From Lived Experience to Program Improvement: The Value of Youth and Family Voice
As the out-of-school time (OST) field increasingly prioritizes equity and effectiveness, research and evaluation have become essential tools for program improvement. Whether assessing youth engagement, evaluating climate, or identifying barriers to participation, the strongest evaluations do more than collect data—they amplify voice, reveal patterns, and drive better decision-making.
Too often, evaluation is something done to communities instead of with them. But when youth and families are meaningfully involved in the research process, the results are more relevant, accurate, and actionable. Their lived experiences bring the insight and urgency needed to inform real change.
This post explores how centering youth and family voice makes evaluation more meaningful and impactful—because programs improve most when those closest to the experience help shape the questions, interpret the findings, and drive the solutions.
Understanding the Realities of Program Participation
Out-of-school time (OST) programs don’t operate in isolation—they’re shaped by the daily realities of youth and families. Participation is influenced by a complex mix of factors: community context, schedules, transportation, cultural norms, and the emotional tone of the program. Youth and caregivers navigate these dynamics firsthand, making their insights essential for understanding how programs truly function.
When evaluation centers their voices, it surfaces practical and relational challenges that data alone can miss. Caregivers may point to communication gaps or access barriers, while youth can speak to how programs feel—whether they’re inclusive and engaging or disconnected from their needs. These perspectives are key to designing programs that not only look strong on paper, but truly work in practice.
Building Trust and Generating Stronger Data
Youth and families offer the most honest, meaningful feedback when they feel genuinely respected and engaged as partners—not just respondents. When trust is prioritized, evaluation becomes a shared effort grounded in transparency and relationship. And when participants see their input lead to visible changes, it deepens both buy-in and accountability.
This is especially vital in communities that have experienced broken trust, tokenism, or extractive research practices. Elevating youth and family voices isn’t just about better data—it’s about repairing relationships, redistributing power, and building a culture of mutual respect where insights lead to real improvement.
Asking More Useful, Impact-Driven Questions
For evaluation to drive real improvement, it must start with the right questions—ones rooted in the day-to-day realities of program participants. Youth and families bring invaluable perspective to this process, helping shift the focus from abstract metrics to issues that truly matter: belonging, voice, relevance, and growth.
When they’re engaged in shaping the inquiry, the questions change. Youth might ask, “Why don’t we have more say in what we do each day?” or “What helps us feel seen and heard here?” Families might ask, “How does this program build my child’s confidence?” or “Is it affirming who they are and where they come from?” These are the kinds of questions that lead to meaningful insights—and actionable change.
Addressing Ethical and Operational Challenges with Insight
Youth and families don’t just participate in programs—they navigate the systems, norms, and power dynamics that shape them. Their lived experience offers critical guidance for designing evaluations that are not only ethical, but also respectful and doable.
By involving youth and families, evaluators gain insight into what questions are appropriate, when and how to ask them, and how data might be received or misunderstood. They help surface hidden barriers, cultural considerations, and dynamics of trust that external observers might overlook—ensuring that evaluation processes reflect the realities of the communities they aim to serve.
Interpreting Data with Nuance and Relevance
Data alone doesn’t drive change—meaning comes through interpretation. Youth and families bring the context and lived insight needed to understand what numbers and narratives truly reflect. They help explain what the data really means, uncover why certain patterns are happening, and make sure conclusions reflect real experiences.
Their involvement reduces the risk of misinterpretation and keeps evaluation focused on what matters most: improving programs in ways that are responsive, equitable, and aligned with community needs.
Turning Insights into Actionable Change
When youth and families help interpret findings, recommendations become not only more grounded—but more practical, creative, and community-driven. Their voices turn abstract insights into specific, doable strategies that reflect real priorities and lived realities.
Whether adjusting activity structures, improving communication, or creating new leadership roles, change is more effective—and more likely to stick—when it’s shaped by those who experience the program every day.
A Story of Change: How Listening Transformed an OST Program
At a community center serving a diverse neighborhood, staff running a popular afterschool program began noticing a quiet but steady drop in attendance among middle school youth. This was unexpected—on paper, everything looked strong. Surveys showed that youth felt safe, felt supported by staff, and rated activities positively. But participation trends told a different story.
Rather than chalking it up to engagement fatigue or outside distractions, the team held a series of listening circles with youth, caregivers, and staff. Facilitated by our team of local evaluators, these sessions opened space for honest dialogue.
That’s when the truth came out. Youth shared that while they liked the idea of the program, it didn’t feel like it was built with them in mind. “It’s the same schedule every day,” said one eighth grader. “We don’t get to decide what we do. Sometimes I just want to go to the gym or chill without being told where to go.” One parent echoed a similar concern, emphasizing the importance of youth choice in programming.
With this input, the program team made key changes: they added a weekly “youth choice hour” with rotating options like open gym, creative writing, and leadership circles. They created a Youth Advisory Group to help co-design future offerings and launched a family feedback council that met every other month.
By spring, attendance didn’t just recover—it became more consistent and energized. Youth were leading projects, proposing new ideas, and taking ownership of the space. One seventh grader summed it up best: “Before, it felt like something we had to go to. Now, it feels like something we get to be part of.”
