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Session Title: Storytelling in Program Evaluation: Putting the Timeless Miracles Into the Particulars of Experience
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Panel Session 846 to be held in Carroll Room on Saturday, November 10, 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM
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Sponsored by the Collaborative, Participatory & Empowerment Evaluation TIG
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| Chair(s): |
| Nuria Ciofalo,
The California Endowment,
nciofalo@calendow.org
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| Abstract:
The awareness of the need to develop culturally appropriate evaluation approaches has promoted new ways of assessing program impacts. Some of these innovative evaluation approaches have focused on the inclusion of diverse voices and perspectives through the use of popular knowledge. Others are increasing the evaluation capacity of grassroots organizations to utilize their own resources and ways of learning and reflecting to conduct their own evaluations. Storytelling is one of these emerging, innovative, and culturally appropriate evaluation approaches. This presentation will describe four forms of storytelling: (1) the narrative approach as found in reports written by grantees to describe their grant accomplishments, (2) an innovative way of telling "digital stories" using technology, (3) community-based organizations' stories applied to evaluation, and (4) the use of popular theater as a community learning and evaluation tool.
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Why Include Stories in Program Evaluation?
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| Joseph Tobin,
Arizona State University,
jtobin@asu.edu
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Storytelling is found in every culture, but that does not mean that each culture tells the same kind of stories in the same way. If storytelling is to be allowed and encouraged in the program evaluations serving multicultural groups, we should allow, encourage, and expect the tellers of these stories to do so in culturally patterned ways. To be a good storyteller requires learning the cultural conventions and mastering culturally specific forms of stories. Even amateur storytellers when they tell stories cannot help but to draw on storytelling conventions of their culture. Thus, storytelling values and respects diverse ways of knowing and learning, is empowering and participatory, and based on popular knowledge. Stories can be used effectively in program evaluations alongside statistics and surveys. They can help figure out what's working, what's not and why within the particularities of unique cultural contexts, including stakeholders' voices and perspectives
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Digital Storytelling: Empowering Community Residents to Tell Their Stories and Getting Funders to Listen and Act Upon These Stories
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| Zoe Clayson,
Abundantia Consulting,
zclayson@abundatia.org
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Photovoice is a participatory research and popular education methodology that employs photographs to explore complex concepts. It involves community members in three consecutive processes: taking photographs that illustrate participants' responses to research questions, sorting and verbally processing the photographs in an interactive group setting, and relaying the resulting themes and concepts to initiative stakeholders and the community. The central assumption behind photovoice is that images can tell stories, teach, and inspire dialogue in ways that words often cannot. This becomes particularly salient in contexts in which multiple languages, literacy levels, and cultural assumptions are present. Photographs can also influence policy by documenting and communicating community members' needs and perspectives. This paper will present a photovoice project conducted by Abundantia Consulting in 2006 for the California Endowment's Poder Popular initiative. The photograph analysis allowed residents to share their views and encouraged 'bottom-up' dialogue.
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Community-based Organizations Tell their Stories
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| Michael Lyde,
Role of Men,
mlyde562@charter.net
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| Larry Ginn,
Role of Men,
larry_guinn@longbeach.gov
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This session will describe the timeless miracles into the particulars of experience. Grantees of The California Endowment who have used storytelling will describe their experiences in using this tool in program evaluation, community learning, and community advocacy.
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Popular Theater: Moving Ahead with Storytelling and Social Change
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| Mily Trevino,
Organizacion en California de Lideres Campesinas,
milyliderescampesinas@msn.com
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Grantees of The California Endowment will describe their timeless miracles into the particulars of experience through the use of popular theater. This strategy, applied to evaluation, can not only stimulate community learning but also spark community action for social change.
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