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Beginner, looking for research/eval. career advice and stories.
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Beginner, looking for research/eval. career advice and stories.
Hi all!
My name is Sebastián. I’m a recent OCAD U graduate, and I’m a co-founder/coordinator/evaluator in Colectivo Satelital, a small collective of Venezuelan artists based in Toronto. We only have a few years’ experience, but we’ve put out a few meaningful opportunities and projects aimed mostly at youth and emerging artists with the help of a few granting bodies and organizations like Lakeshore Arts.
Evaluation is a relatively new interest for me. I’ve loved research and analysis-based practices for a long time, though. Generally speaking, they are areas I read about, and skills I try to hone whenever I get a chance. As a student at OCAD, I had the opportunity to work as a Peer Tutor at the Writing and Learning Centre for 3 years, and being so critically engaged with text and with others made it a dream job. Continuing to support youth through Colectivo Satelital has felt the same way, but I’ve also taken on the responsibility of collecting and evaluating data for internal or grant reporting purposes.
I love it, but It’s been nearly impossible for me to find even volunteering opportunities in this field. I know no evaluators, analysts or researchers, and any old professors or colleagues seemed to, as some have told me, have stumbled upon their positions after many years of doing other things.
Additional formal education seems like a logical step in the right direction, but I’m not in a financial position to commit to that. I’m already building something of a resume, but the bulk of my experience comes from opportunities that Colectivo Satelital members and I made for ourselves. I imagine that might seem untrustworthy to some employers.
So I’m reaching out for advice, since I’m out of ideas (not out of patience, gladly).
How did you overcome professional barriers, or approach working in this field when you had little experience?
If you were in a position similar to mine, how did you push forward from there?
If you know any volunteering/mentorship opportunities that I should be aware of, please share them with me.
Thank you in advance!
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1 Reply
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Hi Sebastián! Lovely to connect with you. 🙂
Be sure to connect with members in our Community of Practice on Evaluation in Youth Work, too.
And sign up for YouthREX’s newsletter to find out about free opportunities to connect, learn, and share with folks from across the youth sector in Ontario!
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