Return to search form  

Session Title: Participatory Evaluation Approaches With Latino and Indigenous Populations

Panel Session 747 to be held in Hopkins Room on Saturday, November 10, 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM

Sponsored by the Indigenous Peoples in Evaluation TIG

Chair(s):

David payday loan  Dobrowski payday loan ,  First 5 Monterey County,  david@first5monterey.org

Discussant(s):

Edward payday loan  Kissam payday loan ,  JBS International Inc,  ekissam@jbsinternational.com

Abstract: A growing segment of the farm worker and U.S. populations are from indigenous communities from the southern Mexican states of Oaxaca, Chiapas and Guerrero. These individuals often speak no English and limited Spanish. They also have cultures which differ from Spanish-dominant communities and from each other, which can create communications challenges that go beyond language alone. Providing and evaluating health, education and social services to this population requires culturally and linguistically appropriate approaches. Participatory evaluation approaches can help improve the ability of these communities to access services and provide feedback. This session will describe three participatory evaluation methods with indigenous and/or Latino immigrant populations in Northern California.

Inclusion of Indigenous Community Members in County-wide Participatory Strategic Planning Process David payday loan  Dobrowski payday loan ,  First 5 Monterey County,  david@first5monterey.org First 5 Monterey County believes that community members hold the knowledge needed to define needs for resource allocation and capacity building. Therefore a participatory strategic planning process has defined the community visions and outcomes. Between March-December 2006 more than 1,000 individuals from diverse communities in Monterey County participated with their voices, experiences, and perspectives in the design of the new strategic plan. These included iterative large town hall meetings including Triqui and Mixteco community members. We will discuss ways in which funding processes have been created to be more inclusive of indigenous communities, how participation in community-wide events was facilitated and how programs were designed in culturally appropriate ways.

Participatory Evaluation Techniques Training Indigenous Community Members to Facilitate Focus Groups: Process, Key Findings, and Lessons Learned James payday loan  Glasnapp payday loan ,  JBS International Inc,  jglasnapp@jbsinternational.com Amparo payday loan  Bustos-Navarro payday loan ,  JBS International Inc,  abustos@jbsinternational.com As the Mexican indigenous population continues to grow in Monterey County, California, so do the challenges facing organizations offering services to them. First 5 Monterey County (F5MC) wanted to evaluate the effectiveness of their services for indigenous Mexican immigrants of Triqui and Mixteco communities, using a participatory approach that capitalized on the skills of local indigenous community members. The goal of this evaluation was to identify the impact of services provided by two community based organization funded by F5MC that serve indigenous populations. This session will describe the participatory evaluation approach used, describe the training that occurred with local indigenous bilingual volunteers (in Spanish and their indigenous language of Mixteco or Triqui), present key results and lessons learned.

The Use of Photovoice as a Participatory Evaluation Method in Diverse Communities Maricela payday loan  Piņa payday loan ,  Harder & Company Community Research,  mpina@harderco.com Evaluation operates in dynamic environments that are constantly reconfigured to adapt to the economic, social, political, and cultural realities. Evaluations must respond to current contextual factors and community needs. Use of participatory evaluation methods in working with culturally diverse populations is one approach that has been used to respond to such needs and contexts. Photovoice is an innovative participatory evaluation method pioneered by Caroline Wang in her work with underrepresented communities. This method actively engages participants to document their own realities including the strengths and concerns of their communities through the use of cameras and reflection. Photovoice offers evaluators a potential method for ensuring that all stakeholder's voices are captured. This presentation will discuss the use o fPhotovoice in a diverse urban community and highlight the lessons learned from implementing this method. Potential applications of Photovoice with rural indigenous and/or Latino immigrant populations will also be discussed.