Weathering the storm: supporting students through co-producing a resilience toolkit in Higher Education.

It is generally recognised that student wellbeing and mental health are key issues in Higher Education. COVID and lockdown led to unpreceded challenges and increased wellbeing concerns, yet students often do not access support for mental health issues. The aims of this study is to investigate if students are aware of the support resources available, if there are any barriers to facilitating student resilience and preventing student access to support and to co-produce an interactive, online resilience toolkit

Navigating the ‘meaningless’ of social innovation: perspectives of social care practitioners in Scotland

Social innovation is an umbrella concept that allows space for a diverse range of perspectives to co-exist. In this paper, we explore how practitioners negotiate this complexity. Conducting 19 interviews with stakeholders involved in social enterprise and social care in Scotland, we show that almost anything can be conceived of as a social innovation as defined by the European Union. The EU definition can be a useful tool for organisations to demonstrate to funders how and why they are socially innovative. However, in failing to interrogate the power dimension of social innovation, the EU definition neglects any transformative potential

Mantle flow and lithosphere-asthenosphere coupling beneath the southwestern edge of the North American craton: constraints from shear-wave splitting measurements

High-quality broadband seismic data recorded by the USArray and other stations in the southwestern United States provide a unique opportunity to test different models of anisotropy-forming mechanisms in the vicinity of a cratonic edge. Systematic spatial variations of anisotropic characteristics are revealed by 3027 pairs of splitting parameters measured at 547 broadband seismic stations. The western and southern edges of the North American craton show edge-parallel fast directions with larger-than-normal splitting times, and the continental interior is characterized by smaller splitting times spatially consistent fast directions that are mostly parallel to the absolute plate motion direction of North America. Except for a small area in the vicinity of the Llano Uplift in central Texas, no systematic azimuthal variations of the splitting parameters are observed, suggesting that a single layer of anisotropy with horizontal axis of symmetry can adequately explain the observations. Estimation of the depth of the source of the observed anisotropy using spatial coherency of the splitting parameters indicates that the observed anisotropy mostly originate from the upper asthenosphere, through simple shear between the partially coupled lithosphere and asthenosphere --Abstract, page iv

Flying the coop : why is the move out of home proving unsustainable?

Changing social trends indicate that more young Australians are electing to live at home longer. Residing in the parental home is the most common mode of living for those aged in their 20s, with recent data indicating more than 30 per cent decisively remain in this arrangement with their parents.While there are obviously still those who decide to move out, this housing arrangement seems to be proving unsustainable; many young adults are returning home to reside with their parents after time spent on their own in a trend increasingly referred to as the &lsquo;boomerang&rsquo; effect.This paper reviews the available literature on young adults&rsquo; living arrangements, identifying those factors implicated both in the leaving home process and the likelihood a young adult will return home after previously moving out. In highlighting how much of this earlier research has relied on the use of statistical methods, the paper aims to justify the need for the proposed study- a contemporary exploration of generation Y Australians&rsquo; experiences of home returning.The study, guided by an ecological theoretical perspective, will utilise a qualitative methodology to investigate the reasons why young adults are experiencing difficulty sustaining their move to independent living. In-depth interviews will be conducted in Melbourne with young adults aged between 20 and 30 years who currently reside in the parental home after living independently for four months or more. It is anticipated the study sample will include both males and females who are currently engaged in, or have previously completed, tertiary study.These interviews will be analysed and through the emergent themes, will provide a clearer insight into the &lsquo;boomerang&rsquo; generation- a group of young adults who will become increasingly more common in light of the current uncertainty surrounding finances, employment and housing markets. The implications of this research will therefore be significant for those concerned with the future housing decisions of Australian society.<br /

Social enterprises’ impact on older people’s health and wellbeing: exploring Scottish experiences

Abstract The global aging demographic is putting pressure on state-delivered health and social care services. As the austerity agenda in the UK cuts state-funded service provision for older people despite increasing demand, social enterprise has become a politically and economically attractive model for the sustainable delivery of some public services. Yet little is known about the impact of social enterprise on the health and wellbeing of older people. In this paper we address this gap in understanding and consider social enterprise activities as complex public health-promoting interventions. Our study aimed to understand what impact social enterprise activities had on the health and wellbeing of participants aged over 50, and also how that impact was created. To achieve this, we conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with a sample (n = 43) of staff, volunteers, clients and carers aged over 50 who were involved in activities delivered by three social enterprises. Using a thematic analysis to explore manifest and latent themes, two antecedents of subjective younger age emerged explaining how benefit was created, namely downward social comparison and identity. The social enterprise activities we studied benefited participants' health and wellbeing, impacting positively on participants' sense of purpose, social support, connectedness and inclusion. These health and wellbeing benefits can be considered as outcomes of complex public health interventions for older people, and we relate these outcomes to beneficial conditions within the intermediary social determinants of health. We conclude by discussing the future impact of social enterprise activities and current UK policy on the structural determinants of health