When designing or assessing mental health programs for diverse communities, cultural humility is crucial. Programs often fail not because of bad intentions, but because they’re not grounded in local realities.
Humble evaluation means involving community voices from the beginning, respecting traditional knowledge, and adapting language, imagery, and metrics to fit cultural contexts.
This participatory approach enhances trust, relevance, and impact. It shifts evaluation from “checking boxes” to co-creating meaning and growth.
Cultural humility in program design doesn’t just improve outcomes—it creates systems of care that communities can truly call their own.
Kanishka