The Arts & Culture Finance team held a session on their approach to impact measurement and a Q&A with IRIE! dance theatre

As a social investor in the arts and cultural sector, investing in organisations that contribute to positive social impact on people and communities is integral to what we do. But where should organisations begin in measuring their impact and what's the best way to do this so that it benefits the work and the team, rather than being an onerous add-on?

In this webinar, the Arts & Culture Finance team were joined by Beverley Glean MBE and Rosie Lehan from IRIE! dance theatre to discuss how they embedded evaluation into their work and used it to improve outcomes for their students and beneficiaries.

Topics covered in this session include:

  • Why impact evaluation is important
  • How ACF evaluates impact and what we look for in an investment enquiry
  • How to think about impact if it's new to your organisation
  • Working through common challenges

Speakers

Beverley Glean MBE

Founder, Artistic Director and CEO of IRIE! dance theatre Beverley has been working in the field of dance, in particular African Peoples Dance for over 20 years. Trained at the Laban Centre London (Trinity Laban), The Jamaica School of Dance and The Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba; she has continued her training and development in dance & culture by working alongside artists from West Africa, Europe, America, and the Caribbean. Over the years, IRIE! has grown in stature. As well as its touring dance theatre company, it has developed a much sought after education & community outreach programme. In 2016 Beverley received a Lifetime Achievement Award from ADAD and in 2017 was awarded an MBE for services to the promotion of African and Caribbean Dance.

Rosie Lehan

Working with Beverley Glean since 2000 Rosie has worked on a diverse range of projects, including Connectingvibes Dance Company for young dancers and the Dance and Diversity project, an action based research project originally funded by Nesta and ACE to investigate the place of African and Caribbean dance. Rosie worked as a Dance Lecturer at City and Islington College and freelance choreographer working on partnership projects with Arts Organisations, to provide progression routes for young people. This included working with Creative Partnerships to establish projects such as Raw Skills Dance Project for boys aged 14-19, travelling to the USA for research and to China to establish exchange projects in Beijing. Together with Beverley they created and subsequently led The Foundation Degree in Dance and in 2018 successfully launched the BA(Hons) Diverse Dance Styles validated by University of Roehampton. Rosie now works as the Director of Accredited Training at IRIE! dance theatre with responsibility for leading the new and innovative BA.