83 - The Power of Cultural Champions: How Community Stories Influence Programs

Abstract Information: The Sexually Transmitted Infection and Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (STITPPI) aims to lower STIs and Teen Pregnancy rates among tribal communities. Evaluators at Lost&Found partnered with program staff at the Great Plains Tribal Leaders’ Health Board (GPTLHB) to assess the readiness and desire for STITPPI programming among 18 Northern Great Plains Tribes. To do so we assembled secondary data on STI and teen pregnancy rates in the focus region and evaluation findings from the previous grant cycle. We also collected primary data from communities interested in bringing this programming to their youth. Our goal was to develop individual community profiles that reflect community strength, culture, and needs related to STI and teen pregnancy prevention, and specific preferences regarding program implementation. To this end we created two surveys: one for youth and one for adults. Both versions explore the same questions with slight variations in wording and response options. The programming our partner GPTLHB offers is very flexible in order to respond to individual community needs and preferences. For example, tribes can choose from five curricula (including an online curriculum) and can add learning content as they see fit. As tribal communities join the program, we encourage them to complete the needs assessment surveys and let the results help guide the planning process for program implementation. Far beyond logistical input, it helps us hear communities’ stories (including stories from their youth who the programming is for!) - what they consider valuable and important. These stories were on our minds when we designed the program evaluation and they will stay in the forefront throughout the evaluation process. We have found the results collected so far very insightful. For example, one of the priorities voiced was cultural integration into programming. Both youth and adults felt that their culture should be infused into programming. Some preferred ways of doing so were celebrating coming-of-age ceremonies and hearing perspectives from community elders on the topics of growing up and the responsibilities that come with it. Both approaches reflect an interest in the stories of their communities – to learn about and celebrate where they came from and to guide their future. On a practical level, through the survey we also collected lists of adults we call “Cultural Champions” – knowledgeable volunteers who are ready to help health facilitators integrate local culture into programming.

Relevance Statement: One of the key areas in research and evaluation is the idea of “beneficence,” or that both researchers and evaluators should always have the welfare of participants at the forefront of study design. In other words: How is this evaluation benefiting the community? Utilizing a needs assessment allows a two-fold application of beneficence: it involves the community in the program implementation design, and it allows the community to see its strengths and areas for growth. When community members can be a part of the process, program implementation and evaluation design can be shaped and molded by the needs of the community. The AEA makes a clear point that evaluations cannot be culture-free and that culture shapes how evaluation questions are conceptualized, which influences the data collected, how the data will be collected and analyzed, and how data is interpreted. When working with special populations, it is also important to understand the nuances that come with evaluation—specifically for populations who may be skeptical of evaluators and data collection. With our approach of community needs assessments—and with the integration of cultural champions—we hope to move toward a trusting relationship with our partners. As evaluators continue to work within communities, we believe that integrating needs assessments as well as cultural champions will result in an overall enhanced evaluation experience for everyone involved. We hope to share our experience with a broader group of evaluators and use the poster as a springboard for further discussions and an exchange of ideas.