Evaluating your project can help you learn whether it has met your goals, but only if you decide up front what to evaluate and how to do so. The purpose of any evaluation is "to answer practical questions of decision-makers and program implementors who want to know whether to continue a program, extend it to other sites, modify it, or close it down."1
The best way to start evaluating your project is to reflect on your original goals. Did you bring your issue to the attention of a group of people? Did they learn from it? Be sure to include an evaluation step—such as a questionnaire, suggestion box, or formal survey—in your overall plan. Ask yourself what you can do better to reach your goals, to involve more people in your project, and to spread your message to a wider audience. Then, make adjustments to your activities to strengthen your project.
You will probably want to examine how well you were able to communicate by answering the following questions:
 | How much coverage (in column inches) did your message receive in the local newspaper? In the school paper? On bulletin boards? On posters in stores? |
| How many minutes of coverage did your program receive on radio or television? |
| How many people were reached through each medium? |
| How much was donated in advertising services, compared with dollars and volunteer hours spent getting the message out? (Local advertising agencies can help you put a dollar value on much of your publicity so you can determine this.) |
Evaluation of public awareness and education campaigns needs to be built in at the start.2 A survey of a sample of your target audience at the beginning of your program can show what people knew or believed just before your campaign began. Conducting that same survey after your campaign has been under way for a while (perhaps 6 to 12 months) will show whether people's knowledge or beliefs have changed. Look at whether people have encountered other messages or news stories on the same issue, and consider what community developments might have affected your messages. It's difficult to prove that your campaign, on its own, is completely responsible for the desired change, but it's possible to show that your efforts helped. This kind of evaluation needs up-front help from someone trained in evaluation design; it can require a sizable amount of work.
In evaluating your awareness project, also consider whether and how it meets the following more general crime prevention goals:
| Reduces crime or fear of crime in your community. |
| Is cost effective. |
| Has a lasting impact. |
| Attracts support and resources. |
| Makes people feel safe and better about being in your school or community. |
Learning to evaluate the things you do is a good skill, one you can apply to all aspects of your life. Good luck with your project and—Learn to make a difference!
For more information on evaluating projects, refer to Does Your Youth Program Work?, a Youth in Action Bulletin available at no charge from the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse, listed in the "Resources" section.
National Crime Prevention Council. What, me evaluate? Washington, DC: National Crime Prevention Council, 1986.
| Youth In Action Bulletin | December 1999 Number 12 |