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Session Title: Youth Participatory Evaluation: Models, Strategies, and Outcomes
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Panel Session 278 to be held in Wekiwa 5 on Thursday, Nov 12, 10:55 AM to 12:25 PM
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Sponsored by the Collaborative, Participatory & Empowerment Evaluation TIG
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| Chair(s): |
| Jane Powers, Cornell University, jlp5@cornell.edu
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| Discussant(s):
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| Shep Zeldin, University of Wisconsin, rszeldin@facstaff.wisc.edu
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| Abstract:
This session will focus on an approach that engages young people in evaluating the programs designed to serve them and in conducting research on issues and experiences which affect their lives. Although participatory approaches have been used for decades, involving adolescents is a relatively recent phenomenon, but one which is becoming increasingly visible. Three projects will be presented which have used different youth participatory evaluation models and which have engaged youth in a wide range of evaluation roles. All projects used their evaluation data to create change at the program, organizational, and community level. Presenters will describe the strategies used, the evaluation outcomes, and the benefits of the approach for young people, programs, communities, and the practice of evaluation. Participants will be encouraged to discuss the potential application of the approach to current work and future projects.
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Speaking for Themselves: Multicultural Participatory Evaluation With Young People
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| Katie Richards-Schuster, University of Michigan, kers@umich.edu
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What are the lessons learned from a multicultural participatory evaluation with young people? This presentation will draw on findings from a youth participatory evaluation project that involved a multi-racial team of youth developing knowledge about young people's perspective on race, ethnicity, and segregation in a major metropolitan region and evaluating the impact of a program designed to increase intergroup dialogue, challenge segregation, and create change.
This represents a model for examining the importance and impact of multicultural participatory evaluation with young people, highlighting the importance of age and race as critical factors in information gathering and analysis, and recognizing the importance of opening opportunities for new voices in creating knowledge about diversity and community.
The presentation will focus on the process of the evaluation as a case example for discussion. It will discuss the evaluation process, lessons learned, facilitating and limiting factors, impact and outcomes, and observations for future practice.
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Organizing Ourselves: Working With Youth to Assess Their
Organizational Structures
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| Kim Sabo Flores, Kim Sabo Consulting, kimsabo@aol.com
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Over the past decade there has been a proliferation of youth led and youth run organizations both nationally and internationally.
However, these organizations often have similar hierarchical structures as those found in adult organizations, with a limited number of youth in leadership roles. This presentation will share work being done in three separate projects that are engaging young people in the process of critically assessing and reflecting on their organizational structures and how they support or prevent inclusive youth participation. The audience will learn more about successes and challenges of engaging youth in this work and will have the chance to review organizational assessments developed by young people.
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Conducting a Community Needs Assessment in Collaboration With Homeless Youth
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| Jane Powers, Cornell University, jlp5@cornell.edu
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A participatory approach was used to conduct a community needs assessment on the scope and nature of youth homelessness. We collaborated with a group of formerly homeless youth to carry out the study. The youth were involved in all aspects of the project from designing the tools and methodology, to recruiting subjects, collecting the data, interpreting the findings, and presenting results to key community stakeholders. Youth participation was integral to the success of this project: it enabled us to gather data on a hard-to-reach population, deepened understanding of the findings, and led to increased community awareness and system level change. The multiple benefits of this approach will be discussed as a strategy to promote positive youth development, advance knowledge, impact policy, and improve services for homeless youth.
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