of knowing and being. They will share their experience, the challenges they face and ideas about what forms of support might be provided by international donors, consultants and advisors which are enabling rather than undermining.

Moderated by Prof. Chris Roche the panel and audience will also draw out the lessons from these four cases about what might contribute to more systemic change in the evaluation landscape more generally.