Valuing oral history in the community

CELT research project on changing practice through innovation and researchValuing Oral History in the community has developed out of the University���s involvement in the Wolverhampton Black and Ethnic Minority Experience Project (BEME). BEME is a collaborative project developed by a range of local community groups, the local council, colleges and the University which was established to document the experiences of members of the Black and Ethnic Minority communities in Wolverhampton in the post-war period. The rationale behind BEME was to create a community-based Oral History video archive and to promote the use of this unique source of community-based knowledge within a range of educational settings, to encourage curriculum development and enhance the learning experience of students. The aims of the innovation developed from my work with the BEME project, my own and others��� experiences of the value of doing Oral History with undergraduates and the desire to encourage the development of a more inclusive and diverse curriculum for the 21st century. Out of these aims three key objectives were developed

Eco-Friendly and Efficient: Redesign of Friends Outside’s Intake System

Friends Outside provides opportunities for their clients to reduce recidivism and not return to their bad habits. By using an electronic form to create an efficient intake system, the organization hopes that this will increase the number of new clients. This project is being implemented through an electronic form and “walk-in” hours in hopes to better serve potential Friends Outside clients. This project’s goal is to make a positive impact on the surrounding community. Recommendations for Friends Outside include: Training Manual and expansion of training for future interns, staff, and volunteers; fully-trained staff on all office duties, and accept “walk-in” intakes during all business hours

Sharing and modifying stories in neonatal peer support: an international mixed‐methods study

While shared personal experiences are a valued prerequisite of the peer supporter–service‐user relationship, they have the potential to create harm. There are challenges in peer supporters being emotionally ready to hear the experiences of others, and how much personal information peers should disclose. As part of an international study that aimed to explore how peer supporters who worked in a neonatal context (providing support to parents whose infant(s) has received neonatal care) were trained and supported, new insights emerged into how peers’ personal stories were used and modified to instil boundaries in peer support services. In this paper, we report on a secondary analysis of the data to describe how peer supporters’ stories were valued, used, assessed and moderated in neonatal peer support services; to safeguard and promote positive outcomes for peers and parents. Following University ethics approval, a mixed‐methods study comprising online surveys and follow‐up interviews was undertaken. Surveys were distributed through existing contacts and via social media. Thirty‐one managers/coordinators/trainers and 77 peer supporters completed the survey from 48 peer support services in 16 different countries, and 26 interviews were held with 27 survey respondents. Three themes describe variations in the types of stories that were preferred and when peers were perceived to be ‘ready’ to share them; the different means by which sharing personal accounts was encouraged and used to assess peer readiness; and the methods used to instil (and assess) boundaries in the stories the peers shared. In neonatal‐related peer support provision, the expected use of peer supporters’ stories resonates with the ‘use of self’ canon in social work practice. Peer supporters were expected to modify personal stories to ensure that service‐user (parents) needs were primary, the information was beneficial, and harm was minimised. Further work to build resilience and emotional intelligence in peer supporters is neede

The relationship between capital structure and corporate governance in a UK context

The extensive research in the field of capital structure provides a starting point to build upon within this research, to re-examine the relationship between capital structure and corporate governance for the period 2003-2012 for FTSE 350 companies. Previously investigated independent variables will be re-examined in the UK context, for example, gender of the CEO and the Board of Directors, size of the board, number of board meetings, board meeting attendance and managerial ownership. Previously, the focus has been on the relationship between the determinants and company performance. Prior studies focus on the use of single equation modelling (Berger et al., 1997; Fosberg, 2004; Malmendier et al., 2011; Ahern and Dittmar, 2012; Yim, 2013). The contribution of this study is three fold. Firstly, the use of both single and dynamic modelling allows for a more detailed analysis of the potential determinants on capital structure to emerge. Secondly, the use of several definitions of gearing enables a study into whether the duration of debt is one attribute in the capital structure puzzle. Thirdly, the use of comprehensive corporate governance factors including board structure, CEO characteristics, and ownership structure enable a wider number of independent variables to be included within the capital structure debate. In relation to CEO age the study finds evidence that CEOs are demonstrating a difference in risk levels between short-term and long-term debt levels, with older CEOs being at risk of entrenchment. As the tenure period of the CEO increases the level of debt decreases, in line with managerial entrenchment theory. In relation to board characteristics; the size of the board, level of independence and meeting attendance, lead to a reduction in the uptake of debt. The number of board meetings is found to have a positive impact on the leverage levels; the increase in the time available to discuss options is found to have the opposite effect on debt levels. Differences have become apparent in this study between the relationship with key corporate governance variables, and the length of time that debt is taken out. In the case of the variable duality, levels of short-term debt increase, while long-term debt decreases. A negative relationship is identified between the proportion of compensation received by the CEO and leverage levels

Sex Talk: Designing for Sexual Health with Adolescents

In this paper, we describe a user-centred design process, where we engaged with 58 adolescents over an 18-month period to design and evaluate a multiplayer mobile game which prompts peer-led interactions around sex and sexuality. Engagement with our design process, and response to our game, has been enthusiastic, highlighting the rich opportunities for HCI to contribute constructively to how HCI may contribute to sexual health in adolescents. Based on our experiences we discuss three lessons learnt: lightweight digital approaches can be extremely successful at facilitating talk among young people about sex; sharing control of the conversation between all stakeholders is a fair and achievable approach; even problematic interactions can be opportunities to talk about sex

"They’re Just Tixel Pits, Man": Disputing the 'Reality' of Virtual Reality Pornography through the Story Completion Method

Pornography is a substantial part of humans' everyday interaction with computers, yet to date the topic has been underconsidered by HCI. Here, we examine some of the common cultural ideals non-experts constructed of a 'new' pornographic experience - Virtual Reality (VR) Porn - through use of the 'Story Completion Method'. Forty five participants completed a story stem about a male character who was about to have his "very first virtual reality porn experience". Through our analysis, we demonstrate a narrative of a 'perfect', idealised sexual experience, as well as one which emphasised the imagined 'precarious' and dangerous consequences around this technology use. We indicate how the stories reproduced ideals around heteronormativity and hegemonic masculinity, suggesting an agenda of 'Designing for Eroticism' as a tactic which could avoid such problematic discourses. We also suggest the opportunities and challenges presented through use of the 'Story Completion Method'