| Empowering Youth to be Evaluators: Involving Young People in Evaluating a Museum-Based Youth Development Program |
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Poster Presentation 139 to be held Wednesday, Nov 11, 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
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| Presenter(s):
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| Amy Grack Nelson, Science Museum of Minnesota, agnelson@smm.org
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| Abstract:
Museums strive to improve the experience young people have in their institutions, but youth are rarely included as collaborators in evaluation. Hear how youth participatory evaluation was used in an out-of-school youth development and employment program at the Science Museum of Minnesota's Kitty Andersen Youth Science Center. Summative evaluation data was shared with youth through a series of evaluation workshops where they learned about evaluation, made their own meaning of the data, generated recommendations, and ultimately took more ownership and control of their program. As a result of the process, youth were empowered to lead their own evaluation of museum activities with visitors. The poster will share factors that led to the successful use of a participatory process and the resulting benefits to the program manager and youth.
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