By Chere Gibson
Caribbean Evaluators International, EvalYouth North America
In the evaluation landscape, where diverse threads of experiences, cultures, and practices interweave, my journey began as a graduate student from Jamaica studying in the United States. My first professional evaluation experience back home allowed me to apply my academic knowledge in a familiar context. This provided unique insights into the transformative approaches of evaluation in addressing global challenges. Foremost, I credit mentorship with truly enriching my practice.
Through the collaborative spirit that flourishes within the evaluation community, I was able to experience mentorship on a global scale. As a former mentee of EvalYouth Global, a proud member of Caribbean Evaluators International, a board member of EvalYouth North America, and a task force member for the Eval4Action Youth in Evaluation standards, I have gained invaluable insights and connections. This multifaceted involvement has given me profound appreciation for the power of collective effort and the importance of nurturing the next generation of evaluators.
My mentorship story
My first mentor in the field was a Colombian woman, just a few years older. Admittedly, when we were first matched, I had no idea what to expect and, with that, our adventure began. Determined, we navigated language and cultural barriers, time zones, and life changes in our time together. The fact that we both spoke “evaluation” seemed to transcend these bounds. This shared language created a bond that went beyond words, fostering deep connection and mutual understanding.
The EvalYouth mentorship course design led us through soft skills, a heavily neglected portion of who we are as practitioners and the ‘secret sauce’ for truly carving out your evaluator arche-type. This vulnerability fostered trust-building in our mentor-mentee relationship. This led to mutual sharing, both professional and personal. She shared literature and resources that were not readily accessible to me. At times, for months, our communication was a series of one-liner emails, jam-packed with resources, insights, opportunities and discussions in the space. It is quite incredible how low-touch support had such an overwhelming impact. As the years went by, and I continued to build on the resources she shared, we witnessed our relationship morph into supportive roles for each other, creating a lasting professional and personal bond.
So, what is mentorship?
To me, mentorship is an underutilized yet potentially vital strategy for advancing careers and developing evaluation capacity. It serves as a core support mechanism for individual evaluators, describing the “shared evaluation journey, ” which includes the key competencies of patience, care, good timing, and the important role of lessons learned. This shared journey is not merely about transferring knowledge but also about building a relationship that fosters growth, resilience, and mutual respect.
I learned that mentorship is not bound by demographics or geography. It is a symbiotic relationship in which power and position are shared, even in the face of vulnerability. In fact, there is an emergent idea of ‘reverse mentorship’ where the junior evaluator reports back on innovations and discussions from the field. However, I support this author’s view that mentorship is not a unidirectional process and does not need 'wordsmithing'.
To me, mentorship is an underutilized yet potentially vital strategy for advancing careers and developing evaluation capacity.
I have also learned that it is not time-bound; one day you are seeking guidance, the next you are debating positions as colleagues. It values gatebreaking over gatekeeping, where a mentor recognizes the obstacles that prevent one from growing in their praxis and within their own capacity, and then elucidates those spaces and concepts by mere information or introductions.
It is also not necessarily a one-to-one relationship but could be a ‘one-to-multiple’ for both mentors and mentees. After the mentorship programme, I sought out my own circle of influence, professionals from whom I could learn different aspects and sectors of the field.
Mentorship is certainly not a nepotistic opportunity for the mentee or unpaid/cheap labour for the mentor, although individuals can embark on an effective partnership that can produce synergistic and energized interactions. The most rewarding part of the partnership is knowing that it can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those impacted by quality evaluations.
If you are reading this and share these values, as a mentor, I encourage you to support and guide someone within your reach at a pace that suits you. As a mentee, strike up a conversation with potential mentors, seek guidance, and take the initiative in your learning journey. Consider mentorship as an ongoing perspective rather than a one-time event.
Mobilizing the next generation of evaluators and mentors
Intentionality has been at the core of my efforts to share my professional experiences and highlight career entry points for new evaluators.
I was very interested in the invitation to contribute to the Youth in Evaluation standards taskforce for youth organizations since my first evaluation role was at a youth organization. Youth organizations provide an excellent environment for young people to learn about the field, which could transition them from programme recipients to junior evaluation staff.
A workshop I led with youth community members on participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) techniques
The workbook entry of a youth participant
The development of standards underscored the importance of inclusive, youth-friendly evaluation practices and protocols that are responsive to the needs, aspirations, and unique perspectives of young evaluators. I contributed from personal experience to elevate approaches that address socio-economic challenges prevalent in our context. Also, elevated the responsibility of the commissioners of evaluations to include youth in the terms of reference. Extensive consultations with youth leaders, community organizations, and regional evaluation bodies ensured that these standards were not only technically sound but also culturally relevant and accessible.
In my respective VOPEs, I observed the reflective practice of the standards self-assessment unfold, fostering frank conversations about power-sharing and intentional steps to move from words to action. This process highlighted the transformative power of collective action and the invaluable insights that emerge when diverse voices are included and valued.
The development of standards underscored the importance of inclusive, youth-friendly evaluation practices and protocols that are responsive to the needs, aspirations, and unique perspectives of young evaluators.
A year later, I organized and hosted an event titled "Island Insights: An Exploration of Pathways and the Future of the Field" as part of Youth in Evaluation week 2024. This event sought to mobilize early career Caribbean professionals and foster a collaborative environment for discussing pathways and future directions in the field of evaluation. It was a full-circle moment for me, as the event provided the information I had sought when I first started out.
We learned that many M&E professionals across the English-speaking Caribbean began their careers in government roles, with public health being one of the more active sectors for evaluation work. This highlighted the need for diversification of sectors practicing evaluation. It was also shared that among our countries in the region, some had stronger evaluation practices, but all focused primarily on monitoring activities with external evaluations commissioned by multinational development institutions. The conversation also demonstrated why many often sought professionalization abroad, pointing out that outsourcing evaluators often resulted in the loss of skills and knowledge when these evaluators left. The session closed with calls from the panelists and audience for Caribbean evaluators to work through different pathways—academia, independent evaluation, government, and the private and public sectors—to better define our ecosystem and refine methods and approaches.
A call to action
Adopting Youth in Evaluation standards signifies a commitment to equitable, effective, and empathetic evaluation practices. It is a call to action for youth organizations, both within the Caribbean and globally, to embrace these standards and support the next generation of evaluators. By integrating these standards into their operations, organizations can foster a new generation of evaluators equipped to tackle the complex challenges of our time with creativity, empathy, and rigour.
In closing, my journey from mentorship to mobilization in the field of evaluation has been profoundly shaped by the support and guidance of mentors, the collaborative efforts within the evaluation community, and the unique perspectives from my perspective. Operationalizing the Youth in Evaluation standards is not only about fostering better evaluation practices; it is about building a more inclusive, equitable, and empowered future for all. Let us continue to champion the voices of youth in evaluation and work together towards a more just and sustainable world.
Chere Gibson is a programme evaluator for social interventions with a specialization in youth development. She is an active leader of the EvalYouth movement in the Caribbean region and North America. As a member of the task force, she made a significant contribution to the development of Youth in Evaluation Standards for youth organizations. Connect with Chere via Twitter and LinkedIn.
Disclaimer: The content of the blog is the responsibility of the author(s) and does not necessarily reflect the views of Eval4Action co-leaders and partners.
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