| Session Title: Moving "The Movement" Forward: Evaluation as a Critical Tool in Furthering the Work of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community and Programs |
| Think Tank Session 577 to be held in La Jolla on Friday, Nov 4, 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM |
| Sponsored by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Issues TIG |
| Presenter(s): |
| Joseph Kosciw, Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, jkosciw@glsen.org |
| Discussant(s): |
| Emily Greytak, Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, egreytak@glsen.org |
| Elizabeth Diaz, Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, ediaz@glsen.org |
| Abstract: Partnerships between the community programs and researchers can be critical for helping to understand efforts to address health and social problems within specific communities and can result in more effective programs and a better evaluation of effects. For the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community/communities, evaluation is often not integrated in development and delivery of programs seeking to improve life experiences for community members. Yet within the national LGBT movement, there has been interest in promoting coordination and collaboration among organizations in order to maximize use of resources and to ensure integrated (not competing) programming. The purpose of this Think Tank is to capitalize on the experiences and knowledge of expert evaluators interested in and working on LGBT programmatic issues in order to strategize and plan effective interventions to advocate and promote evaluation of efforts by LGBT organizations as well as inclusion of LGBT issues/identities in non-LGBT specific evaluations. |