Inclusive & Participatory Evaluation Methods to Increase Participant Voice, Data Utilization and Balance Power

Abstract Information: Too often, evaluation happens to an organization, and results are rarely seen or acted upon for improvement. The impact of traditional top-down evaluations discourages participation and destroys trust in the process, results, and organization. By not engaging staff and participants in creating and implementing evaluation activities, programs never improve and could end up doing more harm than good. However, there are simple and innovative ways to ensure end users and those impacted most by the program are part of the process and mitigate gaps in understanding data and how it can be used. This presentation will review various participatory approaches that have increased evaluative thinking, ownership of data, and readiness of staff, leadership, and participants to incorporate evaluation into everyday operations. The participants will learn how to use snacks to teach data collection, analysis, and visualization to young people; how using Legos® can build equity in strategy development; and how to gamify pre- and post-tests that are rooted in rigor. These approaches have led to research questions centered in relevant experience, uprooting power dynamics and putting people at the center of the process. This demonstration will be interactive and allow audience members to participate in the methods discussed and bring their own methods for ensuring participatory evaluations.