For Shklovsky, art extends life–by making the familiar unfamiliar, it invigorates our attention and in so doing ensures that even minor things make an impression on us. Who among us hasn’t driven or walked a familiar path, only to arrive at the destination with no memory of the trip? Art has the capacity to remind us of the curve in the road, even the sound of cars driving by.
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Inspired by Ann Kowal Smith’s previous reflection on the power of experience, Books@Work Board member Karen Nestor reflects on the ways in which that experience is compounded through social interaction of the sort provided in Books@Work seminars. She writes, “In Books@Work we have seen the exponential power that is unleashed when people share their life experience with others in new ways and begin to challenge their assumptions about the world and each other.”
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Often lost in the conversation about what tools, systems and approaches to adopt in order to achieve particular outcomes is the experience of the individual being served. The voice of the beneficiary is a very valuable gauge of a program’s impact. By interviewing participants in Books@Work programs, we learn so much about the impact of the seminar experience, both for individuals and for groups.
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As we consider our highest priorities – program growth and reaching more community settings – our most important measure remains the experience of the individual. Learning from the stories of our participants, we aspire to focus much of our work next year on assessment and evaluation – to improve the program and begin to gauge its results along the three dimensions we care most about: personal growth, company outcomes and community impact.
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We are pleased to release our 2013 Social Impact Report, detailing our progress from our inception to December 31, 2013. During that time, we served 230 participants in 17 programs in five companies, partnering with professors from six colleges in four states. As we release the report, our numbers have already increased steadily on all dimensions, and the stories we hear from participants, professors and employers continue to assure us that we are on the right track. As we strive to scale our program and our impact, we pause to appreciate the support we have received from our donors and our partners. Thank you.
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Happy New Year from all of us at Books@Work. As we close the books on 2013, I cannot help but reflect back on the prior year. Nothing has occupied my thoughts and energies more this past year than Books@Work. 2013 was intended to prove that the program works in multiple industries, with diverse participants and a wide array of reading materials. And prove it we did! As we embark on 2014, we are all excited to take the program to the next level.
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There is nothing quite as engaging as getting lost in a good book. We talk about becoming one with the characters, absorbed in the story – even feeling an odd sense of loss when we have finished the book and our lives move on. As we absorb ourselves in the story, what is really happening inside our brains?
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