Capturing the real impact of youth development projects that aim to change attitudes and behaviors is a challenge—it’s not found in numbers of people trained or workshops held. At a recent panel called Beyond the Numbers: Storytelling as a Youth Development Evaluation Tool, hosted by the Society for International Development – Washington’s Youth in Development Workgroup at IREX’s headquarters, I learned about two creative, quantifiable M&E techniques that can strengthen a mixed-method evaluation plan.
Capturing the real impact of youth development projects that aim to change attitudes and behaviors is a challenge—it’s not found in numbers of people trained or workshops held. Traditional monitoring and evaluation (M&E) tools have their limitations; for example, young people often want to give the “right” answers on surveys or in focus groups– a bias that can be even stronger in cultures that prioritize respect for elders.
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