How can be humbler and more open-minded? In evaluation we are taught to measure success and outcomes, tracking indicators over time using ‘evidence-based, Western’ methodologies. The focus in evaluation is on the external. Yet, I’m realizing more than ever, that we must look inwards and undergo a process of self-reflection in order to understand personal and systemic biases that we each have. We need to humbly acknowledge that we are learners, especially when it comes to understanding another’s experience. We should not just do this as evaluators, but as members of this society and as human beings.
BC Healthy Communities’ planning team, together with Urban Matters, have netted a nomination for the Planning Institute of BC’s New Directions Award for their work on the Strathcona Regional District Housing Needs Assessment. The project, which wrapped last year, was deemed as innovative for its approaches to gathering qualitative data. These included community engagement techniques designed to reach members of the community from across the housing spectrum, particularly from those regularly accessing housing services, those experiencing homelessness, and those with mental health challenges and diverse abilities. This allowed for a report that highlighted not only necessary information on housing stock and tenure, but also systemic issues impacting accessibility and affordability across the region, including systemic racism, lack of food access and challenging transportation scenarios.
Youth leadership evolves leaps and bounds in the City of Victoria. In the spring of 2004, then-youth coordinator Chelsea Peddle had an idea. She saw a gap between city politics and young peoples’ needs in the City of Victoria, and wanted to close it. She proposed the idea of a Youth Council, where youth could comment and provide feedback to the city on the civic issues that mattered to them. The City responded to her proposal by granting support in principle to begin developing a coalition of youth and stakeholders. Through this process, The City of Victoria Youth Council (CVYC), a youth-driven, grassroots program that offered opportunities for civic engagement to youth who live, work, hang out or go to school in the City of Victoria, was born.
Evaluation matters. Our team at BC Healthy Communities integrates evaluation into all aspects of our work– from start to finish. Evaluation is the process of critically examining what we do and how we do it, so we can understand the outcomes of our activities, our program strengths and areas for improvement. We use our findings to inform tools, resources, planning and program decisions, and to increase accountability between our funders and community partners. It’s not always easy, but the results are invaluable.
Two members of our evaluation team visited Vancouver in 2018 to attend the Canadian Evaluation Society BC Chapter’s 2018 Provincial Conference. With the theme What’s in Your Evaluation Toolbox?, the conference offered attendees a variety of workshops focusing on building evaluative capacity and adding new tools to our evaluation toolboxes. Using some of the top tweets from conference attendees, we’ve put together ten key takeaways from the conference.
Decisions made about how we respond to climate change will impact community health and prosperity. How do we work together to implement practices that both prepare our communities and increase health and well-being? Health agencies, local and provincial governments, civil society and individuals are increasingly mindful of the effects of climate change on the health and well-being of their communities. Preparation before a crisis and the response during and after is a cross-sectoral challenge, drawing resources and capacity from communities and all levels of government. More than ever, communities recognize that effective resiliency planning requires collaboration between different partners, leveraging the strengths of different sectors towards common goals. Decisions made about how we respond to climate change will impact community health and prosperity. How do we work together to implement practices that both prepare our communities and increase health and well-being?
