Measuring belonging as a community
The Measurement for Change (M4C) Task Group, formerly the Well-Being Shared Measurement Task Group, is a working group part of the Children and Youth Planning Table of Waterloo Region.
Our objectives are to promote shared measurement tools and to support standardized data collection and evaluation practices. This helps to better inform evidence-based decision-making within organizations. Our current priority is measuring and increasing belonging for children, youth and families participating in programs across Waterloo Region.
2026 Areas of Focus
Measurement Training
Through interactive workshops, we help organizations learn how to measure the impact of a real program at your organization. Participants bring the program and we will help them measure it.
1:1 Data Support
We connect organizations with a mentor skilled in impact measurement to support them one-on-one in measuring impact. Organizations receive insights in a digestible, easily understandable report.
Belonging Research
We’re researching belonging interventions and how they lead to stronger outcomes in programming. The goal is to turn shared measurement insights into shared action and improved outcomes.
Measure your impact!
Latest News from M4C
Two upcoming opportunities to increase belonging with Measurement4Change
Public Facing Dashboard
Community & Program-level Belonging
The data in this PowerBI dashboard compiles responses from 420 young people who participated in programs across Waterloo Region. These responses were collected through the M4C youth belonging survey between 2022 and 2023. M4C developed and implemented the survey in collaboration with eight organizations.
Across the three dashboard pages, the insights cover:
- participants’ perceptions of community belonging
- their sense of belonging within their unique programs
- demographic breakdown of participants
This dashboard is an accessible example of how shared measurement tools can help us explore the collective experiences of community members.
Our projects & resources
Belonging Survey Question Catalogue
M4C Belonging Survey: Report
M4C Phase One Project Evaluation
Ways to Incentivize Survey Participation
Participating Organization MOU Example
Our Introduction & History
More about us and our projects
Curious about what we do, and how the Measurement4Change Task Group came to be? Learn more about:
- Why we focus on Belonging
- What we achieved in Phase 1 of the project
- What to look forward in Phase 2 of the project
- And more!
Measuring Program Impact – M4C’s 101 Trainings
M4C offered two workshops for program personnel on how to use quantitative techniques to measure the impact of their programming, including:
- survey scales
- numbers
- attendance
- and more
This was a hands-on opportunity to develop an evaluation framework for programs in our community.
These sessions offer a clear articulation of the goals for your program. They also provide insights into how to establish a well-defined objective. You’ll also better understand how to develop a framework to measure how effectively your program is achieving its goals.
M4C 101 Training (Part 1)
An introduction to Measurement 4 Change, quantitative measurement, measuring your impact, and a practical exercise with CYPT orgaizations in Waterloo Region.
This session included a worksheet that you can download by clicking the button below.
M4C 101 Training (Part 2)
An introduction to Measurement 4 Change, including what data will help you find answers, types of data to consider, organizing data, choosing comparison groups, and a workshop activity.
This session included a worksheet that you can download by clicking the button below.
Join Measurement 4 Change!
Our presentation recordings
Belonging Webinar
Serena McDiarmid, PhD Candidate at the University of Waterloo, presents academic research on belonging and the Measurement 4 Change project.
How to Measure Belonging at a Program Level
The Measurement For Change Group presents new measurement supports for CYPT members.
Storytellers Competition Video - Serena McDiarmid
View Serena McDiarmid’s submission for the SSHRC Storytellers competition. This video explains the Measurement 4 Change project in just one minute.