Participatory Video for Monitoring and Evaluation 

Combining Participatory Video with the "Most Significant Change" Approach 

Background: 

The Most Significant Change (MSC) Technique is a form of participatory monitoring and evaluation.  The approach is akin to traditional forms of communication and storytelling, used to proivde data on project impacts and outcomes so programs can be assessed and managed in a more participatory way.  In Nov/Dec 2005, Insight combined Participatory Video with stories of Most Significant Change in order to evaluate the last five year's work of the Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability (Citizenship DRC), an international network of researchers and practitioners from Angola, Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Nigeria, South Africa and the UK.

What was done:

Insight trained development researchers and practitioners from the Citizenship DRC in Participatory Video in order to record their stories of Most Significant Change that occurred as a result of the DRC programme.  A completed video was shown to the planning meeting on the last day of the workshop.

How was it done:

Twelve DRC researchers took part in a 2 day introductory Participatory Video training.  They learnt how to use the video equipment through participatory games and exercises. We discussed the Most Significant Change approach and how to produce their MSC video stories.  The domains of change that formed the basis of their stories were: change on the community level, insitutional level, personal level or any other area.   These trainees then used their new Participatory Video skills to reach out to other delegates at the DRC conference and interview them about their own MSC stories.  The material was edited in the evenings and presented to all the delegates on the final day. This was the point when delegates were given the chance to evaluate the different stories and decide which was most significant and why.

What was achieved/outcomes:

9 short MSC stories were developed by the participants; these were all very individual and creative including the use of role play, drawings, & photographs.  Those who attended the 2 day Participatory Video training want to use the methods in their wider DRC action research work.  Many other delegates saw the value of this tool for promoting broader participation in the process of knowledge generation and representing local views and knowledge.  Delegates got to know each others' work better through the short films, a number of key areas of change were highlighted and those that took part were able to take back copies of their films to show to colleagues, family and friends as they found their stories communicated an aspect of their work in a very clear and accessible way. 

Insight has been invited to become one of the DRC network partners and to provide Participatory Video capacity building to all 7 DRC countries.    Following the conference, the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), invited Insight to give Participatory Video training at their Social Development Advisors retreat in September 2006  

Impact:

The delegates who took part enjoyed filming and it generated a lot of laughter.  The simplicity of the MSC approach combined well with our storyboard approach helping individuals move from words to a more visual language, encouraging them to be creative and simplify their messages.  As a creative and fun process it forced people to think and act a bit differently than they usually would in a formal conference context, and helped develop an open environment for sharing and exchange.

What next?

From this initial experiment we feel that Participatory Video could be used to great effect in an MSC evaluation process.  This will encourage wider participation and have a wider spread effect.  This is a better method for illiterate groups and enables greater participant control over their story.  Sharing of stories can occur more easily, it opens up new possibilities for wider communication/dissemination, and potential for broader community consensus building.  We hope to build this into ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the DRC's work over the next 5-year phase.