Speaker:
Elizabeth McGee
Co-Founder and Senior Evaluator
LEAP Consulting


Description:
This webinar will focus on practical ways to reduce harm in our evaluation work. Will will touch on the limits and harm of conventional evaluation and applied evaluation methods and then identify hands-on tips to encourage more radical approaches grounded in diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) principles. This webinar will help evaluation and applied researchers to identify individual biases and assumptions, as well as systemic oppressors that not only cause harm but are upheld, perpetuated or go unchallenged by traditional evaluation and applied evaluation practices. The bulk of the training session will cover the following topics: harm risk, harm acknowledgement, harm reduction, and healing/restorative work. We will share the story of being on the precipice of opening the Center for Radical Evaluation and Research (CRER). This new Center is inspired by 12+ years of engaging in conventional evaluation and research methods and observing the ways that evaluation often results in more harm than healing in individuals and communities, in particular, marginalized ones. We will outline our plans to implement a Community Harm Risk Assessment Review Board (CHRARB) and use a Community Harm Risk Assessment (CHRA). Using this example, we will offer practical tips for how evaluators can incorporate seemingly complex tools into their work on a daily basis. We will show that engaging in harm reduction in small and significant ways is not only doable, but it's crucial. We will borrow strategies from participatory action evaluation, feminist, Community Psychology and Indigenous evaluation methods and trauma-informed practices. Participatory action evaluation offers practical tips on strengthening the evaluator/community relationship at all evaluation stages and how to keep the community in the "driver seat of their own evaluation and the evaluator is a resource for self mobilization of the community" (DiLuzio, 2020). We will outline practical ways to incorporate intersectional feminist and Community Psychology evaluation methods (Fisher, Sonn, & Evans, 2007) by examining "assumptions embedded in our habitual data practices, including where power dynamics are coming into play, what assumptions and values are being prioritized over others, and who is benefitting from all aspects of our choices around data and analysis" (Krause, 2019). We show how to center the experiences of BIPOC folks in evaluations and question "the matrices of domination, power, and privilege imposed on us, amongst us, and within us" (Bheda, 2023). We will show how to put "the visibility and valuing of Indigenous people first" and "begin with Indigenous worldviews, understanding the connections between Indigenous evaluation and Indigenous sovereignty" (Rowe, 2021). In our example of starting a community-based research board, we employ Indigenous evaluation methods that "beyond lip service to action through real infrastructure changes. Other tenets of this approach could include "the reconceptualization of peer review and making equitable resources available in publication processes" (Bremner & Bowman, 2022). Trauma-informed evaluation offers ideas for safer evaluation practices, like obtaining consent, giving content warnings, identifying trauma responses, giving permission to leave, creating a safety plan, staying present, and ending all evaluation stages thoughtfully (DiLuzio, 2021). This webinar will ask participants to work through some of the most relevant topics of our time and will encourage critical discussion. Participants will have a chance to ask questions and will interact with the material in a lively and constructive way while learning from an expert in the field. The trainer for this session is Elizabeth McGee, a community psychologist and applied research/evaluation consultant with 17 years experience evaluating national and municipally-run grants. She leads collaborative projects at research institutes, universities, and not-for-profits. Elizabeth has been working intensively over the last several years at reducing harm in her evaluation practices and would like to share these hands-on learnings in this webinar series. Our virtual workshop aligns with AEA's professional competencies, particularly in our focus on developing the interpersonal skills of evaluators, with a focus on cultural competence, communication, facilitation, and conflict resolution. Our workshop is relevant to the AEA values, especially around inclusiveness, diversity, and culturally responsive evaluation practices.

Learning Outcomes:
Participants will be better able to: Acknowledge and identify harm in work practices and norms, as well as harm induced by work in communities at both the individual and systems levels. Incorporate greater personal and structural accountability mechanisms to ensure participating individuals and communities achieve benefits and receive no harm from their evaluation involvement; especially because practitioner and evaluator benefit is inherent. Acknowledge that leaving communities as we left them (i.e. status quo) still perpetuates existing inequities and should not be classified as harm-neutral. Intentionally integrate DEIJ principles into applied evaluation practices as a method to prevent and acknowledge harm, and to engage in restorative work where harm has transpired. This includes the integration of harm-reduction strategies and trauma-informed practices and the acknowledgement that existing inequities can make both individuals and communities more susceptible to harm.


Agenda and Learning Strategies:
Agenda: 1. Introduce the notion of harm in our evaluative work.
DISCUSSION: Through discussion (small and large group) identify examples of harm in work practices and norms, as well as harm induced by work in communities at both the individual and systems levels. Engage in large group discussion around ideas for alternative practices.
2. Share practical, real-life STORY of CRER's proposed process for utilizing a Community Harm Risk Assessment Review Board (CHRARB), a Board that will include community representation from any communities present in the applied evaluation project.
3. Workshop the Community Harm Risk Assessment (CHRA) which assesses harm within two Harm Risk Categories. Category One [Practice Harm Risk and Reduction] includes harm risk and reduction as it relates to applied evaluation inception, methodologies, implementation, outcomes, practices, and norms. Category Two [Community Harm Risk and Reduction] considers individual and community harm risk and reduction related to the community's engagement in the applied evaluation project. EXAMPLE: Walk through the tool using a real-life example. DISCUSSION: Engage in discussion around challenges and facilitators for implementation of the tool, that will be be used to review community-based applied research projects at the conception stage (i.e. proposal), as well as at various project checkpoints.
4. DISCUSSION: Get in small-group discussion group (participants select 1 of 3 Groups) Group 1. How can we incorporate greater personal and structural accountability mechanisms to ensure participating individuals and communities achieve benefits and receive no harm from their evaluation involvement; especially because practitioner and evaluator benefit is inherent. Group 2: How can we better acknowledge that leaving communities as we left them (i.e. status quo) still perpetuates existing inequities and should not be classified as harm-neutral, and what are the implications of this to our work as evaluators? Group 3: How do we intentionally integrate DEIJ principles into applied evaluation practices as a method to prevent and acknowledge harm, and to engage in restorative work where harm has transpired. This could include the integration of harm-reduction strategies and trauma-informed practices and the acknowledgement that existing inequities can make both individuals and communities more susceptible to harm.
5. DISCUSSION DEBREIF: Use WhiteBoard feature in Zoom for Discussion Groups 1,2 and 3 to speak to the key reflections and insights generated by their group.
6. WRAP UP. Collective Brainstorm of what is the actions coming out of this topic (i.e. harm-reduction as evaluators) and as a field of evaluation.


This workshop is aligned to AEA’s Competencies and Guiding Principles as follows:
This workshop speaks most centrally to two AEA Competencies. 1. DOMAIN CONTEXT: Focuses on understanding the unique circumstances, multiple perspectives, and changing settings of evaluations and their users/stakeholders. Context involves site/location/ environment, participants/stakeholders, organization/structure, culture/diversity, history/traditions, values/beliefs, politics/economics, power/privilege, and other characteristics. ALIGNMENT OF WORKSHOP: Harm reduction as evaluators is the acknowledgement to context, of multiple perspectives; the acknowledge of culture/diversity, history/traditions, values/beliefs, and power and privilege. We aspire that in acknowledging harm in our work, that we make darm reduction a more explicit part of the evaluation process. We will show participants how to begin to acknowledge harm in their work (and strategies for harm reduction). In doing so, they will learn how to make community perspective and best interest as a central part of their practice.

Our roundtable is relevant to the ongoing efforts of AEA as we all continue to evolve/integrate DEIJ within the field of evaluation. Certain DEIJ practices can in some ways be passive or feel superficial, whereas identification of harm and harm reduction strategies gives us something more concrete to address and directly avoid. And in this year of storytelling, it gives us a new and important type of story (harm reduction/prevention) to tell as part of our work. The guiding principles of AEA that are most related to our proposal are respect for people by honoring the dignity, well-being, and self-worth of individuals and acknowledging the influence of culture within and across groups and Common Good and Equity: Evaluators strive to contribute to the common good and advancement of an equitable and just society.


Facilitation Experience:
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT, TRAINING & FACILITATION EXPERIENCE In-person Trainings -Incorporating DEI in Proposal Writing (2023). Workshop prepared for the 15th Annual NORDP Research Development Conference, Crystal City, VA. (client) [upcoming] -Systems Change in Not-for-profits: What does it mean for us? (2017). Prepared for: Gianneschi Summer School for Nonprofits, Fullerton, CA. (volunteer) -Program Impact: Fundamentals of evaluation and building a culture of outcomes (2017). Prepared for One OC: Accelerating Nonprofit Success, Santa Ana, CA. (client) -Social Impact Training Series. Session 1: Data-Driven "Do-Gooding" Evaluation and Impact, Meaningful Metrics and Policy and Systems (2017). Prepared for: Group of 200+ not-for-profit. Costa Mesa, CA. (client) -Evaluation 101 and 102 (2012). Prepared for: The Ministry of Children and Youth Services. (client) -To Infinity and Beyond: Sustaining evaluation (2012). Ontario Center of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (employer) -The Road to Data Collection (2011). Ontario Center of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (employer) -Assessing Program Readiness for Evaluation (2011). Center of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health. Gathering Ground Conference, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (employer) -Stakeholder Needs Assessment (2011). Ontario Center of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (employer) -How to increase buy-in for evaluation (2011). Ontario Center of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. -Engaging Stakeholders Evaluations: Getting buy-in (2011). Ontario Center of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (employer) -Making Connections: Applying a 'theory of change' approach (2011). Ontario Center of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (employer) -Outcome Evaluation Workshop Series (2011). Prepared for: Canadian Mental Health Association, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (client of Ontario Center of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health) -Outcome Evaluation Workshop Series (2011). Prepared for: United Way, London, Ontario, Canada (client of CCBR) -Tracking and Understanding Outcomes for Transient Populations (2011). Prepared for: Women's Rural Resource Center, Strathroy, Ontario, Canada (client of CCBR) Webinars and Online Module Development & Delivery -Aligning Applied Research and Evaluation Goals to Data Collection Tools (2023). Prepared for: QQ Research Consultants. (client) -Achieving Equity in Municipalities: Training for Sustainability CT Fellows (2022). Prepared for: Sustainable CT. (client) -Achieving Equity in Municipalities: Training for Sustainability CT Fellows (2021). Prepared for: Sustainable CT. (client) -Diversity Equity Inclusion Training (2021). Prepared for: Sustainable CT. (client) -From Collection to Analysis: How community involvement makes for stronger data (2021). Prepared for: Sustainable CT. (client) -Data Literary: Using data to transform communities (2020). Prepared for Department of Children and Families' CONNECT project. (employer) -Social Justice Series: Unpacking equity to create community impact (2020). Prepared for: Sustainable CT. (client) -Developing a Learning Plan (2017). Prepared for: Children and Families Commission of Orange County. (client) -Getting on the Evaluation Train: Evaluation and organizational learning (2012). Prepared for Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health. (employer) -Theory of Change: Application and use at the center (2012). Prepared for: Center of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health. (employer) -Developmental Evaluation (2012). Prepared for: Center of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health. (employer) -Assessing Evaluation Buy-In in your Organization (2012). Prepared for: Center of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health. Gathering Ground Conference. (employer) -Road to Data Collection (2012). Prepared for Center of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health. (employer) -Outcome Mapping: Using visual tools to improve organizational effectiveness (2010). Prepared for ACTKnowledge. (client) ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS -Lecturer, Community Psychology, University of New Haven, Connecticut (2021-Present) -LEAP Instructor for Laurier Enriched Academic Program, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (2008) -Teaching Assistant (Psychology course), Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (2007-2009) -Teaching Assistant (Mentoring and Learning Interdisciplinary course), Windsor University, Ontario, Canada (2007)

Date: August 18th, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM