Measuring Progress; Evaluating the Strengthening of Communities
Measuring Community Empowerment
 by
Phil Bartle

Module Introduction.

Documents Included in this Measurement Module

 Measuring Empowerment, an overview of a method to observe capacity development;
 The Sixteen Elements of Community Empowerment, brief descriptions;
 A General Form, multi-use form for participatory appraisal or measurement;
 Participatory Methods of Measuring Empowerment, a measurement method;
 Sixteen Elements of Empowerment, participants' handout;
 Participants' Notes to Measuring Increased Capacity, workshop handout;
 Forms for Measuring Change in Power, workshop handout.

 How to measure the extent that communities become stronger -- more
 empowered

 The sixteen elements listed several times in this site, are very important.
 They are the basis for four different activities.

  1. Promoting the strengthening (empowerment) of communities;
  2. Stimulating the capacity development of organizations;
  3. Measuring the strengthening of communities; and
  4. Measuring the capacity change of organizations.

 This module concentrates on one of those four, the measuring of
 progress in empowering low income communities. As you practice and
 become more skilled in this effort, you will find it easier, more
 understandable, and natural to engage in the other three
 endeavours. Pay attention to the sixteen elements because they will
 appear in the other three activities, and it is useful for you to
 know each of them intimately.

 How can strength, or changing levels
 of strength, be measured? Link to Participatory Methods
 of Measuring Empowerment.

 What are those components, or elements, of community and
 organizational capacity, that change as a community or
 organization becomes more empowered?
 Link to: The Sixteen Elements of Community Empowerment.

 To accompany these, several workshop handouts have also been
 prepared as part of this module. These include: the Sixteen Elements
 of Empowerment, handout; Participants' Notes to Measuring Increased
 Capacity, handout; and the Form for Measuring Change in Power,
 handout.

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Updated: 2003 April 19