Participatory Evaluation Research (PER)

Youth workers and young women: you can become researchers of your own lives, programs, and communities by using PER. PER can help you explore any number of questions compelling to girls, including these real-life examples: 

• How do African American young women feel about their hair and what influences them to feel that way?
• Do girls in Rogers Park feel that street harassment is a serious problem?
• How do music videos' portrayal of girls and women affect us? 

When girls can really see and name what's going on in their neighborhood or school, or with an issue they care about, they have the basis for organized action to make things better. One great example:

Use PER to be more effective. Use it to engage girls and young women in critical thinking, analysis, and imagination. Use it to ignite individual and group action.

Since publishing their research: Hey cutie, can I get your digits?: A Report about the Street Harassment of Girls in Rogers Park in 2003, the Young Women’s Action Team has created a local campaign to stop street harassment (R-E-S-P-E-C-T) using storefront signs: met with their alderman to secure new street lights at dangerous locations; created a workshop on how to stop harassment; and led the workshop at the national INCITE! conference in 2005. 

Read about these efforts in "INCITE! 3rd Color of Violence Conference: Anti-Street Harassment Workshop" by Amaya N. Roberson, published in May-June 2005 in the feminist newsjournal off our backs (http://www.offourbacks.org).

Looking for specific PER ways to measure girls' change in your program?  For a step by step guide to using PER? Find Catlin's earlier work: click here

Catlin Fullwood's Participatory Evaluation Research Worksheets

Catlin Fullwood, longtime activist and teacher,is a highly experienced practitioner, trainer, coach, mentor, and consultant in evaluation, and a longtime activist and leader of radical feminist change. Her teaching of youth workers in Chicago and around the US has earned the most solidly rave reviews we’ve ever seen!

Here are Catlin's resources for you to use.

Guidance for working with girls as evaluators 1 p

Guiding principles for creating and conducting evaluations of community-based work 1 p

Participatory evaluation research: an overview 4.5 pp

Participatory evaluation research and community organizing as linked social change work with girls 3 pp

Planning Worksheets
Each worksheet illustrates a practical application, by showing a sample program (Big Mama’s) to be evaluated.

Developing the inquiry 1 p

Framing the initial hypothesis 1 p

Developing the research questions 2 pp

Operationalizing the research question 1 p

Data collection methods at a glance 2 pp

Choosing your methods 1 p

Deciding the sample 2 pp

Developing the sample 2 pp

Illustration: the plan for evaluation research– Big Mama’s Program 5 pp

Tips & Step-by-Step Guides

Conducting observation (aka, ethnography) tips 2 pp

Community mapping guide and worksheet 3 pp

What is data and why should I collect it?  Data analysis: what and how? 3 pp

Tips for debriefing data collection activities, with sample questions 5 pp

Tips for initial analysis of data, with step-by-step guide 3 pp

Share your information, or learn more about what we can offer

Do you have a great example to share? Tell us at contact@girlsbestfriend.org.

Do you work for or with a GBF grantee organization? GBF offers periodic training and supports consultation for grantees who want to learn more about evaluation/investigation.  If you're interested, contact your GBF program officer or contact@girlsbestfriend.org.