When local knowledge leads
Burnie Works
Shared learning as a ‘way of working’
Strategic and shared learning is one of the five conditions that enable collective impact. Having a shared learning plan helps us to make sure that:
A shared learning plan enables us to demonstrate how Burnie Works contributes to systems change.
It starts with a theory of community change
When community works together to create innovative actions that make positive changes, Burnie Works! This is the underlying assumption that helps our working groups and other community, and government partners determine the course of action that will have the most impact, whether we are focusing on children, youth and families, education, employment, justice, or community wellbeing.
Burnie Works’ theory of community change reflects the interaction of the philosophies that drive our approach, and which amplify the impact of existing services and efforts to contribute to the individual and population level change, systems change and changes in the conditions for collective impact.
We know that there is no one clear path when we work with and in complexity.
The Burnie Works innovative action cycle describes the stages of how we work with any theme that the community sees as important to create positive change.
- The cycle includes the following building stages:
Relationships and community participation - Knowledge gathering for collective sense and meaning making
Co-design - Project implementation and management
- Demonstrating impact
- Reporting
These stages can be happening in isolation or simultaneously at any one point in time. They are held in place through continuous communication and feedback loops.
The role of shared learning is to gather, synthesise and communicate the information needed at various stages of the innovative action cycle.
The centre-piece of shared learning is where data and information, qualitative and quantitative and existing evidence are brought together in one place. Burnie Works is training a team of community knowledge to gather the stories about what is happening from those most affected. We also work closely with Governments and other data custodians to bring the numbers to the table.
Shared learning supports those most involved in the issue with the processes to make sense and meaning from this information so that groups can determine the best action.
Shared learning supports co-design processes so that the action is underpinned by a theory of change and program logic. These are important to make sure that the action will deliver the change and we can demonstrate the impact over time.
Shared learning supports ongoing project implementation and management through reflection on action processes. Regular reflection on action means that things we can take what we are learning in real time and adapt the way we are doing things so that we stay on track to deliver the change.
Shared learning continues through the cycle to support formal and informal evaluations so we can demonstrate whether the action was effective. Telling the story of what happened and why feeds into reporting to partners. Reporting keeps everyone accountable to the vision.
The role of shared learning is to gather, synthesise and communicate the information needed at various stages of the innovative action cycle.
The centre-piece of shared learning is where data and information, qualitative and quantitative and existing evidence are brought together in one place. Burnie Works is training a team of community knowledge to gather the stories about what is happening from those most affected. We also work closely with Governments and other data custodians to bring the numbers to the table.
Shared learning supports those most involved in the issue with the processes to make sense and meaning from this information so that groups can determine the best action.
Shared learning supports co-design processes so that the action is underpinned by a theory of change and program logic. These are important to make sure that the action will deliver the change and we can demonstrate the impact over time.
Shared learning supports ongoing project implementation and management through reflection on action processes. Regular reflection on action means that things we can take what we are learning in real time and adapt the way we are doing things so that we stay on track to deliver the change.
Shared learning continues through the cycle to support formal and informal evaluations so we can demonstrate whether the action was effective. Telling the story of what happened and why feeds into reporting to partners. Reporting keeps everyone accountable to the vision.
Indicators to measure change
Each activity or project includes indicators of change in the following five change domains. These change domains flow from the theory of change.
Currently, setting standard indicators and obtaining data in the right format is difficult. Burnie Works is working closely with Governments as they fine tune the indicators that they are developing for various strategies that relate to the work of Burnie Works, including the Tasmanian Child Youth Wellbeing Framework and the Healthy Tasmania Strategy. In the meantime, the activity level indicators will be identified in the program logic along with the data collection methodologies.
Shared Learning Partnerships
Implementation of the Shared Learning Framework requires partnerships with:
- Stakeholders involved in the activities, including those advising on the activities and those directly impacted
- Researchers and academics
- Governments
- Consultants and others with expertise relating to aspects of the framework, including information and data analysis and communication, evaluation, facilitating processes such as progress mapping and learning circle
- Learning institutions including universities to support creating new ways to support co-design of approaches to place-based collective impact
In 2023 we are working with:
- ANU Crawford School for Public Policy. More For Children Project Link to the ANU site and news stories
- UTAS Short Courses Community Knowledge Collector Project
- Restacking the Odds Project, Murdoch Child Research
- UTAS CAPITOL project