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  • 08/26/2022 3:34 PM | Monica Stitt-Bergh

    I’ve been reflecting on the American Evaluation Association’s (AEA) EvalTalk listserv, its new platform, and how hard it is to use new platforms. My reflections have increased my empathy for the clients I work with on evaluation projects.

    I wonder what communication platforms and file storage systems you use and have been asked to use. My list grows longer as I work with different client groups. The last group I worked with used Slack. I learned Slack. The group before that relied on text messaging. My personal phone turned into a work phone with text messages flying around. Another group relied on Google Workspace: Chat and Drive. At the same time, I had another group using Box plus email. I had to learn Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint, Discord, Wrike and Dropbox. A professional organization that I belong to uses Basecamp and AEA now uses Higher Logic’s Connect. And then there’s meeting software such as Zoom, Skype, Teams, and Meet. On top of these communication platforms are evaluator tools such as software for surveys and interviews, transcription, statistics, data visualization, and data analysis/interpretation.

    Part of me longs for the days of using snail mail and phone. And the other part longs for everyone to use the same platforms because remembering to log into multiple platforms and taking time to learn new platforms is challenging. But asking or expecting folks to use the same platforms is not feasible. Each group needs to continue to use what works best for them. So, I embrace the benefits of life-long learning to motivate me to learn new platforms and learn how to use them effectively.

    More importantly, I have a renewed empathy for clients’ and stakeholders’ time. Even for those clients who value evaluation, it’s likely not built into their regular workday/week/month. During the evaluation project, they have to do new things and sometimes it’s not comfortable or easy. I’m grateful for their time. The least I can do is learn what platform works best for them and learn to use it effectively.


  • 05/02/2022 8:07 AM | Genevieve Manset (Administrator)

    Last Saturday, we were hip deep in the loʻi mud, weeding between the rows of kalo, shaded by leaves that were quivering in a cool morning breeze. This was our first H-PEA in-person event since the conference last October: an evaluation huakaʻi at Hoʻokuaʻāina, tucked in the windward side of the Koʻolau in Kapalai. 

    Tom, who organized our visit, emailed three simple but powerful evaluation questions for us to consider during this huakaʻi. I've used these below to organize my thoughts about my personal experience at the huakaʻi.

    What is going on?  

    We began by sitting in a circle in the hale and introducing ourselves and stating why were were there. We sat in a bed of highly polished black stones that was surprisingly cool and comforting. Dean spoke about the moʻolelo of the beginnings of kalo and human beings, and about fostering lōkahi in the context of caring for the kalo.  We  were then given instructions and encouragement on how to weed around kalo properly. The morning work began as we surrounded the patch and entered the water.

    What is new?

    It was all new to me, I had never worked in a loʻi, although I have read and heard others talk about it for years. I was surprised at first by how intimate it was with the earth. Being short, most of my legs were sucked deep into the mud. My first thoughts honestly- yuck! But after awhile I felt enveloped and supported by the mud. I also felt daunting-so many weeds!- but being with everyone working together also made it feel possible. Laulima. Sometimes I chatted with others, sometimes I was just lost in my thoughts. Pollywogs swam around me, frogs jumped out of the kalo. Two mallard ducks kept wandering by, curious, and there were flocks of finches. An ‘auku‘u slowly stalked in the grass nearby. The sun came out, and then went behind clouds.

    What does this mean?

    After we showered and changed, our group of evaluators gathered on benches to talk story about what the experience taught us  terms of new ways to plan for and implement evaluations. 

    I think I shared the same feelings of many of the participants, that I wanted to connect in person with H-PEA friends and meet new members, get away from my computer, and connect with the ʻāina. All of this happened.  I also made me consider how, and whether it is even possible, to bring to the surface in my reporting to funders those programs where lōkahi is central to their purpose. That is the question I left with. And this: Nani ke kalo. Beautiful kalo. 

  • 03/21/2022 4:56 PM | Genevieve Manset (Administrator)

    We hope our H-PEA blog posts will inspire you to grow as an evaluator and encourage you to explore new directions in our field. This is just another way we hope to connect our H-PEA  members across the state of Hawaiʻi and the broader Pacific region with new tools and innovative thinking about evaluation. Let us know if you have an idea for a post- we would love to hear from you!-  Genevieve  

Contact Us

Hawai'i-Pacific Evaluation Association

P.O. Box 283232, Honolulu, HI 96828

info@h-pea.org

H-PEA is a tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.



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