BLASTFest

BLASTFest

BLASTFest, founded by Anita Shervington, is a community engagement platform that merges science, arts, and Black culture to foster social change. BLASTFest’s mission is to amplify science, creative, and cultural capital within Black communities through activities hosted at diverse community spaces. The organisation collaborates with Black artists, organisers, and storytellers to create multimedia public engagement experiences alongside scientists, researchers, and engineers.

The Problem

The "Girls Count Project" aims to close the maths attainment gap for Black girls from lower socioeconomic backgrounds in Birmingham and beyond. The project focuses on regular attendance and experiential learning to enhance mathematical identities, STEM exposure opportunities, career pathway support, and leadership skills. However, capturing the impact of these interventions poses a significant challenge.

To demonstrate the effectiveness of the interventions within the "Girls Count Project," a comprehensive economic modelling approach is essential. What information needs to be gathered to realise this model and how is this information best presented to encourage further funding?

Despite high engagement during events, traditional surveys and forms often remain unfilled, making it difficult to gather quantitative feedback. Participants, however, express their thoughts passionately through conversations. Therefore, innovative methods such as audio recordings, video submissions, or other feedback mechanisms inspired by journalism are necessary to capture these viewpoints effectively. The project also aims to model and predict the effectiveness of interventions, focusing on their social and economic impact on society at large.

Data Identification

To evaluate the impact of interventions, it is crucial to determine the key data points that need to be collected during interventions. This includes attendance, engagement levels, and pre- and post-intervention surveys. A systematic framework for collecting and storing this data will be required.

Innovative Feedback Mechanisms

Given the low response rate to traditional surveys, the project will explore methods for capturing and analysing qualitative feedback. These methods could include:

• Audio Recordings

• Video Submissions

• Digital Storytelling

Guidelines and tools will be developed to facilitate these innovative feedback mechanisms, making it easy for participants to share their thoughts.

Model Development

Using the collected data, what preliminary model can be constructed to predict the effectiveness of interventions? This model will use hypothetical scenarios and expert input to estimate potential impact coefficients. What hypothetical scenarios are most important to consider? The model should focus on understanding how various factors influence the outcomes of interventions.

Optimisation Insights

Despite the lack of comprehensive historical data, the problem would ideally provide recommendations on optimising interventions and allocating resources efficiently. The approach will include formulating strategies to incrementally improve the model as more data becomes available.

Social and Economic Impact Assessment

The problem could analyse the broader social and economic impact of the interventions. This analysis will highlight potential long-term benefits such as increased participation in STEM fields, higher earning potential, and greater employability. By understanding these impacts, the project aims to demonstrate the value of interventions not only for individual participants but also for society at large.

Implementation Plan

A detailed implementation plan or preparation for one to be developed, including guidelines for data collection, model refinement, and the integration of innovative feedback mechanisms. This plan will outline timelines, resource requirements, and potential challenges, providing a roadmap for ongoing improvement.

By focusing on identifying relevant data, capturing qualitative feedback, and developing a predictive model, the "Girls Count Project" aims to enhance the effectiveness of its interventions. This will lead to improved maths attitudes and attainment among Black girls, increased participation in STEM fields, higher earning potential, greater employability, and better life outcomes. The project will empower individual girls and address broader societal disparities through informed, data-driven decisions and innovative feedback mechanisms.