Member Melinda
MemberForum Replies Created
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Denial that anti-black racism exists remains a problem. It must be acknowledged to lead to meaningful change.
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Given program evaluation is an on-going, dynamic process, it allows us to pause and rework on evaluation methods as we go. For example, a qualitative analysis of a focus group might inform us that there are certain questions that might not have worked as we had anticipated. Consequently, measures can be taken to reformulate/rewrite the evaluation questions for the next rounds of feedback sessions in order to better improve the programming of the given youth program.
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Absolutely, Lulu! And you bring up an excellent point here- evaluating our programs can simultaneously allow us to “evaluate our evaluations”. Are we asking the right questions? Are we using the right methods? Sometimes an unexpected learning curve can happen that enables us to rework evaluation components for the future!
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Thank you for sharing!
There are many systemic and systematic barriers to the development of Black youth in Ontario. These barriers will not be solved overnight, but below is a link to the Doing Right Together for Black Youth Report, which summarizes the experiences and knowledge of over 1500 community members and guided the creation of the Ontario Black Youth Action Plan.
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In addition to the structural oppression that has been intentional built to maintain white privilege, I also feel that the onus has been placed on Black folx to be the ones to address anti-Black racism in Ontario. Until as a community we acknowledge and commit to addressing this, the systems will maintain the outcomes they were designed to achieve.
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I really appreciated Dr. Wade’s presentation on critical self-reflection especially the focus on the action portion of ongoing reflection. That is something I am going to be mindful of as I move forward with serving Black youth. Not just making time for reflection and examining my practice but also identifying what repairs, learnings and changes I need to make in response to those inevitable missteps.
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Rochelle, you are so fortunate to have had so many opportunities for participation and to feel affirmed.
In smaller rural communities, it is not so easy for black parents to encourage youth participation. Also, I’ve observed that the degree of trauma – historical, generational and personal equals Big T trauma which can be paralyzing is a huge barrier. Sometimes, when I broach the topic of engagement in the Black community, I’m left feeling unsure of how it was received. I tend to take a ‘wait and see’ approach because I know there is lots that I don’t know broadly but also in terms of each family. Dr. Carol Wade’s article “Strengthening Engagement with Families of Black Youth’ was impactful, meaningful, relevant, practical and I was happy to see references to Paulo Freire’s work.
Ultimately, I know this is a journey for each of us and I will continue to learn, to engage, to listen (as both lecturers spoke of in module 3) and to ‘act’ in ways that engage, validate, and empower Black youth and their families. And I will continue to challenge my own deeply embedded beliefs, knowledge, understanding and actions.
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Additionally, stereotypes abound due to social media and these narratives become deeply, embedded, unrecognized and not disrupted — it’s like a closed loop system. Dr. Ayonrinde’s message of ‘listen’ ‘listen’ and ‘listen’ can’t be overemphasized as it provides folks an opportunity to be more open minded, to humanize black people and hopefully to reflect on their own part in contributing to continued anti-black racism.
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Hi Chaimaa! You can find over 100 resources in the Substance Use collection on our Knowledge Hub, including, as Kathe mentioned, dozens of resources on cannabis use. 🙂
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Don’t miss Hacking Deficit Thinking: A Youth Work Teach-In!
Join us on Wednesday, November 30th from 12PM to 2PM ET when we’ll host Dr. Byron McClure and Dr. Kelsie Reed, US-based school psychologists and authors of Hacking Deficit Thinking: 8 Reframes That Will Change The Way You Think About Strength-Based Practices and Equity in Schools.
The education sector has focused for far too long on what’s wrong with students, staff, and even parents. Deficit thinking has created a powerful narrative within education that prioritizes mental illness instead of mental wellness. This narrative seems too enormous to shift away from at times because it’s ingrained in how we have historically thought about mental health.
You will be inspired and energized to explore an equity-informed strength-based approach to support youth mental health and wellbeing.
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We’re so excited to host Dr. Byron McClure and Dr. Kelsie Reed for our upcoming teach-in, Hacking Deficit Thinking! Join us on November 30th from 12PM to 2PM ET.
Dr. McClure and Dr. Reed are US-based school psychologists and authors of Hacking Deficit Thinking: 8 Reframes That Will Change The Way You Think About Strength-Based Practices and Equity in Schools.
Deficit thinking has created a powerful narrative within education that prioritizes mental illness instead of mental wellness. This engaging event will help you understand the historical implications of a deficit-based approach, identify the key elements of a strength-based approach, and understand how to support youth mental health from a strength-based lens.
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Its a bit like baking a cake. There are stakeholders – staff at the grocery store, people who will eat the cake, People who you share the kitchen with. There are inputs – all the ingredients. There are processes – mixing, baking, etc. There are outputs…you can make one, two , three cakes. There are outcomes…Is the cake delicious to eat? how did it sit with you after you ate it, etc….
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– Consent form: obtain guardian’s approval for those under 18
– Informed consent: reassuring youth that the collected data will be confidential (i.e., no access from externals) and anonymous (i.e., the content of the data will not be traced back to the participants)
– Explain the goals of evaluation method
– Ensure youth that participation is voluntary and their consent is ongoing: they can withdraw at any time and still get compensated for their time
– Create a safe, trusting environment
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in addition to the above, ensuring youth know they are not required to participate, that they are free to be part of the program even if they do not want to be a part of the evaluation.
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“While
many youth-serving organizations involve youth in data-collection as respondents”– While I agree with this statement, it is actually quite difficult to drum up survey responses. For instance, our survey response rates have been quite low (even with incentives offered), which often times will not allow us to run meaningful statistical analyses due to the small sample size. I think one of the reasons might be that youth don’t fully understand the “importance” of program evaluation yet. This takes us to the second part of the statement “far fewer organizations involve youth in decision-making processes that shape
evaluation activities because of barriers such as supervisory requirements and
potential liabilities”. Maybe there’s a less “drastic” way to get youth involved in evaluation (e.g., workshops on eval methods) in order for them to better understand the meaning and the goals of this type of program. -
A big challenge many youth face when giving feedback is the method of feedback. Due to a modern age of fast pace apps and user friendly UI’s youth do not like when giving feedback takes an exorbitant amount of time and effort. When the feedback process is streamlined and easy to use it encourages the youth to take their time with the feedback and to make sure the feedback they are giving is informed and authentic.
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Doing a “diversity audit” of the books I share with students has been incredibly important in my own practice. For a year I tracked the types of books I was sharing with students. I tracked the racial background and gender of the authors, illustrators, main characters, representation within the story, antagonists, protagonists, etc. By the end I had a clear picture of any inherent biases I had when selecting books. Having that data has allowed me to more critically examine what I am selecting and be more proactive in my selections.
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So many great points have been made! Reviewing/auditing the books in my office has definitely been eye opening for me. It’s what I don’t see there that stands out. The literature is clear that the things that don’t get said or shared or displayed (having a presence) has a power unto itself. This is a work in progress for me.
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As an elementary library educator, the predominant way into these discussions is through the use of contemporary children’s literature. Step one has been acquiring a broad range of materials that is reflective of myriad cultures, ethnicities, communities, genders, etc. written and illustrated by individuals from these communities. Sourcing and budgeting for this is no small matter.
Promoting and encouraging the use of these these materials to teaching staff is step two. Many staff are reluctant to branch out into topics they may find outside their own experience. They fear fielding questions from students that they don’t hold the answers to. Cultivating relationships with staff that support them and liaising with them as they read can help. One of the biggest concerns from staff is not wanting to put students from BIPOC communities ‘on the spot’ when topics come up and they are the only representative of that race or culture in the classroom.
One important way I’ve framed things for students and staff is using Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s quote about “windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors” as entry points for all children into stories that help them understand themselves and the world around them.
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Evaluation is like a GPS navigating system because it is able to direct you toward your desired destination (or goal). However, when roadblocks come up along the way, it helps point to the best ‘route’ to take to still get to your desired destination. It also calculates the estimated time/ process to get to this destination
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Providing them with all of the information about the program that they are going to be evaluating
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Providing them with opportunities to ask questions
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Providing them with information about informed consent and how they can withdraw from the evaluation process at any time as it is voluntary
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Making sure that they are aware of how confidentiality and anonymity will be maintained and how the collected information/data will be handled and/or stored appropriately
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Make sure that they are fully aware of the implication of their participation in the evaluation
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Jack.org is accepting applications for the first ever Central Jack Summit, which brings together the next generation of mental health leaders and advocates from across Ontario and Quebec to discuss the most pressing mental health issues youth face in their communities. This brand-new Summit focuses on the mental health landscape in Central Canada (Ontario and Quebec), all in an effort to expand the conversation on mental health and deliver more impactful programming.
The Summit will take place on February 2-3, 2023 in Ottawa. Young people aged 15-24 who live and/or are from Ontario and Quebec are eligible to apply as delegates. Accommodations, travel and most meals will be covered by Jack.org.
Application Deadline: December 4, 2022.
Click here to learn more and apply!
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Finding meaningful ways to involve youth in evaluation can be challenging given their other life commitments, such as work, school, personal life, extracurriculars, etc. Given that there is so much to gain by youth being meaningfully involved in evaluation activities, organizations need to prioritize making youth involvement as accessible and barrier-free as possible. Some ways to respond to this challenge is by scheduling meetings, focus groups, and sessions based on a schedule that works for them. Other ways include providing transportation reimbursements and honorariums. The evaluation activities that they are involved in need to be engaging, meaningful, and provide them with opportunities to build community and relationships with their peers whilst developing their skills and leadership abilities through the training opportunities provided and active participation in the evaluation process.
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That’s such a great point, Khadijah!
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I agree, listening is critical. As a mental health professional I think I am in a position to help others within the organization understand the need to do this as well. Sometimes people within the organization jump to being solution focused before truly understanding what is happening.
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Hi Michaelene,
I agree – I had reflected that I had no memories of learning any of the information from the modules throughout school, aside from post secondary. It brought me back to when I graduated and entered the work force, and how it felt that the conversations and awareness weren’t continuing. I feel disappointed that I didn’t put more effort into learning on my own, and am grateful for having participated in this course.
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Yes, a small change I observed at one school was a poster which read “Black History Month” was altered to remove the word “month!” It seems like a small thing but I believe it is impactful and I notice it everytime I’m in that school – it is in a place of prominence which is where it should be.
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LuPapa — great points! Representation cannot be understated. I believe that school boards are examining their hiring practices to be more representative, and more still needs to be done to begin to see healthy and more robust change.
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Hi Maxime — being educated about microaggressions is critical and while I consider myself to be an aware person and an ally, I can fall into those subtle microaggressions too if I don’t stay very present.
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Sarah, I couldn’t agree more — the very act of providing a space for Black students is Action and hopefully would be perceived by others as a positive and necessary action. For black students to have a space where they can share, be brave (or not) can be so validating. At at least one of our schools, there is a group for Black and racialized students to gather which has been affirming and active.
