Executive Summary

It is internationally recognised that cultural exchange programs are an important tool in fostering mutual understanding, tolerance and self-realisation for young people.The Lha Cultural Exchange Program commenced in 2002 with an exchange visit from a group of graduate social work students from Tulane University School of Social Work in the USA. Since then Lha has been welcoming growing numbers of visiting school groups each year. In 2014 Lha organised cultural exchange programs for 17 international groups, including University and High School groups from the USA, Mexico and Australia, with approximately 320 participants.

With the availability of two volunteers from Australia with experience in program evaluation, an evaluation of the Cultural Exchange Program was undertaken in March 2015. The purpose of the evaluations was to both assess program achievements, and focus on gathering and analysing data in a way that would encourage ongoing reflection and innovation leading to program improvements. The objectives of the evaluation were to:

• Assess the achievements of the program against goal and outcomes;
• Identify program strengths, challenges and lessons learned;
• Assess the effectiveness of the program provided by Lha;
• Explore the concepts of partnerships between Lha and visiting institutions involved in the program;
• Provide realistic recommendations for further ongoing improvement of the program.

A combination of methods was utilised to evaluate program performance and outcomes of the program. Data collection components included: document review; key informant interviews; and e-surveys of past visiting students and leaders from visiting organisations. Informants were selected, using purposive sampling, and based on consultation meetings with the Lha team. Data was analysed according to the draft program framework developed as part of the evaluation process. The report was drafted by the evaluators and revised after feedback from Lha staff.

The evaluation confirmed that Lha was doing a very good job in planning, managing and implementing the Cultural Exchange Programs. The report summarizes findings in relation to each step of the Programs, revealing that while the program runs well, there are some areas that could be improved. These findings covered:

1. Pre-visit negotiations:which do not seem to be as well defined or documented as they might be. In most cases there is no partnership agreement or contract outlining the roles, responsibilities and expectations of both parties. Arrangements in most cases are decided and recorded via relatively informal email communication between Lha and the visiting educational institution.
2. Preparations for the Exchanges: only a quarter of visiting students surveyed said that they had felt well-prepared for the exchange visit, with 28% reporting that they would have like better preparation, both prior to leaving their home country and on arrival in the visiting country. Feedback suggested that appropriate preparation of students, physically and psychologically, is vital to the success of a visit.
3. Accommodation and living arrangements: students reported high levels of satisfaction with both accommodation and food provided.
4. Mutual Learning Partners (MLPs): this feature of the program rated highly and was very much appreciated by visiting students, there were some small issues that, if addressed, could improve this element. Recruitment criteria for MLPs needs to be better defined, tailored to the needs of each visiting group. In addition, MLPs could be better prepared in pre-visit briefings and included in the post-evaluation process.
5. Exposure to leaders and intellectuals: the findings showed that Lha has excellent networks in the Tibetan community in Dharamsala, and is thus able to prepare a varied and high calibre program of presenters and facilitators to meet the needs of the visiting groups. Community leaders are very willing to be part of the program.
6. Excursions and social functions: findings were clear that the excursions arranged by MLPs and the social functions were fun and obvious highlights of the program, providing lasting memories.
7. Program evaluation: tends to be currently limited to student satisfaction surveys, with no obvious evidence that these are analysed usefully so that lessons learned can be fed back into the program.

The evaluation found that Lha has been effective to-date in managing the tension posed through the implementation of running Exchange Programs: the tension between making money for Lha and the primary mission of the organisation, servicing Tibetan people in the region. Areas of management and risk that were found to warrant immediate attention were:

(i) the need to develop a Child Protection Policy to ensure that measures are in place to protect young people involved in Lha programs; and (ii) the need to develop a monitoring and evaluation system to adequately document, track and evaluate the Program. 

The evaluation then explored outcomes for the various groups involved in these Programs. The benefits for MLPs were found to be substantial and included: improved conversational language skills; enhanced understanding of the cultures of visiting international students; greater opportunity to raise awareness about Tibetan culture and the situation in Tibet; greater appreciation and tolerance of cultural diversity; and the establishment of long-term international friendships.

The visiting students, in the post-visit survey [78 respondents], rated their overall experience very highly; the average rating being 9.32 out of a possible score of 10. The benefits of the Program for visiting students included: greatly enhanced understanding of the Tibetan political situation; greater appreciation of Tibetan Buddhism and philosophy; personal growth and understanding about the world beyond their home; changed attitudes leading to changed actions and involvement; and long-term friendships.

The evaluation found there were also clear benefits for both Lha as an organisation and the visiting institutions. The main benefits for Lha included: enhanced international credibility; increased reach in advocacy about the Tibetan situation and struggle; additional income; enhanced local reputation; and strengthened management and administrative skills. For visiting institutions, key benefits were: reliable service provision through arrangements with Lha; increased student interest and potential enrolments; enhanced reputation in their home country; and relevant social exposure for their students, within a very different cultural context.

The evaluation concludes with a series of recommendations, divided into three primary [the most important] and nine secondary recommendations, which aim to improve the quality of what is, overall, an already highly effective program. These recommendations are as follows:

1. That the one page logic model and theory of change schematic be confirmed as a working document for the program and monitoring systems be set-up to track progress and achievements against objectives and potential outcomes.
2. That Lha ensures a contract is prepared for all Cultural Exchange Visits and that, where agreed by both parties, a partnership agreement is negotiated between Lha and its more regular overseas partners.
3. That Lha develops a Child Protection Policy that outlines how the agency addresses the potential risks to children [anyone under 18 years of age].
4. That sending institutions that are not already doing so develop a simple pack of pre-travel information for student participants and, where possible, arrange a preparatory meeting.
5. That Lha develops a generic pack of information to be used by the visiting institution to help them adequately prepare students for the visit.
6. That, where applicable, visiting students be provided with some guidance about how to approach English language teaching.
7. That selection criteria for MLPs be tailored to suit the particular needs of the visiting group, with the names and details of selected MLPs forwarded to the visiting institution well in advance of the visit.
8. That alternative MLPs be recruited and available ‘on-call’ by Lha to ensure that absentee MLPs can be easily covered.
9. That a briefing meeting for recruited MLPs be scheduled prior to the arrival of the visiting group.
10. That, in line with current practice, allowances to individual MLPs only be paid for the days they participate in the program.
11. That a meeting be held with MLPs at the end of each Exchange Visit to gather evaluative information for analysis, with findings and lessons learned applied to future programs.
12. That guest presenters be selected with gender balance in mind and be provided with adequate briefing about their expected role and feedback about their presentation and the visit in general.

To read more, click here: Lha Cultural Exchange Program Evaluation Report 2015

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