Community groups supporting New Scots are joining forces to share learning and celebrate success.
It was a pleasure to bring together organisations funded by our participation project with The National Lottery Community Fund, to talk about the impact of their work. The learning event, facilitated by Evaluation Support Scotland was an opportunity for groups to evaluate the difference their projects are making to the lives of New Scots.
We welcomed representatives from 13 organisations across Scotland who are delivering projects that help people seeking safety feel at home in their communities. They discussed the impact of their projects so far, what they have learned, and how to build better relationships between funders and funded groups.
Our Community Development Officer, Phoebe Hendy said: “I found it inspiring to learn more about what the projects have achieved, and a great reminder that small differences really add up.”
“Events like this show that evaluation doesn’t have to be scary. It’s about people learning from each other. Bringing funders, community organisations and people with lived experience together in this way is really positive and powerful. The better the relationships between funders and the organisations they’re funding, the better the projects will be.”
Funding Officers from The National Lottery Community Fund came along to hear from each of the projects and learn more about the communities they support.
The day was a big success. One attendee said: “It was really wonderful meeting representatives from other projects. Learning about what they do, their struggles and how they work to overcome them is really useful.”
Steven Marwick, Director of Evaluation Support Scotland said: “Evaluation is not about ticking boxes, it is about learning. It’s rewarding to work with funders that really recognise that. It’s even better to work with a set of fabulous projects, all working together to unpack and share what impact really means in this challenging and important area.”
You can read the full report from our learning event here: Supporting New Scots: What difference are we making? What are we learning?
