May 2019

Maximizing Opportunities to Capture Data

A Spotlight on Making Connections: Oklahoma The Oklahoma Making Connections initiative is in its second school year of implementing HOPE Squad ( H old O n, P ersuade, E mpower), a school-based, peer-to-peer suicide prevention model at an elementary, middle, and high school in Anadarko, Oklahoma, an area with a large American Indian population and past incidents of youth suicides. To assess the impact of HOPE Squad in the schools, the initiative is using several evaluation strategies to ensure efficiency in data collection, including a combined survey packet to measure attitudes toward suicide, stigma, help-seeking behavior, and resiliency. For more information on their strategies, click below to read the full brief. See below for tips on how you can maximize opportunities to capture data.

MC Spotlight Full Brief

Coming Soon! SNA & CEI One of the primary outcomes outlined in the MC Initiative Theory of Change is the sustainability of community coalitions working to improve mental wellbeing. The MC USF evaluation team works to assess progress towards this outcome using the Social Network Analysis (SNA) and Coalition Effectiveness Inventory (CEI) surveys. The SNA is used to understand the structure and patterns of interactions across a number of relationship variables including, communication and decision-making while the CEI is used to assess coalition effectiveness and stage of development. The surveys will be combined this year to ease grantee time and effort in completing the tools.  Please be on the lookout for an email from your site liaison with more information.

Important Reminder MWBI Regularly check your site's web page to ensure you are using the correct versions of the paper MWBI.  You can request your MWBI data at any time! Simply contact your site liaison with the request. For more information on your MWBI, visit your page at http://www.mcievaluation.com/grantee-resources.html. Take a look at how you are doing with your survey completions, get helpful instructions on how to complete the survey, access the surveys using different platforms and upload your hard-copies.

Local Evaluation Report

Thank you for joining us on last month's Making Connections Evaluation TA Call/ Office Hours and for sharing your questions about the local evaluation report and MWBI. To access the recording and PowerPoint slides, click the following link: https://www.mcievaluation.com/trainings.html

Evaluation Connections: Tip of the Month Check In/Check Out A simple check-in and check-out tool (e.g., an emoji feelings chart) can track participants’ attendance and obtain immediate feedback on activity impact. Sites using or developing check in/check out tools include Chicago, Hawaii, New Orleans and San Diego. Pen or Pencil to Paper Document what is happening and make it a routine. Writing a few sentences describing what your Initiative accomplished each month can help in reducing stress during report preparation.

Prevention Institute Corner

Promundo Report and Podcast Explore Norms for Masculinity and Connections to Men’s Health What does being a man have to do with being healthy? Promundo recently released a report entitled Masculine Norms and Men’s Health: Making the Connections which shares research around how masculine norms – or ideas about what it means to be a man – are connected to men’s health outcomes globally. The takeaway message is clear: there is a common subset of masculine norms – that men around the world subscribe to – which act as a driving force in men’s poor health. Through our work with Making Connections, we are working to re-frame masculine norms through our work to improve mental wellbeing.  Take a listen to this podcast conversation between report co-author Cody Ragonese and Prevention Institute’s Ruben Cantu: Re-designing the Man Box: Converting Toxic Masculinity to Healthy Masculinities For additional information, check out this blog post by Cody: http://preventioninstitute.org/blog/what-does-being-man-have-do-being-healthy

 The Making Connections Evaluation emphasizes   theory-driven evaluation , which promotes development of shared vision, clear linking of strategies to intended outcomes, and a commitment to using data to inform decision making at all stages and levels of implementation.

Copyright © 2019 University of South Florida, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you are part of the Making Connections Initiative.