From Movement to Moment: Case Study

Spirit of 2012

The Client

Spirit of 2012

The Project

Across 2019-2020, inFocus conducted research for Spirit of 2012 to understand how community events best inspire social action.

Spirit of 2012 was born out of a large-scale event – the London Olympic and Paralympic Games – and the Spirit of 2012 theory of change sets out their belief that events can be the ‘sparks’ for wider social change.

This process does not happen automatically, however; and the research explored how ‘moments’ (community events) lead to ‘movements’ (longer-term social action that connects back to the ‘spirit’ of the original event). The research also sought to determine the key components of events that make this more likely.

Three Spirit of 2012 grantees with extensive experience of running and/or supporting community events were the main contributors and partners in the research: The Jo Cox Foundation; Springboard Opportunities Ltd (Springboard); and WOW – Women of the World. All three organisations were also chosen due to their experience of providing evidence of outcomes from the events.

The Research

The research followed a theory-based, qualitative approach using primary and secondary data to develop an evidence-based understanding of the different ways in which community events generate longer-term impact for people attending them and the host communities. The research also sought to define limitations and external factors that can affect the success of the events. Lastly, the research explored best practices in relation to the ‘ingredients’ that need to be in place for events to generate impact. 

The research involved three main activities prior to the development of this report: a ‘light’ literature review, the development of a ‘Moment to Movement’ theory of change, and field visits and telephone interviews engaging with 53 respondents.

The research resulted in three outputs that share practical lessons from the research you can access here, or through the links below.

Free e-Learning course

This free e-learning course includes practical advice on how to ensure that community events lead to participants taking long-term action to address social issues.

The course includes videos, articles, games and interactive exercises and on average takes around 60 to 90 minutes to complete. 

Webinar recording

On the 18th November, inFocus and Spirit of 2012 ran a 90-minute webinar to share the results from the Moment to Movement research and get feedback from participants from around the world on how to design events to lead to longer-term action.  

The webinar included a presentation from Kim Leadbetter, Ambassador for the Jo Cox Foundation, sharing their extensive experience on designing and running events. You can access the recording from the webinar via the button below as well as the presentation here and comments from participants here.

Report

The findings and practical advice from the Moment to Movement research is covered in detail in the 40-page report below. 

The report covers the same content as the eLearning course above in written format, including the ideal conditions in which events lead to longer-term action in participants, the barriers to this and practical steps that individuals and organisations running events can take to ensure this action happens. 

Want to see more?

On the link below you can check out another case study from the Prevention+ Programme, for our clients Rutgers, Promundo US and Sonke Gender Justice.

Similarly to our work with Spirit, we’re delighted to have been able to offer free learning materials with permission from the party organisations to share knowledge and best-practice in efforts to improve IMM application in the wider field.