Unmasking community trust issues in rural field work

The principal objective of this paper is to describe the au thor's fieldwork and research in a remote rural area of South Africa, where a Village Telco is deployed to provide Voice over Internet Protocol on a wireless mesh network. The users' social environment was evaluated to understand trust issues associated with the adoption of the network. Qualita-tive measures such as contextual inquiry, participant obser-vation, focus group and individual interviews were used during data collection. Focus group discussions were held with community members involved with the planning of ways in which to sustain the network. Involving the community gave them a sense of commitment and ownership of the network. To maintain the network, different solutions were proposed. One of these was a billing system for the use of the network. This will be designed to meet users' needs and should also be transparent so that the community will trust it. A prototype is being developed, with input from the community, using open source software to address their requirements.Telkom, Cisco, Aria Technologies, THRIPWeb of Scienc

When Words Become Unclear : Unmasking ICT Through Visual Methodologies in Participatory ICT4D

Across the globe, our work and social lives are increasingly integrated with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), yet massive disparities in the values, uses and benefits of ICT exist. New methods are needed to shed light on unique and integrative concepts of ICT across cultures. This paper explores the use of visual methods to facilitate critical engagement with ICT—defined as situational awareness, reflexive ICT practice and power and control over ICT. This definition of critical ICT engagement is informed by a cultural identity lens, and intends to improve participatory methods in ICT for Development (ICT4D) and community technology design and application. Our notion of critical ICT engagement is developed through an analysis of three case studies, each employing visual methods to shed light on concepts and practices of ICT cross-culturally. This paper makes three contributions to the ICT4D literature. First, it establishes a cultural identity lens to chart out cultural differences between researchers and participants, and to develop situational awareness of ICT in context. Second, it defines the conceptual domain of reflexive ICT practice and establishes the key role of researchers in facilitating it. Third, it argues for the need to support participants to develop capacity to engage critically with ICT as a means to influence social and organizational structures. This paper offers a way for researchers and practitioners to engage with cultural issues in community-based research and design using visual methodologies

Power and participation: participatory resource management in south-west Queensland

To develop a sustainable future for the rangelands, partnerships are needed — partnerships between scientists, policy makers, visitors, and most significantly, the various communities of people who live and work in the rangelands. The views of these people are as variable as the country about which they care; rangeland communities are not homogeneous. The power relations between these people are at the base of many conflicts. How we handle the relationships between these groups, and manage these conflicts, are crucial for success in land management. ¶ The first part of this thesis reviews the history of both community participation and power theory. While participatory approaches are part of the rhetoric in Australian land management, proponents are generally naïve about the complexities of power and power relations. The philosophical literature highlights that power is a contested concept; and these divisions are epitomised by the works of Habermas and Foucault. Their writings are compared and contrasted to provide a rich understanding of power relations in community participation. ¶ ..

“When words become unclear” : unmasking ICT through visual methodologies in participatory ICT4D

Across the globe, our work and social lives are increasingly integrated with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), yet massive disparities in the values, uses and benefits of ICT exist. New methods are needed to shed light on unique and integrative concepts of ICT across cultures. This paper explores the use of visual methods to facilitate critical engagement with ICT—defined as situational awareness, reflexive ICT practice and power and control over ICT. This definition of critical ICT engagement is informed by a cultural identity lens, and intends to improve participatory methods in ICT for Development (ICT4D) and community technology design and application. Our notion of critical ICT engagement is developed through an analysis of three case studies, each employing visual methods to shed light on concepts and practices of ICT cross-culturally. This paper makes three contributions to the ICT4D literature. First, it establishes a cultural identity lens to chart out cultural differences between researchers and participants, and to develop situational awareness of ICT in context. Second, it defines the conceptual domain of reflexive ICT practice and establishes the key role of researchers in facilitating it. Third, it argues for the need to support participants to develop capacity to engage critically with ICT as a means to influence social and organizational structures. This paper offers a way for researchers and practitioners to engage with cultural issues in community-based research and design using visual methodologies

The Glitzy Glamour Glitter Girls: Drag Queens, Visual Ethnography and the Ciné Photo-essay

The central argument of the project The Glitzy Glamour Glitter Girls: Drag Queens,Visual Ethnography and the Ciné Photo-essay is that visual and cinematic essays created by artists can operate as a form of visual ethnography. The project, therefore, broadens social understandings of subcultures. The aim is to photograph and film a specific group of drag queens, following their lives and ideas over a 20-year period. The traditional approach of anthropology includes a historical distrust of the visual as scientific data. Within this research project, the practice and boundaries of visual ethnography will be mapped in the friction and fissures created from the intersection of art and social science in practice-led research. The research expands the classifications within the practice and theory of visual ethnography from the distinct genres of photography and film in visual research to include a new hybrid visual form that I designate as ciné moments and the ciné photo-essay. The project uses the archival material of a black-and-white photographic essay captured by the photographer turned filmmaker/researcher as a catalyst to create a new body of work using still and moving images. The research project rememorialisesphotographs taken in The Laneway, which is actually a series of laneways off Hill Street in Surry Hills in Sydney, Australia, during public street parties after gay and lesbian events such as Mardi Gras and Sleaze Ball. The original photographs depict three drag queens, known as the Glitzy Glamour Glitter Girls, and street culture that has disappeared. The photo-essay is an under-theorised subject area within the trajectory of documentary history, according to theorists Timothy Corrigan in The Essay Film: From Montaigne, After Marker (2011) and Philippe Mather in Stanley Kubrick at Look Magazine: Authorship and Genre in Photojournalism and Film (2013). The photo-essay, a series of still photographs that creates a narrative or statement, has been historically tied to print media and photojournalism. The demise of traditional print outlets in the media and the proliferation of online slideshows through the internet have created new horizons for the photo-essay to expand. This project will explore the still and moving essayistic in visual media to find the gaps and overlaps between the traditional and experimental aspects of visual ethnography. Lens-based visual artists and anthropologists Sarah Pink, Trinh T. Minh Ha and Anna Grimshaw expand the margins of the visual within the trajectory of ethnography and methodology. The Glitzy Glamour Glitter Girls: Drag Queens, Visual Ethnography and the Ciné Photo-essay weaves still and moving images into a hybrid form that lifts the mask off a subculture of drag queens in Sydney. The PhD thesis comprises an installed exhibition of still and moving images as a film projection (in an art gallery space) and an exegetical document of 50,000 words that will explicate the methodological process and disciplinary context of the research

Supervised treatment in outpatients for schizophrenia plus (STOPS+): protocol for a cluster randomised trial of a community-based intervention to improve treatment adherence and reduce the treatment gap for schizophrenia in Pakistan

Introduction There is a significant treatment gap, with only a few community-based services for people with schizophrenia in low-income and middle-income countries. Poor treatment adherence in schizophrenia is associated with poorer health outcomes, suicide attempts and death. We previously reported the effectiveness of supervised treatment in outpatients for schizophrenia (STOPS) for improving treatment adherence in patients with schizophrenia. However, STOPS was evaluated in a tertiary care setting with no primary care involvement, limiting its generalisability to the wider at-risk population. We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of STOPS+ in scaling up the primary care treatment of schizophrenia to a real-world setting. Methods and analysis The effectiveness of the STOPS+ intervention in improving the level of functioning and medication adherence in patients with schizophrenia in Pakistan will be evaluated using a cluster randomised controlled trial design. We aim to recruit 526 participants from 24 primary healthcare centres randomly allocated in 1:1 ratio to STOPS+ intervention and enhanced treatment as usual arms. Participants will be followed-up for 12 months postrecruitment. The sample size is estimated for two outcomes (1) the primary clinical outcome is level of functioning, measured using the Global Assessment of Functioning scale and (2) the primary process outcome is adherence to treatment regimen measured using a validated measure. An intention-to-treat approach will be used for the primary analysis. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been obtained from Keele University Ethical Review Panel (ref: MH-190017) and Khyber Medical University Ethical Review Board (ref: DIR-KMU-EB/ST/000648). The results of the STOPS+ trial will be reported in peer-reviewed journals and academic conferences and disseminated to local stakeholders and policymakers

Cybersecurity Awareness and Training Programs for Racial and Sexual Minority Populations: An Examination of Effectiveness and Best Practices

The purpose of this research study was to examine the barriers of cybersecurity awareness and training programs for racial and sexual minority populations. The findings suggest that lack of representation is a significant barrier to the effectiveness of cybersecurity awareness and training programs. Many programs are designed by and for people from dominant racial and gender groups, which makes it difficult for minority populations to relate to the information presented. As a result, it is crucial to incorporate diverse perspectives into the development of materials to improve engagement and effectiveness. The study also found that language and cultural barriers pose challenges to minority populations' participation in cybersecurity awareness and training programs. Minority populations may speak languages other than English, making it challenging to access information and training materials. Additionally, cultural differences may lead to different understandings of cybersecurity risks and how to mitigate them. To overcome these barriers, training programs should provide resources in multiple languages and build cultural competence into the curriculum. Access to resources was also identified as a barrier to participation in cybersecurity awareness and training programs. Minority populations may have limited access to technology and the internet, preventing them from participating in training programs and protecting themselves from cyber threats. This barrier can be addressed by partnering with community organizations to increase access to resources and providing training programs in a variety of formats that can be accessed through different mediums. The study also found that fear of discrimination is a significant barrier to participation in cybersecurity awareness and training programs. Minority populations may be hesitant to participate in these programs due to fear of discrimination or mistreatment based on their race or sexual orientation. Therefore, it is essential to create a safe and inclusive environment in cybersecurity training programs that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. The study found that lack of trust is a critical barrier to participation in cybersecurity awareness and training programs. Minority populations may have less trust in institutions and government agencies due to past experiences of discrimination, leading to lower engagement in cybersecurity awareness and training programs. Thus, building trust through transparent and inclusive communication strategies can promote increased participation and engagement in these programs

Trusting consumers: Involving communities in municipal water service decision making in Durban, South Africa

The Constitution of 1996 sets out the government’s responsibility to provide the public with the opportunity to be involved in government decisions that affect their lives (R Kasrils, Former Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, 2001)Participation is a guiding principle of South Africa’s post-apartheid water sector reforms. Yet studies indicate that substantive and effective participation has been difficult to achieve. In an effort to develop sustainable and creative dialogue with consumers, the University of KwaZulu-Natal in partnership with eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS) piloted the establishment of community-based focus groups in 3 different types of communities. The goals of the project were to build trust, generate social capital and widen the store of available methods for enhancing dialogue between service providers and consumers. This paper details the methods used. This pilot formed part of a larger strategy to develop and refine a methodology to be used in a municipality-wide research and engagement strategy involving a diverse selection of wards. At the time of publication, research in 6 wards and one similar study with people with disabilities were complete.Keywords: participation, trust, water service improvemen

The Slow Violence of Business As Usual Planning: Racial Injustice in Public Health Crises

This thesis is a critical analysis of the normative planning practice in relation to the aspirational principles of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) (especially Section A, Part 1: Overall Responsibility to the Public). By exploring several dimensions of typical, or Business As Usual, planning practices in a local planning department in Springfield, Massachusetts and contextualized within larger planning concerns in the United States, I illustrate that socio-spatial, racialized oppression is deeply embedded in these common practices. Through a multimethod approach that includes historical survey, archival research, interviews, and direct observation, I argue that most professional planning operates from within antiquated frameworks that prioritize professionalism and expertise over genuine community engagement, relationality, and collective agency. This structure contributes to weakened trust in government and inequitable allocation of attention and resources, thereby reproducing inequity, particularly in disaster contexts. While these are my findings from site-specific research, I contend that such outcomes are evident in planning departments more generally. Thus, I conclude that the exacerbation of inequity during crises is not isolated, but instead a result of deeply embedded neoliberal planning practices. Specifically, I identify key barriers to equitable planning as 1) absence of care, 2) over-reliance on economic development, 3) disconnects between research and implementation, 4) degraded linking social capital and top-down public participation, and 5) illusions of objectivity in planning. These patterns contribute to what I, following Rob Nixon (2011), call slow violence against vulnerable populations through professional silence about and complicity in violent structures. Associating these trends with the violence of COVID-19 and racism, I find that planning may be participating in structural slow violence against communities of color, especially in Legacy Cities such as Springfield, Massachusetts. Finally, I call for a shift in planning practice, wherein we acknowledge and take responsibility for the unavoidable political role of the planner. I propose five steps to redirect our practices: 1) acknowledge our past, 2) reject illusions of objectivity, 3) identify injustices and define resilience collectively, 4) center care frameworks, and 5) invest in the implementation of research finding