Beyond the Surface

Citation: Ernst, J., Underwood, C., & Nayquonabe, T. (2025, May 14–17). Beyond the surface: Ripple effects mapping for inclusive evaluation in community learning [Conference presentation]. Children and Nature Network Nature Everywhere Conference, St. Paul, MN.

How do we evaluate the wider ripple effects of our community-based work? Using the example of our empathy-focused Community of Practice of Indigenous and non-Indigenous regional early childhood professionals, we showed how Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) can be used not only to capture the outcomes of programs, but also to encourage collaborative reflection, elevate historically excluded voices, generate momentum, and engage and re-energize participants.

This interactive session provided an overview of REM as an innovative and inclusive evaluation approach. You’ll learn how to implement the REM process and why it is so conducive to evaluating engaged learning and other capacity-building efforts. We offered strategies and resources for using the approach in your own efforts to support and evaluate equitable and inclusive nature connections.