• Search
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Get Involved
  • Become a POP Member
Menu
  • Search
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Get Involved
  • Become a POP Member
  • Create a POP website account
  • Login
Menu
  • Create a POP website account
  • Login
Facebook-f Twitter
  • About Us
  • Grassroots support
  • Funding
  • Working together for impact
  • Voice & representation
  • News
    • Jobs
    • Events
    • Training
    • Submit news item
Menu
  • About Us
  • Grassroots support
  • Funding
  • Working together for impact
  • Voice & representation
  • News
    • Jobs
    • Events
    • Training
    • Submit news item

Learning & impact

  • Theory of Change
  • Learning & impact
  • Theory of Change
  • Learning & impact

POPs approach to impact

Showing how the work of POP creates change in the community is a challenge. Our work exists in a complex environment, so we are seeking to describe our work in new ways. It is important to us that we understand the difference between complicated and complex.

  • Cause and effect still apply but the challenge is to find the root causes or else end up treating symptoms.
  • Complex problems are entirely different in nature. Here, causes and effects are indistinguishable. Each action is simultaneously a reaction. Issues are connected in ways that mean problems are not open to being solved but instead need to be held in a dynamic equilibrium.[1]

An additional challenge for POP when looking at how we influence the positive outcomes at an individual citizen level is that the work of POP is a step removed from interacting directly with citizens and focussed on citizen-led organisations (grassroots).

Planning and being conscious of the change we wish to make is a vital exercise. POP works on the following theory of change (see below). It is only by doing this, that we are able to understand what happens and to learn from it. As proponents of Human Learning Systems, we know that showing the contribution of POP towards genuine social change in Plymouth is a challenge. This is primarily because our work exists in a complex environment with many collaborative partners. Recognising this challenge, we are using three evaluation tools to describe our work in ‘new’ ways.

  • Place Based Evaluation Framework – there is a structure set for the context we’re working in.
  • Learning Cycles – there is a discipline to how we work and improve.
  • Theory of Change – we know the direction in which we wish to head.

[1] https://www.humanlearning.systems/overview/

Place Based Change

Alongside the theory of change we have searched for other ways to demonstrate how our work contributes to better outcomes for our communities. One of the frameworks that fits well is the Place Based Evaluation Framework[1]. This framework was introduced to POP via Renaisi, a UK specialist in evaluating place-based change.  We find this a helpful resource because it frames POP’s work in a timescale that stretches into a decade and suggests some of the ways we can work to evaluate the impact. As the authors describe:

“This simplified model shows the main ‘levels of change’ only. First, it recognises that each PBA has unique foundations, and that many PBAs arise from existing community movements or collaborative effort. Next, the theory of change says that if all parties (funders, community, service providers and government) collaborate toward the shared vision, and are guided by a sufficiently equipped facilitating partner, then enabling conditions for systemic changes can be created and realised. Over time, community and systems-level changes occur, and this will ultimately lead to sustainable and positive changes for people living in the area of the PBA. This is bound by context-specific principles that guide the way work is done.”

The guide shows the framework as a tree, which very much complements the analogy of POP as a gardener.

[1] Prepared for the Queensland Government Department of Communities, Disability Services and Seniors (DCDSS), the Australian Government Department of Social Services (DSS), and Logan Together https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/06_2019/place-based-evaluation-framework-final-accessible-version.pdf

Our impact & learning

All
Annual reports & accounts
Blogs
Mini-systems
Reports
SIMPL
Reports
POP ideas KPI reports
24 January, 2023
Read More
Annual reports & accounts
Annual Report & Accounts 2021-22
18 January, 2023
Read More
Kumu relationships
Blogs
Networks = anti-establishment?
14 December, 2022
Recently we’ve taken time to reflect on where we are in Plymouth and POP with...
Read More
belong in plymouth logo
Blogs
Learning about partnering - method to the madness?
29 November, 2022
These are some reflections from Matt, our CEO on the Belong in Plymouth programme....
Read More
minisystemslogo
Blogs Mini-systems
MINI SYSTEMS 3: Guardians of the Good Enough
10 November, 2022
By Simon Travers, POP Learning Champion The first two blogs on the POP ‘Mini System’...
Read More
Sector survey screnshot
Reports Sector surveys & reports
Plymouth sector surveys
02 November, 2022
Sector surveys Sector survey April 2020 Sector survey...
Read More
Reports
Plymouth Octopus Impact November 2022
01 November, 2022
https://www.plymouthoctopus.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Our-Impact-Plymouth-Octopus-2022.pdf Powered...
Read More
Pink Quotes Instagram Post
Mini-systems
Mini Systems Blog 2: Time and Chance Happen to Them All
03 October, 2022
Simon Travers, POP Learning Champion The first blog of this series on the POP...
Read More
Pink Quotes Instagram Post (1)
Mini-systems
Mini Systems Blog 1: We Did a Democratic Lottery
14 September, 2022
By Simon Travers, POP Learning Champion In the past five years, part of POP’s...
Read More
Pink Quotes Instagram Post (3)
Mini-systems
The second mini systems draw
04 August, 2022
We’re back! Alongside the larger £40,000 award we had four £5,000 awards to...
Read More
1 2 3

POP News

The Beckly Centre – A Beacon for Families

10 March 2023
Read More »

Next Workshop

Build a Simple Website

Read More »

Tweets

Tweets by PlymouthOctopus

Our Partners & Funders

Our Plymouth
Together Devon
Plymouth City Council
Barrow Cadbury Trust
Esme Fairbairn
  • About Us
  • Grassroots support
  • Funding
  • Working together for impact
  • Voice & representation
  • News
    • Jobs
    • Events
    • Training
    • Submit news item
  • About Us
  • Grassroots support
  • Funding
  • Working together for impact
  • Voice & representation
  • News
    • Jobs
    • Events
    • Training
    • Submit news item

Phone: 01752 395131 / Email: info@plymouthoctopus.org
Address: POP+ Devonport Guildhall Ker St Plymouth PL1 4EL / Registered Charity Number: 1167515