Aging and Economic Security Evaluation: Crosscutting Lessons Learned

This evaluation of Atlantic's grantmaking to support the economic security of low-income elders identifies elements most likely to help advance a policy agenda when working in a politically charged environment: Use a state-by-state approach and target multiple levels of government to show incremental progress for national resultsInvest in research to create the foundation for effective advocacy and communications strategiesUse strategic communications to change the narrativeEnsure the voices of the grassroots are heard in policy debatesSupport for capacity building should focus on filling gaps needed to achieve a goal rather than trying to bolster weak organizationsWork still needs to be done after winning a change in policy to help ensure implementation of a "new normal"The evaluation examined five projects that comprised a multi-pronged effort to improve the financial resources of retired adults. Goals included boosting enrollment in an array of social safety net programs and protecting and strengthening retirement policies. To achieve their goals, grantees used a mix of research and data, advocacy, communications, grassroots training and mobilization.Over the course of their work, grantees connected elders to available benefits, promoted state-level reforms to retirement programs, changed the narrative on social security, and exposed the gap between the cost of living and actual elder incomes

Design of VR app applied to cognitive training

L’objectiu principal d’aquest projecte és el disseny d’una aplicació de realitat virtual per millorar el tractament dels pacients amb deteriorament cognitiu lleu, així com estudiar els possibles avantatges que aquesta tecnologia pot proporcionar en aquest camp. Es va escollir la realitat virtual perquè permet augmentar la sensació d’immersió pel que fa a les tecnologies actuals. Actualment la realitat virtual s’està utilitzant amb aquest tipus de tractament i està aconseguint gran resultats amb els pacients. A més, mitjançant l’ús d’aquesta tècnica d’immersió visual, s’espera que ajudi a millorar la capacitat dels pacients davant nous problemes, com pot ser la iniciació a la realitat virtual, una qüestió fonamental que ajuda a la millora dels pacients que es troben en les primeres etapes de la malaltia. L’aplicació consisteix en un entorn de supermercat virtual on el pacient pot realitzar diverses proves. En aquesta hi haurà diferents nivells amb diverses complexitats, sempre després d’haver realitzat un tutorial previ. L’aplicació s’ha realitzat en dues fases diferents: primer es va crear el guió, amb col·laboració amb la unitat d’Alzheimer de l’Hospital Clínic. Els nivells de l’aplicació es van definir aquí. El següent va ser la realització de l’aplicació amb col·laboració amb la companyia Vysion 360. Per a la seva utilització per la unitat d’Alzheimer de l’Hospital Clínic, l’aplicació tenia que complir diferents criteris. En primer lloc, els nivells de dificultat tenen que ser suficients per realitzar un tractament a llarg termini. En segon lloc, per crear una bona experiència de immersió, l’entorn creat té que ser el més realista possible. Finalment, s’ha creat una base de dades local per guardar la informació de totes les sessions, utilitzat posteriorment en l’anàlisi de evolució dels pacients. Amb aquesta aplicació, s’espera que els resultats en els pacients amb deteriorament cognitiu lleu milloren respecte a les tècniques anteriors. Especialment gràcies a la gran experiència d’immersió aconseguida amb la realitat virtual, la qual ajuda a la concentració dels pacients durant el tractament

The border city of Goma: zone of contestation or laboratory of change?

In order to assess the remarkable paradox of Goma’s dynamic development and transformation from a peripheral town into an important regional economic hub in a generalized context of state collapse and armed conflict, this article tackles the city as a zone of contestation and a centre of opportunity. The semi-autonomous development observed is strongly linked to the city’s connection to the extensive and flourishing transborder trade in natural resources. These dynamics have had a considerable impact on urban socioeconomic activities, have strengthened the position of the city as a ‘borderland’ and have redefined the relations between city, state and region

GAP WORK project report: training for youth practitioners on tackling gender-related violence

This project sought to challenge gender-related violence against (and by) children and young people by developing training for practitioners who have everyday contact with general populations of children and young people (‘youth practitioners’). Through improved knowledge and understanding practitioners can better identify and challenge sexist, sexualising, homophobic or controlling language and behaviour, and know when and how to refer children and young people to the most appropriate support services. This summary outlines the Project and our initial findings about the success of the four training programmes developed and piloted.Co-funded by the DAPHNE III programme of the EU

Building and Contesting post-war Housing in Dakar

After the Second World War, European welfare planning was transposed to the African colonies. With regard to housing this meant a true turning point in urban policy. For the first time the colonial state massively invested in the housing of the African urban dwellers. However, the segregationist underground and elite‐focus of the housing schemes at the same time reinforced fundamental inequities in the African city, thereby furthering colonial goals. The promotion of African emancipation was thus accompanied by a strong ‘social engineering’. Yet, Africans were no passive victims of development schemes. In this paper we will take a close look at the housing schemes of the Société Immobilière du Cap Vert (SICAP) in Dakar (Senegal) between 1951 and 1960 (independence). Notwithstanding the significant housing shortages in Dakar, archival records show that a substantial amount of the SICAP houses remained vacant after completion. Apart from too high rents, the main reason was that the SICAP-houses seemed to be designed with the average West-European middle-class family in mind. As a consequence, most houses proved too small and little adjusted to the extended African family, which is well reflected in the many alterations the SICAP houses underwent right from their completion until today. Moreover, the SICAP housing schemes, and in particular their segregationist and elitist underground, caused strong African opposition. Many Africans opposed to the more than 80.000 forced evictions, known in the colonial jargon as ‘déguerpissements’, that were caused by the implementation of the schemes. The result was a fierce battle over land between the government and the inhabitants of Dakar. In particular the Lebou-population demanded adequate compensation for its land in case of expropriation, even if they did not possess any official land title, with equal rewards for Africans and Europeans. Due various forms of active and passive protest of the inhabitants the implementation of the SICAP housing schemes regularly came to a standstill and the government often found itself in ‘a complete impasse’. The study of these different forms of agency and resistance in Dakar is important as it shows that, although colonial rule was strict and compelling, it was possible to escape from it to some degree

EU Neighbourhood policy: implications for public services and trade unions

The EU Neighbourhood policy creates pressures to liberalise and privatise public services. It affects 17 countries in North Africa, the Middle East and former Soviet Union

Spartan Daily, September 7, 2006

Volume 127, Issue 7https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/10265/thumbnail.jp