Youth Participation in Community Evaluation

Should young people participate in community evaluation research and, if so, what roles should they play? We believe that youth participation is desirable, but that it remains relatively undeveloped as a field of practice or subject of study. For this reason, this paper provides perspective on the increasing involvement by young people, identifies the participation patterns and evaluation roles of young people, and draws conclusions from empirically-based practice. It draws on the available literature, including our own participatory evaluation of a project intended to increase youth participation in organizational development and community change. SHOULD YOUNG PEOPLE PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNITY EVALUATION RESEARCH AND, IF SO, WHAT ROLES SHOULD THEY PLAY? Young people already participate in community evaluation research. In our experience, for example, they document the dangers of toxic wastes near their schools and present the findings to health officials; conduct a citywide survey of racial attitudes in the schools and create an anti-racism program for middle schoolers; evaluate programs in the community center and make recommendations to the board of directors; respond to proposed cuts in youth services by conducting focus groups and petitioning the city council; and document the criminalization of youth in the newspaper and present the findings to the editors (Figueroa et al., 2000). Young people participate in community evaluation research, but their participation is uneven. Some young people participate with fervor, and others express interest but are unsure how to proceed, and others try to proceed but lack support from adults or face obstacles in the community. It is difficult to assess the overall scope or quality of participation, however, for despite its incidence and potential as a field of practice, youth participation remains undeveloped as a subject of study. Barry Checkoway • Professor of Social Work and Urban Planning, National Evaluation Director, Lifting New Voices, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Tel: (1) 734-763-5960; E-mail: [email protected]. American Journal of Evaluation, Vol. 24, No. 1, 2003, pp. 21–33. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. ISSN: 1098-2140 © 2002 by American Evaluation Association. Published by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.