Explaining the Difference Pack

Learning Link Scotland and Evaluation Support Scotland brought together voluntary adult learning providers to build a collective vision of the difference they make and how they contribute to local and national outcomes. We produced a model to describe this difference and generated much learning about how to evidence our impact. This approach, which we called Explaining the Difference (EtD), was a great success and was welcomed by Scottish Government and HMIE. We wanted to share the work we produced and the process we followed so others can make use of our learning.

The intention of this pack is to give people an understanding of the work of the pilot phase of EtD. It will be of use to Community Learning and Development (CLD) practitioners drawn from voluntary sector and local authority staff, and volunteers; really all those who are concerned with making  a change within communities. So the pack is for you if you are:

• The manager of a multi-project organisation and you want to understand better how different projects and interventions join together to contribute to an overall difference

• A facilitator or leader of a group of similar organisations that are working together and want to show how collectively they contribute to local or national outcomes (for example a local umbrella body, forum or equalities grouping)

• A development worker who is keen to reflect upon your practice and make sure that you understand the impact of your organisation's work and its fit with other projects

• A CLD manager who wants to understand better how services in your area fit together and contribute to local strategies etc