How long-term emancipatory programming facilitates participatory evaluation: Building a methodology of participation through research with youth in Honduras

Abstract

Empowerment and participation are promoted as critical factors in meaningful development processes; however, action-oriented researchers face challenges in fostering genuine empowerment and meaningful participation within traditional funding cycles and research timelines. This case study illustrates a participatory methodology employed by researchers in partnership with one Honduran non-governmental organization (NGO) to conduct ‘practical’ participatory evaluation with rural Honduran youth. Through collaborative autoethnography, two components of this methodology are identified and described. The first component – ‘foundational elements’- includes the NGO’s culture of transformative participation and the organization’s attention to synergies in the insider/outsider identities of research partners. The second component includes the ability of the research team to leverage this foundation for the participatory evaluation with rural youth. Importantly, this ability was grounded in and shaped by long-term, trust-based relationships between research partners. These relationships were the catalyst for success in this participatory initiative, connecting the ‘foundational elements’ identified to the collaborative outcomes experienced. Overall, this case study contributes to current and ongoing scholarly discussions on how to facilitate meaningful participation and capability expansion in research and evaluation contexts.