This article examines how youth develop their understanding of program evaluation through direct participation in an empowerment evaluation (EE). Based on post-evaluation interviews, we explore how EE served as an experiential strategy for building program evaluation knowledge and skills among youth. Participants described learning through hands-on activities and group dialogue, as well as encountering moments of confusion or uncertainty that limited their learning. These reflections underscore EE's potential as a strategy for teaching evaluation, particularly when youth are engaged in meaningful, developmentally appropriate ways. The findings also highlight the importance of aligning EE processes with the needs, motivations, and capacities of youth. The study contributes to a growing body of literature on youth-led evaluation and raises broader questions about how evaluation is taught, experienced, and adapted for younger audiences.
Heath et al. (Sat,) studied this question.