Five reasons I recommend the Data Basic materials to non-profits
Databasic.io is a set of tools and workshop plans designed to help organisations kickstart their data culture. The project is the brainchild of Catherine D’Ignazio and Rahul Bhargava. I’ve been using their materials to run workshops for several years and I’m a massive fan.
Here are five reasons I think you should become a fan too.
1. Databasic promotes data fluency
When we think about data training opportunities, we typically think of showing people how to undertake advanced analytics and use complicated technology, managing data pipelines in Python for example, or building PowerBI dashboards.
Databasic isn’t trying to give people hard data skills. Instead it helps to give people the confidence and fluency to understand, talk about and challenge data concepts. This, in my experience, is often the missing step when organisations want to get better at using data.
2. Databasic is fun
Imagine the last data related course you went on it (let’s face it, it was probably 120 minutes of being terrified by the consequences of a GDPR breach).
Databasic is nothing like that. It’s fun. Not in a “really maths is fun if you think about it in the right way” way, but in an ordinary, human way. People really enjoy taking part in these workshops. And not just data people, I’ve run these workshops with creative professionals, marketing specialists, HR teams and loads of other non-data specialists.
3. Databasic gives people a way in to some BIG questions
Hard to understand, nerdy concepts like text analysis or network graphs are already impacting on society as a whole and on individual organisations. Nonprofits really need to be able to engage with these issues in their fields of operation, but these are very techy topics.
Databasic has workshops that aim to give people a handle on these concepts, but not by showing them maths. Instead we ask people to write a duet between different bands. Try it, it will make perfect sense.
4. Databasic helps people tell and read data stories
Storytelling is a strong theme running through several databasic.io workshop plans. We often don’t think of stories in the context of data, and using this framing can be really powerful in giving people confidence to communicate their analysis and insights. It’s equally powerful in giving people the tools to critically evaluate the stories that others tell them using data.
5. Databasic is now available in Welsh
Here at Data Orchard, we’ve been working with Data Cymru to help make databasic.io available for Welsh organisations. Data Cymru funded the translation of the workshop materials and together we’ve gone further, identifying datasets that are more resonate and are relevant to the people of Wales. The bilingual and localised materials are available right now for anyone in Wales to use for free at datacymru.databasic.io.
With our support, Data Cymru is also offering DataBasicCymru+, a facilitated training package for cohorts of people within organisations. Find out more at data.cymru/eng/databasiccymru
If you’d like to learn more, come along to our free webinar on 29 June 2021. You’ll get a chance to try a DataBasicCymru exercise, hear a bit more about Data Orchard’s experiences running workshops in Wales and beyond, and find out what it is available through DataBasicCymru+.
If you’re outside Wales and would like a facilitated training package based on databasic.io materials please do get in touch, I’d love to chat about this.