Evaluation Sourcebook (.pdf) - School of Natural Resources and ...

INTRODUCTION OBJECTIVES THREATS ASSETS STRATEGIESHOW TO IDENTIFY AND EVALUATE YOUR PROJECT’S SOCIAL OBJECTIVESThe social and economic topics and indicators contained in this Sourcebook can be used as aspringboard to help you think about your own project’s objectives and progress. You canhone in on the most important aspects for your community by considering the following.What are the priorities for your community?When setting specific social objectives and prioritizing what about your community youshould evaluate consider:• Characteristic and/or unique features of your community (local industries, historicbuildings, type of economy,land use and demographic information)• Aspects of your community that are most vulnerable to outside threats (loss of jobs,loss of affordable housing, change in land uses, change in development patterns,changes in education programs).• Aspects of your community most closely tied to the health of ecosystems (resourcedependentjobs, recreation opportunities, human health, etc.)• What do people value or care about? Consider running focus groups or interviews toask community members what matters most to them.What is realistic?Social goals cannot be set without considering• What are the ecological limitations to resource use? How do they compare topeople’s expectations? A purely social or economic approach to management or onethat attempts to ignore long-term ecological impacts will not be successful becauseit is unrealistic.• Within what time frame and budget do you hope to achieve your objectives?What level or amount of change from current conditions is feasible for your projectto accomplish?• What are the starting conditions? How much can they be changed?A COMMUNITY PROFILEThe Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) produces community profilesto provide a “picture” of the social and economic condition of counties and communities inSoutheast Michigan. The profile includes measures of human populations, employment, andland use. You might find the glossary of these data helpful to determine how your projectcould assess your community:http://www.semcog.org/data/communityprofiles/glossary.htmNext: Two-page spreads on specific social and economic objective topicsEvaluation Sourcebook 59