Indicators
We agree with Steven Mayer: 12 Years a Slave was tough to watch. But while others in the theater were simply watching the film, Mayer took pen to paper and drafted a list of “indicators of freedom” based on the film’s representation of slavery. Kinda wonky, for sure, but the result is a provocative blog post that seeks to expand our notion of what slavery means by reflecting on the many aspects of restriction and oppression. And by encouraging us to consider the importance of these freedoms for philanthropy, Mayer points to how the civil society sector can contribute to our collective vision of a good society.
Trail of Evidence
We want to give a big shout-out to our colleagues at the Aspen Institute’s Center for Native American Youth. The Center conducts a wide array of outreach activities, from hosting roundtable discussions for Native American youth around the country to recognizing the advocacy of youth leaders, which they document and track diligently for M&E purposes. We were most impressed with an online event tracking tool they developed in-house: staff report on each event, link it back to a strategic objective, identify the evaluation measurement(s) applied, and define any short-term and potential longer-term outcomes. Good stuff.
Happy Holidays, Folks!
Here we are, at the end of yet another great year. The AEA conference was a success—and we learned a ton. And in the midst of our end-of-the-year report-writing, we’ve managed to actually get some sleep (yippee!). Thanks to all of you for reading and sticking with us. We’re grateful for your suggestions on things we should be blogging about, so please keep ‘em comin’! So What? will be back in action on January 10th. See y’all in 2014!
