Workshop 1: Wearing an Indigenous Evaluation Lens

Time for Change

Western approaches to evaluation have remained essentially static for decades.  Further, they don’t reflect the realities of Indigenous culture and experience.  It’s time to remove the barriers to Indigenous-led evaluation practices.

Embracing Reconciliation

Rather than divorcing entirely from Western practice, this course provides an exploratory path of reconciliation.  You will learn to recognize the intersection between Indigenous cultural foundations and the current, widely practiced, Western approach to evaluation. Evaluation approaches are shaped by culture and experience.  Hence, wearing an Indigenous Evaluation Lens is fundamentally different.  In this workshop we will build confidence in understanding the theoretical underpinnings of evaluative thought from our own perspective, and from Indigenous ways of knowing and being.

Building a Theoretical Foundation For Indigenous-Led Evaluation

By examining your personal perspective, Western theory, and Indigenous cultural foundations, you will have the tools to build methodologies and identify appropriate indicators for Indigenous-led evaluations.

Through the Course of this Workshop We Will Examine the Following:

Personal Perceptions

Through introspection one can better understand their assumptions and spiritual connections.

Spirit, mind, emotion and body are important factors in understanding the concept of maintaining a balanced lifestyle. Western evaluation thought looks towards self-actualization, whereas Indigenous ways of being prioritize spiritual connections as a means for understanding program and participant outcomes. Connections are the driving force behind Indigenous thought and therefore need to be applied to the backbone of evaluative thinking. In this workshop you will receive several directives you can follow which will serve as a foundation for your wearing of an Indigenous Evaluation Lens.

Western Theory

Bridging the gap between Western Theory and Indigenous perceptions of evaluative thinking.

One size cannot fit all. A “dance” exists between Western assumptions of evaluation and Indigenous assumptions of uniqueness. We examine basic human theories which inform the hypotheses developed within Western thought. This thought process at its core is mapped to Indigenous cultural teachings, demonstrating at the heart of the matter there are synergies between the two philosophies. In the workshop we examine where Western evaluation and Indigenous Evaluation each contribute unique strengths in order to create a more wholistic perspective.

Indigenous Cultural Foundations

Indigenous peoples engage in the principles of evaluation through their cultural practices.

Creation stories, stories of specific beings, and stories of the natural world in which we live guide the actions we take and how we self-reflect and evaluate those actions on a daily basis. These and other teachings guide our viewpoints, ways of being, and ways of knowing the world around us, shaping our Indigenous Evaluation Lens. Culture is always reacting to changes in the environment, thereby necessitating an evaluative focus that can evolve and react to changes in culture, society and people. It is about having a deep, grassroots understanding of ways of knowing, ways of being, ways of experiencing, and ways of doing.

Who Should Attend and How You Will Benefit

What You Will Gain

• Insights into unique ways of knowing and viewing the world as a means for fine-tuning your Indigenous Evaluation Lens.
• Creative inspiration in operationalizing reconciliation in evaluation practice and application and balancing your viewpoint between Western and Indigenous thought.
• A solid foundation in the rationale for supporting wholistic, technical, and social practices in evaluation.

What Comes with the Workshop

• The manual of Wearing an Indigenous Evaluation Lens (digital download).
• A reading list and links to the readings recommended for review prior to the workshop.
• A workbook of Wearing an Indigenous Evaluation Lens (given in the workshop).
• A set of tools which assist in tuning your Indigenous Evaluation Lens (in the workbook).

Who This Workshop is For

• Western taught / based evaluators.
• Program staff who work with Indigenous populations.
• Government staff and management who manage programs directed to Indigenous peoples.
• Non-government organizations who work with Indigenous peoples.
• Students who are interested in evaluation and expanding their knowledge-base.