C04: Enhancing Learning Through Relationship Building
Track
Strengthening Relationships
Session Designer
Trilby Smith, Vancouver Foudation
Session Description
As grantmakers, we recognize the importance of building relationships with our grantees, but how do we adequately extend that thinking to our approaches to evaluation and learning? By establishing relationships with grantees based on trust and treating them as critical partners in learning, we both get access to better information that informs and improves our work. In this session, Vancouver Foundation will share its approach to learning used in its “Fostering Change” initiative focused on youth aging out of foster care. As part of their commitment to build open relationships and improve together, the foundation and grantees developed a shared learning and evaluation agenda. Speakers will share lessons learned during implementation and describe the conditions that made the agenda possible and how learning together has enhanced their process, relationships and results. Join this session to explore how shared approaches to learning and evaluation can serve an important role in building relationships and brainstorm with peers how to overcome inherent tensions.
Session Designers
Trilby Smith, Vancouver Foundation
Speakers
![[photo]](https://8ca84662c5b8f0cff50d-4baaaf97d63fd7b01243e1b1c57f0cc1.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/1086/profile_d772aca13e6fd83778deb95faeb0723e.png "Trilby Smith, Vancouver Foundation")
Trilby Smith, Vancouver Foundation
Biography
Trilby is the Lead Evaluator for the Youth Engagement portfolio at Vancouver Foundation. She is an accomplished and passionate evaluation professional with over 15 years of experience in the field, and has worked as a consultant as well as in the philanthropic sector. She loves relationship-building, complexity and messiness. Trilby is driven by the core value of involving those most impacted by evaluation in the learning process. Originally from Vancouver, Trilby has also studied, lived and worked in Boston, New York and Florida.
![[photo]](https://8ca84662c5b8f0cff50d-4baaaf97d63fd7b01243e1b1c57f0cc1.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/1250/profile_ef99f158981f8c25c2795a5c2d81d76f.png "Drew Stewart, Aunt Leah’s Place")
Drew Stewart, Aunt Leah’s Place
Biography
Drew is Development Officer at Aunt Leah’s Place, an organization that has provided housing, employment and educational supports to foster youth in Vancouver, Canada since 1988. Drew is tasked with tracking outcomes, sourcing funding, and creating programs that support youth after they ‘age out’ of foster care and transition to adulthood. He was raised in a family that housed many foster children – later he worked as a Support Worker for foster youth transitioning out of care. He graduated from the London School of Economics with an MSc in Development Management, researching strategies for helping marginalized populations receive equality of opportunity.
![[photo]](https://8ca84662c5b8f0cff50d-4baaaf97d63fd7b01243e1b1c57f0cc1.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/1170/profile_544f77ec46072f68c38cb0585033bf98.png "Ashley Crossan, Fostering Change Youth Advisory Circle Member")
Ashley Crossan, Fostering Change Youth Advisory Circle Member
Biography
Ashley Crossan is a youth advisor for Vancouver Foundation’s Fostering Change initiative. Ashley is a youth staff member at Leave Out Violence, a non-profit organization that provides young people with media tools and opportunities to express themselves and promote the message of non-violence in their communities. She's an artist and activist. Ashley is super passionate about bettering outcomes for youth exiting the foster care system, meaningful youth engagement, granting, and desserts.