Data Toolkit

Evaluation

Depending on why you have chosen to run a data project with young people, there will be several things you will need to do to prove that you have achieved your aims, or understand why you did not.

If you are aiming to develop new skills in the young people for instance, then it is important to measure the skill levels of the young people before and after the project, or at the beginning and end of their time with you.

Also, if the young people are going to be working on several projects with you, it is important to evaluate each project as it comes to an end, highlighting what went well and what could be improved on. This will help the young people make fewer mistakes and develop more creative projects as they continue.

TOP TIPS FOR EVALUATION:

1. Devise processes that give the young people a chance to think about their answers, rather than having them give standard answers that will provide no insight.
2. Use different mechanisms for getting feedback: don’t just rely on written words. You could use drawings, timelines, maps, and charts.
3. Use tools that the young people are familiar with. For example, if they are animators, they could make animations about their experience.
4. Introduce the young people to the idea of evaluation at the beginning of their engagement, so they think about what they are getting from the work as they go along.
5. Make sure there are lots of ways for the young people to document their experiences and reflect on them. You could use digital and traditional media, or a combination of the two. For example: online blogs, physical journals, drawings, mind maps, etc.
6. It can be helpful to get feedback from people who weren’t involved in the project, to get an outsider’s perspective on what has been achieved.