An introductory training for youth mentoring programs developing or
strengthening foundational program evaluation practices
Why evaluate your mentoring program?
Youth-mentoring programs have enormous potential to make a positive impact on the youth they serve. Evaluation is an essential tool for building effective mentoring programs that truly make a difference. Evaluation is not a one-time activity — it is a system used to collect information that will help improve your program over time. Establishing a solid system of program evaluation has many benefits. For instance, it allows you to:
- Make data-informed decisions to improve the program
- Determine whether resources are being allocated in the most effective way
- Communicate your program’s successes to partners, funders, participants, and other stakeholders
What to evaluate?
Deciding what to evaluate should be guided by a logic model. This document maps out the outcomes you hope youth will achieve as a result of participating in your program. It also identifies the programmatic elements you implement to achieve those outcomes. An effective system of evaluation should measure how well your program is being implemented, the strength of the relationship quality between your mentors and mentees, and how mentees are working toward the intended outcomes of your program.
What you’ll find in this module: In this module, we’ll explore these four foundational components of a strong program evaluation system. Throughout the module, Michael Garringer, director of research and evaluation at MENTOR, will offer practical tips and resources for planning and implementing the components. To start, listen to Garringer introduce the benefits of taking a comprehensive approach to program evaluation.
This training will help prepare youth-mentoring programs to:
- Identify all components of a logic model and then draft one
- Plan a process evaluation
- Identify tools for measuring relationship quality
- Recognize the different levels of outcome evaluation
- Identify next steps for improving program evaluation practices
What to expect:
- Plan to spend 15 to 20 minutes engaging with each chapter. Many sections will prompt you to review additional resources.
- Each chapter includes several companion handouts for program personnel to review and complete offline. You can download the full companion activity packet before you begin, or you can download individual handouts along the way.
