Presenting Data Using Video by Danielle Dryke At the Improve Group we are always looking for innovative ways to collect, analyze and present data for our clients. One medium that is currently fascinating me is video. I belong to the American Evaluation Association cross cultural evaluation listserv where I recently learned of an interesting post for a YouTube video demonstrating the “Joy of Statistics.” In the video the statistician presents 200 years of life expectancy and wealth data for 200 countries in only four minutes. The results are engaging and interesting, as well as easy to understand. The statistician uses the video medium to present explanations that would not be as easily accessible or understandable if the charts were presented on paper. It is also possible to see the data visually move rather than having to meticulously compare charts side by side on paper; a feat that would be impossible with 200 individual charts.

Videos have a wide variety of uses including evaluation purposes, to empower participants, to tell the story of an organization and to inform stakeholders. Through organization webpages, internet sites such as YouTube and Fotki, and social networking sites like Facebook, non-profits have opportunities to easily and inexpensively present videos to their stakeholders and the results can be compelling. Video allows people to more actively engage with an organization and its participants in ways that can invite greater understanding of the purpose and the impact of the work the organization does. Earlier this year YouTube hosted their fourth annual Nonprofit Video Awards ceremony.  After the announcement of the winners, YouTube presented an article called “Secrets to making a great nonprofit video.” They offer accessible tips for nonprofit filmmakers including ensuring that the content of the video is still the most important aspect, finding ways to creatively present the story, creating a series of videos, recognizing that video can be inexpensive and easy to use, and taking cues from videos that have gone viral.

 

Global Potential, one of our 2010 pro-bono clients, has found ways to harness video technology to benefit their organization and their youth participants. The students they work with are given the opportunity to create documentary films during their fieldwork in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. The students focus on issues that concern them and are free to choose their subjects. Past subjects have included the fate of individuals without legal papers such as a birth certificate and issues that migrant workers face. The videos are interesting to watch and well produced. Additionally Global Potential students have received accolades for their films, building student confidence and increasing visibility for the organization. L'Espwa Kan (Sugar Cane Hopes) was featured in the Tribeca Film Festival as part of the NYC youth feature and 17 & Unidentified was selected for the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival (HRWIFF). The video medium allows the youth to present the stories of people they have met and to let the voices of marginalized individuals be heard by audiences around the world. Additionally, it empowers the youth, allows them to see the world through another’s eyes and to more actively engage with members of the communities they are living and working in, all goals of the Global Potential program. InsightShare, is an organization that focuses on using Participatory Video as a tool for social change and empowerment. The process involves teaching participants how to use the cameras and allowing them to create their own films catered to the goals of your project. They have created a guide to using participatory video that can be downloaded for free on their website. InsightShare also offers tips and examples of how the process can be used for participatory research and monitoring and evaluation on their website. I would highly recommend checking out the resources they offer if you are interested in learning more!