Now is Better Than Later

Democratizing Evaluation: Lessons Learned in the Youth Development Sector

Image from Chicago Wears Condoms Campaign (2015)

Introduction

  • The engagement and satisfaction of youth participants
  • Which type of implementation approaches work best and which do not
  • Identify areas for improvement, training, or adaptation
  • Which parts of a program to expand, modify or cut

PART I Challenges We Must Overcome

Evaluation: Members Only

Practitioner & Evaluator: Out of Sync

A Mandate Without Purpose

Process Evaluation Requires Funding

Part II: Chicago Wears Condoms

“Stay safe when you go downtown”

Final Version of the Ad Campaign for Chicago Wears Condoms

Beneath the Surface…

If we were asked to replicate the campaign: in a new city, with a new staff and a new group of youth we couldn’t share which inputs and practices worked best or provide other documented lessons learned to make the next campaign even better.

Part III: Two Case Studies Where We Got It Right

321 Education Foundation: The Big Impacts of Practitioner-Led Evaluation

Primary School Teacher In her Classroom in Hyderabad, India
Primary School Teacher with Her 2nd Grade Classroom in Hyderabad, India

Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Youth Institute: A Participatory Approach

  1. Build buy-in to the evaluation process and anticipation of the results with all practitioners and youth participants.
  2. Foster trust in the data and information used, but ask for feedback early in the process on the approach to collecting data.
  3. Be very conscious and aware at every step in the process of the implicit biases at play in the interpretation of any information or data.
  4. All survey questions, tools, and systems to analyze the data must be open to feedback and change if it led to improvement of the program and experience of youth participants.
  • The assessment system needed to be simple & easy to implement
  • Lots of dialogue of WHY & HOW the evaluation would be mutually beneficial for both practitioners and youth participants
  • After each survey, within one week, results & next steps were communicated to youth participants.

Conclusion

Stay Tuned…

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Praxis integrates theory and practice to engage, empower, and embolden communities to be agents in the creation of their individual and collective wellbeing.

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Praxis Institute

Praxis integrates theory and practice to engage, empower, and embolden communities to be agents in the creation of their individual and collective wellbeing.