Capturing Program Evidence with Storytelling
Storytelling: Capture stories and spread their impact using a wide range of interpersonal, cultural, and research and evaluation approaches.
One of the Promising Futures Guiding Principles is Storytelling: Capture stories and spread their impact using a wide range of interpersonal, cultural, and research and evaluation approaches. Using a a frame of storytelling can help programs honor cultural differences and explore, document, describe, and explain program activities and participant outcomes more equitably. Storytelling approaches are most relevant when they elevate the voices and experiences of children, youth, and families.
Welcome to Capturing Program Evidence with Storytelling, a training series developed by Promising Futures and our partners at Latinos United for Peace and Equity. This six-part video series introduces the concepts and approaches of planning an evaluation using storytelling approaches. You will learn how storytelling can help your organization improve program effectiveness and how to evaluate program implementation and outcomes.
This training series is comprised of 6 modules each that build on one another to walk you through:
Understanding when is best to use storytelling
How to select amongst various approaches
Developing tools and plans
Collecting stories in ethically responsible and trauma informed ways
How to interpret and share stories
Each module includes a pre-recorded training (15-20 minutes each) and a downloadable handout of slides and links to additional resources and references.
Module #1: Intro to Storytelling for Change
Objectives:
Gain insight to the Promising Futures Storytelling Guiding Principle
Describe the benefits of using storytelling as a practice for centering communities and solution-making for programs and organizations
Gain an understanding of the various forms and perspectives in storytelling
Module #2: Storytelling for Evaluation
Objectives:
Describe the different strategies for using storytelling for program development and evaluation
Identify the main characteristics of stories used for evaluation
Decide when to use storytelling approaches
Module #3: Selecting Your Storytelling Approach
Objectives:
Understand the strengths and weakness of common storytelling approaches
Identify the information needed to begin the development of a storytelling strategy
Select among various types of storytelling approaches
Module #4: Developing Implementation and Facilitation Guides
Objectives:
Identify the various components needed to plan for and implement a storytelling strategy
Learn how to develop implementation and facilitation guides
Understand the different types of questions that can be asked in interviews and focus group facilitation guides
Module #5: Ethical and Trauma Informed Data Collection (Coming Soon!)
Objectives:
Understand the elements of culturally- and trauma-informed, ethical, and empathic data collection
Describe the difference between assent and consent and understand how to request them
Module #6: Exploring & Sharing Storytelling Data (Coming Soon!)
Objectives:
Understand the process for analyzing and making meaning from qualitative data
Learn various strategies for reporting, sharing and using your findings
These modules were developed from insights gathered from our partnership with the Specialized Services to Abused Parents and Children grantees as national technical assistance providers. The concepts and knowledge shared also represent many past and present contributions of people in the field of evaluation and domestic violence.
We would like to express deep gratitude to Dr. Rebecca Rodriguez, who is the lead developer of these modules and to Dr. Nivea Castaneda for her contributions. Additional thank yous go out to our evaluation capacity building staff, consultants, and thought partners who also contributed to the development of these modules:
Morgan Curtis, MDiv, MSSW
Alesha Ignatius Brereton, PhD
Leiana Kinnicutt, MSW
Brittany Freitas Murrell, PhD
Jessica Moreno, LCSW
Ellen Puccia, PhD
Rebecca Rodriguez, PhD
Wendi Siebold, PhD
Michelle Treviño-Talbot, MPH
Tien Ung, PhD
Modules created in partnership with LUPE.
Visit Latinos United for Peace and Equity here.
