Play Matters

Play is a natural life enhancing daily occurrence

The Role of Women in Occupational Health and Safety Management: A Gender Perspective

This article reviews and analyses literature on the role of women in occupational health and safety (OHS) management and proposes strategies for involving women in safety and health management at work. This is based on the fact that ensuring a safe and secure workplace for all, regardless of gender or any form of discrimination is an important part of OHS management. This is due to the many reported incidents of discrimination and bias against women at work places. Based on the view of that safety for women is paramount in the production of goods and services in work places, I argue that the safety and health of women in work places is a critical enabling factor for not only inclusivity but also wholesome production of good and services. Therefore, ensuring safety and health of women in work places requires a holistic approach that encompasses a thorough grounding in knowledge about the basics of safety and health in general. Based on these arguments, I make the point that providing training and education opportunities for women in health and safety management can help to build their skills and knowledge and increase their confidence and competence in the field. More so, creating a culture of diversity and inclusion can help to promote equal opportunities for women in health and safety management, as well as eliminate bias and discrimination

Les parias des houillères du Chikuhō : assimilation ou surdiscrimination ?

La région du Chikuhō (Kyūshū) reste fortement associée à l’histoire du charbon. Les liens entre communautés de parias (burakumin) et l’industrie de la houille y sont moins connus, l’historiographie d’après-guerre ayant peu abordé cette question. Les communautés buraku sont pourtant bien présentes dans le Chikuhō, le plus souvent à proximité des anciennes mines. Nous montrons ainsi qu’il existe un lien organique, entre la présence buraku dans le Chikuhō et l’industrie du charbon, procédant de facteurs historiques et sociaux. L’industrialisation des houillères à la fin du xixe siècle aurait pu conduire à l’intégration de ces burakumin au sein de la classe ouvrière émergente. Mais la discrimination a pourtant perduré au sein du prolétariat minier et fit même partie des stratégies de certains groupes industriels pour la gestion des populations ouvrières. Cette question de la spécificité buraku s’est aussi posée au mouvement ouvrier, au sein des syndicats et dans les stratégies du Parti communiste japonais. La nature et l’évolution du rapport des groupes de défense des burakumin aux autres syndicats de mineurs ont ainsi évolué, selon les impératifs du moment et les rapports de force, entre solidarité, alliance et subordination.The region of Chikuhō (Kyūshū) remains strongly associated with a long history of coal mining. The links between outcast communities (burakumin) and the coal industry are less well known, as post-war historiography has hardly broached the subject. However, buraku communities are well represented in Chikuhō, most often in the vicinity of former mines. We show that there is an organic link, between the buraku presence in Chikuhō and the coal industry, stemming from historical and social factors. The industrialization of the coal mines at the end of the 19th century could have led to the integration of these burakumin into the emerging working class. But discrimination persisted within the mining proletariat and was even part of the strategies of some industrial groups for the management of the working-class populations. This question of buraku specificity has also been raised within the workers’ movement, the labor unions and in the strategies of the Japanese Communist Party. The nature and evolution of the relationship between burakumin defense groups and other miners’ unions has thus evolved, in accordance with punctual imperatives and the balance of power, between solidarity, alliance and subordination

Perceptions of environmental hazards and disasters in Geography among selected diploma Colleges of Zambia

This study looked at the perceptions of environmental hazards and disasters in Zambia’s college geography education. The problem investigated by this study was that lecturers and students took what they taught and learnt respectively on the topic of ‘environmental hazards and disasters’ for granted without critically thinking about the worthiness and appropriateness of the topic in their environment. Such perceivers may not be applying hazards and disasters to relevant aspects of their lives too. Against this background, this study sought to look at the perceptions of environmental hazards and disasters among lecturers and students of Geography in diploma colleges of Zambia. Three objectives guided the study, namely, to find out environmental hazards and disasters which were common in Zambia; to explore the views of lecturers and students on environmental hazards and disasters in college geography education and to assess elements that lecturers and students felt should be included or excluded in the topic of ‘environmental hazards and disasters’. The study used descriptive and survey research designs. The sample comprised 122 respondents from two colleges of education affiliated to the University of Zambia, namely, David Livingstone College of Education and Kwame Nkrumah College of Education. The study sampled 110 geography students and 12 geography lecturers as respondents following purposive sampling. The data collected was analyzed manually and came up with frequency tables. Qualitative data was analyzed qualitatively. The results showed that many respondents (74%) felt that the topic on environmental hazards and disasters in college geography should mainly concentrate on those hazards and disasters common to Zambia. These include among others, floods, environmental pollution and drought. This was for the reason that concentrating on hazards and disasters common to Zambia would help solve problems affecting our immediate environment. The respondents felt that learning environmental hazards and disasters in college geography equipped learners with knowledge on mitigation measures, response strategies, recovery and preparedness in case disasters struck. The study also found that certain approaches or methods were preferred by respondents in the teaching and learning of environmental hazards and disasters in college geography. The suggested approaches and methods included field work, discussion, simulation and drills, among others. The study revealed that certain stakeholders should be involved in the full exploitation of the topic on hazards and disasters at some point. This would bridge the gap existing between geography and society. The suggested stakeholders include civil society organizations, the public sector, government, community and parents. Moreover, the study found that some of the topics which were being taught at that time under environmental hazards and disasters in college geography were alien to Zambia. Topics such as hurricanes, tornados, avalanches and so on should not be concentrated upon if the topic on environmental hazards and disasters was to be responsive to the needs of our local environment. Instead, the study found that the study on environmental hazards and disasters in college geography should include issues on mitigation measures, preparedness, fires, stakeholder involvement, industrial accidents and others common to Zambia. The study recommends that the topic on environmental hazards and disasters in college geography should concentrate on aspects common to the Zambian environment if it was to provide solutions to problems within our environment. The study also recommends that the gap between geography and society should be narrowed by involving some stake holders to fully exploit the topic on environmental hazards and disasters in college geography. Also, practical approaches should be employed in content delivery under this topic. The study also recommends that the content on environmental hazards and disasters should undergo regular revision in order to include contemporary issues if it was to be meaningful. At the most, the study on environmental hazards and disasters could even stand on its own or be taught as a separate subject as the case is in countries like Bangladesh, Australia and Malaysia

Everyone benefits when children play

Early Childhood Australia (ECA), advocates for the rights of all young children during the critical early years (from birth to the age of eight), to thrive and learn through play at home, in the community, within early learning and care settings and through the early years of school

The Coal-mining Pariahs of Chikuhō. Assimilation or Over-Discrimination?

The Chikuhō region of northern Kyūshū remains strongly associated with coal-mining history. Much less well known, however, is the link between coal mining and the outcast burakumin communities, as post-war historical research has been relatively silent on the issue. And yet, Chikuhō has a particularly high concentration of buraku communities, often living in close vicinity to disused mines. This paper will show a direct link between the buraku presence in Chikuhō and the coal-mining industry, essentially resulting from historical and social factors. The industrialisation of the mines at the end of the nineteenth century could have led to the integration of burakumin into the nascent working class. Instead, discrimination persisted within the mining proletariat and was even leveraged by certain industrial groups as a means of managing working-class populations. The issue of buraku specificity was also addressed within the labour movement, by the unions and in the strategies of the Japanese Communist Party. Relations between burakumin defence groups and the other mining unions thus fluctuated according to the shifting balance of power, ranging from solidarity and alliance to subordination.La région du Chikuhō (Kyūshū) reste fortement associée à l’histoire du charbon. Les liens entre communautés de parias (burakumin) et l’industrie de la houille y sont moins connus, l’historiographie d’après-guerre ayant peu abordé cette question. Les communautés buraku sont pourtant bien présentes dans le Chikuhō, le plus souvent à proximité des anciennes mines. Nous montrons ainsi qu’il existe un lien organique, entre la présence buraku dans le Chikuhō et l’industrie du charbon, procédant de facteurs historiques et sociaux. L’industrialisation des houillères à la fin du xixe siècle aurait pu conduire à l’intégration de ces burakumin au sein de la classe ouvrière émergente. Mais la discrimination a pourtant perduré au sein du prolétariat minier et fit même partie des stratégies de certains groupes industriels pour la gestion des populations ouvrières. Cette question de la spécificité buraku s’est aussi posée au mouvement ouvrier, au sein des syndicats et dans les stratégies du Parti communiste japonais. La nature et l’évolution du rapport des groupes de défense des burakumin aux autres syndicats de mineurs ont ainsi évolué, selon les impératifs du moment et les rapports de force, entre solidarité, alliance et subordination

Dynamics of life satisfaction among elderly people in the municipality of Solwezi, Zambia: prospects and challenges.

Thesis of Doctor of Philosophy in Adult Education.This study sought to examine dynamics of life satisfaction among elderly people and to explore prospects and challenges to its attainment. The main purpose was to create an enabling environment for attainment of life satisfaction. Creating an enabling environment for attainment of life satisfaction among the elderly should be of great interest, given that Zambia’s population, like the global population, is ageing at a faster rate than before. Population ageing has implications for nearly all sectors of society, including labour and financial markets, demand for goods and services, such as housing, health, and social protection. Attainment of life satisfaction is crucial in the process of ageing as it is linked to physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. At the time of the study, little was known on the status of life satisfaction among the elderly and challenges, and or prospects of its attainment. Consequently, study objectives were to: examine the dynamics of life satisfaction among the elderly; explore contextual prospects to attainment of life satisfaction among the elderly; critically examine contextual challenges to attainment of life satisfaction among the elderly; aassess the adequacy of the National Ageing Policy (NAP) in enhancing prospects to attainment of life satisfaction among the elderly. The guiding theories were the Activity Theory of Ageing and Erikson’s Theory of Human Development. The study utilised an integrated mixed research design with several data collection instruments, namely; Document Review Guide, Interview Guide, Observation Checklist, and a Satisfied With Life Scale (SWLS) with Biographical Data Questionnaire. A total of 101 SWLSs were administered on 101 total sample of elderly respondents with 100 per cent response rate. Interviews were held with 3 key informants from National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA), the District Social Welfare Officer and the District Medical Officer. The Document Review Guide was utilised on the NAP. The Observation Checklist was employed to observe the respondents’ immediate surroundings. Primary data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), while qualitative data was analysed using thematic and data condensation methods. The-study’s findings were that 58.4 per cent did not attain life satisfaction, while 36.6 per cent attained it. Prospects of attainment of life satisfaction were related to: achievement of minimum basic needs (90%); assured welfare (27%); morality of the children (25%); self-esteem (5%); and longevity (2%). Challenges to attainment of life satisfaction were related to: inability to meet basic needs (85%), poor health (75%); dependency (70%); loss of family members (60%); not having met one’s life goals (20%); lack of social security (80%); and physiological consequence of ageing (20%). None of the respondents mentioned activities of leisure in nature as prospects to their attainment of life satisfaction. Assessment of the NAP identified omissions such as lack of clarity on heterogeneity among elderly people, passive involvement of the elderly people in the national policy formulation and implementation, non-emphasis on age-related challenges, silence on the role and expected support for families caring for elderly people and non-inclusion of geriatric services. Recommendations to government and relevant authorities were that they should; increase funding to social security schemes, devise a pension system that is inflation-sensitive, and supplement the NAP with the guidelines suggested by this study

Management of School-Community Conflicts in Selected Primary Schools of Livingstone District of Zambia

The purpose of this study was to analyse school-community conflict management strategies in selected primary schools of Livingstone district. The objectives of the study were to find out if conflicts existed between the school and the community, to establish the types of conflicts that existed and to find out the strategies which management used in resolving these conflicts between school and community in selected primary schools of Livingstone district. The study embraced a qualitative descriptive design and homogenous purposive sampling was used to select a total number of 102 participants. Twenty four teachers were subjected to semi structured interviews while 18 members of the parent teacher committee (PTC) and 60 pupils were subjected to focus group discussions. Data was analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis. The findings of the study showed that there were conflicts between schools and communities. The common types of school-community conflicts were government policy related, land boundaries, partisan political inclination, school fees , social life, matters of faith, pride, immorality, academic failure, unruliness, technological, material and property acquisition. The conflict management strategies included; home visitations for conflict mediation and arbitration, annual general meetings, admission of guilty on both sides, intervention of government authorities, disciplinary measures and involving civic, traditional and church leaders. This study recommended that there was need for the schools and the communities to understand the types of conflicts which existed between them. The government should set up periodic training in conflict management strategies tailored specifically to the school management and PTC. Parents and teachers should have more regular meetings to resolve the conflicts

WA Play Charter

The WA Play Charter, drafted by the Play Matters Collective, is a declaration of the importance of play in children’s lives. By endorsing the WA Play Charter you are signalling your shared belief in the fundamental value of play to children’s health, happiness and development, and putting up your hand to support a more playful world for the children in your care and in your community

The Play is the Thing: Gamifying the Theatergoing Experience

In this paper, I will use research, case studies, and interviews to argue that gamification is not just a passing fad, but instead, a facet of the audience experience that should be constantly considered when making decisions about audience engagement. While the director has artistic control over what plays out onstage, the producer has more control over the whole audience experience -- from how they hear about the show, to what they do after the curtain falls. I believe that by taking responsibility for the experience of our patrons and using gamification to offer them the chance to gain a sense of ownership over their theatergoing experience, theatre producers can set their productions apart by making the act of attending the theatre an exciting and rewarding event in and of itself