Developing monitoring, evaluation and learning with the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute

*AIGI staff developing content for an organisation-level monitoring, evaluation and learning framework. Credit: Adam Doughty, AIGI.*

Researchers from UTS are working with the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute (AIGI) staff and collaborators to develop AIGI’s approach to organisational monitoring, evaluating and learning (MEL).

AIGI works alongside Indigenous peoples in their efforts to determine and strengthen their own sustainable systems of self-governance. AIGI's Indigenous Governance Toolkit aims to help Indigenous organisations, communities, nations and individuals build, strengthen and evaluate their governance.

AIGI's approach to organisational MEL will support them to continuously learn from and improve their work, understand the outcomes and impacts their work contributes to, demonstrate their responsibility to Indigenous peoples and accountability to funders, and share their learning about Indigenous Governance to build collaborations and influence. Ultimately, MEL could support AIGI to strengthen understanding and support for Indigenous groups’, communities’ and organisations’ practices of self-determination.

UTS is facilitating a series of participatory workshops, interviews and focus group discussions to support AIGI to develop their approach to MEL. AIGI staff and their collaborators will decide why, what, how, when, where, and with whom AIGI will monitor and evaluate its work and use its learning for continuous improvement.

Importantly, UTS and AIGI are seeking to centre and prioritise Indigenous perspectives, knowledge and priorities in the way that AIGI undertakes MEL. This means promoting and putting into practice core values of ethical conduct of research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including spirit and integrity, cultural continuity, equity, reciprocity, respect and responsibility. It also means supporting Indigenous leadership and self-determination in how MEL is undertaken at AIGI. UTS and AIGI will promote and develop systems to ensure data sovereignty: Indigenous peoples’ rights to decide why, what, how, when, where and from whom their data is collected, stored, interpreted, used and shared as part of AIGI’s MEL.

Keren Winterford

Institute for Sustainable Futures, Program Lead - International Development
Jessie Meaney-Davis

Institute for Sustainable Futures, Senior Research Consultant
Lindon Coombes

Director, Jumbunna Institute
Tracy Barber

Senior Researcher, Jumbunna Institute
Kirsten Thorpe

Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellowship, Jumbunna Institute