Projects

The Torch co-design and evaluation collaboration

We’re working closely with staff and artists at The Torch to improve program engagement and effectiveness. First Nations Australians make up only 3% of Australia’s population yet represent 32% of all adults in prison. The Torch is a not for profit First Nations-led arts organisation that provides art, cultural, and arts industry support to First Nations people who are currently incarcerated or have recently been released from prisons in Victoria.

The core business of The Torch is to address the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within Victoria’s legal system through its Statewide Indigenous Arts In Prisons and Community Program.

Burnet is co-designing program improvements with staff and artists at The Torch. We're evaluating the program’s effectiveness, and helping The Torch understand and communicate their impact.

What we’re doing

This project has 3 distinct goals:

co-design a support model for artists and staff
evaluate the impact of the program
develop systems and tools to support The Torch to measure, understand and communicate about the impact of their activities.

The project involves more traditional research activities like qualitative interviews, focus groups and data analysis alongside generative methods like co-design workshops.

All activities are done in an iterative and collaborative manner where results are shared with The Torch regularly and validated and built upon together.

We're also collaborating with people with who have experienced the program, some of whom currently work at The Torch.

The project is guided by the expertise of an advisory group of First Nations people.

How we're helping

Making work easier and more effective

This project improves organisational roles, systems and processes to help staff work effectively with artists, while acknowledging the complexity of their work and the challenges that may be faced by artists.

Improving program engagement, effectiveness and impact

We're supporting The Torch staff to engage artists in their in-prisons and community program. We’re measuring and reporting on the past and current impact of The Torch.

This will help identify what is working well and where improvements can be made to:

inform program design
inform implementation decisions
support funding advocacy.

Increasing skills and capability for staff to support artists

The project helps The Torch staff provide artists with access other supports they made need. This could include supports provided by external organisations.

Co-creating tools to measure effectiveness

We're designing accessible and useful tools with The Torch staff to periodically collect and analyse data on program effectiveness. This ensures the program can be continually improved and more compelling and accurate stories can be told about program impact internally and externally.