Why Monitor and Evaluate Our Work?
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Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) help us understand how mentoring works in practice, what difference it makes, and how to improve it over time. In programmes with women of migrant background, M&E goes beyond counting activities—it’s about learning from real experiences, staying accountable to participants, and ensuring our work leads to inclusion, empowerment, and well-being.
- Monitoring = regular observation and light recording of what happens and early changes you notice.
- Evaluation = periodic look-back to understand results, why they happened, and what to change next.
- Together they create a simple learning cycle: observe → reflect → adapt → improve.
Accountability – Showing responsibility and building trust
We are accountable to mentees and to the community that trusts us. M&E helps us show, in clear and respectful ways, that our work has value. If attendance drops mid-cycle, that’s not failure—it’s information. Monitoring shows when it happens; evaluation explores why (timing, transport, childcare, content), so we can adjust quickly and keep the programme relevant.
- Track simple signals (attendance, engagement, comfort) and the stories behind them.
- Share key insights with mentors and coordinators to keep everyone aligned.
- Use findings to remove barriers (e.g., offer interpretation, change session time, provide women-only space).
Learning – Improving through reflection and participation
Monitoring captures what happens each session; evaluation invites a step back to ask: “Is this approach achieving what we hoped? What should we do differently next time?” This turns M&E into a conversation, not a checklist.
- Invite mentee voice with simple prompts (“What helped today?” “What was hard?” “One thing to change?”).
- Use accessible formats (talk, stickers, icons, voice notes) to reduce language barriers.
- Hold short team reviews every few sessions to spot patterns and plan small adjustments.
Motivation – Recognising and celebrating progress
Change is often subtle: a question asked, a goal set, steady attendance. Monitoring helps capture these moments; evaluation connects them over time to show cumulative impact (confidence, networks, participation). Celebrating small wins sustains energy for mentees and mentors alike.
- Note early signs of inclusion (everyone has space to speak), empowerment (self-set goals), and well-being (reduced stress, more ease).
- Combine brief notes with short case examples to make progress visible.
- Share success moments respectfully (anonymised when needed) to inspire the group.
Practical tips (light, ethical, useful)
- Two-minute journal: after sessions, write 2–3 lines (what energised, what challenged, any barrier spotted).
- Small goals: set 1–2 mentee goals and track tiny steps (e.g., tried a new activity; spoke to a club coordinator).
- Quick pulse: end with a simple feedback cue (thumbs / icons / one word on a post-it or voice note).
- Mini reviews: every 3–4 sessions, look back together: what to keep, change, or stop?
- Safety first: minimise data, avoid intrusive questions, obtain consent, protect privacy.
Reflection
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• Think about your own mentoring experience. How do you know when your mentoring is going well?
• Write down two or three signs that tell you your mentees are benefiting or that your sessions are effective.
• What you just listed — those observations, moments, and signals — that’s already monitoring. Evaluation comes next: reviewing these observations over time to see patterns, understand impact, and decide what improvements to make.
Those signs are monitoring. Looking back over time to spot patterns and decide adjustments is evaluation.