McCreary adopts a collaborative and flexible approach to evaluations, with the programs being evaluated ultimately deciding on the evaluation approach best suited to meet their needs and goals. All measures and tools are developed in consultation with the organization and other relevant stakeholders, including youth, and modifications are made based on their feedback.
In line with established Canadian research ethics protocols, we adhere to data collection and storage procedures that ensure the confidentiality and anonymity of all participants. We also present data in such a way that individual participants cannot be identified.
McCreary does not use an organization's evaluation data for purposes other than those agreed to at the outset, without the permission of the organization. McCreary also does not share or release an organization's evaluation results to a third party, without that organization's consent.
McCreary has carried out independent evaluations for programs in a range of areas, including youth justice, housing, employment, anti-discrimination, harm reduction, and mental health and wellness. A sample of past evaluations are described below (listed with permission of the organizations).
McCreary carried out an evaluation of Community Action Initiative’s (CAI) granting stream Alcohol & Girls: Making Prevention a Priority, a program with the objective of reducing the likelihood of harmful alcohol use among girls through an upstream approach. The mixed-method evaluation (2021) assessed the process, outcomes, and learnings of the 21 community organizations awarded grants from CAI in their efforts to increase girls’ resilience and capacity to make informed choices about using alcohol.
McCreary started evaluating Y Mind BC in 2017, and subsequently also evaluated Y Mind National. The program supports young people who experience mild-to-moderate anxiety symptoms to learn effective skills to cope with their symptoms and improve their overall well-being.
McCreary carried out an evaluation of Aunt Leah’s Supporting Education for Foster Youth (SEFFY) program from April 2018 to March 2019. The mixed-method evaluation assessed how much SEFFY helped participants with their academic planning and goals, and canvassed participants’ suggestions for how the program could be improved. Another goal of the evaluation process was to support Aunt Leah’s in creating a plan and meaningful tools (e.g., participant survey) so that SEFFY evaluation activities could be internally sustained in the future.
McCreary carried out an evaluation of Aunt Leah’s The Link: Housing First program which supports young people from government care who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The evaluation (2019) identified the extent to which participants’ involvement in the program contributed to improvements in their lives, and examined the degree to which Aunt Leah's adaptation of the Housing First model was meeting the needs of youth from care.
Funded by the Department of Justice’s Youth Justice Fund (2008-2011), McCreary spearheaded a longitudinal evaluation of six PLEA addictions and youth justice programs. Douglas College students on practicum at McCreary were involved in all aspects of the project, including helping with data collection, data entry, and analysis. Three waves of longitudinal survey data were collected – at intake, discharge, and six months post-discharge. The evaluation findings were presented at various local and international conferences.
Career Path aimed to provide meaningful employment and mentorship to youth ages 15 to 18 at high risk of gang involvement. The program involved a 10-week job placement, intensive one-to-one support and supervision, and employer mentoring with a variety of training and educational opportunities. The goals of the program were to increase youth participants' ability to function in work and community environments, to enhance their future job prospects, and to reduce their risk of gang involvement.
The City of Vancouver’s citizenU project was a three-year, city-wide initiative aimed at engaging and training youth as leaders in anti-racism, anti-discrimination, and intercultural community-building. The goal of the evaluation was to measure how much taking part in the initiative increased participants’ understanding and awareness of racism and discrimination, and increased their civic engagement, community connectedness and leadership skills to ultimately contribute to reducing racism and discrimination in their community.
This Broadway Youth Resource Centre (BYRC) initiative was funded by the Vancouver Foundation from September 2008 to March 2011. BYRC worked with market and non-profit housing providers to provide supported housing for at-risk and homeless youth ages 16 to 24, and acted as an intermediary between landlords and program participants. Each youth was assigned a Transition to Adulthood Worker who offered a range of supports, including emergency assistance and help in gaining the necessary skills to successfully transition from supported to independent housing.
This toolkit was devised for the use of Yukon service providers who want to incorporate evaluation into their work with young people. It is the result of two workshops facilitated by McCreary. This toolkit aims to increase understanding of evaluation, develop the skills to prepare an evaluation plan, and provide tools to carry out an evaluation of a local community project.
