Creating Safe Spaces, Youth Centers, and After-School Programs
YOUTH CENTER TOOLKIT
M&E
Monitoring and Evaluation
At the end of the day, a YSS/YC/ASPs must be able to demonstrate that it is achieving its goals and expected outcomes, if it is to be sustainable. This demonstration requires a clear set of indicators or metrics aligned with the desired outcomes (e.g., Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Positive Youth Development Measurement Toolkit) and a system to track these indicators and outcomes (e.g., Alliance for Climate Education or Creative Associates attendance/participation tracker, p.37).
However, tracking youth in the center can be very challenging due to youth coming and going frequently and the need to set up regular intervals of data collection and a database or system to track progress.
Additional resources for monitoring and evaluation:
- Guide to Measuring Outcomes | Education Northwest
- Strategies for Evaluating Youth Programs | Social Solutions
- A Program Director’s Guide to Evaluating STEM Education Programs | ITEST Learning Resource Center
- Defining Youth Outcomes for STEM Learning | Afterschool Alliance
- After-school Youth Outcomes Inventory | Partnership for Afterschool Education
- Assessing Outcomes in Child and Youth Programs: A Practical Handbook | University of Connecticut
- From Soft Skills to Hard Data: Measuring Youth Program Outcomes | Forum for Youth Investment
- Positive Youth Development Measurement Toolkit | USAID