151 - Passing the power: Utilizing youth-led conversations to improve evaluation practices

Abstract Information: The role of a program evaluator is to gather information about the thoughts and experiences of individuals impacted by the program and use the findings to inform program improvement. However, participants in the evaluation may be reluctant to share their full thoughts due to factors such power imbalances and a lack of relationship between the evaluator and evaluation participant, barriers that are all the more prominent when evaluation participants are youth. If the voices of youth are not fully represented in the evaluation, evaluators run the risk of making conclusions and recommendations that do not align with the experiences and needs of the young people the program is meant to serve. This presentation will explore one method of shifting the power imbalance between evaluator and youth participant: youth-led conversations. Drawing on peer-led conversations among youth participating in the Science Career Ladder (SCL) program at the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI), the presentation will share the process for developing the youth-led conversations, how program staff and youth were involved in the process, and the benefits and challenges of this approach to the evaluator and evaluation participants. Considerations for other evaluators looking to utilize a similar approach will also be presented.