U M E L
Understanding, Measurement, Evaluation and Learning (UMEL) is an important part of doing Community change work. UMEL helps you understand what is working well, what isn’t working well and why, and what supports you to make strong decisions. It also helps you show your Community and others that your work is making a difference. UMEL is part of the everyday work you do. It involves tracking your work to show that you are on the right path, understanding how your work is creating change, sharing your change story with others and using the information you collect for learning to make your work even better.
AES kindly provided Kowa with the opportunity to deliver a “provocative” presentations to kickstart FestEVAL. The presentation, titled “It is not progress, it is not data sovereignty and it is not self-determination when 'they' ram down your throat patriarchal evaluation practice, then seek out your black tick” sought to stimulate thinking about evaluation in the current environment, how we need to reconsider our practice, and the role of evaluation in supporting self-determination and First Nations Data Sovereignty.
Why all the outrage?
Cross cultural thought leadership in evaluation
This thought leadership is the collaboration of two submissions to the Productivity Commission’s Indigenous Evaluation Strategy. Kowa CEO, Skye Trudgett co-led both submissions. Sadly, none of our recommendations were included in the final strategy.
A Network of First Nations Evaluators and Allies
The Kowa team supported the development and ongoing coordination of this emergent network of First Nations evaluators and allies.