Date: Friday, March 28, 2025
Youth Focused Evaluation Topical Interest Group is for Evaluation About Youth, for Youth, and with Youth. The Youth Focused Evaluation TIG aims to collaboratively create learning spaces for all evaluators and researchers (adult and youth) that focus on the practices and outcomes of positive youth development and participatory approaches across informal and formal contexts. The YFE-TIG speaks to youth and adult evaluators’ and researchers’ unique needs by promoting the development and use of responsive tools and methods leading to practical and transformative outcomes for young people. The YFE-TIG helps youth and adult evaluators and researchers develop effective practices in professional development, program quality, measurement, ethics, youth participation, and amplifying youth voice and power. Ultimately, we want to support more profound youth-informed or youth-led evaluation and decision-making. This week’s posts are sponsored by the YFE-TIG.
Hello! We are Rugiyatu Kane, Soukeyna Ouedraogo, and Safyatou Diallo, members of the Senegalese Evaluation Association (SenEval). Today, we’d like to discuss our Programme de Renforcement des Capacités des Évaluateurs Émergents (PRC), which has provided emerging evaluators with mentorship and professional development opportunities. By sharing our experiences, we hope to strengthen mentoring initiatives for evaluators.
The PRC has helped mentees advance—securing internships, participating in evaluations, presenting at conferences, and taking on leadership roles within SenEval. My own journey as an evaluator reflects its impact.
In 2017, co-author Rugiyatu Kane joined the PRC as an emerging evaluator and was paired with Ian Hopwood, Honorary President of SenEval. That structured mentorship evolved into a lasting professional relationship and friendship. Through Ian’s guidance, I strengthened my evaluation skills and gained the confidence to take on leadership roles, including co-coordinating SenEval’s Child and Youth-Focused Evaluation TIG. Since then, I have presented at major conferences, including AfrEA 2019 and AEA 2024, while collaborating with other PRC Young Emerging Evaluators (YEEs) to co-organize seminars and training sessions, which has enriched my experience and expanded my professional network.
Co-author Soukeyna Ouedraogo, a 2023 PRC mentee, also found the program transformative. She reflects on how her mentorship with Amos Menard, Deputy Director of CLEAR-FA, enhanced her evaluation skills, confidence, and professional network:
“Beyond technical expertise, Amos played a key role in boosting my confidence, empowering me to engage in evaluation discussions and initiatives with greater assurance and impact.”
Amos adds:
“From the beginning, we defined the type of support I could offer and what I couldn’t. This was fundamental because mentorship comes with expectations on both sides, and not all can be fulfilled within the program.”
Effective mentoring requires strong mentor-mentee matching to align goals with expertise and ongoing relationship monitoring. Communication gaps and inconsistent follow-up highlight the need for continuous support and structure. A key lesson is the importance of mentor orientation—future editions should set clear expectations, share best practices, and offer ongoing support. Ensuring consistent mentor and mentee engagement remains a challenge, but strengthening accountability mechanisms will enhance program effectiveness.
We see potential in expanding our approach. One promising idea is integrating mentorship with internships in organizations, providing mentees with practical evaluation experience. Additionally, setting clear, short-term objectives will allow for better measurement of progress and impact.
Mentorship programs are crucial to strengthening evaluation. As we refine our approach, we invite collaborations from those with experience in mentorship programs to help us review the PRC and enhance its sustainability.
We’d love to hear from you! What lessons have you learned from mentorship programs? Share your experiences in the comments!
The American Evaluation Association is hosting YFE TIG Week with our colleagues in the Youth Focused Evaluation Topical Interest Group. The contributions all this week to AEA365 come from our YFE TIG members. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this AEA365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the AEA365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an AEA365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to AEA365@eval.org. AEA365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators. The views and opinions expressed on the AEA365 blog are solely those of the original authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the American Evaluation Association, and/or any/all contributors to this site.