Understanding impact is a marathon, not a sprint

We are so pleased to have been able to work with Pro Bono Economics to understand the impact Artis has on the children we reach through our work. In his latest blog, ‘Understanding impact is a marathon, not a sprint’, their Chief Economist Jon Franklin explains how we have continued to improve our data analysis processes to better understand the benefits Artis has on children throughout their lifetimes.

Over the course of our time working with PBE, we have developed our evaluation tools and models that have enabled us to see some promising results leading on from our initial analysis. We have used these early indicators to expand our data collection and can now start to notice trends within it. For example, we can begin to monitor effects of the pandemic on the children we work with and discover how long the benefits of Artis sessions last for children after a year of working with us. This will give us greater understanding of how impactful our work will be for children going forward, and how that impact benefits the wider community and economy.

Jon’s blog reminds us that understanding our impact is not going to be a quick fix, but that by developing our evaluation models and data collection over time we can find out more about the nuances of our impact. Over the next few years, we will aim to find out more about how gender, ethnicity, length and method of intervention affects the impact of our work, and how we can tailor our programmes to combat the barriers children may face to reaping the benefit of Artis sessions.

We are committed to continue working hard to collect, analyse and understand our data – it is invaluable to us in ensuring that every child can reach their highest potential through accessing a creative education. A huge thank you must go to the Pro Bono Economics team for their continued support in driving the efficiency and effectiveness in our work and allowing us to transform even more lives through learning creatively.