Where Are Young People in Youth Program Evaluation Research?

Abstract

This article is written from the perspective of program evaluation and addresses young people's participation in evaluations of programs meant to benefit them. The positive youth development paradigm and evaluation research with youth programs are potentially complementary, but the intersection of the two is still narrow. Some reasons are that young people are not always seen as assets to the field of evaluation research, the funding and activities of evaluation and youth development remain separate, and evaluators are pressed to meet the demands of “accountability” within limited timeframes. However, deeper and broader participation of youth in program evaluation could benefit both youth and evaluations, and we discuss some possible benefits in this article. We also reflect on what may happen in program evaluation as it moves in a more participatory direction. Finally, we suggest changes that will need to happen in program practice and evaluation in order for desired outcomes to take place.