5. Observations on Community Evaluation Capacity
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In the course of research and discussions with the Sudbury task force, we tried to assess community evaluation capacity. It was immediately apparent that many community leaders are interested in the use of indicators and habitually do so to measure the outcomes of their efforts. However, they were concerned that evaluations seem to be a current trend or bureaucratic requirement. The idea of developing research and evaluation capacity that will help their own work did generate interest, and some institutions, such as the Institut franco-ontarien, wish to have a role in this development.
The Sudbury Francophone community does not yet have a coordinating or cooperative mechanism that could bring together all of its players. Without such a mechanism, it is difficult to anticipate an ongoing community evaluation exercise. However, this study seemed to have sparked the idea of holding an Estates General of the Sudbury Francophone community, which could lead to a valuable process.
Nevertheless, it is clear that research and evaluation activities require a degree of expertise. Although many participants are familiar with the use of indicators, they lack experience in establishing a hierarchy of expected outcomes and their corresponding indicators. From this point of view, training, mentoring or other forms of support would most likely foster capacity building.
Evaluation is also costly and time consuming. At present, community organizations have limited time and little money. Funding agencies should therefore earmark part of their contribution for evaluation.
