engaging youth in project evaluation: why social media might be the answer
TRANSCRIPT
Engaging Youth in Project Evaluation
Why Social Media Might be the AnswerBy: Christine Wilkinson
Project Evaluation
Project evaluation is the “systematic collection of information about the
activities, characteristics, and outcomes of program to make judgments about
the program, improve program effectiveness, and/or inform decisions
about future programming”
Evaluation “is about collecting information about a
specific issue that is important to a given
organization or community. Evaluation is about the future.
The aim is to use the collected information to make positive recommendations to strengthen a program, project
or a policy” Source: (Zeldin, Bestful & Powers, 2012, p. 14)
Why Engage Youth in Project Evaluation
Projects are more successful when they involve users – take a participatory approach It is recognized that evaluations should seek the views of young people who have taken part in the project (The Big
Lottery Fund, 2005) Accountability, Improvement, Knowledge development, Social justice (Zeldin et al., 2010) Respond to youth stakeholders, enhance evaluation design, equalize power of youth, promote youth development
(Innovation Center for community & youth development, 2005) Youth were previously excluded from project evaluation, they weren’t seen as “potential contributors” to the
evaluation process Now, many “evaluation projects make the process as youth-driven as possible”, as this has led to “positive youth
development” and empowerment
Project Evaluation and Youth
Benefits Source: (Zeldin et al., 2010): Enhanced confidence, competence and social networks among youth and
staff Youth motivated to contribute which leads to a sense of connectedness
Organizational benefits – representation, quality and reputation Benefits for communities
Youth should continuously be involved in community matters Positive impact on the evaluation process
Strengthens capacity of organization Youth employ creative methods adding richness and depth
“The keystone to leveraging social media to inspire youth toward a greater purpose lies in understanding and capitalizing on the informal, networked and collaborative learning styles of contemporary youth”
(Liang et al., 2010, p. 13)
Social Media and Youth
Youth are the first cohort to “grow up fully wired and technologically fluent” (Liang, Commins & Duffy, 2010)
As of 2009, StatsCan reported that 98% of people aged 16 to 24 went online (Schein, Wilson & Keelan, n.d.)
92% of teens go online daily, and 71% of teens use more than one social network site (Lenhart, 2015)
Access to Smart phones and internet have increased youth’s social media usage
U.S. teenagers spend 24 hours and 54 minutes per month on the internet
Snapchat
Google+
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
59%
34%
30%
26%
33%
9%
4%
Daily Social Media Usage Among Youths in Canada in 2014
Usage
Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/440868/social-media-web-usage-canada-youth/
Project evaluation and social media
“The tools of social media must be tailored to foster engagement, authenticity, empowerment and conflict tolerance even while the involved parties are connecting virtually and often asynchronously” (Liang et al., 2010)
Social media poses a unique and valuable opportunity to engage stakeholders in project evaluation
It is one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to reach an audience as it allows for quick, real time communication between participants
Case Study: #Perth4Youth Engaging youth (ages 15-29) in the
strategic plan to attract and retain youth in Perth County
Identify and address issues and opportunities in Perth that affect local youth and the future of the community
Uses social media to reach out to youth for participation and evaluation of their program
Successful method to evaluate the assets for youth in Perth County
Limitation: not all youth are on social media, so it is best if it is used as a supplement to other methods of engagement
Source: Perth4Youth
Questions for Consideration
In what types of projects would you want to engage youth in evaluation?
What are other good ways to engage youth in project evaluation?
How might social media act as a limitation for youth engagement?
How do you think you would use social media to engage youth in project evaluation?
Would this method of project evaluation be useful in your own research?
How can youth engagement in project evaluation be used outside of the academic research setting?
Conclusion
Because youth already have a strong presence on social media, it is a great opportunity to take advantage of this, and engage them in project evaluation as it will lead to greater likelihood of success and make them feel more included and empowered in
their community ReferencesInnovation Center for community & youth development. (2005). A Tool Kit for Engaging Youth and Adults as Partners in Program Evaluation.
Innovation Center for community & youth development. Reflect and Improve, 1-105. Lenhart, A. (2015). Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015: Smartphones facilitate shifts in communication landscape for teens. Pew
Research Center. 1-47. Retrieved from: http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/ Liang, B., Commins, M., & Duffy, N. (2010). Using Social Media to Engage Youth: Education, Social Justice, & Humanitarianism. The Prevention
Researcher, 17, pp. 13-16. Perth4Youth. (2016). Perth4Youth – Community Engagement Sessions. Township of Perth East. Schein, R., Wilson, K., & Keelan, J. (n.d.) Literature Review on Effectiveness of the Use of Social Media: A Report for Peel Public Health. Centre for
Innovation in Complex Care & School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Big Lottery Fund. (2005). Engaging young people in evaluation and consultation. The Big Lottery Fund. Big Lottery Fund Research, 10, pp. 1-16. Zeldin, S., Bestful, L., & Powers, J. (2012). Youth-Adult Partnerships in Evaluation (Y-AP/E): A Resource Guide for Translating
Research into Practice. Ithica, NY: ACT for youth Center of Excellence, Cornell University.