A Qualitative Study to Explore Ambiguous Loss and Belonging in Foster Care

The imminent threats to a child’s physical and mental health from dangerous or dysfunctional family systems result in children being placed in foster care, often for extended periods of time. With increased physical, mental and developmental health needs identified compared to non- fostered peers, it is important to better understand the experiences of foster care. The purpose of this study was to explore ambiguous loss and belonging within the experience of foster care. Using photo elicitation techniques and repeated in depth interviews, this qualitative study explored the foster care experiences of 10 foster care alumni, aged 18 – 23 years old. Data from 22 interviews evolved into six major themes: 1. Belonging, 2. Moving...Again, 3. Ambiguous Loss, 4. I am Different, 5. I am Responsible, and 6. Gaining Perspective. Four major conclusions developed from this study: 1. A consistent and strong sense of belonging while in foster care may be difficult to achieve, 2. Adolescents in foster care feel different and are different from their peers, 3. Adolescent responsibilities come early for adolescents in foster care, potentially foreclosing opportunities for an emerging adulthood, and 4. As time separates them from foster care, young adult alumni tend to develop new perspectives on their foster care experiences. Practice implications from this study include improving screening for belonging, as belonging has been found to be protective against some mental health issues, supporting foster children experiencing ambiguous loss, and including multidisciplinary care including social workers, health care providers, school personnel and child advocates. Implications for further research include initiating cohort studies to examine issues more common in foster children compared to their non-fostered peers, measurement of the impact of support groups for foster children while in foster care, and quantitative measurement of the association and impact of ambiguous loss on belonging. Even with the difficulties experienced in foster care, the majority of participants perceived foster care to be a positive experience with a positive impact on their lives both while in foster care and as foster care alumni

Lebenserinnerungen von Ottilie Schoenewald : Fuer das Leo Baeck Institut, New York.

The memoirs cover 1883-1946. Childhood recollections in a well-to do Jewish household of eight children. Both her parents worked in building up their business. Tradition of charity. Ottilie's father was a member of the Jewish community executive committee. Growing up in a liberal yet religious family. Reflections on girl's education of her time. Death of her father in 1903. Marriage to the lawyer Dr. S. Schoenewald in 1905. Start of her activities in the women's movement in Germany (BDF). Ottilie Schoenewald had a leading position as a women's legal guidance counselor (Frauenrechtschutzstelle) in Bochum. She was involved in the homemaking organization during World War One. Political equality for women after the war and activities in the democratic party in Weimar Germany. In 1929 Ottilie Schoenewald was elected to be a board member of the Jewish women's movement (JFB) in Berlin. Preparations for the International Congress of Jewish women 1930 in Hamburg, which led to the formation of the International Council of Jewish Women. In 1934 she became chairwoman of the JFB. Experiences and activities during the Nazi time. Ottilie Schoenewald emigrated to England via Holland in 1939, where she continued her social activities.Ottilie Schoenewald née Mendel was born in Bochum in 1883. She was a social worker and a member of the "Bund Deutscher Frauenvereine" and of the "Frauenrechtschutzstelle" in Bochum. In 1926, she founded the Bochum branch of the "Juedischer Frauenbund". During the Weimar period she was a member of the Bochum magistrate for the liberal "Deutsche Demokratische Partei". In 1934, she was elected chairperson of the "Juedischer Frauenbund" in Germany. She was also a member of the board of the "Centralverein" and of the "Preussischer Landesverband juedischer Gemeinden". Schoenewald emigrated to England in 1939 and the USA in 1946. She died in New York in 1961.Brief summary in Max Kreutzberger: "Leo Baeck Institute New York, Bibliothek und Archiv; Katalog":, C 356Published in Monika Richarz: "Juedisches Leben in Deutschland": Vol. III 15Berliner, Cora, 1890-1942Brenner, BettinaKarminski, Hannah, 1897-1942Pappenheim, Bertha, 1859-1936Straus, Rahel, 1880-1963United StatesChildhoodCentralverein Deutscher Staatsbuerger Juedischen GlaubensEmigration and immigration, 1933-1945, United StatesFeminismPublic welfar

“Water” You Waiting For?: A Narrative Analysis of How Charity:Water, Water.org, and Generosity Water Create Organizational Identities on Their Websites

The water crisis is a significant problem that affects millions of people around the globe. The nonprofit organizations of Charity:Water, Generosity Water, and Water.org are among the many organizations that are working to solve this crisis. The purpose of this study was to determine how water-focused nonprofit organizations use narrative on their websites to create an organizational identity. In looking at the elements of characters and themes on these organizations’ websites through a narrative criticism lens, the study led to three main conclusions. First, the organizations convey attributes of competency, diversity, and passion on their websites to encourage audience identification with the organizations. Second, the organizations depicted themselves as engaged in effective collaboration with a variety of groups and people in order to eliminate the water crisis. Finally, the messages on the websites culminated in the organizations asking for action from the audience member as a means to expand networks and increase potential identification with the organization

Hannah Karminski Collection 1934-1957

The collection contains correspondence of teacher, social worker, and feminist Hannah Karminski. Included is correspondence with Ottilie Schoenewald regarding Schoenewald's emigration from Germany and desire to continue her social work abroad, as well as discussion of the emigration and continued work of other women in their circle; letters from Karminski to her parents and sister Erna Berlowitz, who emigrated from Germany to Switzerland in 1939; and letters regarding Karminski's deportation and death. Karminski's letters to her family include discussion of her work and life in Germany. They contain multiple mentions of her friends and colleagues Cora Berliner and Paula Fürst, including discussion of their deportation in June 1942.Hannah Karminski was born April 24, 1897, in Berlin. She was a teacher, social worker, and feminist who served as secretary of the Jüdischer Frauenbund and editor of its newsletter. After the Jüdischer Frauenbund was forcibly disbanded by the Nazis, she continued her work in social welfare with the Reichsvereinigung der Juden in Deutschland. She stayed in Germany to continue her work, even after her parents and sister Erna Berlowitz emigrated from Germany to Lugano, Switzerland, in 1939. In December 1942, she was deported to Auschwitz, where she was murdered.The original German-language inventory is available in the folderProcessed for digitizationSent for digitizationReturned from digitizationLinked to online manifestationdigitize