Within the scope of the "Civil Society Sector and Social Impact: Innovative Model in Social Impact Assessment" project carried out by the Social Innovation Center of Ankara Social Sciences University (SSUA-SIC) with the support of TÜBİTAK 3005, the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) Training Program was organized between 11-16 November 2024.

This six-day, 36-hour training aimed to provide theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the field of social impact assessment. The training was carried out with the participation of researchers, academicians, representatives from the public, private sector and civil society organizations, and at the end of the training, participants were given an e-government-approved certificate.

The program consisted of six sessions and each session focused on a specific theme. In the first session, the basic concepts of social impact and SIA were discussed, and the objectives, scope and different areas of use of SIA were explained in detail. In the second session, the research methods, sampling techniques and data collection processes used in SIA studies were emphasized.

In the third session, different design approaches used in social impact research, data collection tools and how secondary data sources can be used were discussed. In the fourth session, the SIA process, which includes planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation stages, was comprehensively covered and practical exercises were conducted on topics such as stakeholder analysis, scope determination, target and indicator selection.

In the fifth session, methods for quantitative and qualitative data analysis were explained in detail. Methods such as regression were discussed within the scope of quantitative data analysis, and techniques such as content analysis and theme creation were discussed in qualitative analysis. In the last session, participants had the opportunity to apply what they learned in practice through case studies and group studies, and received feedback by presenting their prepared SIA projects.

The program provided a comprehensive and practical experience for participants who wanted to develop their knowledge and skills in the field of social impact assessment and ended with a general evaluation.