Formative Evaluator's Report: Bridging the Gap, Phase II

Challenges:

  • the Executive Director of the BDDB personally challenged RNDA on the "intrusive and invasive" role they were playing in the project;
  • the Project Co–ordinator was one of the most inexperienced of all the Project Co–ordinators and sometimes found it difficult to deal with all the challenges she faced. This caused stress at several points of the program;
  • the spouses of the two owners were clients of Bridging the Gap and were the first ones to gain employment at the end of the project. It can be argued they would have gotten the employment regardless. As of July 2003, one other person from Bridging the Gap is working at Coastal Growers, and others are called in on an as needed basis.
  • the group tried to plan a field trip to Nova Scotia to visit a similar operation, but they were refused permission to transfer funds within their budget. There were many miscommunications about this, in terms of whose "fault" it was, but the end result was a degree of frustration and bitterness between the clients, the Project Co–ordinator, the CLN and RNDA. The decision on funding was with the funding agency.
  • the CLN was not "knit together" by the Project Co–ordinator (under original instruction of the Executive Director of the BDDB) until the second project sponsor, the Community Education Network assumed their responsibilities.

Achievements

  • Once the project sponsor changed from the BDDB to the Community Education Network, things moved along much more smoothly and the entire team took much more control over the project.
  • The College provided superlative support and services (as they did in all sites) often with the Associate District Administrator, the Community Relations Officer, the Academic Instructor, other instructors and the Student Services Counselor all pitching in to ensure the project ran smoothly.
  • For many of the participants, this project was one of the greatest rays of hope and accomplishment of their lives. For some, it was the first time they had ever earned an income and had the opportunity to learn in a structured environment as an adult. While few received employment from the employment partner, some plan to continue taking ABE to get their high school education, based upon their newfound self–confidence in learning.