It can seem as if participation and involvement are some of the hardest things to evaluate, not least because every case is different. However it is possible to assess and evaluate what you have done using some basic measures. These include assessing: - The percentage of questionnaires returned in target areas;
- The number of people attending meetings;
- The number of people (and age range, diversity etc) in community steering groups;
- The number of residents coming into the group;
- The number of events organised by the community;
- The number of door-to-door surveys;
- The number of local people in formal positions (eg running the surveys);
- The number of local people with decision-making power in the project; and
- The number of people from different minority ethnic groups participating (in respect to the make-up of the overall population in the area).
What these will not always tell you is how successful you have been. If 20 people turn up at a meeting then this would count as excellent if you are located in a small village, but not so good if you are involved in a city-wide planning exercise. The 'bottom line' can often be derived by asking the people you have worked with and involved: what did they think? Has it been useful for them? What did they learn? What did they think about the project? These may be difficult questions, but they provide some of the most valuable answers because they will tell those running the project how they personally have worked with the others involved. The bottom line on evaluation is two-fold: - It can help you understand and learn from failure This is the best way of making sure it doesn't happen again, so don't be afraid to acknowledge and analyse it.
- It can help show that progress is being made. Many communities often express the idea that 'nothing is changing, and if it is, it's getting worse'. This can make it hard to involve people. A good evaluation, done with the local community, can show that the efforts that you and they have made together really are making a difference.
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