Prepared by: Kais Al‐Momani Nour Dados Marion Maddox Amanda Wise C

EVALUATION OF PROPOSED INTERVENTIONS

As the strategies proposed above are diverse, it is difficult at this stage to suggest a detailed evaluation model. As many of these activities have a capacity building focus designed to assist participants towards future leadership roles, indicators need to encompass short, medium and long term outcomes. Also, some kinds of impact are diffuse, requiring in‐depth qualitative research to supplement numerical measures. Final methodology would depend on the intervention model in question; however, analysis should include pre‐ and post‐intervention assessment to track change over time, and participants should also be asked to what extent they attribute their subsequent successes to having participated in a particular program.

• Establishing long‐term mentoring relationships.

• Establishing deep and effective professional, community, and political networks.

• Maintaining a sense of self‐efficacy in relation to politics and policy change.

• Having effective debating skills.

• Being visible in committee, advisory and consultation roles.

• Moving into leadership or other politically influential positions.

• Participating in formal political activities.

• Muslim politicians being confident to identify as Muslims and engage the Muslim community.
In Muslim communities:

• Reduced informal voting in top twenty Muslim local government areas.

• Increasingly positive discourse in Muslim communities about voting and political participation.

• Increased perception that political participation can have an impact on policy.

• Muslims active in local, state and federal politics.

• Muslims in influential public service roles.

• Political mobilisation leading up to state and federal elections.

• Politically‐engaged Muslims represent diverse ages, genders, ethnicities and locations.

• Organisation leaders come from diverse ages, genders, ethnicities and locations.

• Connections between Muslim organisations.

• Connections with multicultural and mainstream organisations and forums.

• Activities designed to increase Muslims’ political participation.

• Cooperation on successful activities, rather than ‘reinventing the wheel’.

• Diverse Muslim and minority voices in consultation and policy development.

• Being represented in policy development and consultation.

• Programs being deliberately inclusive of minorities, including Muslims.

• Growing participation by Muslims in multicultural and mainstream forums and organisations.

• Activities designed to increase the political participation of ethnic minorities.

• Muslims visibly involved in political parties.

• Increasing numbers of Muslims preselected to run for local, state or federal seats, including winnable seats.

• Strong internal leaders advocating minority participation.

• Activities that increase political participation by minorities being funded sustainably.

• Increasing numbers of individuals reached through such activities.

• Feedback available to relevant organisations on their impact on policy consultations.

• Diversity of Muslim voices and opinions represented in mainstream media.

• Fair coverage of minorities in, or running for, political office.

• Improving mainstream perceptions of minority politicians.

• Muslim politicians confident in indentifying as Muslims.

• More Muslims elected to political office.

EVALUATING INDIVIDUAL INITIATIVES

In addition to a global evaluation of the impact of the overall strategy mix, individual initiatives require specifically tailored evaluations. Each initiative recommended has a particular focus, and will have different measures of success, impact and diffusion specific to them. The report authors felt it best to wait and see what components the final intervention strategy would include, rather than designing detailed evaluations for hypothetical programs at this stage.

ONGOING MONITORING AND REFINEMENT

The strategies recommended will have short, medium and long term impacts and their measures will differ accordingly. A longitudinal approach is recommended. Individual elements/programs in the strategy need to be evaluated separately, and these evaluations may form the basis of ongoing refinement and development, which will in turn feed into the refinement of the overall strategy.

APPENDIX ONE: AUDIT OF INITIATIVES

The following listing represents the results of an audit undertaken into programs, projects and initiatives that aim to enhance the political participation of Muslims. Programs with this specific aim were rare to non‐ existent in Australia, thus, we expanded the scope of the audit to include broader mentoring and leadership programs.