When the CES 2017 call for presentations was released, our team quickly recognised the conference themes of innovation, action, and reflection within our lived experiences of conducting an internal evaluation of a communicable disease program restructuring initiative in BC’s regional Fraser Health Authority.
Tag Archives: action
The CES 2017 Fellows & Entrants Session: Come Speed Network! by Michelle Naimi
The 2016 conference in St. John’s, NL, was the first national CES conference I had ever attended and while there were many interesting presentations, one of the sessions that left me the most excited was the Fellows & Entrants Strand. The idea behind the development of this F&E Strand was to co-construct a space for Entrants (those who are new to the field) to engage with Fellows (senior evaluators with distinguished contributions to the field) – and engage we did! Continue reading
Introducing c2017 Conference Elder Roberta Price by Chris Lovato and Sarah Farina, Conference Co-Chairs
We are honoured that Elder Roberta Price will join the CES c2017 as the Conference Elder. She is a member of the Coast Salish peoples and was an Elder Advisor for the 2015 CES BC & Yukon Evaluation Society Conference. She is an Elder Advisor and research partner at the University of British Columbia and participates in many other community projects. Continue reading
Evaluation Can Be Influential in Creating Change By Kim van der Woerd
My name is Kim van der Woerd, I’m a member of the ‘Namgis First Nation of Alert Bay, BC, and have been doing program evaluation work for over 20 years. I own and have run an all-Indigenous consulting firm called Reciprocal Consulting, for the past 14 years. I’m excited we are holding this year’s CES conference in Vancouver, the unceded homelands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil Wau-tuth peoples. Continue reading
Future of Evaluation: Emerging Evaluators on the Horizon by Carolyn Camman
In December I had the opportunity to moderate a breakfast club event organized by the local chapters for the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES-BCY) and the Institute of Public Administration Canada (IPAC Vancouver). The theme was next year’s CES 2017 Conference theme: Facing Forward: Innovation, Action and Reflection. Continue reading
Get Social at CES Vancouver by Danielle Simpson
There are many academic reasons to attend CES Vancouver but the social activities will guarantee to be a highlight of your trip. Whether it is taking in the sights and sounds of beautiful Vancouver, chatting with a new acquaintance at morning exercises, or catching up with old colleagues at the evaluator dinners, this conference has something for everyone. Continue reading
Evaluation Over the Years by Kylie Hutchinson, Keynote Speaker
Some conference themes resonate with me more than others. When I saw this one I thought, “Yes!” Innovation, action, and reflection are all things that have been on my mind lately as an evaluator. Let me tell you why.
I took my first evaluation course in 1988 and went out on my own as an independent consultant in 1998. So as you can imagine I have a few years to reflect on. My first CES conference was Toronto 1990. For years it seemed to me there was nothing new in evaluation, and probably for good reason. We were still a young, relatively new profession and everyone was busy building our reputation and seeking acceptance. Fast forward to 2005-2006 and things seemed to really take off. Now everywhere I look I see innovation being introduced into the field, and it’s very exciting. From boundary-pushing reports to previously unthinkable forms of data collection, the times they are a changin’. Sometimes it freaks me out as I try to keep up, but it’s still exciting. Continue reading
Facing Forward By Brian Hoessler
From previous blog posts (see here, here, here, and here), you can tell that I’m a fan of expanding my skills and learning in evaluation through conferences. Attending these events, hosted by the Canadian Evaluation Society and the American Evaluation Association, has also connected me into a diverse community of practitioners, academics, consultants, students, grantmakers, government officials, and more who are brought together by a common interest in the field of evaluation. Given this blend of learning, sharing, and connecting, I try to make it out to these conferences whenever circumstances allow.
The next Canadian Evaluation Society conference will be taking place in Vancouver from April 30 to May 3, and I’m excited for a couple of reasons – not least because Vancouver is a beautiful city to visit, relatively close (well, close by Canadian standards, at least) to my home base of Saskatoon, and home to several evaluation colleagues and friends. What really piqued my interest is an initiative for the conference that’s being led by one of those colleagues and friends, Sarah Farina of Broadleaf Consulting. Evaluators are being encouraged to blog on the conference theme (Facing Forward: Innovation, Action and Reflection) in the months leading up to the conference. It’s a neat way to start the conversation well in advance of the meeting itself, and hopefully have it continue afterwards! Continue reading
Journey to a Theme By Chris Lovato
It’s now only 7 and a-half months before the 2017 Canadian Evaluation Society Conference begins. Thinking back on the journey to date, one of the early tasks that stands out for me was the process of identifying a theme. I was tasked with leading that process so I started by sitting down with a pen and paper and a BIG cup of coffee. I wrote down words and concepts that I felt represented what I’ve been hearing my evaluation colleagues and students talk about. That list was revisited and revised many times after conversations with Co-Chair, Sarah Farina and a host of others who engaged in the conversation. Just looked at my computer files and my first theme document was created in May 2015!
After several meetings and months of collecting feedback from a wide range of people, in April 2016 we landed on our 2017 conference theme–“Facing Forward: Innovation, Action and Reflection”. After that meeting I celebrated (not with coffee!). We are pleased with the response we’ve received to date; this theme seems to be resonating well with people. So far, we’ve heard unsolicited comments like “love the theme”, “exciting”, “great theme”. This feedback has made us all very happy! J Continue reading
The Evolution of Evaluation as a Community and Profession By Sarah Farina
I’m delighted to be Co-chairing the 2017 CES conference with Chris Lovato. My first introduction to CES was at the 2010 conference in Victoria. I’d been working in evaluation for many years, including conducting training in monitoring and evaluation. At that time, though, I wasn’t familiar with evaluation as a discipline.
What struck me most about the conference was how collegial attendees were, and how curious they were to learn. I enjoyed the sessions I attended, and more than that, I savoured the open and exploratory conversations that took place throughout the event. Almost every session made me feel like I’d finally come home. People were friendly, used a language I understood, and talked about topics I cared about. I felt from that time that I was joining a community of people working in the same realm, though the boundaries were still being worked out. Continue reading