Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Hello, AEA365 community! Liz DiLuzio here, Lead Curator of the blog. This week is Individuals Week, which means we take a break from our themed weeks and spotlight the Hot Tips, Cool Tricks, Rad Resources and Lessons Learned from any evaluator interested in sharing. Would you like to contribute to future individuals weeks? Email me at AEA365@eval.org with an idea or a draft and we will make it happen.
I’m Dr. Cristin Rollins, President and evaluator at Statement House and Founding Director at Character Impact Lab. I partner with youth-serving organizations to design learning systems that make space for how young people think, feel, and make meaning. Over the years, youth cabinets have become a consistent feature of my work. I have seen firsthand how cabinet voice helps ensure we are asking the right questions, and how cabinet interpretation helps findings carry meaning in real contexts and real lives.
Youth often enter evaluation spaces built entirely around adult structures—adult schedules, adult language, adult norms about who speaks first and whose interpretation carries weight. We design meetings around banker’s hours. We write surveys in professionalized language. We expect young people to adapt to systems they did not create. When youth help shape learning questions, review wording, and interpret patterns, evaluation becomes more relevant and more grounded. Youth notice what feels off. They clarify what matters most. They explain how programs are experienced on the ground. Those insights shape what we measure, how we interpret data, and how findings are ultimately used.
Designing for youth voice requires adults to shift both structures and mindsets. Accessibility matters. So does compensation. When youth cabinets contribute directly to evaluation quality and meaning-making, compensation becomes part of responsible evaluation practice.
Youth cabinet members contribute time, preparation, and interpretation. Compensation communicates that this contribution is valued as expertise. Paid participation supports consistent engagement and broadens access for youth whose economic circumstances limit unpaid involvement. Compensation also reinforces shared expectations around attendance and preparation, which strengthens learning over time.
Organizations use several approaches to compensate youth while aligning with legal and fiscal requirements. Common options include stipends issued with guardian consent, prepaid debit cards, peer-to-peer payment platforms commonly used by youth (such as Cash App), gift cards tied to participation milestones, or payments routed through caregivers. Clear documentation of purpose, expectations, and consent supports transparency. Early coordination with finance and legal teams prevents confusion later. Thoughtful payment systems signal that the organization is willing to adjust its own structures to make youth participation feasible.
Youth voice requires adult shifts. Meeting times, communication styles, decision-making norms, and assumptions about authority all influence whether youth contributions carry weight. Compensation is one structural shift. Clear roles, visible feedback loops, and shared language are others. When adults examine how their systems operate and adjust them intentionally, youth participation becomes more sustainable. Evaluation quality improves when youth interpretation is integrated into analysis plan from the beginning.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Authentic Youth Engagement resources describe compensation as part of shared power and meaningful participation. Search Institute offers research on developmental relationships and conditions that support youth contribution and engagement. The Forum for Youth Investment’s guide How to Pay Young People outlines equity-focused considerations for compensating youth, including minors.
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