Introduction to Evaluating Your Project

Congratulations! You have finished the "action" part of your Citizenship Community Action Project. But in Global Citizenship, the work doesn't end when the campaign stops. The final—and perhaps most important—step is to look back and think about what happened. This is called evaluation.

In your exam, Section A will ask you to reflect on your project. You need to be honest, critical, and thoughtful. Don't worry if your project didn't change the whole world overnight! Examiners aren't looking for "perfect" projects; they are looking for students who can explain why things happened and how they learned from the experience.

1. Evaluating the Impact: Did it Work?

To evaluate the impact, you must look back at the goals you set during the Planning the Action stage. Impact is the actual "benefit or change" your project brought to the community.

Comparing Results to Goals

You need to ask: How and why did the action achieve (or not achieve) its intended effect?

  • Evidence of Success: Use facts and figures. If your goal was to educate 50 students about human rights and 60 showed up, you exceeded your goal.
  • Partial Success: If you aimed to reduce plastic waste in the school canteen but only 10% of students changed their habits, why was that? Was the message not clear enough?
  • Unexpected Impact: Sometimes things happen that you didn't plan. For example, maybe your project didn't raise much money, but it started a massive conversation on social media about climate change.

Quick Tip: Always use the word "because" in your evaluation. Don't just say "it failed"; say "it did not reach the target because we did not use enough social media platforms to reach younger people."

2. Evaluating the Method: How did you do it?

The method is the way you chose to take action (e.g., a petition, a fundraiser, an educational workshop, or a social media campaign). You need to decide if your chosen method was the best tool for the job.

What to Consider:

  • Effectiveness: Did the method reach the target audience? For example, if you wanted to influence local politicians, was a poster in a classroom the right method? (Probably not—a formal letter or a meeting might have worked better).
  • Resources and Time: Did you have enough time? Were your resources (like money or equipment) used well?
  • Collaboration: How well did your group work together? Did negotiation within the team help solve problems, or did disagreements slow you down?

What would you do differently?

A "critical" evaluation always looks for improvements. If you were to do the project again, what would you change?
Example: "Next time, I would use a digital survey instead of paper forms to collect primary research, as it would be faster to analyse the data."

3. Impact on Your Own Citizenship Learning

The syllabus asks you to think about how the project changed you. As a Global Citizen, you are expected to grow in knowledge and skills.

Key Areas of Personal Growth:

  • Understanding Global Issues: Did you gain a deeper understanding of one of the four themes (Politics, Economics, Culture, or Technology)? For example, did you learn more about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by trying to tackle local poverty?
  • Developing Skills: Think about your skills in primary research, collaboration, and representing different points of view. Are you better at persuading people now?
  • Changing Attitudes: Has your project changed your opinion on an issue? Do you feel more responsible for taking action in the future?

Did you know? According to the Oxfam definition used in your syllabus, a Global Citizen is someone who is "outraged by social injustice" and "willing to act." Your evaluation should show how you have moved closer to this definition.

4. Preparing for Section A Questions

In the exam, you will answer questions about your specific project. Here is how to handle them:

  • Direct Response Questions: These ask about the impact. Be ready to describe one specific change your project made.
  • Reflective Analysis: These ask why things happened. Use your knowledge of collaboration and planning.
  • Hypothetical Questions: The exam might ask: "How could others undertake this project in a different community?" This tests if you understand the "big picture" of your project. Think about how your project could be adapted for a high-HDI country vs. a low-HDI country.

Common Mistake to Avoid: Don't just describe what you did ("We made posters and talked to the Principal"). You must evaluate it ("The posters were effective at raising awareness, but they did not lead to a change in school policy because they didn't include a clear 'call to action'").

Summary: The Evaluation Checklist

When you are writing your evaluation, keep these three "Key Takeaways" in mind:

1. Measure against goals: Use the criteria you set at the start.
2. Be honest about methods: Identify what worked and what was a waste of time.
3. Focus on your growth: Explain how you have become a more informed and active Global Citizen.

Note: For more details on how to set goals or work with others, refer back to the chapters on "Planning the Action" and "Collaboration, Negotiation and Influence."