4. Understanding the change
On this page:
- 4.1 Stakeholder engagement
- 4.2 Other sources of data used
- 4.3 Stakeholder outcomes
- 4.4 The program logic that emerged from stakeholder consultations
4.1 Stakeholder engagement
An SROI analysis requires that the changes are described, measured and valued. The purpose of stakeholder engagement was to understand the relative importance of changes (or outcomes), how the stakeholders would prove and measure change, how they would place value on outcomes, the duration of outcomes and what proportion of the outcome is attributable to others or would have taken place anyway.10
Based on previous experience with similar projects, and initial consultations with the program manager and the Department, it was determined that face-to-face interviews (between 30-60 minutes) of one to two people would be the most appropriate method for engaging most of the stakeholder groups. Surveys and focus groups were considered to not be feasible.
Consultation
All stakeholder groups considered to experience material changes have been consulted (see Table 4.1). SVA Consulting conducted the majority of the interviews in Alice Aprings. Some supplementary telephone interviews were held where stakeholders were not available during the project team's visit to Alice Springs. Information from each interview was recorded by hand or on a computer, which was then transferred into a spreadsheet containing the interview notes for each stakeholder. These were referred to throughout the analysis.
Extensive interviews were undertaken with the Drum Atweme Coordinator and other Tangentyere Council staff to understand the past and expected future experiences of young people that have participated, or are participating, in the program. These interviews were used to develop the program logic, including identifying the outcomes experienced by the young people.
Due to historical and social factors, many of the young people, their parents and community members are reluctant to engage with people from outside of the community. The best source of information on changes experienced by these stakeholders is the Drum Atweme Coordinator who is part of the community and has established trust over a long period of time.
| Stakeholder Group | Size of group | Number involved in consultations |
|---|---|---|
| Stakeholder 1: Young people in the performance group | Approximately 50 young people currently in the performance group | Four young people through a group interview
Observation and interaction with around 20 young people in performances |
| Stakeholder 2: Young people in the school group | Approximately 140 young people attend drumming classes at school | Observation and interaction with around 60 young people in classes |
| Stakeholder 3: Schools | Two schools | Principal of Yipirinya School, Two teachers from Sadadeen Primary School |
| Stakeholder 4: Families | The young people in the performance group belong to approximately 30 family groups | Three women from family groups |
| Stakeholder 5: Alice Springs community | The population of Alice Springs is around 25,000 people11; the number of residents who attend community events where Drum Atweme plays is unknown | Mayor of Alice Springs (as a representative of the Alice Springs community)
Sales and Marketing Manager, Alice Springs Convention Centre (as business member of the Alice Springs Community) |
| Stakeholder 6: Justice system | Not available Includes members of police, courts, juvenile justice, child protection and correctional/corrective services | Aboriginal Islander Education Worker at the Alice Springs Juvenile Detention Centre
Constable, Northern Territory Police |
| Stakeholder 7: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | 2,530 employees at the Department | One representative from the Department accompanied the analyst during the site visit
Additional 10 representatives of the Department engaged through workshops, project check-points, as well as provided feedback at key project junctions Shared SROI methodology and preliminary findingswith approximately 30 staff from the Department through presentations |
| Stakeholder 8: Tangentyere Council key staff | Not available | Four staff - Drum Atweme Coordinator, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Early Childhood Youth & Family Services Manager |
| Other local service providers | Not available
Includes welfare agencies and counsellors |
Coordinator, Youth in Communities, Professional Development & Mentoring Project NT
Social Worker, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress |
| TOTAL | – | 17 interviews 80 young people observed (and interacted with) 10 Department representatives involved throughout the project 30 Department staff presented to |
The nature of working in some Aboriginal communities is that it is difficult for outsiders to consult with the primary beneficiaries. This is heightened by the fact that the young people in the program have all experienced significant trauma in their lives and have a strong distrust of strangers. Due to historical and social factors, many of the young people and their parents and carers are reluctant to engage with people from outside of the community. Despite the best efforts of the project team, there was a low sample size for the primary beneficiaries (young people) and their families and significant others. Factors that limited engagement with these groups include:
- Young people too young to be interviewed effectively (i.e. under the age of 12 years old)
- Young people being too new to the program to be able to discuss changes that will be experienced
- Young people unexpectedly travelling out of the area
- Young people and their families and significant others feeling uncomfortable talking to the project team.
Some of the young people that did take part in the consultations struggled to express themselves. The language barrier appeared to be limiting factors in these conversations. It was particularly challenging in trying to understand why things mentioned in the interviews were important to them and how the program supported them to get there.
Actions taken to overcome these challenges include the Drum Atweme Coordinator trying to contact former clients and the Drum Atweme Coordinator participating in some interviews with the young people to help establish a level of trust with the young people and to enable the best possible responses from the young people. Direct interviews were supplemented with informal interactions with young people and observation of program activities (e.g. drum performances) during the site visit. While it was not possible to speak with individual community members during the analysis, the Mayor of Alice Springs was able to reflect on the impact of Drum Atweme on the community that attends performances.
The changes that the young people and families identified that they experienced were included as outcomes in the program logic (see section 4.4). Their views on the importance of the different changes were used to prioritise the outcomes and inform the valuation of the outcomes (see section 6.1).
Because of the limited engagement with the young people and difficulty in mapping the chain of change based on the conversations that were had, the forecast outcomes had to also be informed through the observations from other stakeholders about the changes that are likely to be experienced by the young people. The most meaningful way to gauge the changes experienced by these stakeholders and understand which were material changes was through the Drum Atweme Coordinator, who is part of the community and has established trust with these young people over a long period of time.
During the analysis, we worked with the Drum Atweme Coordinator over three to four months, who was introduced to SROI principles and became deeply engaged in the SROI process and methodology. As a result, the Drum Atweme Coordinator understood the need to collect information from stakeholders and did this throughout this period, which was then conveyed to us during our regular check-ins over the phone. As the Drum Atweme Coordinator engages with each of the young people on a daily or weekly basis, he was in a strong position to explain the changes experienced by the young people in the program to supplement the information obtained from the young people during interviews. The Drum Atweme Coordinator conveyed this information by talking through the current situation of many of the young people involved in the program. This information was used to project the changes experienced by young people currently in the program, and those that will join the program, in the future.
The information provided by the Drum Atweme Coordinator was verified by interviews with other stakeholders that had direct contact with the young people (for example, local service providers). Engaging a diverse range of other stakeholders in understanding the changes for the young people, ensured that the forecasts were not overly reliant on the opinion of the organisation staff and helped us identify strong trends or common themes. The project team continued to interview stakeholders until no new themes emerged. In addition, other sources of information were used to verify the stakeholder consultation, which are outlined in section 4.2.
In future, the young people will be engaged on an ongoing basis by the program manager to understand the changes that they are experiencing as a result of the program. This will involve the young people self-reporting on these changes and the data being recorded in an Social Outcomes Measurement and Evaluation Tool which has been developed as part of this analysis. For further detail, refer to recommendation 9.1 and an excerpt of the Social Outcomes Measurement and Evaluation Tool in Appendix 8.
Verification of results
The Drum Atweme Coordinator was involved in the verification of results at four main points: stakeholder consultations (through feedback on the program logic); the measurement phase (through feedback on the measurement approach); the valuation phase (through feedback on the calculation of the value of outcomes); and the reporting phase (through feedback on the draft report).
Interim findings of the analysis were also verified contemporaneously by the stakeholders during consultations through the testing of responses from others to enable us to see whether consistent messages were emerging from a stakeholder group. This process guided the selection of outcomes, indicators and financial proxies.
Relevant staff from the Department were also involved at each stage of the project. The report findings and recommendations were shared with relevant stakeholders of the program, including the Drum Atweme Coordinator and Tangentyere Council staff, which helped to verify the results and embed the recommendations for future outcomes measurement and evaluation. Given the barriers to establishing trust with the young people and the timeframe for sharing findings, it was not possible to share the findings with the young people directly. It is anticipated that the Drum Atweme Coordinator will share the analysis with the young people (including those who were interviewed) during his regular interactions with them.
4.2 Other sources of data used
Other data sources used to supplement consultation are outlined in the table below.
| Data source | Description | Use in the SROI analysis |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Data provided by the Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet |
|
|
| 2. Data provided by the Coordinator |
|
|
| 3. Secondary research |
|
|
4.3 Stakeholder outcomes
The stakeholder outcomes represent the most significant consequences that are forecast to be experienced by people and organisations that interact with the Drum Atweme program over the forthcoming five years. This is based on the data collected by the program, stakeholder consultation throughout this project, secondary research and SVA Consulting analysis. Throughout the data collection process attention was paid to all possible consequences that will arise as a result of the activity: intended and unintended, positive and negative.
This section outlines the outcomes for the following stakeholders:
- Stakeholder 1: Young people in the performance group
- Stakeholder 2: Young people in the school group
- Stakeholder 3: Schools that have Drum Atweme classes
- Stakeholder 4: Families of young people that are in the performance group
- Stakeholder 5: Alice Springs community
- Stakeholder 6: Justice system (including police, courts, juvenile justice, and correctional/corrective services)
The outcomes included in the SROI analysis are considered "material", that is, they are the significant and relevant changes that stakeholders experienced due to Drum Atweme program activities. Materiality is a concept that is borrowed from accounting. In accounting terms, information is material if it has the potential to affect the readers' or stakeholders' decision. According to the SROI Guide, a piece of information is material if leaving it out of the SROI would misrepresent the organisation's activities.
Defining the material outcomes for stakeholder groups is complex. When defining the material outcomes for each stakeholder group, an SROI practitioner must ensure that each outcome is unique or it would be considered double counting. This is difficult as the outcomes for each stakeholder group are necessarily related because they describe all of the changes experienced by the stakeholder. For example, people do not compartmentalise the different changes they experience. Outcomes also happen at different times throughout the period being analysed with different levels of intensity. There are also complex relationships between outcomes for different stakeholder groups.
Stakeholder outcomes were determined by applying the materiality test to the range of consequences identified in the theory of change. This was done through initial consultations with the relevant stakeholders and the Drum Atweme Coordinator. The materiality of outcomes was again tested when the number of people experiencing the changes were measured and valued (see Sections 5 and 6). No negative outcomes or unintended outcomes were found to be material.
The following sections outline the outcomes that are forecast to be experienced by each stakeholder group and the anticipated impact of these changes over the five year investment period.
Stakeholder 1 - Young people in the performance group
The young people involved in the program are Aboriginal, generally aged between 6-19 years and live in the Alice Springs Town Camps, hostels or transitional care. Young people become involved with the program through taking drumming classes in school, and then if they show interest and are considered to live in situations that put them at high risk of offending, they can join the performance group. The group is mainly girls, as Drum Atweme is one of the only non-sporting activities available to girls from the Town Camps and the girls involved have really made the group their own.
A 'risk profile' survey is completed every six months for 30 of the young people in the performance group. The survey asks questions on areas such as contact with police, courts or family services, school attendance and behaviour, safety in the community, housing situation, history of family offending, and family situation (violence, drug and alcohol abuse). A risk rating is determined through a point system assigned to each question. The most recent data, from the August 2013 survey, found that 65 per cent of the young people in the performance group were considered medium or high risk of engaging in offending behaviour. While girls are not as likely to be in detention as boys, girls from the Town Camps are at risk of becoming involved with substance abuse and property offences.
The table below summarises inputs (investment in the program), outputs (summary of activity) and outcomes (changes) that are forecast to be experienced by the young people, including the estimated number of young people who will experience the outcomes.
| Inputs | Outputs | Material outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| None | Approximately 75 young people are expected to participate in the performance
group over the forthcoming five year period (with around 50 members at
any one time). Most are expected to be part of the performance group for
5 years.
Young people will attend drumming classes at school, and perform regularly for tourist groups, at local community events and at festivals. They will earn money from performances that is used to support trips and buy essential items. They will receive informal mentoring from the Drum Atweme Coordinator and intensive support if required. |
1.1 Increased self-esteem 1.2 Increased engagement in meaningful activity 1.3 More positive connections to others 1 4 Avoidance of anti-social behaviour |
Material Outcomes
"The longer they're in the program the more they gain, and then they graduate to the real world as better people with sustainable lives."
Social Worker, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress
Each of the outcomes represents the end point of four independent chains of change in the young peoples' lives that result from the program:
- Outcome 1.1 Increased self-esteem relates to a change in how young people perceive themselves
- Outcome 1.2 Increased engagement in meaningful activity represents the behavioural change that young people make in participating in work, training and community or family activities
- Outcome 1.3 More positive connections to others represents how young people improve their interactions with family, friends and other people
- Outcome 1.4 Avoidance of anti-social behaviour refers to the greater ability of the young people to avoid anti-social behaviour and thus going to detention or jail as a result of the early intervention program.
Approximately 75 young people are expected to experience each of the outcomes over the five-year forecast period. The following section describes how outcomes are forecast to be experienced by young people across the stages of development.
1.1 Increased self-esteem
Young people who perform with Drum Atweme increase their self-esteem by first feeling accepted and included by the Drum Atweme Coordinator and by the performance group.
As they begin to be rewarded for positive behaviours by being able to perform and receiving praise from their teachers, families and the public that see their performances, their self-esteem grows. This is a marked difference to how many of these young people would have been treated in the past by their families and other figures of authority. In the past many were often led to believe that they are worthless and unworthy of respect, recognition or praise.
"I'm more confident now. I used to always be looking down."
Performance group member
"For some really shy kids in transition, performing at big community gatherings and trips builds their confidence, lifts their self-esteem."
Social Worker, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress
Young people then develop their self-worth and boost their self-confidence. Young women are able to ask for help, say no and stand up to threats of violence. They also expand their worldview by seeing other places.
"It breaks down shyness. Drum Atweme kids now say hello to me in the street, the program has developed them as individuals able to stand on their own feet. These young aboriginal people have gained confidence and this rubs off on their younger siblings who also want to be involved."
Damien Ryan, Mayor of Alice Springs
As they reach the age of 16 and they start to make a contribution to the community and take advantage of the greater life choices available to them, their self-esteem grows. The endpoint of the chain of change is that young people have increased self-esteem.
"When they travel, kids learn life skills. It shows them another world. It could lead them to want to go to school elsewhere. They get to mix in a positive environment with whitefellas. Tourists show respect for their culture, and they have to speak English to them."
Teacher, Sadadeen Primary School
1.2 Increased engagement in meaningful activity
Young people in the performance group increase their engagement in meaningful activities by initially being able to participate in drumming, and then by responding to the incentive of being able to perform if they improve their school attendance and behaviour. Typically, these young people would miss a lot of school, which affects their ability to progress effectively through schooling. The average attendance rate at the two schools where the drumming classes are held is 60 per cent12.
"I fell in love with drumming. It made me go to school every day."
Performance group member
"It has changed how kids are at school. Their school attendance is good. It then helps other kids go to school. So they can go on trips, school attendance is really good. When they attend school, they get better results, and then they can get a better job."
Women elders
Being at school more often and going to drumming classes teaches them new skills, including how to work together with a team, how to communicate effectively and how to lead a group. The cognitive exercises built into the drumming classes increase numeracy and language skills, and the use of Aboriginal languages in songs also builds knowledge of language.
In addition, young people learn how to budget and manage money through managing their allocations from the performance fee account.
"When Drum Atweme first started, families would humbug [for the performance fees]. Peter opened a bank account and taught the kids about managing money. It has been a huge learning experience to save money and keep it from their families."
Teacher, Sadadeen Primary School
As the young people get older, they improve their self-regulation to control their behaviour. Once they are aged 16 or over, they are on track to either continue at school and gain better qualifications or find a better job, or be a good parent. Many young people who have been involved with Drum Atweme have gone to boarding school interstate, or become good13 mothers.
As a result of increasing their attendance at school and the other preliminary changes described, the young people are able to increase their engagement in meaningful activity. This will most commonly take the form of increased attendance at school, employment and family and community activities.
"If I hadn't done performance trips, I wouldn't have thought about boarding school."
Performance group member
1.3. More positive connections to others
Young people in the Drum Atweme performance group build more positive connections to other people by first developing a positive relationship with the Coordinator, who provides young people with a safe space to spend time (in the classroom, in the bus travelling to performances, at performances). Once trust has been built, young people begin to have fun, and have a positive male role model in their lives that they can learn from.
"The group has become like a family group. It gives them a safe space, where they can care for each other. They are all from different language groups, but they come together through Drum. Young girls sit down and tell each other stories and support each other. Nobody puts themselves higher than others. This can bridge differences across language groups."
Elder women
As they get older, the performers begin to have more pride in what they can do, and their role in the community.
"Boys have more to do in town, but now they look up to us. We're the only girl group in town. Boys respect us, their attitude changes. Even out bush, some comes up to me crazy, then they talk to me and say I've seen your photo on the internet, what's the red and white thing, and I say drumming, girl's group. At MobFest, the main singer of the band says I look up to you every day in Alice, you make me more confident."
Performance group member
The performers also increase their connection to their culture through engaging with elders in the community on performance trips. Once they are aged 16 or over, they become role models to others in the community, including their family and younger people in the performance group.
As a result of developing a positive relationship with the Drum Atweme Coordinator and taking pride in their role in the community, young people increase their positive connections to others. As compared to outcome 1.2 (which represents a change in self-perception) and outcome 1.2 (which is a behavioural change), outcome 1.3 represent a change in how the young people interact with and relate to others.
"If you behave, you can become a role model."
Performance group member
"My older family members come up to me to ask me how I do things, I tell them that drumming helped me do things. For example, I have experience of speaking English when meeting tourists, then I became interpreter for mum when she was in hospital in Adelaide. My family has asked me to teach them drumming beats."
Performance group member
"Leaders emerge in the older kids. They have a sense of leadership in managing the younger kids when on trips."
Principal Yipirinya School
1.4 Avoidance of anti-social behaviour
Many young people in the group are considered to be at high risk of offending. By being involved with Drum Atweme, they avoid anti-social behaviour that would lead to getting into trouble with police.
"Kids who do drumming are different from other kids. Other kids go to skate park or up the hill chucking rocks, rather than go to school. If they were not drumming the kids would be on the streets, looking through windows, being chased by the police up the hills."
Women elders
This is due partly to Outcomes 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 described above, but is primarily related to having something to do after school and in the evenings. Maintaining their engagement with the program as they age gives them a lifeline to continue to avoid anti-social behaviour.
At the end of this chain of change the young people choose to not involve themselves in anti-social and offending behaviour which lowers their likelihood of going into detention or being incarcerated. From the point of view of the young people, this is a very important change in their life because it means that they go against the life pathway that is frequently expected of them as young people at risk.
"NT Police are pleased to work with non-government organisations or other organisations who offer early intervention to youth. Early intervention assists in providing direction, modifies behaviour and keeps youth on track.
The "Drum Atweme" program is great at attempting to achieve these outcomes and are targeted at youths who are at a vulnerable time in their lives and provides them with the assistance to navigate through this transition."
NT Police
"If I didn't go to school I would have been getting into trouble with police. There is nothing to do after school. I'd just be annoying my family."
Performance group member
Excluded Outcomes
The outcomes described above were considered material for the SROI analysis for the young people in the performance group.
Through stakeholder consultation, a negative outcome that may be experienced by the young people -'face criticism from family and the community' - was found to be not significant as the quantity of young people who experienced this change was low.
Stakeholder 2 - Young people in the school group
The young people involved in the school group are the students of two schools, Sadadeen Primary School and Yipirinya School (mostly primary aged students). Weekly classes are offered to all classes at these schools.
The young people in the school group are considered in lower risk situations than the young people in the performance group. Some of the school students who are considered at higher risk of offending then join the performance group.
The table below summarises inputs, outputs and outcomes forecast to be experienced by young people in the school group, including the estimated number of people who will experience the outcomes.
| Inputs | Outputs | Material outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| None | Approximately 140 young people are expected to be taught at drumming classes across the school year, totalling 700 students over FY14-19. | 2.1 Increased engagement in meaningful activity |
Material Outcomes
The following is a description of the outcomes forecast to be experienced by young people in the school group due to their involvement with Drum Atweme.
2.1 Increased engagement in meaningful activity
Young people in the school group increase their engagement in meaningful activities by going to drumming classes which teaches them new skills, including how to work together with a team, how to communicate effectively and how to lead a group. The cognitive exercises built into the drumming classes increase numeracy and language skills, and the use of Aboriginal languages in songs also builds knowledge of language.
"Several children have trauma and can't handle the noise of drumming [initially]. But by the end of the school year, all the kids are participating. It helps kids think of the class group as a team. It is good for kids to come together across language groups.... Kids are more able to respond to audio cues, this carries across to other classes."
Assistant Principal, Sadadeen Primary School
Excluded Outcomes
The outcomes described above were considered material for the SROI analysis for the young people in the school group.
The analysis considered whether young people in the school group would also experience the other outcomes experienced by young people in the performance group. While it is likely that some students would also increase their self-esteem, have more positive connections to others and avoid anti-social behaviour, as the students only participate in a drumming class once a week and are less likely to be living in high risk situations these outcomes would have high deadweight and attribution. Therefore, the outcomes were not determined to be significant.
Stakeholder 3 - Schools
The Schools stakeholder group includes the two schools that host weekly classes run by Drum Atweme: Sadadeen Primary School and Yipirinya School.
The table below summarises inputs, outputs and outcomes forecast to be experienced by schools.
| Inputs | Outputs | Material outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| None | Weekly drumming classes at two schools | 3.1 Offer more relevant, engaging curriculum |
Material Outcomes
The following is a description of the outcomes forecast to be experienced by schools due to their involvement with the Drum Atweme program.
3.1 Offer more relevant, engaging curriculum
Schools are able to offer a more relevant, engaging curriculum to students by having weekly drumming classes. The two schools that have drumming classes have limited resources and have struggled to provide music classes to students in the past.
"The most important outcome for the school is having an arts program. We have tried to get a choir going, but we can't afford to pay a teacher fulltime. Our school has very limited funding because we are an independent school and parents can't afford to contribute fees. Parents can't pay for music lessons or extracurricular activities. If Drum Atweme wasn't here, our school wouldn't have a key part of the music program."
Principal Yipirinya School
The teachers consulted emphasised the importance of having a music program in the school, both for the benefits of engaging students to participate in activities and for their cognitive development.
"We would notice if Drum Atweme wasn't coming to the school. It makes teaching life easier, as it is a different activity for kids to get involved in. It is rare to get these kids to participate at this level."
Teacher, Sadadeen Primary School
"It is an opportunity to participate in a structured music program, and to work in a group. Music is good for maths development, for coordinating the left and right brain."
Assistant Principal, Sadadeen Primary School
Excluded outcomes
One other outcome for schools that became evident through stakeholder consultations was improved student attendance and engagement. This outcome was included in the program logic as a material outcome but was not considered to be material for the SROI analysis. This is because the outcome has only been experienced anecdotally, with no data points to measure. In the future, it will be important to measure this outcome to understand the extent of the change experienced by schools.
"Drummers on the whole have good attendance and do well at class. Drumming teaches them the importance of working as a team, discipline, listening. They are learning not just music but rhythm, mathematics, looking at patterns."
Principal Yipirinya School
Stakeholder 4 - Families
Families include parents and their partners, carers, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and any other members of the family or significant others who are involved in the life of a young person in the performance group.
The table below summarises inputs, outputs and outcomes forecast to be experienced by families, including the estimated number of families who will experience the outcomes.
| Inputs | Outputs | Material outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| In-kind support | 35 families build a relationship with the Drum Atweme Coordinator that crosses generations, and allow their children to attend drumming performances | 4.1 Receive material support 4.2 More positive perceptions and expectations of their children 4.3 Pass down knowledge, stories and culture |
Material Outcomes
The following is a description of the outcomes forecast to be experienced by families due to their involvement with the Drum Atweme program.
4.1 Receive material support
As a result of their children performing with Drum Atweme, they earn performance fees. These fees fund essential items such as food for their families. The families receive some additional material support that they could not otherwise afford. This can reduce pressure on each family's budget.
"Money from drumming helped me and my family. I got a mobile phone so I could call my family."
Performance group member
4.2 More positive perceptions and expectations of their children
Families that see their child perform and grow as a person begin to change their perspective of their children. As their children are exposed to more opportunities and the possibilities for their future widen, families have more pride in their children and higher expectations of what they can achieve.
"The kids are developing a real sense of worth, setting goals, and clearly understand their pathway. They are a showcase for their family and community. Parents are proud of seeing them up on stage. Parents are delighted to know that their kids are engaged and learning to stand up in social settings with whitefellas."
Coordinator, Youth in Communities, Professional Development & Mentoring Project NT
4.3 Pass down knowledge, stories and culture
The family members that support the performance group on trips by supervising the young people use this time to pass down knowledge, stories and culture to them. They also provide cultural support to the Drum Atweme Coordinator to develop songs in language.
"Drum helps them keep their language strong, keep their culture."
Women elders
Excluded Outcomes
Other outcomes became evident through stakeholder consultations and were included in the program logic as material outcomes but were not considered to be material for the SROI analysis. Excluded outcomes were:
- Feel accepted and understood
- Develop stronger connections with others
- Take more responsibility for children
Feeling accepted and understood, and developing a stronger connection with others, are necessary precursors for other more important changes to be realised. To allow their children to participate, families have to feel accepted and understood by the Drum Atweme Coordinator. They also develop stronger connections with other families as they participate in Drum Atweme activities, but this is a by-product of the program. For this reason, these outcomes were excluded as not relevant to the SROI analysis.
"Getting parents involved in the community is the key to how it has worked so well. Getting parents involved in trips, teaching in schools. This has an enormous boost to wellbeing and helping people feel a part of it."
Social Worker, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress
"Drumming helps parents become friends with other parents, and with Peter [Drum Atweme Coordinator]. Parents go on trips and have responsibilities."
Women elders
"Families start to feel safe and participate in school activities, build their confidence within school and relationships with teachers"
Social Worker, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress
One outcome that became evident through stakeholder consultations that was included in the program logic as an outcome further along the chain of change was families taking more responsibility for their children. This was an outcome that was being experienced by some families, but this change was not reported by enough families to be considered material for the SROI analysis.
Stakeholder 5 - Alice Springs community
The Alice Springs community is the population of Alice Springs, which includes local residents who attend community events where Drum Atweme plays, and local businesses which benefit from tourists. These businesses include the Alice Springs Convention Centre and tour group companies.
The table below summarises inputs, outputs and the outcome forecast to be experienced by the community.
| Inputs | Outputs | Material outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Performance fees | Local residents attend community events which include a performance
by the Drum Atweme group. The performance group does around 12 community
performances each year, which are attended by various numbers of people.
Local tourism businesses hire Drum Atweme to provide an Aboriginal cultural experience for tourists. The performance group does around 25 tour group and convention performances each year. Through this, there are additional flow on benefits to other businesses in the community. |
5.1 More opportunities to experience Aboriginal culture 5.2 Local businesses earn more income from tourists 5.3 Improved perceptions of Aboriginal young people |
Material Outcomes
The following is a description of the outcomes forecast to be experienced by the community due to their involvement with Drum Atweme.
5.1 More opportunities to experience Aboriginal culture
The local community has more opportunities to experience Aboriginal culture through Drum Atweme performances at community events. While drumming is not part of Aboriginal music traditions, the group incorporate language and stories into their songs and performances.
5.2 Local businesses earn more income from tourists
Local tourism businesses hire Drum Atweme to offer their clients an opportunity to interact with local Aboriginal people and learn about Aboriginal culture and social issues. Many tourists are looking for these sorts of opportunities, and there are few other groups that can be hired to provide this experience. The conference centre and tour companies may have sold conference packages without Drum Atweme, but having Drum Atweme involved is an important part of the corporate social responsibility and indigenous engagement goals of these businesses and their clients. Therefore, local tourism businesses are able to attract more clients and thus earn more income. There are also additional flow on benefits to other businesses in the community, through tourists spending money in local businesses.
"If we didn't have Drum Atweme, we would be in trouble. We would face significant commercial challenges if Drum wasn't viable. Around 90% of conference enquiries are looking for an authentic cultural experience. Drum Atweme is a contributing factor to get conferences across the line."
"Countless business events for Alice Springs have been lost because of local social issues being sensationalized by the national media. Peter [Drum Atweme Coordinator] can have an upfront conversation with corporates about these social issues and help them understand and respect the intricacies, far deeper than media reports."
"It is a great story for clients, a warm fuzzy story. You can't buy the looks of happiness. It is real engagement [with the performers], it helps them open up to the rest that Alice Springs has to offer."
Sales and Marketing Manager, Alice Springs Convention Centre
5.3 Improved perceptions of Aboriginal young people
Through showcasing the skills of a group of young Aboriginal people to the community at festivals and events, the community can witness these young people contributing to the community and engaging in positive activities.
"Having Aboriginal people involved in a leadership way in festivals and community activities [and] conferences has created a more positive face for [the] Aboriginal community that are involved with it, and for the community at large to see it. It is different from the usual ways that people see these families. It is a good news story; you need some more good news stories that shows people's ability to do positive things."
Social Worker, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress
This has contributed towards bringing the community together.
"Drum Atweme has become an important part of the fabric of life for our town. Peter Lowson has helped bridge the gap in these young people's lives, it's a great story for our community."
Damien Ryan, Mayor of Alice Springs
"It is worth so much in the long-term for reconciliation. Reconciliation is happening in Alice, it is different to what is happening in Redfern or Canberra. Girls are the future leaders of our community, they are the nurturers. Leadership will come from women."
Sales and Marketing Manager, Alice Springs Convention Centre
Excluded Outcomes
No other outcomes were considered and excluded for the Alice Springs community.
Stakeholder 6 - Justice System
The justice system includes police, courts, juvenile justice, and correctional/corrective services.
The table below summarises inputs, outputs and outcomes forecast to be experienced by the justice system.
| Inputs | Outputs | Material outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Not material | Not applicable | 6.1 Decrease in number of young people with anti-social behaviour 6.2 Decrease in number of young people offending 6.3 Decrease in number of young people in detention |
Material Outcomes
The following is a description of the outcomes forecast to be experienced by the justice system as a result of the program.
6.1 Decrease in number of young people with anti-social behaviour
The justice system is a large beneficiary of the Drum Atweme program. Anti-social behaviour is the starting point on the pathway to interacting with the justice system. As young people are avoiding anti-social behaviour (Outcome 1.4) through taking part in the Drum Atweme, the justice system experiences a reduction in the number of young people with anti-social behaviour in the community.
"The kids involved in the justice system develop a cohort of young offenders, who challenge each other to compete to commit crimes. The Drum Atweme kids avoid this peer pressure. They have something to live for, to focus on, to work towards, to practice. They know where they have to be and how they should behave."
Coordinator, Youth in Communities, Professional Development & Mentoring Project NT
Over the five-year forecast period it is estimated that this outcome will be associated with approximate y 70 per cent of young people reducing their anti-social behaviour during the program.
6.2 Decrease in number of young people offending
As young people in Drum Atweme avoid anti-social behaviour, this also leads to a decrease in the number of young people offending, which benefits the justice system.
Over the five-year forecast period it is estimated that this outcome will be associated with approximately 90 per cent of young people reducing their offending behaviour during the program.
6.3 Decrease in number of young people in detention
As young people in Drum Atweme avoid anti-social behaviour, this also leads to a decrease in the number of young people being detained, which benefits the justice system. At July 2014, only 3 of the 225 young people (0.02%) who were members of the performance group between 2004 and 2014 are in prison. In contrast, on an average day in 2010-11, 23 per 1000 (0.5%) of Indigenous young people aged 10-17 under supervision on an average day in Australia.14 In other words, less than half of the Drum Atweme performance group members are in prison than a comparable group in the population.
Over the five-year forecast period it is estimated that this outcome will be associated with 100 per cent of young people reducing their offending behaviour during the program, as participation is based on young people attending school.
"Juvenile detention, the courts and jail are the biggest growth industry in Alice Springs."
Social Worker, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress
"Drum Atweme kids are less likely to be in detention. It is one of the better programs in Alice Springs to give these kids some self-esteem. They are proud young people when they have the drum in their hand. Drum is a diversion, so the kids are not out on the street at night getting into trouble. Pete picks them up and drops them off, so they're safe at night. If there were more people like Pete, we would have fewer kids in here [Alice Springs Detention Centre].
Aboriginal Islander Education Worker at the Owen Springs Education Centre, Alice Springs Juvenile Detention Centre
Excluded Outcomes
No other outcomes were considered and excluded for the justice system.
4.4 The program logic that emerged from stakeholder consultations
The program logic (or theory of change) tells the story of change that takes place as a result of the program. The program logic includes information on:
- The issue that the program is seeking to address
- The key participants in the program
- The activities involved in the program
- The inputs required to generate the outcomes
- The outcomes of activities that occur through the program, for various stakeholders
- The overall impact of these outcomes.
The program logic that emerged from the stakeholder consultations was that the inputs of the program (monetary and non-monetary investment) will be collectively used to deliver the program activities. As a result of the activities, young people in the performance group are expected to experience four material outcomes (described in section 4.3). These outcomes are anticipated to occur concurrently and to reinforce each other. For example, a young person who experiences increased self-esteem will increase their engagement in meaningful activity, which in turn increases their self-esteem.
The changes experienced by young people are expected to lead to outcomes for their families, the schools, the Alice Springs community and for the justice system. Young people in the school group also experience an outcome The overall impact of these outcomes is anticipated to be that young people take a positive pathway to adulthood by becoming healthier adults who are able to take responsibility for their own lives; living with more purpose; and are more grounded. Meanwhile, the community is expected to benefit through less burden on the justice system, healthier families and increased community cohesion and safety.
Development of the program logic
The first iteration of the program logic was developed with staff from the Department. Following this, substantial changes to the program logic took place during the initial stakeholder engagement. In particular, the outcomes experienced by young people emerged from consultations with them, and were tested with the Drum Atweme Coordinator. For example, Outcome 1.1 is "increased self-esteem" which expresses how the young people's perception of themselves and self-confidence is increased as a result of the program. This was identified as an outcome following conversations with young people who said that the program "makes me more confident". Outcome 1.2 is "increased engagement in meaningful activity" which captures the change that young people experience in engaging in school, employment or in family life. The selection of this outcome came from conversations with the young people including one young woman who said that drumming "made me go to school every day".
Our conversations with the Drum Atweme Coordinator, and the local service delivery organisations, helped us to describe more precisely the activities that are delivered. We revised the program logic to take into account their input. We also tested the negative outcomes identified by the Department with the stakeholders in Alice Springs and found that these were either not occurring to any significant extent, or were not occurring as a result of the program.
The concept that young people in the performance group experience change based on the number of years they are in the program was identified after discussions with the Drum Atweme Coordinator on the experience of young people over time. This concept was tested against the notes collected during interviews with young people and their families, and with interviews with other service providers.
The final iteration of the program logic is included in Figures 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 on the following pages. This represents engagement of all stakeholders. The outcomes described in the program logic are directly related to the outcomes expected to be experienced by different stakeholders in the SROI analysis, which are described in Section 4.3. The blue banner at the top of Figure 4.2 shows the stages of development that young people progress through during the program. These stages are described in Section 5.1. The outcomes that are numbered are those that either occur at the end of the chain of change, and there was sufficient evidence available to quantify how many stakeholders experienced the outcome. These are known as the material outcomes (discussed further in Section 5.1).
This is a forecast analysis, therefore it captures the consequences that are expected to be realised in the future as a result of the investment made into the program during the forecast period. Since information about what will happen in the future is not currently available, the short-term and the long-term consequences of the program are either assumed to be similar to the consequences observed for the stakeholders who have been in the program in the past or are inferred through the logic that some of the long-term consequences for stakeholders will occur in the future.
Figure 4.6- Drum Atweme program logic - issue, participants, outputs and inputs
Figure 4.7 - Drum Atweme program logic - Outcomes forecast to be experienced by young people
Figure 4.8 - Drum Atweme program logic - Outcomes forecast to be experienced by other stakeholders ** Material outcomes are numbered
