Taking the Journey Together: Conducting evaluations that meet the needs of tribal programs

1. Taking the Journey Together:Conducting evaluations that meet the needs of tribal programs November 4, 2006 Evaluation 2006: AEA Annual Conference

2. Give me knowledge, so that I may have kindness for all Plains Indian

3. Our role • People are alike in many ways – we all want similar things: • Safe and healthy children and communities • Rights to freedom and to practice our own spiritual and cultural traditions/ceremonies • Translating mainstream/dominant cultural ideas of evidence and science: create a bridge of understanding

4. Strategies • Learn about cultural values and traditions of people you’ll be working with, or ask • Learn about/understand the laws that impacted and continue to impact American Indians (and other groups) • Use appropriate methods and models • Be careful about the language we use • Acknowledge and appreciate knowledge and feedback

5. Strategies (cont.) • Be respectful and inclusive • Build and maintain relationships • Identify a tribal/cultural liaison • Ask permission to receive information • Offer evaluation results in a useful format • Have as your intent to strengthen American Indian families and communities

6. Appropriate methods/models • Understand cultural patterns of communication • Work at an appropriate pace • Let people tell their stories • Use qualitative methods • Use family-based methods and models • Include spiritual connection/relevance • Involve elders/leaders when appropriate

7. Language • Termination • Reservations (“concerns”) • High risk – paints a picture of a negative outcome: You move toward that which you think and talk about • Describe things in terms of healing rather than sickness

8. Respect • Offerings/gifts in return for their knowledge and expertise • Be aware of sovereignty issues and tribal/Indian ownership of data • Don’t release any reports until tribes have reviewed and approved them • Involve Native American staff, leadership, community members • Allow tribes/groups to maintain their own identity

9. Tips • Learn what we can and admit when we don’t know • Do your best: good intentions carry great weight • Remember individual and within group differences are huge • Pay attention to our assumptions: not everyone shares our cultural values or ways of knowing

10. If we wonder often, the gift of knowledge will come. Arapaho

11. Contact information Juliette Mackin NPC Research Portland, Oregon 503-243-2436 x114 Mackin@npcresearch.com www.npcresearch.com