A Call For The Spiritual Dimension To Be Included In Social Work Education

Spirituality is a concept that is not easily definable and because of that, many people shy away from fully understanding how one’s belief system can affect other factors in life. As a professional social worker, it is one’s duty to look at the whole individual because every system is intertwined with another. When pondering over whether or not aspects of spirituality is used in everyday social work practice, one must ask the question about the worker’s view on spirituality. This qualitative research study shows how spirituality in social work is arguably important both personally and professionally in the profession. After reviewing the results on this study, it shows that the participants were split between whether or not spirituality can be taught to professional workers. This is due to the fact that the majority of the participants feeling that spirituality is a personal journey in which one partakes. However, the majority also thought that training in spirituality would be beneficial for one’s practice because it is important in understanding a family’s dynamic

The evaluation of effectiveness of school-based small group mentoring system : Discovery Scholars Program at UT Austin

Previous studies have found that students’ college experiences differ vastly depending on their socioeconomic status (SES), not only in their academic achievement (Chen & Carroll, 2005; Harackiewicz et al., 2014), but also in the wholesome process of the college experience, including college preparation and socio-cultural practices while at college (Engle & Tinto, 2008; Merritt, 2008). The present study examines the effectiveness of a small-group mentoring program, Discovery Scholars Program, targeted for students identified as at-risk due to SES and lower entrance scores at the University of Texas at Austin. Through exploring the survey data collected as part of the program, the current study explored the following research questions: 1) Did the students engage in and benefit from DSP events and feel supported by the DSP groups? 2) Did the DSP program help students develop academic skills necessary for college life? 3) Did the DSP program help students feel more comfortable and confident as a part of the UT community? The results showed that, while more long-term goals of the program were difficult to measure, the program succeeded in helping students develop social support groups and academic skills that aided in their adjustment process to college.Educational Psycholog

Assessing Creative Media's Social Impact

Examines case studies of documentary film as a means of outreach and community engagement in the age of social media. Offers a model for assessing impact based on quality and ability to enhance awareness, engagement, and social movement and effect change

A Community-Based Participatory Action Research for Roma Health Justice in a Deprived District in Spain

Addressing health disparities and promoting health equity for Roma has been a challenge. The Roma are the largest disadvantaged ethnic minority population in Europe and have been the victims of deep social and economic injustices, institutional discrimination, and structural antigypsyism over many centuries. This has resulted in a much worse health status than their non-Roma counterparts. Current strategies based on ameliorative and top-down approaches to service delivery have resulted in paradoxical e_ects that solidify health disparities, since they do not e_ectively address the problems of vulnerable Roma groups. Following a health justice approach, we present a community-based participatory action research case study generated by a community and university partnership intended to address power imbalances and build collaboration among local stakeholders. This case study involved a group of health providers, Roma residents, researchers, Roma community organizations, and other stakeholders in the Poligono Sur, a neighborhood of Seville, Spain. The case study comprises four phases: (1) identifying Roma health assets, (2) empowering Roma community through sociopolitical awareness, (3) promoting alliances between Roma and community resources/institutions, and (4) building a common agenda for promoting Roma health justice. We highlighted best practices for developing processes to influence Roma health equity in local health policy agendas

Artefact Ecologies: Supporting Embodied Meeting Practices with Distance Access

Frameworks such as activity theory, distributed cognition and structuration theory, amongst others, have shown that detailed study of contextual settings where users work (or live) can help the design of interactive systems. However, these frameworks do not adequately focus on accounting for the materiality (and embodiment) of the contextual settings. Within the IST-EU funded AMIDA project (Augmented Multiparty Interaction with Distance Access) we are looking into supporting meeting practices with distance access. Meetings are inherently embodied in everyday work life and that material artefacts associated with meeting practices play a critical role in their formation. Our eventual goal is to develop a deeper understanding of the dynamic and embodied nature of meeting practices and designing technologies to support these. In this paper we introduce the notion of "artefact ecologies" as a conceptual base for understanding embodied meeting practices with distance access. Artefact ecologies refer to a system consisting of different digital and physical artefacts, people, their work practices and values and lays emphasis on the role artefacts play in embodiment, work coordination and supporting remote awareness. In the end we layout our plans for designing technologies for supporting embodied meeting practices within the AMIDA project. \u

From Surviving to Thriving: Evaluation of the International Diabetes Federation Life for a Child Program

IDF-LFAC aims to provide: (1) insulin and syringes; (2) blood glucose monitoring (BGM) equipment; (3) appropriate clinical care; (4) HbA1c testing; (5) diabetes education; and (6) technical support and training for health professionals, as well as 7) facilitating relevant clinical research, and where possible 8) assisting with capacity building. IDF-LFAC receives financial and in-kind support from private foundations, individuals, and corporations. Insulin and blood glucose monitoring equipment distribution is made possible by donations of insulin and the purchase of blood glucose monitors and strips at a reduced price from large pharmaceutical companies.The goal of this evaluation is to assess IDF-LFAC's organizational structure, strategic framework, processes, program impact, and potential to catalyze longterm sustainable improvements to T1D care delivery systems in its partner countries. LSHTM were commissioned to undertake the evaluation in 2014 when IDF-LFAC had active programs in 45 countries

Intersectionalities: Intimate Partner Domestic Violence and Mental Health Within the European Context

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 LicenseThe article highlights the traumatic impact of intimate partner domestic violence (IPDV) on women, the complexity of their responses to it, its impact on their identities, and their resulting social position in Europe. An exploration of the intersectionalities between IPDV and mental distress within the context of negative social attitudes toward IPDV victims follows, highlighting the psychosocial significance of experiencing IPDV for the internalized social exclusion of victims of this type of violence. In this context it is further attempted to understand the seemingly contradictory behaviour of women experiencing IPDV in disclosing their experience and in living with, and leaving, the perpetrator. Prevalence statistics indicate the high rate of mental distress among IPDV women victims, as well as the types such distress takes. The relevance of these intersectionalities for mental health providers and workers in domestic violence services is further explored, including their distancing stance toward women experiencing both IPDV and mental distress. A case is put forward for applying the new meaning of recovery in mental health to women experiencing IPDV. That approach has the potential to provide a positive contribution, enabling them to move from being victims to becoming survivors, while taking into account several related intersectional connectionsPeer reviewe

Gender, Power and Property: “In my own right”

working paperWomen on farms in Ireland are a subject of feminist analysis for five decades. Salient themes are the constraints of patriarchal agriculture (O'Hara 1997; Shortall, 2004), the invisibility of women's farm work (Viney 1968; O’Hara 1998), gender inequalities in ownership of farm assets (Watson et al. 2009) and increasing professionalisation of farmwomen outside of agriculture (Kelly and Shortall 2002; Hanrahan 2007). Most women enter farming through marriage and family ties. Land ownership is identified by Shortall (2004) as the critical factor underpinning male domination of the occupational category ‘farmer’ and considerable power differentials between men and women in family farming. This is an area that requires further investigation. Our analysis, framed by theoretical models of feminisation and empowerment, explores cases where male farm property ownership in Ireland is disrupted in conventional and non-conventional agricultural settings. Do these cases provide evidence of new opportunities for women to become farm property owners, and in what contexts? What consequences do these opportunities have for farmwomen’s empowerment and agency? How does women’s farm property ownership disturb rural gender relations in the context of the family farm?Teagasc Walsh Fellowship Programm