Investigating American Cancer Society Volunteer Experience

The nonprofit sector is crucial for a vital economy, and volunteers are at the core of many of these organizations. Research has shown many different factors related to nonprofit organization success, including volunteer management, recruitment, and retention techniques. This study adds to the current literature by investigating the American Cancer Society Relay For Life Advisory Team and explores what factors have led to the retention of these high-level volunteers, what skill-based trainings have they received throughout their volunteer career with the American Cancer Society, and what sentiment do the volunteers have toward receiving spokesperson training, facilitation training, and coaching training. Using a single, descriptive, instrumental case study design, an open-ended response questionnaire was disseminated to 31 current Relay Advisory Team volunteers. Through using coding analysis, four major themes were identified from the responses to the question “why did you begin to volunteer for the American Cancer Society?: having a personal connection to cancer; someone asked them to get involved; participants were looking for a way to give back and make a difference; and participants were looking for a sense of community and belonging. In analyzing the question “why do you continue to volunteer for the American Cancer Society?” three major themes were identified: the desire of a cure for cancer to be found, participants felt that the American Cancer Society is a reputable organization, and a belief in the mission of the American Cancer Society. Lastly, the volunteers had received a range of trainings in the past, and had a positive sentiment toward receiving spokesperson, coaching, and facilitation trainings in the future. The finding of this study can be used to inform American Cancer Society volunteer recruitment and retention techniques

Critique [of The Ethnic Matrix: Implications for Human Service Practitioners by Jesse M. Vazquez]

Vazquez\u27s psychosocial model for understanding ethnicity and the ethnic process in American society and how this model could be used by practitioners and researchers to further expand their own work is noble. Vazquez fulfilled his purpose. However, the underlying assumption is somewhat misleading, i.e., practitioners and researchers, generally, are not employing the ethnic matrix model. Vazquez states that the absence of ethnic content and concern with ethnic issues in professional training programs was seriously questioned

Best Practices of Honor Societies

Academic honor societies are widely available within university communities. These student organizations can fill valuable roles within engineering departments. The inception of engineering-related honor societies followed the establishment of engineering education within American universities. Honor societies with their student focus grew as complementary organizations to the professional societies for engineering disciplines. The national or international structure of honor societies generally provides considerable resources for professional education, leadership training, and service activity. For departments, an honor society chapter can provide engagement with students, alumni, community, etc. However, the existence of an honor society chapter at an institution does not necessarily mean that the chapter is effectively serving the host department(s) and its engineering students. This paper describes commonalities among engineering honor societies, the possible roles of an honor society within an engineering department, and some best practices for effective honor society chapters. Specific examples from the operation of IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu (IEEE-HKN), the honor society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), are given.Cockrell School of Engineerin

Litigating reproductive health rights in the inter-American system: what does a winning case look like?

Remedies and reparation measures emerging from the Inter-American System of Human Rights in reproductive health cases have consistently highlighted the need to develop and subsequently implement, non-repetition remedies that protect, promote and fulfill women’s reproductive health rights. Litigation outcomes that result in violations of reproductive rights are a “win” for health rights litigation, but when implementation fails, is a “win” still a win? Although there has been considerable success in litigating reproductive health rights cases, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights are not adequately equipped to follow-up on cases after they have been won. Successful and sustainable implementation of reproductive health rights law requires incorporation of non-repetition remedies in the form of legislation, education, and training that seeks to remodel existing social and cultural practices that hinder women’s enjoyment of their reproductive rights. In order for a reproductive health rights case to ultimately be a “winner,” case recommendations and decisions emerging from the Commission and Court must incorporate perspectives provided by members of civil society, with the ultimate goal of developing measurable remedies that address underlying obstacles to domestic implementation

A Framework for Managing Training Programs to Enhance Organizational Operation Performance

As training is a powerful means and plays an important role in improving organizational performance and competitiveness, training management deserves more emphasis. Managing training means to plan, implement, and monitor/evaluate training program to support (organization’s strategy, goals and objectives) and enhance organizational performance and competitiveness. Therefore, the objective of this study is to propose a framework for managing training to enhance organizational operation performance. Extensive discussions with subject experts who are professors of Human Resource Development and Adult Education as well as members of the American Society for Training and Development-Eastern Idaho Chapter, and personal experiences were used for developing the framework in this study

E-survey of current international physiotherapy practice for children with ataxia following surgical resection of posterior fossa tumour.

ObjectiveTo determine current international practice regarding physiotherapy input for children with ataxia following surgery for posterior fossa tumour. Design: An e-survey covering the following domains: participant demographics, treatment/ intervention, virtual training, intensity/timing of treatment, and aims and outcomes of physiotherapy management.ParticipantsPhysiotherapists involved in the management of children with ataxia following surgical resection of posterior fossa tumour. Participants were contacted via 6 key groups; Paediatric Oncology Physiotherapy Network (POPs), Association of Paediatric Chartered Physiotherapists (APCP), European Paediatric Neurology Society (EPNS), International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP)-Europe Brain Tumour Group, Posterior Fossa Society (PFS), and Pediatric Oncology Special Interest Group (SIG) (American Physical Therapy Association).ResultsA total of 96 physiotherapists participated: UK (n =53), rest of Europe (n = 23), USA/ Canada (n = 10), and Australia/NZ (n = 10). The most common physiotherapy interventions used were balance exercises, gait re-education and proximal control activities. The most frequently used adjuncts to treatment were mobility aids and orthotics. Challenges reported regarding physiotherapy treatment were: reduced availability of physiotherapy input following discharge from the acute setting, lack of evidence, impact of adjuvant oncology treatment, and psychosocial impact.ConclusionThis e-survey provides an initial scoping review of international physiotherapy practice in this area. It establishes a foundation for future research on improving rehabilitation of ataxia in this population

The Communicator, Volume 9, Issue 1, May 2013

We welcome Hannah Birge, Nathan Stewart, and Rodney Verhoeff to the Coop Unit. Co-occurrence of Fish Catches: A Unique Approach to a Unique Question Honors and Awards: Dustin Martin, Kent Fricke, Jessica Laskowski and Lindsey Messinger (and their advisor Dr. TJ Fontaine), Kelly Turek Outreach Activities: Integrated Monitoring for Prairie Grouse Working Group, Earth Wellness Festival, Upward Bound EnvionMentors program. Training: Creel Survey Workshop Moving On: Jason DeBoer, Kristine Nemec, Kody Unstad, Nicholas Arneson, Isaac Mertens, Christopher Shank, Shelby Sidel, and Alec Wong Conferences/Meetings/Workshops: Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, North American Duck Symposium, Pheasants Forever State Habitat meeting, Rainwater Basin Joint Venture Information Seminar, Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society, Nebraska Chapter of the American Fisheries Society meeting, Missouri River Natural Resource conference, Nebraska Chapter of The Wildlife Society annual meeting

Safe Water Systems: An Evaluation of the Zambia Clorin Program

Clorin is a household water treatment product (a sodium hypochlorite disinfectant) that Society for Family Health launched in Zambia in 1998. This report provides a external assessment of Clorin use in light of the Centers for Disease Control and Pan American Health Organization's overall Safe Water Systems initiative. The intervention took a social marketing approach, targeting low-income households with Clorin at a subsidized price, and sales steadily increased from 1998 to 2004. This involved training for health center staff , neighborhood volunteers, and pharmacists; and promotions through radio, television, newspapers, and posters. The study found that active marketing through community-level personal was very important, while the role of mass media messages was unclear. Collaboration with the government health sector, retailers, and community agents was advised, as was strengthening the water management side of the program

The second parent: Ideologies of childhood in Russian pedagogy manuals

The collapse of the Soviet Union saw deep reforms in the educational system and, with the new market economy, in the presuppositions about training and employment that underpinned it. But this article argues that contemporary Russian teacher training materials nonetheless reproduce Soviet understandings about childhood, education, and the state. Comparing discourses about teaching in Russian, Soviet, and American resources for prospective teachers reveals that differences between Russian and American teaching practices stem not from economic differences, but different conceptions of the social purpose of education. Discourse analysis identified patterns in representations of children and teachers in widely-used Russian teacher training textbooks, mainstream American teacher training textbooks, and Soviet pedagogical writings. This analysis revealed that contemporary Russian textbooks, in contrast to their Soviet counterparts, represent the function of education as helping prepare a child to enter society qua capitalist workforce. But the materials differ from American textbooks in their depictions of the responsibilities of teachers, the role of the state, and the rights of children in primary schools. In these respects, Russian textbooks sound much like Soviet ones

Recommended curriculum for subspecialty training in transplant infectious disease on behalf of the American Society of Transplantation Infectious Diseases Community of Practice Educational Initiatives Working Group

R. Avery, H. Clauss, L. Danziger-Isakov, J. Davis, K. Doucette, D. van Duin, J. Fishman, F. Gunseren, A. Humar, S. Husain, C. Isada, K. Julian, D. Kaul, D. Kumar, S. Martin, M. Michaels, M. Morris, F. Silveira, A. Subramanian. Recommended curriculum for subspecialty training in transplant infectious disease on behalf of the American Society of Transplantation Infectious Diseases Community of Practice Educational Initiatives Working Group. Transpl Infect Dis 2010: 12: 190–194. All rights reservedThe American Society of Transplantation Infectious Diseases (ID) Community of Practice has established an education workgroup to identify core components of a curriculum for training specialists in transplant ID. Clinical, laboratory, and research training form the triad of components on which an additional year of ID training, dedicated to the care of solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, should be based. The recommended training environment would have access to adequate numbers of transplant patients, along with qualified faculty committed to teaching specialized fellows in this area. The learning objectives for both inpatient and outpatient clinical training are presented. The laboratory component requires trainees to attain expertize in utilizing and interpreting cutting-edge diagnostics used in transplant medicine. The research component may involve basic science, and translational or clinical research individualized to the trainee. Finally, suggestions for evaluation of both the fellows and the training program are provided.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79192/1/j.1399-3062.2010.00510.x.pd