Saturday workshop: DIG in, Evaluators!

DIG in, Evaluators! Two Arizona-Born, Community-Engaged Tools for Developing Integrated Gardens

with Theresa LeGros, MA and Anvi Bhakta, MPH, University of Arizona

Here, we share our participatory approach to creating two Developing Integrated Gardens (DIG) evaluation tools for school and community gardens, and how to use each in a "cycle of change." We expect attendees to come away with new ideas for engaging communities in creating or revising evaluation tools and a new understanding of two Arizona-born assessment tools for creating and sustaining gardens.

Workshop objectives are:

1.        Demonstrate participatory tool development methods. Participants will learn about and discuss our iterative, community-engaged process for creating evaluation tools, including expert panel formation, questionnaire design, pilot testing, and tool refinement across diverse contexts.

2.        Practice applying the four-stage Cycle of Change. Through hands-on engagement with the tools and exploration of Arizona case examples, participants will experience each stage (till, sow, grow, reap) and explore how to embed evaluation into ongoing implementation cycles in their own work.

3.        Develop strategies for interest holder engagement. Through facilitated discussion and small group work, participants will identify approaches for engaging communities in (1) designing evaluations, (2) implementing evaluations, and (3) selecting and using evaluation tools that themselves promote engagement.

Participants will leave the workshop with:

•        Access to the DIG in Schools and DIG in Community tools (available in English, Spanish, and Diné) and resources.

•        Concrete examples and case studies demonstrating how Arizona schools and community gardens have used the tools for action planning, sustained program integration, and celebrating change.

•        A framework for participatory tool development that integrates equity, community engagement, and trauma awareness into the evaluation process—applicable to any community-based program evaluation.

•        Practical strategies for embedding evaluation into implementation cycles that transform evaluation from a one-time assessment to an ongoing process of community-engaged change.

•        Small-group insights and peer learning from discussions about applying participatory evaluation principles in participants' own contexts, including considerations for diverse geographies, populations, and program types.