Mixing the Digital, Social, and Cultural: Learning, Identity, and Agency in Youth Participation

Part of the Volume on Youth, Identity, and Digital MediaHow do youth use media and technology as they learn to be participants in civic and democratic practices? We share two case studies -- one from a media arts production organization and one from a school board youth group -- that revolve around youth-adult interactions in learning environments that offer youth real opportunities to be influential in their respective communities. The cases feature youth and their involvements with digital media, pedagogical approaches, and engagements that enhance their participatory capacities. There are multiple channels through which these interactions happen, some with and facilitated by adults and others created and negotiated by youth. We describe how youth and adults establish learning environments for each other, negotiate the grounds for participation, and explore the possibilities and limitations of social and digital technologies in these processes, supporting the idea that this learning is something that young people do as agents in their development

One aneither : A Joycean Critique of Educational Research

A few years ago, the two of us attended a Maxine Greene lecture at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She told an inspiring story about an articulate teenager from the Bronx critiquing the ups and downs of respect, status, and the coming of age and rage in the metropolis. The teenager\u27s words, she said, reminded her of Walt Whitman, and she read two lines from his Leaves of Grass to make her point. We had with us a copy of her wonderful first book, The Public School and the Private Vision (1965), an intellectual history of American dreams and wishes for education in a democracy. We quickly looked up the Whitman section, and there were the same lines from the poet on life in the en masse

Transitioning to more sustainable, low-emissions agriculture in Brazil

KEY FINDINGS Cattle producers joined sustainability initiatives primarily to increase production, reduce production costs, learn new practices and access innovations, and because of their interest in sustainability. Farmers who shifted to sustainable intensification practices increased their productivity. Some also accessed new markets and a minority earned higher prices. Producers sought farming advice mostly from nearby farmers and technicians promoting sustainability initiatives. The cost of changing farm practices, insufficient technical assistance or capacity, and difficulty in complying with legal standards were the major barriers preventing other cattle producers from participating in sustainability initiatives. The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per kg of beef of cattle farmers in sustainable intensification programs were 18% lower compared to neighboring farms not in the programs. Early life-cycle cattle ranching (e.g. calving, early rearing), commonly associated with deforestation, has been more engaged with NGO initiatives providing support and agronomic outreach rather than formal standards and reporting. Coffee Coffee farmers joined a certification program because of requests from buyers, potential for receiving price premiums on their coffee, and to access new markets with certified products. Coffee farmers producing certified coffee increased their economic efficiency, mainly due to higher productivity, compared to before they certified. Coffee producers' connections to technicians and access to information mostly revolved around their participation in cooperatives.POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS Build on market development lessons from the coffee sector to enhance sustainability, quality, traceability, and branding in the cattle sector. Expand sustainability initiatives’ capacity to deliver market access, technical assistance, and finance services to more cattle farmers. Continue support to producers in sustainability initiatives over multiple years, as they are likely to increase the sustainability of their practices with time. Expand agronomic outreach and sustainability initiatives to calving and early rearing operations to reduce associated deforestation and GHG emissions

Champagne and Caviar for all? Exploring the juxtaposition of gourmet culture with social justice activism and transitions within the Slow Food movement

As issues of food and agriculture enter the mainstream culture of the United States, the number of passionate supporters of efforts to change the industrial food system is growing steadily. However, those at the helm of the movement are conflicted about what issues need to be prioritized as well as how systemic change is to be accomplished. Using the international nonprofit organization Slow Food as a case study, this paper examines the tensions that exist within the movement as well as their origins. Slow Food’s juxtaposition of gourmet culture and social justice activism is addressed through exploring issues of elitism, privilege and democracy in the contemporary effort to change the industrialized food system. In examining the tensions within Slow Food as an organization, the broader food movement is captured in a moment of transition, the tenets of gourmet culture are examined for the ways in which they are complicit in the many inequalities addressed through social justice activism, and the viability of an evolving movement rooted in gastronomic distinction is assessed

Mitigating Misinformation on Social Media Platforms: Treating Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act as a Quid Pro Quo Benefit

The rise of misinformation on social media has prompted governments worldwide to enact legislation that may affect every person’s right to freedom of opinion and expression. In the United States, combatting misinformation shares surprising bipartisan support in an ever-divided political landscape. While several proposals have emerged that would strip social media companies of the twenty-fiveyear-old law that shields them from lawsuits over content, it is unlikely that they would survive the seemingly insurmountable First Amendment scrutiny. Thus, an alternative to combatting misinformation is needed. In an attempt to provide an alternative, this Note presents a model for mitigating misinformation. By dissecting the concept of misinformation, exploring the ways in which social media platforms can mitigate misinformation, and proposing the use of misinformation labels, this Note suggests using Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act as a quid pro quo benefit to incentivize social media platforms to mitigate misinformation

Analyzing Energy Alternatives for an Orphanage in Rural Thailand

Sarnelli House lacks a reliable energy source affecting the completion of tasks such as bathing, cooking, and studying in the evening. The goal of this project was to perform a comparative study and recommend alternative energy options that would provide Sarnelli House with reliable power and lower their electricity costs. We made observations, conducted interviews, and held a focus group to collect data. This revealed that power outages are inconvenient but reducing electrical costs and educating the residents on sustainability are priorities. We determined that solar power systems provided the best options for meeting our goals. This project provides large-scale, small-scale, and educational recommendations that will benefit Sarnelli House the most based on collected data and analysis

A Remote Longitudinal Observational Study of Individuals at Genetic Risk for Parkinson Disease: Baseline Results.

Background and objectivesTo recruit and characterize a national cohort of individuals who have a genetic variant (LRRK2 G2019S) that increases risk of Parkinson disease (PD), assess participant satisfaction with a decentralized, remote research model, and evaluate interest in future clinical trials.MethodsIn partnership with 23andMe, Inc., a personal genetics company, LRRK2 G2019S carriers with and without PD were recruited to participate in an ongoing 36-month decentralized, remote natural history study. We examined concordance between self-reported and clinician-determined PD diagnosis. We applied the Movement Disorder Society Prodromal Parkinson's Disease Criteria and asked investigators to identify concern for parkinsonism to distinguish participants with probable prodromal PD. We compared baseline characteristics of LRRK2 G2019S carriers with PD, with prodromal PD, and without PD.ResultsOver 15 months, we enrolled 277 LRRK2 G2019S carriers from 34 states. At baseline, 60 had self-reported PD (mean [SD] age 67.8 years [8.4], 98% White, 52% female, 80% Ashkenazi Jewish, and 67% with a family history of PD), and 217 did not (mean [SD] age 53.7 years [15.1], 95% White, 59% female, 73% Ashkenazi Jewish, and 57% with a family history of PD). Agreement between self-reported and clinician-determined PD status was excellent (κ = 0.94, 95% confidence interval 0.89-0.99). Twenty-four participants had prodromal PD; 9 met criteria for probable prodromal PD and investigators identified concern for parkinsonism in 20 cases. Compared with those without prodromal PD, participants with prodromal PD were older (63.9 years [9.0] vs 51.9 years [15.1], p < 0.001), had higher modified Movement Disorders Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor scores (5.7 [4.3] vs 0.8 [2.1], p < 0.001), and had higher Scale for Outcomes in PD for Autonomic Symptoms scores (11.5 [6.2] vs 6.9 [5.7], p = 0.002). Two-thirds of participants enrolled were new to research, 97% were satisfied with the overall study, and 94% of those without PD would participate in future preventive clinical trials.DiscussionAn entirely remote national cohort of LRRK2 G2019S carriers was recruited from a single site. This study will prospectively characterize a large LRRK2 G2019S cohort, refine a new model of clinical research, and engage new research participants willing to participate in future therapeutic trials

Top ten priorities for global saltmarsh restoration, conservation and ecosystem service research

Coastal saltmarshes provide globally important ecosystem services including ‘blue carbon’ sequestration, flood protection, pollutant remediation, habitat provision and cultural value. Large portions of marshes have been lost or fragmented as a result of land reclamation, embankment construction, and pollution. Sea level rise threatens marsh survival by blocking landward migration where coastlines have been developed. Research-informed saltmarsh conservation and restoration efforts are helping to prevent further loss, yet significant knowledge gaps remain. Using a mixed methods approach, this paper identifies ten research priorities through an online questionnaire and a residential workshop attended by an international, multi-disciplinary network of 35 saltmarsh experts spanning natural, physical and social sciences across research, policy, and practitioner sectors. Priorities have been grouped under four thematic areas of research: Saltmarsh Area Extent, Change and Restoration Potential (including past, present, global variation), Spatio-social contexts of Ecosystem Service delivery (e.g. influences of environmental context, climate change, and stakeholder groups on service provisioning), Patterns and Processes in saltmarsh functioning (global drivers of saltmarsh ecosystem structure/function) and Management and Policy Needs (how management varies contextually; challenges/opportunities for management). Although not intended to be exhaustive, the challenges, opportunities, and strategies for addressing each research priority examined here, providing a blueprint of the work that needs to be done to protect saltmarshes for future generations