LAUSR

Program evaluation has long been recognised as a core competency for health promotion practitioners in Australia.1 Evaluation designs and frameworks, as well as the methodological and technological sophistication, have resulted in significant contributions to policy and strategies.2 The future of health promotion in Australia, however, depends on current and future efforts to build evaluation capacity. The NSW Ministry of Health has taken substantive steps in this direction.3 Empowerment evaluation represents another recognised approach to building evaluation capacity. It is practiced throughout the United States and in over 16 countries, ranging from Australia to Israel and Japan to the South Africa. The work in Australia began as early as 2005 focusing on a national school breakfast program.4 In addition, the Kinnect Group has provided empowerment evaluation workshops and training, focusing on work with Maori communities.5 It has been applied to a widevariety of settings, including Google,6 HewlettPackard's $15 Million Digital Village Initiative,7 Stanford University's School of Medicine,8,9 Arkansas’ tobacco prevention programs,10 NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory's prototype Mars Rover,11 and townships and squatter settlements in South Africa.12,13 The empowerment evaluation approach celebrated its 21st anniversary with a panel of luminaries at the American Evaluation Association's annual national conference, including Alkin, Donaldson, Patton and Scriven.14-17 They presented both complements and critiques. The most common observation was an empowerment evaluators’ ability to listen, engage in the discourse and improve practice. For example: