In Section 5: Evaluation, you learned that no matter how well you plan your activities, your evaluation questions, and your evaluation plan, it will all be for naught if you don't have a useful way to collect the data you will need to answer your evaluation questions. One way to collect data is through focus groups.
Directions: Use the following tips when running focus groups. Focus groups might be with youth, families, community members, or potential providers. You will need to identify the groups of people you want to talk to, develop a focus group protocol that includes the questions you want to ask, schedule the groups at a time that is convenient for your participants, and identify people to conduct the groups. Generally, focus groups should include five to eight people. Any more can get unwieldy, but fewer than five requires people to talk too much.