Welcome to the fourth instalment of Undercover at Two Feet, where we cover each Two Feet topic as they unfold. From Intent, to Funding and Pitching, to Team and Governance, our Two Feeters are covering a lot of ground this year, and we want to take you inside.
Last week was Week 1 of Two Feet topic 5: Theory of Change, facilitated by TDi’s Anna, read on to go inside the session and find out what happened..
Date: 27/6/2017
Location: Donkey Wheel House, Melbourne
Facilitator: Anna Moegerlein
Session: Theory of Change
Vibe: An incredibly inspiring session and really saw the teams grapple on the spectrum between good intentions and reliable outcomes. For such a tight amount of time, people were really engaged in thinking through the change they want to see in the world, and how they can meaningfully contribute to such a change.
Lunch: Pizza!
Playlist: Songs about change (A change is gonna come, Man in the Mirror, Waiting on the World to Change…)
“Be rough on your plans but clear on your assumptions” – Scott Anthony, Innosight
Key Takeaways: The world is littered with examples of people that have had good intentions but disastrous consequences. Prohibition for example actually saw an increase in the violence and social issues that banning alcohol was meant to prevent.
Similarly, if a Keep Cup is bought but never used, there is a risk that it creates more harm than the good environmental impact it wants to create. Thinking through your program logic and theory of change is incredibly important in ensuring that you move down the spectrum to reliable outcomes and the change you’d like to see.
Engaging with beneficiaries as soon as possible, and seeing whether they agree with your proposed desired outcomes/vision is incredibly important.
Identifying your assumptions is critical.
Key Attendants: Kate Barelle – co-founder of Streat. Kate came in and shared the incredible story of Streat and how it grapples with it’s Theory of Change, holding the young people they work with at the centre of all decision-making. When they began they thought creating employment and housing opportunities for vulnerable young people was at the very centre of their desired outcomes. As they iterated through the program they discovered that a sense of belonging was the most important thing for their trainees all along.