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In an organization, monitoring and evaluation is vital to measure impact. Knowing the baseline data, doing needs assessment sessions, crafting key performance indicators, identifying the right framework and tools, visualizing data, and a lot more. There is a clear program design, success indicators, objectives and key results. There is a logical framework, a lot of kanban boards, gantt charts, and documents shared compiled in one mastersheet.
These are the tasks done by project and program managers, officers, directors, to make sure that a checklist is existing and a timeline is faithfully being followed. Once a program or project is done, and all the data is ready, we close the cycle. We sit down, have the team report the program, and we identify their impact.
“95% of attendees rated the event 5 out of 5, the other 5% rated it 4 out of 5.”
We’re bombarded by numbers and then after the meeting we’re already information overload. After a week, we will forget all the numbers and percentages discussed. And we go back to the cycle of doing it all over again.
I love feedback. We need to value feedback. But unless we do something about feedback to know and create impact beyond a 5 out of 5 rating, are we really doing something?
We’re missing the part that one of the attendees in our event went from being a non-voter to having voted last elections, we’re missing the part where a group of friends who attended also encouraged their households to segregate waste, we’re missing the part that a person who had suicidal thoughts got inspired and continued their life. We missed out on the real impact we created if we’re too fixated on having the numbers.
Both can go hand in hand. When we design programs and projects, if not most of the time, impact can materialize even on day one. A volunteer who found your post that needed a friend or someone who found a community within their committee. Isn’t that impact too?
As youth leaders, especially in an organization, we sometimes forget that impact can be measured through different things, we’re also vulnerable to making this mistake in ours. While writing this, this is also to remind us that what we’re doing goes beyond numbers and KPIs.
Hindi ito trabaho lang, personal ito.
Doing development work, especially volunteer work, isn’t just business as usual. It’s personal. More so advocating for Sustainable Development. This isn’t just putting up an activity just for the sake of it. A block screening of “Sunshine” is also a prayer that there can be calls for better reproductive health policies, an SDG Masterclass is also a hope that maybe one attendee can advocate for clean water and sanitation in public restrooms. And an FOI posting in social media is a push for more advocates and a call for genuine right to information law to be passed.
As we celebrate International Youth Day and Linggo or Buwan ng Kabataan this month, may we be reminded that while feedback is necessary, because yes there are reports, housekeeping, and internal governance in place, which is a reality of an organization and an institution, we also don’t forget the very reason why we’re doing such activities.
Let’s still go and pull off a basketball league, while also doing basketball or other sports clinics to younger people for them to be inclined with sports. Let’s come up with a pageant while also recognizing how contestants can be ambassadors of youth participation. Let’s create innovative projects, do educational discussions, create online campaigns, craft resolutions and policies, and engage with different communities.
And as we end Linggo ng Kabataan and drown the noise of the celebration, after all the feedback and participation, may we also still push for doing all the little things and celebrating small victories. Even beyond or without a spotlight. Even if reports aren’t necessary anymore. Even if registration forms aren’t existent. Because impact may also be defined, probably, by having someone, even just one, who consciously decided to use a pedestrian lane while crossing the street or someone who decided to run for Sangguniang Kabataan in the upcoming elections.
