Canadian Evaluation Society Educational Fund

In support of the objects of the CESEF, a pilot program to test the feasibility and appropriateness of the Evaluation Mentoring Award—International is announced in association with the African Evaluation Association (AfrEA) http://www.afrea.org/home/index.cfm. AfrEA is an umbrella organization for national monitoring and evaluation associations and networks in Africa and a resource for individuals in countries where national bodies do not exist. It was founded in 1999 in response to a growing demand for information sharing, advocacy and advanced capacity building in evaluation in Africa. AfrEA activities have already been supported by Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian International Development Agency and the Canadian Evaluation Society.

The award will facilitate the advancement of education by sharing the program evaluation knowledge, experience and insight of established evaluation professionals with students and junior evaluators during the conduct of a program evaluation in an international setting. The pilot program duration is up to six months.

Benefits
The benefits of a mentoring program to both Mentor and Mentee are widely recognized. Mentoring has been proven to develop new skills, overcome barriers and develop confidence in junior evaluators through experiential learning. In addition, volunteer Mentors find that they can share their knowledge and experience and gain a grass-roots perspective and renewed energy through this learning partnership.

Objectives
The CESEF Evaluation Mentoring Awards are intended to:
• Improve the evaluation skills and knowledge of both Canadian and African evaluators (students and Mentors) while completing a program evaluation project in Africa;
• Support an African evaluation; and
• Expand the abilities of evaluators to work within globally accepted standards of evaluation enhanced by local cultures and indigenous knowledge systems.

In the longer term, the CESEF Evaluation Mentoring Award Program – International will:
• Foster the development of international mentoring teams.
• improve the use of evaluation in decision-making about programs, policies and initiatives; and
• Provide efficient and effective programs, policies and initiatives, to the benefit of Canadians in an international context.

Based on available funding, the pilot program award will provide up to CAD$5,000 to help offset the following expenses:
• Specified research expenses such as document purchase and specialized research-related software not otherwise available;
• Transportation, accommodation and meals related to travel for discussions with the mentoring team. Efficiencies such as piggybacking onto planned travel to conferences is strongly encouraged;
• Telephone, Internet and other communication expenses related to discussions of the evaluation program; and
• Registration fees for evaluation-related workshops or conferences.

Eligibility requirements of Mentee
• Postsecondary student residing in Africa or Canada who is enrolled in an accredited postsecondary institution and is studying program evaluation. The mentoring team must consist of at least one Canadian Mentor and one African Mentor identified in advance of the application. The applicant must have received approval from their Mentors to ensure that support is available to the student throughout the Award period. The specific program evaluation should be located in Africa and should have some particular relevance to Canada.
- OR -
• Junior evaluator residing in Africa or Canada who is not currently enrolled in a postsecondary program, is employed full-time, is engaged in program evaluation activities and has less than two years full-time experience as an evaluator. Applicants must identify their mentoring team in advance of their application. The mentoring team must consist of at least one Canadian Mentor and one African Mentor. The applicant must have received approval and a commitment from their Mentors to provide support to the junior evaluator throughout the Award period. The specific evaluation should be located in Africa and should have some particular relevance to Canada.

Eligibility requirements of Mentors
• The Canadian and African Mentors must be willing to perform their tasks in a voluntary capacity. They should have approximately five years’ experience as a full-time program evaluator, have a degree from a recognized university, provide a CV to the Expert Selection Panel, and provide references from three different clients for whom they have completed an evaluation project each of whom is willing to attest to their suitability as a Mentor.

Mentors and the award recipient should have regular opportunities to consult with each other via Internet communication tools or other communication means.

As this is a pilot program, all participants must be willing to share their experiences with the CESEF to help develop future directions for the award. An evaluation/feedback form will be distributed by the award recipient and each Mentor.

Awards decisions by the Board of Directors of CESEF will take into consideration the recommendations of an Expert Selection Panel and the availability of resources. Decisions of the CESEF Board regarding awards are final.

Applicants must demonstrate their adherence to ethical practice by indicating how they used the CES Guidelines for Ethical Conduct and the African Evaluation Guidelines in their work.

As part of good practice and as part of CESEF reporting requirements to the Canadian Revenue Agency, CESEF may follow up with Award winners subsequent to the completion of the award to ensure that the award was beneficial and met the needs of Canadians.

For more details on this program, please contact secretariat@evaluation-education.org

As funding becomes available, this program will be announced on the CESEF web site and distributed to CESEF members and to CES members. If you wish to become a member of CESEF, please click on Membership on this web site.

If you wish to fund or donate to this program, please click on Donations on this web site.