STEAR Member (AKEBC)

The Role

I joined the STEAR team, formerly know as the Monitoring and Evaluation Tea), to use robust methods to accurately evaluate volunteer-run education programs in Canada. These programs are meant for students who are a part of the Shia Ismaili Nizari Muslim community, with a special focus on low-income families and newly arrived Central Asian families (many are refugees).

Accomplishments

• Bringing in professional structures to programs that have never had that level of dedication or scrutiny before.

• Using advanced methods to evaluate the data and find meaningful results that ended up guiding some incredible program development.

• Using my findings to improve the program operations, thereby improving the evaluation process.

• Being re-appointed as member every year and being requested to join multiple portfolios.

Additional Thoughts/Learnings

The team I have been working with, especially in the recent years, has been one of the most extraordinary, dedicated groups I have ever encountered. They bring a level of expertise and professionalism I have yet to encounter in any of my paid positions. Considering that everyone involved are volunteers, this is quite impressive.

This group brings integrity to their work and truly has the students' best interest at heart. This means that they does not shy away from difficult discussions or compassionately holding other volunteers accountable when processes are not being followed.

I have been getting so much out of this role as I continue to receive training in robust evaluations methods and the theory of change including logic models, data collection matrices and evaluation plans. It has been a fulfilling and meaningful way to apply my statistics background.