Innovative techniques of

needs assessment

Session 8
Global Youth Network Workshop
Needs Assessment & Programme
Planning
What are innovative
techniques?
 The dictionary defines innovation as the
introduction of something new, so innovative
techniques are new ways of getting
information
 These are opposed to the ‘old techniques’
like surveys, questionnaires, etc.
 Examples include puppet assisted
interviews, drama based techniques, map
making, etc.
Why use them?

 The ‘old ways’ or what we may call

formal techniques make certain
assumptions about the people they
deal with such as a minimum level of
literacy, the ability to verbalise
community issues, the willingness to
share personal information with a
stranger, etc.
Why use innovative
techniques?
 But often, when working with youth we
need to adjust to a whole new set of
circumstances, which require that we
alter the tools we use to obtain
information.
Examples of innovative
methods
 Role plays
 Various forms of theatre like
Image theatre
Forum theatre
Invisible theatre
 Puppets
Examples of innovative
methods
 Visual methods like maps, collages,
collective drawing
 Individual and joint story writing
The methods discussed here are
innovative for one particular target
audience, youth. Can you think of any
innovative methods to get information
from say, teachers, or mothers?