Synergia - Design Realise Sustain

Issue

CM Active, a three-year programme aimed at improving opportunities for physical activity, sport and recreation in Counties Manukau, needed rapid feedback on how it was performing and what impact it was having. Too many evaluations take an academic view and present their findings long after programmes have finished, with little or no time for the programmes themselves to respond and adapt. CM Active's partners wanted to learn through the course of the programme the achievements and challenges they were encountering, and to develop practical solutions to meet the needs of South Auckland communities.

Solution

Synergia led an evaluation of the CM Active programme running over the course of its three years. With only a limited budget to undertake the evaluation, Synergia brought together a range of cost-effective evaluation techniques to provide regular and ongoing feedback to the programme partners as CM Active progresses.

Synergia's approach balances both efficiency and quality. We made use of participant and staff focus groups, community leader engagement, in-depth case studies, participant surveys, stakeholder interviews, and internal reporting to provide six-monthly insight and learnings that programme management, governance and local physical activity leaders can respond to and plan accordingly.

Outcome

Synergia's evaluation approach, which was responsive to the needs of the programme's many stakeholders, provided a foundation of experience, evidence and learning that helped the programme's leadership to refine their approach, and refocus activities. The research provided insight into such issues as barriers and support factors to physical activity, the needs of locally trained physical activity leaders, and pathways to physical activity in the programme's communities.