Evaluators’ Self-Care and Advocacy When Working to Change the System, Promote Equitable Practices, and Amplify Voices

With the increased emphasis on equity and culturally responsive approach, many organizations have recognized and prioritized the need to involve and engage diverse perspectives especially of those who have been historically underrepresented or oppressed. While a crucial step, so much more work is needed to realize equity and inclusion. The nature of this work resembles inside activism. Both internal and external evaluators juggle multiple considerations and face many hurdles working in or with systems and organizational cultures that have fed oppression, power imbalances, and inequities. They make tough decisions in delicate situations to ensure that unheard voices are amplified and included with minimal burden or risk of exacerbating oppression. All the while, they are balancing myriad considerations from evaluator’s guiding principles, standards, and approaches (e.g., culturally responsive and equitable practices, evaluative thinking, reflective practices, and organizational learning). Evaluators who have been doing this work may feel tired (or worst burntout) while new and emerging evaluators may struggle to navigate the reality of such context that is far from the ideals and best practices they learned. Furthermore, evaluators from unrepresented populations may be facing oppressive situations while doing the work to fight it. Some evaluators have created informal spaces and community to support each other. This interactive session seeks to find a space for self-care and self-advocacy and to find possible answers to a wicked problem: how do I influence change, keep fighting the fight, and amplify others' and my voice WHILE upholding my values and tending to my needs and wellbeing? Participants will discuss in small groups their lived experience and support for one another, and share lessons learned with the large groups. Instead of a situation they had encountered, participants may choose to discuss using case examples of scenarios, characters’ positionality, and evaluation context.