Evaluating your project can help you learn whether it has met its goals, but only if you decide up front what you want to evaluate and how you will go about doing so. The purpose of conducting an evaluation is "to answer practical questions of decision-makers and program implementors who want to know whether to continue a program, extend it to other sites, modify it, or close it down."¹ You will want to be able to show that your project does one or all of the following:

	Reduces crime.
	Reduces fear of crime.
	Is cost effective.
	Has a lasting impact.
	Attracts support and resources.
	Makes people feel safe and better about being in your school or community.

To evaluate your antigraffiti or antivandalism project, reflect on your original goals. Were graffiti and vandalism reduced in your school or neighborhood? Did you reach all the people in the neighborhood you intended to? Did the message of your project reach other youth? Did they learn what you were trying to teach them? Are young people more aware of the costs and dangers of vandalism and graffiti? Be sure to include an evaluation step in your overall plan. Ask yourself what you can do better to reach your goals, to involve more people in your project, and to spread your messages to a wider audience. Then, make adjustments to your activities to strengthen your project.

Learning to evaluate the things you do is a good skill; one you can apply to all aspects of your life. Good luck with your project and -- Go for it!

Youth In Action Bulletin

December 1998     Number 02