Migrants’ experiences of material and emotional security in rural Scotland: implications for longer-term settlement

Drawing on qualitative research with Central and East European (CEE) migrants living and working in rural areas of Scotland, this article explores what it is that facilitates a desire to stay longer term and how this relates to theorisations of social security and migrant-led understandings of normality. The article makes three original contributions: (i) new empirical insight into the relationship between material and emotional aspects of migration and settlement in Scottish rural contexts; (ii) greater understanding of rural migrants' diverse lived experiences; (iii) attention to the changing nature of migration to rural contexts through a focus on longer-term settlement rather than seasonal or circular migration. The article is structured by three key questions: To what extent are rural destinations actively chosen by migrants? How are migrants' experiences shaped by the realities of rural life in the particular Scottish contexts studied? How do migrants interpret these experiences through their understandings of a normal life and how does this impact on longer-term plans? The qualitative insight which the article provides has wider relevance and significance for policy and practice across other rural contexts and can help to reveal ways in which rural social systems could better respond so that areas of ‘new’ migration may develop into positive places of settlement

Men in crisis or in critical need of support? insights from Russia and the UK

The idea that men are 'in crisis' has become popular in many societies. Yet the provision of targeted, gender-aware services for men is relatively underdeveloped. Negative trends in male health and employment offer the clearest evidence of crisis among men in Russia and the UK. These are occurring in the context of socio-economic change and a backlash against women's 'emancipation', both of which have particular implications for men. The shoring up of rigid expectations of male and female roles and behaviour, combined with increased economic insecurity, has contributed to a view of men as 'failures'. In the Altai Region of Western Siberia, a system of social support for working-age men has been developed. Unique in Russia, the Altai Regional Crisis Centre for Men is part of a small but growing international phenomenon of support projects for men and may have potential as a model for similar developments in other parts of the world

Grassroots Women

The economic, social and political changes that have occurred in Russia over the last 10 years have had a profound effect on Russian women’s lives. Economic reform has brought poverty, insecurity and high levels of anxiety and stress to much of the population, both male and female. The impact of these changes on women was amplified in the early 1990s by their structural positioning both within the workforce and within the population, brought about by the legacies of the Soviet planned economy, Soviet attitudes to gender and long established demographic trends. Alongside these historical influences, ‘new’ essentialist attitudes towards gender and the appropriate roles and responsibilities of women in post-Soviet Russian society have been strongly promoted through the media, political and social discourses, imposing new pressures and dilemmas on many post-Soviet Russian women. Numerous women’s organisations have been established in Russia since the early 1990s, many of them with a specific remit of helping Russian women to overcome the upheavals and hardships which they face. Struggling to survive themselves with very few resources and minimal external support, Russia’s grassroots women’s organisations have nonetheless offered practical help and advice and emotional support and solidarity to their members. This paper is based on the findings of a period of intensive fieldwork carried out in 1995-6 with grassroots women’s organisations in Moscow and three Russian provincial centres. It will present the aims, activities and impact of the groups studied. It will also investigate the ways in which these groups and their membership positioned themselves in relation to the development of essentialist attitudes and opinions on gender within Russia on the one hand, and a dialogue with ‘western’ feminist theory and practice on the other

Dehumanization; A normative definition and a case study on the 'Pacific Solution 11'

Dehumanisation has the potential to be a thick normative tool that can then be applied to prevent moral relativism, by establishing a universal standard of morality. The significance of this is lost within moral philosophy with definitions of dehumanisation both few and rarely agreed upon. To address this, my research aims to create and apply dehumanization as a normative tool. In chapter 1, I will discuss and evaluate the philosophical definitions of dehumanization that feature within the literature. From this process, I shall also offer a list definition of dehumanization, incorporating components that emerge from this evaluative discussion. The list definition of dehumanization will comprise five different outcomes (three regarding action and two language) that are considered dehumanizing when applied upon an individual or group. To demonstrate the applicability of dehumanization as a normative tool, this list definition was used in a case study. This case study will focus on the Australian governments' treatment of non-documented asylum-seekers that arrive in Australia by boat. This issue has been highly politicised, with criticism suggesting asylum-seekers are dehumanized by the Australian government. To neutrally examine what can be considered government treatment, I have chosen to focus on non-document asylum-seeker policy and its consequences. Chapter 2 examines the policy design of the 'Pacific Solution II' and its rhetoric in relation to asylum-seekers. Whilst, chapter 3 considers the observed consequences for asylum-seekers from the implementation of the 'Pacific Solution II'. Through this case study I found no instances of dehumanizing language, but found instances of dehumanizing action. Dehumanizing outcomes regarding action were identified in both the policy's design and in the consequences of its implementation. These dehumanizing actions included: undermining the needs to maintain basic human flourishing, undermining the autonomy of a group or individual without benefiting their interests and alienation of the embodied experience

Teachnig Musicianship in High School Band within the Four-Period Day Format

New innovations in scheduling at the secondary level in many high schools have resulted in block scheduling , whereby, students meet in classes for a longer time period than the norm (50-55 minutes). In the area of performing arts, this expanded schedule presents new opportunities for the inclusion of musicianship skills. This study will provide guidelines and resources for strengthening the musicianship of students currently participating in block scheduling within their performance classes. The exercises and lessons included will reflect the guidelines of the National Standards for the Arts

Effective secondary choral teacher behaviors: A survey of Oklahoma secondary choral directors.

The data collected helped provide an overview of behaviors that secondary public school choral teachers believe could be used in a music teacher assessment tool.The following research questions were considered throughout the investigation: (a) What are important instructional behaviors that secondary public school choral music teachers in the state of Oklahoma believe should be included in a secondary choral music teacher assessment tool? (b) Is there a difference of opinion on important instructional behaviors between secondary public school choral music teachers based on years of experience? (c) Is there a difference of opinion on important instructional behaviors between teachers in rural and urban districts? (d) Is there a difference of opinion on important instructional behaviors between secondary public school choral music teachers teaching at the following levels: Mid High 9th--10 th grades, Senior High 11th--12th grades, Middle School 6th--8th grades, Junior High 7th--9th grades, and High School 9th--12th grades? (e) Is there a difference of opinion on important instructional behaviors between secondary public school music teachers from small schools and music teachers from large schools? (f) Is there a difference of opinion on important instructional behaviors between secondary public school choral music teachers of varying ages? and (g) Is there a difference of opinion on important instructional behaviors between male and female secondary public school choral music teachers?The purpose of the study was to identify effective secondary choral teacher behaviors that could be used in a choral teacher assessment instrument. Participants were 180 secondary public school choral teachers from the membership rolls of the Oklahoma Music Educators Association.The survey was drawn from the music education research base and was piloted for content validity. Descriptive statistics, cross tabulations and Pearson Chi Square statistics were used for data analysis. Cronbachs Alpha was employed to determine reliability of item clusters. Data analysis showed several behavioral commonalities among the survey participants as well as three areas of significant difference. Those areas were "use of technology in the classroom", "written lesson plans for every class", and adjudicated performances used for teacher assessment". Secondary public school choral teachers preferred behaviors that relate directly to inter-acting with students as opposed to behaviors that deal with paperwork

Free Play Music Therapy for In Between Youth in an Emergency Shelter Setting: Development of a Clinical Method

This thesis explores how clinical improvisation in music therapy can be a benefit for adolescents who are considered “in between” placements. The method was created for youth who are residing at an emergency shelter with limited therapeutic services. Drawing inspiration from Juliette Alvin and free improvisation in music therapy, facilitating a low expectation, non-required, and varied instrumentation choice music therapy group may be beneficial for this population. A method was created to provide a free play music therapy group for “in between” youth ages 13- 17 at an emergency shelter with a variety of racial and cultural backgrounds and identities. I was fortunate to discover personal growth in improvisational skills, how familiar melodies appear repeatedly, and adolescents enjoy being able to play instruments without any restraints or qualifications. This method appears to be a beneficial aspect of an emergency shelter programming schedule and can be adapted to meet the needs of the youth being served

Evaluation of articulate project

The Articulate Project was commissioned by West Dunbartonshire Council, with funding from the Scottish Executive’s Future Learning and Teaching (FLaT) programme,The Scottish Arts Council, West Dunbartonshire Council and West Dunbartonshire Partnership. Activities relating to the project took place between May and December 2004. The overall aim of the Articulate Project was to “explore how or if the arts, and specifically drama and theatre practice, might impact positively on English language skills in the classroom” (AELP, 2005, p5). The five specific aims of the Articulate Project were to: · develop the creative and imaginative writing skills of participating pupils · improve the ability of pupils to communicate effectively · raise levels of pupils’ self esteem and self worth · increase pupils’ motivation to participate in, and enjoy, learning · create a positive impact on thinking skills, problem solving and team working on individuals, schools and the community. The Traverse Theatre devised a programme of pupil activities with the help of a teacher in one of the participating primary schools. In the initial stage, all participating pupils (in each class from each of five schools) were introduced to drama techniques by a Traverse Theatre actress and they attended two theatre performances. In the next stage the focus shifted to creative writing, and a group of ten pupils from each class worked directly in 10 workshops with a Traverse Theatre playwright, in order to develop their own drama sketches, which were performed by professional actors in Denny Civic Theatre. At the same time, the remainder of each class engaged in similar creative writing lessons with their teacher. Although this second Articulate group did not have their work performed, they supported the Denny Civic Theatre production by producing art work with the help of a professional artist. There were three main phases in the evaluation, which began five months after the projectended. A first phase (June and July 2005) was designed to build up a picture of the Project through extended interviews with its key architects and through document analysis. In a second phase (August – October 2005), impact on pupils was explored through theirresponses to Articulate-specific questionnaires and to two standardised instruments (the Marsh Self Description Questionnaire and the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking - ‘Thinking Creatively with Words’), as well as through their focus group contributions. This second phase included evaluation of the project’s impact on staff through one-to-one interviews with school staff and analysis of an extended interview with the Traverse Theatre Literary Development Officer. A third phase (November 2005 – January 2006) was concerned mainly with data analysis, including pre- and post-project attainment level data for reading and writing, but also provided an opportunity for parents and a local community organisation to express views on the project. During this phase final discussions also took place with a primary Head Teacher and the Depute Head in the secondary school