The Soares dos Reis National Museum has joined the Commitment to the Social Impact of Cultural Organisations (CISOC), a measure implemented as part of the National Arts Plan, and is the first National Museum to join the structure.
This new support tool aims to help cultural organisations plan their activities and self-evaluate, identifying their needs and potential, as well as analysing and monitoring the results achieved.
‘The process of transforming the Soares dos Reis National Museum is underway and the results are already visible and measurable. Joining this platform [CISOC] is an important step to help consolidate the path we’ve been following, as well as to validate the strategic options already implemented and for the future,’ says António Ponte, Director of the Soares dos Reis National Museum.
As one of the organisations participating in the testing of indicators for this innovative platform, the Soares dos Reis National Museum held its first internal working meeting this week to present the objectives and methodologies to be adopted for the implementation and validation of the objectives set out in the Charter of Principles of the Commitment to Social Impact of Cultural Organisations.
The CISOC corresponds to the formulation of a public policy measure in the 2019-2024 Strategic Plan of the National Arts Plan, as part of the Cultural Policy axis and the Impact and Sustainability Programme.
The actions of cultural organisations generate social impacts that can respond to needs, change and benefit society. Impacts expand cultural participation, promote civic connections, strengthen knowledge, reinforce links with the education system and contribute to change. However, the assessment of social impact in cultural organisations is still insufficient, which is why the CISOC platform was developed precisely to address the lack of management tools to support the design of strategies based on credible and reliable indicators and data.