Tiger Bay Tales: An Evaluation of the Engagement and Collaboration Process

An external evaluation was stipulated in the original HLF grant application as being an important element of the project. Most definitions of evaluation emphasise a critical and evidence-based assessment of the activities, delivery process and impact of the project or programme on various audiences and stakeholders. The focus of this evaluation is on the approach – and the mode and method of delivery – of the project.
2.2 There are two important reasons why the focus is on the mode and method of community engagement. First, with WMC’s tenth-anniversary celebrations, which took place shortly after the start of Tiger Bay Tales, the project has proven to be as much about showcasing the heritage of the local area as about testing and developing further methods of community engagement that will make the many and varied activities of WMC more relevant to local residents.
2.3 Second, the project took place at a time of re-visioning of the overall role and strategic focus of the CLT. This re-visioning extended beyond the scope of the project, and centred on the team’s overarching role within WMC. Importantly during the project, the focus – as well as the mode and method of engagement – shifted. An evaluation of the community-engagement process underpinning this local heritage project is timely and will provide insight into emergent practices that will support future education and learning programmes of work that sit within WMC’s community engagement and the performing-arts agenda.