Wac Arts provide high quality arts training for young people aged 5-26 years. Their mission is to empower young people to change their world through the arts.

How we worked with the Evaluation ExchangeLink

The team worked together to review the evaluation tools being used by Wac Arts. They developed and tested accessible, simple methods to capture the outcomes from young people taking part in Wac Arts’ activities to evaluate the organisation’s four main aims across a range of programmes.

Legacy for Wac Arts

The tried and tested evaluation tools and handbook has ensured an accessible framework for evaluation at Wac Arts, that can be used by staff, volunteers, young people, their families, and carers. This new robust process enables us to measure the impact of Wac Arts provision, regardless of art forms, age group or ability.

Legacy for the students and researchers

“I now have greater understanding of monitoring and evaluation frameworks as well as an appreciation for creative, effective methods to capture evaluation data. It has been beneficial attending training sessions while working alongside an organisation with real evaluation needs. This has had a positive impact on my critical approach when researching the reported successes and barriers experienced by education organisations.”

Hazel Baxter, PhD student

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I came to the Evaluation Exchange with little knowledge of what evaluation is or how to actually do it. Learning more about what, why and how during the training sessions, and then being able to practically apply this knowledge as part of a team, has been really beneficial for developing my understanding and appreciation for evaluation.”“

Isobel Pagendam, PhD student

“I had an opportunity to work in a problem-solving (rather than purely academic) context, which is a valuable and, alas, rare experience. I feel now much better equipped to do evaluative work than I was half a year ago, so my participation in the project was certainly useful, and I would like to keep collaborating with charities.”

David Rypel, PhD student 

Students and researchers involved

  • Hazel Baxter (PhD student, Music Education)
  • Isobel Pagendam (PhD student, Geography)
  • David Rypel (PhD student, Easter European studies)

Resources from the collaboration

Find out more about the Evaluation Exchange

Image credits

  • All images were supplied by Wac Arts