This was an innovative submission for the AES Indigenous Evaluation Award. The submission was not for the conduct of a particular evaluation, nor for the commonly recognised types of evaluative thinking process documentation such as a monitoring and evaluation plan.
This Award recognises the company’s holistic approach to developing its Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Framework and how it has shaped the organisational settings. We have awarded the nomination as an example of an excellent evaluation product that has been prepared and used by a privately-owned Indigenous Australian monitoring and evaluation company. The company is courageously embarking on influencing the qualities and competitiveness of the Indigenous evaluation market through a culturally specific research, monitoring and evaluation framework. It employs a model of economic independence to build upon the growing national commitment to improve the quality of Indigenous-related programs and services through better evaluation. Curijo’s commitment has translated into measured organisational staffing structures, staff training in philosophical and practical Indigenous methodological approaches, as well as provision of community support beyond the requirements of the commercial contract. The internal application of the model against the business is still developing but it is excellent to see an Indigenous research and evaluation company that has developed a holistic, cross cultural approach to centring Indigenous perspectives, priorities and knowledges.
This company is making a significant contribution to promoting the accountability and learning functions of Indigenous evaluation, as a means to realising beneficial impacts and self-determination for the First Nations peoples of Australia.