International Youth Development: A Review of Youth – Realities and Challenges for Achieving Development with Equality

Youth: Realities and Challenges for Achieving Development with Equality” edited by Daniela Trucco and Heidi Ullmann contributes to the call for stronger multidisciplinary approaches to policymaking related to youth in the Latin American and Caribbean region. The publishers, The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, recognize equality as the ultimate aim of development and young people as essential change agents. Engaging youth in the development process is an essential step for creating an egalitarian society, respecting the rights and needs of youth, and creating comprehensive inclusive policies. Data over 13 years are presented from multiple reputable sources and examined by the editors through socioeconomic quintiles and living areas. The region of Latin American and the Caribbean is defined as inclusive of all Central and South American countries, Mexico, and all island nations and U.S. territories in the Caribbean. The editors defined youth as representing those aged between 15 and 29. The editors addressed the main challenges of development and inclusion faced by youth within Latin America. Six spheres are presented encompassing the social inclusion of youth: education, employment, health, violence, culture, and participation. Throughout the book the editors highlighted gaps in various sectors that lead to the social exclusion of youth. A disconnect was found between advances in education and the lack of available opportunities in the labor market. The region overall is reaching higher levels of education, however there are fewer work opportunities available. “Employment is the most pivotal link in the chain of social inclusion for young people” (Trucco & Ullmann, 2016, pp. 45-46). The disconnect between education advancements and employment opportunities continues to be an issue in the region

The sublime in interactive digital installation: an analysis of three artworks: Listening Post, Translator II: Grower and The Cloud Harp

This examines the notion of the sublime in interactive digital installation art, with the primary aim of showing the methods and devices used to evoke the sublime through interactive digital installation. The evocation of the sublime which is largely associated with nature is an appealing aesthetic in these technology driven artworks. This paper follows the history of the notion of the sublime in the arts and philosophy from Dioynisus Longinus to Jean-François Lyotard, with an emphasis on Romanticism and Postmodernism. Three case studies of interactive digital installations art are presented and addressed: Ben Rubin and Mark Hansen’s Listening Post (2001-2003), Sabrina Raaf’s Translator II: Grower (2004) and the NXIO GESTATIO Design Lab’s The Cloud Harp (1997). These are addressed not only in regards to the histories of the notion but to a contemporary adaptation of the notion, influenced by the technology age and the Postmodern sentiments of Jean Francois Lyotard

Self-Regulation within the Wearable Device Industry and The Alignment to Device Users’ Perceptions of Health Data Privacy

Health data privacy has become increasingly pertinent as the Internet-of-Things (IoT), specifically, health-monitoring, wearable devices, has become more advanced. Today’s regulatory framework allows wearable device companies to self-regulate how data is collected and used, thus leaving consumer, health data at risk of possible mishandling or abuse. Consequently, this research sought to examine whether data privacy practices adopted by major wearable manufacturers align with consumer expectations about these devices and the data they collect. Both consumers’ understanding of health data privacy and the corresponding tech companies’ stance on protecting consumer privacy were evaluated by performing crowd-sourced surveys and a thematic analyses of current privacy policies. Results of the survey suggest that most consumers are unaware of the possible risks associated with collecting health data; and, this lack of informativeness has led to what appear to be a lack of concern for their health data. However, many consumers still express an interest in protecting their privacy, regardless if they fully comprehend the risks, and most participants (79.4%) believed there should be additional regulations placed on the wearable industry. As such, it is recommended that a widely-known, non-government body, such as IEEE, develop a three-tier data privacy certification that wearable companies may apply for, but not be forced to adhere to. In principle, the market demand for increased data privacy controls would drive companies to classify each of their products as bronze, silver or gold-certified, which corresponds to increasingly stringent data privacy and security regulation

Exploring Moral Distress and Reflective Debriefing as a Potential Intervention Among Intensive Care Unit Nurses

Moral distress is recognized in the literature as a significant problem for nurses working in the intensive care unit (ICU). Moral distress occurs when one knows the right course of action but is unable to follow it due to team or organizational constraints. Moral distress may lead to physical and psychological symptoms resulting in burnout, job attrition, and a negative impact on patient care. While interventions for reducing moral distress among ICU nurses are limited in the literature, one potentially promising approach is reflective debriefing. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) scholarly project aimed to explore the intensity, frequency, and root causes of moral distress among registered nurses in an adult ICU setting and the feasibility of reflective debriefing as a potential intervention. Using the knowledge to action framework as a guide for project development, this exploratory project utilized a valid and reliable survey to assess the level and root causes of moral distress among a sample of 42 ICU nurses at the project site. The results indicated a moderate level of moral distress with 33% (n = 14) of nurses indicating they were considering vacating their current position due to this issue. Root causes of moral distress were primarily related to aggressive end-of-life treatment decisions. An evidence-based debriefing guide was developed and implemented over a total of 10 sessions attended by 15 nurses. Barriers to participation in reflective debriefing at the project site were attributed to heavy workloads and high patient acuity. Findings from this project might influence support iv mechanisms for nurses at the personal, team, and organizational levels at the project site and more broadly in the critical care setting

Longitudinal Outcomes Of Youth Who Age Out Of Foster Care

LONGITUDINAL OUTCOMES OF YOUTH WHO AGE OUT OF FOSTER CARE by TEGAN LESPERANCE May 2018 Advisor: Dr. Paul Toro Major: Psychology (Clinical) Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Each year in America, between 20,000 and 30,000 youths reach an age, typically 18 years, when they must exit the foster care system due to age restrictions, in a process referred to as aging out (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2016). These youths disproportionately experience a host of negative outcomes, including high rates of homelessness and precarious housing, high levels of psychological distress and victimization, increased risk of substance abuse, lower wages, increased sexual risk taking, and poorer educational attainment when compared to their same-age peers (Courtney & Heuring, 2005; Keller, Cusick, & Courtney, 2007; Masten, Obradovic, & Burt, 2006). The current study followed 57 aged out youths during an 8-year period following their aging out from foster care in Metro Detroit. The sample was representative of the larger aged-out population in the area. Two interviews were conducted via phone, one at 3.5 years post-foster care exit and another at 8.28 years, on average. Variables assessed included demographic information, foster care case information, psychological distress, deviance, lifetime victimization, substance abuse/dependence, and risky sexual behaviors, as well as housing, educational, and employment outcomes. The present study aimed to describe a representative sample of aged-out former foster youth throughout emerging adulthood using retrospective longitudinal data and to examine possible predictors of negative outcomes among former foster youth. Results suggest decreases in time spent homeless and deviant behaviors, and increases in income from employment over time. Additionally, no change in risky sexual behaviors, psychological distress, or victimization was found, indicating sources of persistent difficulties among aged out youth. Multivariate predictors of outcomes were largely nonsignificant, likely due to low-sample size. However, race was found to predict lower educational attainment at the second interview, and victimization was found to predict multiple negative outcomes across both follow-up periods. The latter highlights the importance of trauma-informed interventions and policies. Additionally, suggestions for future research and policy implications are explored

The Pedestal Effect and Pastors\u27 Friendships

Traditionally, the ministry has had a reputation for being a very lonely profession. Although widely acknowledged in the literature, no empirical research seems to be available investigating the nature of this alleged problem. On the basis of information gathered from the literature and fran a number of interviews with several pastors in the Grand Forks area, the present study set out to investigate ministerial loneliness by qualitatively assessing and comparing a) the nature of the friendships of a population of pastors with those of matched control laymen, and b) the amount of discomfort aroused by the presence of those pastors vs. of the controls. Such discomfort is discussed as significant, for the implications it has for the pastor\u27s ability to form friendships with men in his congregation . The questionnaire format of data gathering was used. Pastors and controls from 12 congregations responded to a questionnaire to provide a qualitative description of their closest friendship. A second questionnaire was given to a larger group of respondents from each congregation, half responding with the pastor and half with the control person (Mr. X) as their focus. This questionnaire provided a description of some normative restrictions which the respondent imposes on the focus person (to be analyzed at a later stage), the strength of the friendship he has with the focus person, and the amount of discomfort he experiences in the focus person\u27s presence. The pastors were also asked to respond to this questionnaire as they would expect these men to respond. Correlational analyses, multiple regression and matched t-tests were conducted on the data. The results showed that there was no difference between the closest friendships of the pastors vs. those of the controls. There was a significant difference between pastors and controls in terms of the pedestal effect: respondents reported significantly greater discomfort aroused by the pastors\u27 presence than by the controls\u27. However, neither this pedestal effect on the average, nor the pastors\u27 perception of the pedestal effect were able to account for any significance in the variability of the pastors\u27 closest friendships or of their average friendships in the congregation. Further, averaging across congregations yielded no significance in the correlation between the pedestal effect and friendship strength of respondents toward the focus person. However, when looking at these same correlations for each individual respondent, the relationship was significantly negatively correlated for those men responding to the pastor. This was not true for control s. The findings were interpreted and discussed in terms of their implications for understanding the problem of ministerial loneliness. Recommendations for future research were suggested. It was concluded that while the pedestal effect does not make a difference with pastors\u27 friendships overall, it does have implications for his ability to establish such relationships with certain individuals. Also significant is the finding that this is a problem with which the layman does not have to contend