CES Award
Andrea L. K. Johnston receives the 2021 Contribution to Evaluation in Canada Award from the Canadian Evaluation Society
Upcoming Workshops
Indigenous evaluation workshops empower participants with community-centred tools
Indigenous Evaluation Summit
To feature Elders’ talks, local communities, presentations, think tanks, and demonstration projects.
Date: May 9 – 12, 2023
Indigenous Evaluators Network
To connect evaluators across Canada and around the world.
Date: May 12, 2023
Indigenous Evaluation Online Textbook
Johnston Research Inc.
Since 2001, Johnston Research Inc. has been working closely with communities to provide indigenous evaluation and policy research services. Johnston Research is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, but have done work across the entire country, from coast to coast. Johnston Research is run by Andrea Johnston, an expert in the evaluation field with over 25 years of experience. Through our workshop series, Honouring Reconciliation in Evaluation, we provide exceptional indigenous evaluation training. Learn more about us at our about page.
Indigenous Evaluation
Indigenous evaluation meets the needs and priorities of Indigenous Peoples. Honouring Reconciliation in Evaluation takes advantage of Indigenous (Aboriginal) evaluation systems and makes the ideal way of doing evaluation. Indigenous evaluation frameworks can achieve great results as they allows for more input from the community than traditional western evaluation. Indigenous evaluation frameworks involve evaluation with a decolonized lens.
At Johnston Research, we have developed over 200 Indigenous evaluation frameworks. Through this process, we have learned that evaluators should not lay claim to the development of Indigenous evaluation frameworks. The way Indigenous evaluation frameworks are undertaken needs to change.
Honouring Reconciliation in Evaluation
The purpose of Honouring Reconciliation in Evaluation (HRE) is to identify bias in the methods and approaches to make room for new notions of what is measurable and what provides valid evidence. Since no evaluation can be value-free, Honouring Reconciliation in Evaluation answers the question of whose values will frame the evaluation. HRE is done by working with clearly identified Indigenous evaluation collaborators who have the responsibility to apply findings and implement recommendations. Furthermore, HRE is a conduit for creating an open dialogue that includes mechanisms for follow-through and solid commitments from Indigenous and non-Indigenous Leadership. HRE tailors the evaluation to meet Indigenous Peoples’ needs and priorities.
Our Honouring Reconciliation in Evaluation Workshops help you gain the knowledge and tools to integrate Indigenous-led evaluation practice in your organization or program.
Dispelling Myths
Challenges in Restoring Health in First Nations
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Andrea L.K. Johnston presented this slideshow at the Indigenous Health Conference on May 27th, 2016. Andrea Johnston spoke about the need for a national sharing of Indigenous-informed outcomes. For example, at the conference Chief Littlechild said, “We need to hold each other up”. This outcome can be phrased as “Lifting each other up”. This presentation provides a rationale for supporting more work in this area. One conclusion you can make from the facts presented is that, “as First Nations we need to divorce ourselves from the colonial relationship – reclaiming our rights, our pride, our strength and this must start with the “Lifting Up of Each Other’s Spirits” through a unification of communities at a regional and national level, view the Prezi.