How do you know that change is being made? Members of our Youth Advisory Group’s learning team recently went through a round of participatory evaluations to reflect on the progress of the YOCCF initiative so far. These youth-led evaluations involved learning team members collecting, analyzing, and making sense of data that they then presented in a recent session.
The learning team is made up of four Youth Advisory Group members, including Carry Pak (CAAV), Samir Malik (DRUM), and Shareef Dean (El Puente). Sony Ray (DRUM) was unable to be present but participated in the data collection and evaluation process. These youth leaders are assisted by two lead evaluators, Victoria Dougherty and Elena Ragusa.
Here are some of their key takeaways.
What data sources and methods have been used so far?
Data was gathered from several sources, including observation of in-person meetings, confessional videos from grantees, one-on-one check-ins with grantees, and more, all of which were then analyzed by the Youth Advisory Group learning team. This triangulation of sources provides a well-rounded understanding of progress to date.
What are some highlights from the data?
Grantees are eager to learn from each other and workshop facilitators and note that YOCCF learnings strengthen their existing efforts. Groups that had not originally combined art and activism are more fully understanding the connection between these fields, with one grantee saying YOCCF workshops have “reinvigorated the work.” While participants in the evaluation are excited and hopeful for the future, there is still significant work to be done bridging current processes with intended outcomes.
What progress has been made at the grantee level?
Overall, progress has been made in terms of using shared language to clarify understandings among grantees, as well as around culture and narrative change, collective storytelling, and the impact of culture and art on organizing and mutual aid. As this round of evaluations took place less than a year into the YOCCF initiative, seeds are still being planted for integrating these learnings and understandings into practical work.
What progress has been made at the group level?
Progress has been made in building common ground, trust, and communities of practice across organizations. While grantees find workshops useful, more opportunities are needed to implement collaborative strategies. As one grantee said, “I desire more for our organization to be activated through the initiative.”
Key Recommendations for Supporting Culture Change
The learning team proposed several recommendations based on their evaluations, including that YOCCF:
- Provide more opportunities for connecting, collaborating, and relationship-building.
- Facilitate inter-organizational collaboration within and beyond YOCCF.
- Draw the connection between the tools they are learning to the work they are conducting for easier integration.
- Continue to center and lift up youth leadership.
While patience is important, we and the learning team look forward to continuing to grow together in service of youth-led culture change.