The BTS Theory of Change
What is a theory of change you may ask? It is a very useful tool for organizations to have that explains why a change is expected to happen.
To be more specific:
“Theory of Change is essentially a comprehensive description and illustration of how and why a desired change is expected to happen in a particular context. It is focused in particular on mapping out or “filling in” what has been described as the “missing middle” between what a program or change initiative does (its activities or interventions) and how these lead to desired goals being achieved. It does this by first identifying the desired long-term goals and then works back from these to identify all the conditions (outcomes) that must be in place (and how these related to one another causally) for the goals to occur.”
Image credit: Sidney Harris
Having a Theory of Change for BTS has been a goal for a while now, but with the growth of BTS and program delivery, it's always been put on the back burner. Until earlier this year.
Developing the Theory of Change has been a long and involved process, including brainstorming, workshops, and more brainstorming and workshops. Finally, after a few months, we had our Theory of Change. And this summer, we had the talented Kathy Khoa, Summer jobs student and currently Volunteer Coordinator extraordinaire, put our words into colourful visuals.
You can view our full Theory of Change here, and learn more about the process Kathy used to design it.
