Video in #Eval Week: Soldedad Muñiz on Participatory Video for Monitoring & Evaluation

My name is Soledad Muñiz and I’m the Head of PV M&E at InsightShare. Susan has kindly introduced our work and methodology in this post some weeks ago. And as she anticipated, I’m here today to share some of our experiences using Participatory Video for Monitoring & Evaluation (PV M&E).

Lessons Learned – how we’re using participatory video:

In the last 5 years, we have been developing Participatory Video for Monitoring & Evaluation with a broad range of partners. We’ve seen how Participatory Video allows for organisations to gather qualitative data that often escapes traditional monitoring and evaluation tools. It can monitor the project lifecycle over time and space through interviews, on-site visual monitoring and most significant change stories (MSC).

Hot Tips – integrating participatory video in evaluation:

It is not always easy to gauge and communicate what significance a programme or activity had in the lives of those who intended to help. Those best positioned to explore and convey these messages are those invidividuals – the main actors of development themselves – they can speak first-hand about impacts and outcomes. They can select relevant individuals to interview in their communities and monitor relevant key events as they happen. All actors can reflect back on changes in the community through screenings, where stakeholders are brought together to reflect and discuss.

This video offers a summary of the PV & MSC process in one of our latest initiatives.

A Short Documentary on PVMSC from InsightShare on Vimeo.

Lessons Learned – when and when not to use video:

Our methods help stakeholders tell their stories and communicate their perspectives in an accessible, compelling and versatile format through a participatory and authentic process. Following stringent informed consent procedures, these stories can then be used to communicate lessons or new ideas across to new groups, other organisations or decision makers. It is an overt process, so it’s important to make sure there is an in depth informed consent process through which participants fully understand the implications of sharing their voices in video and can decide on content, the shape of the final product as well as who can watch the video.

Hot Tip – taming the technology:

Experiential learning is at the core of PV M&E. Our motto is “Mistakes are great” and the process is guided by InsightShare’s values & core charter. This encourages participants to feel safe and own the learning space, lose fear of equipment, work at their own rhythm, have fun and enjoy the learning journey. The suite of tools employed include; PV games, editing games, Participatory Learning in Action exercises, visualisation techniques, Theatre of the Oppressed games, role-play and various art exercises.

Rad Resources:

Participatory Video for M&E: in our website you can find plenty of resources about PV M&E, including videos, photostories, case studies and articles.

We’re focusing on video use in evaluation all this week, learning from colleagues using video in different aspects of their practice. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org. aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators.