WorldWideScience

Sample records for dialogue engaging communities

  1. How do Danish community pharmacies vary in engaging customers in medicine dialogues at the counter - an observational study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaae, Susanne; Saleem, Sahdia; Kristiansen, Maria

    2014-07-01

    Counter counseling is an important part of community pharmacies service delivery. Difficulties arise because customers appear less interested than the staff in discussing their medicine. It is unclear how individual pharmacies differ with regard to overcoming these obstacles. This study explores differences in the communication practices of pharmacies with regard to engaging customers in medicine dialogues. The work of Stevenson et al. describing five types of interaction scenarios at the counter was used for structured overt non-participant observations of 100 encounters in each of five Danish pharmacies. Variation in pharmacies success in engaging customers in medicine dialogues were calculated using descriptive statistics, and the statistical significance of observed differences across pharmacies was analyzed using odds ratios (OR). Considerable differences between the pharmacies were identified. Differences exist in how often pharmacy staff attempts to encourage customers to participate in medication dialogues and how often they succeed. The pharmacies serving the most customers per day were the most successful. A possible link between a low number of refill customers offered counseling and 'success rate' was identified. The pharmacies showed considerable variation in attempts to engage customers in medication dialogues at the counter and success in doing so. The reasons for the identified patterns are unclear.

  2. How do Danish community pharmacies vary in engaging customers in medicine dialogues at the counter – an observational study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaae, Susanne; Saleem, Sahdia; Kristiansen, Maria

    2014-01-01

    Background Counter counseling is an important part of community pharmacies service delivery. Difficulties arise because customers appear less interested than the staff in discussing their medicine. It is unclear how individual pharmacies differ with regard to overcoming these obstacles. Objective This study explores differences in the communication practices of pharmacies with regard to engaging customers in medicine dialogues. Methods The work of Stevenson et al. describing five types of interaction scenarios at the counter was used for structured overt non-participant observations of 100 encounters in each of five Danish pharmacies. Variation in pharmacies success in engaging customers in medicine dialogues were calculated using descriptive statistics, and the statistical significance of observed differences across pharmacies was analyzed using odds ratios (OR). Results Considerable differences between the pharmacies were identified. Differences exist in how often pharmacy staff attempts to encourage customers to participate in medication dialogues and how often they succeed. The pharmacies serving the most customers per day were the most successful. A possible link between a low number of refill customers offered counseling and ‘success rate’ was identified. Conclusions The pharmacies showed considerable variation in attempts to engage customers in medication dialogues at the counter and success in doing so. The reasons for the identified patterns are unclear. PMID:25243031

  3. Staff and Student Experiences of Dialogue Days, a Student Engagement Activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asghar, Mandy

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports the findings from a descriptive phenomenological exploration of the lived experience of dialogue days, a student engagement activity, from the perspectives of staff and students. I suggest that dialogue days enhance the relational and emotional aspects of learning with the potential to impact on future student engagement and…

  4. Using Online Dialogues to Connect Local Leaders and Climate Experts: Methods, Feedback and Lessons Learned from the Resilience Dialogues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodwin, M.; Pandya, R.; Weaver, C. P.; Zerbonne, S.; Bennett, N.; Spangler, B.

    2017-12-01

    Inclusive, multi-stakeholder dialogue, participatory planning and actionable science are necessary for just and effective climate resilience outcomes. How can we support that in practice? The Resilience Dialogues launched a public Beta in 2016-2017 to allow scientists and resilience practitioners to engage with local leaders from 10 communities around the US through a series of facilitated, online dialogues. We developed two, one-week dialogues for each community: one to consider ways to respond to observed and anticipated climate impacts through a resilience lens, and one to identify next steps and resources to advance key priorities. We divided the communities into three cohorts and refined the structure and facilitation strategy for these dialogues from one to the next based on participant feedback. This adaptive method helped participants engage in the dialogues more effectively and develop useful results. We distributed a survey to all participants following each cohort to capture feedback on the use and utility of the dialogues. While there was room for improvement in the program's technical interface, survey participants valued the dialogues and the opportunity to engage as equals. Local leaders said the dialogues helped identify new local pathways to approach resilience priorities. They felt they benefited from focused conversation and personalized introductions to best-matched resources. Practitioners learned how local leaders seek to apply climate science, and how to effectively communicate their expertise to community leaders in support of local planning efforts. We learned there is demand for specialized dialogues on issues like communication, financing and extreme weather. Overall, the desire of participants to continue to engage through this program, and others to enter, indicates that facilitated, open conversations between experts and local leaders can break down communication and access barriers between climate services providers and end

  5. Analysis and Lessons Learned from an Online, Consultative Dialogue between Community Leaders and Climate Experts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sylak-Glassman, E.; Clavin, C.

    2016-12-01

    Common approaches to climate resilience planning in the United States rely upon participatory planning approaches and dialogues between decision-makers, science translators, and subject matter experts. In an effort to explore alternative approaches support community climate resilience planning, a pilot of a public-private collaboration called the Resilience Dialogues was held in February and March of 2016. The Resilience Dialogues pilot was an online, asynchronous conversation between community leaders and climate experts, designed to help communities begin the process of climate resilience planning. In order to identify lessons learned from the pilot, we analyzed the discourse of the facilitated dialogues, administered surveys and conducted interviews with participants. Our analysis of the pilot suggests that participating community leaders found value in the consultative dialogue with climate experts, despite limited community-originated requests for climate information. Community leaders most often asked for advice regarding adaptation planning, including specific engineering guidance and advice on how to engage community members around the topic of resilience. Community leaders that had access to downscaled climate data asked experts about how to incorporate the data into their existing planning processes. The guidance sought by community leaders during the pilot shows a large range of hurdles that communities face in using climate information to inform their decision-making processes. Having a forum that connects community leaders with relevant experts and other community leaders who have familiarity with both climate impacts and municipal planning processes would likely help communities accelerate their resilience efforts.

  6. Beyond engagement in working with children in eight Nairobi slums to address safety, security, and housing: Digital tools for policy and community dialogue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Claudia; Chege, Fatuma; Maina, Lucy; Rothman, Margot

    2016-01-01

    This article studies the ways in which researchers working in the area of health and social research and using participatory visual methods might extend the reach of participant-generated creations such as photos and drawings to engage community leaders and policy-makers. Framed as going 'beyond engagement', the article explores the idea of the production of researcher-led digital dialogue tools, focusing on one example, based on a series of visual arts-based workshops with children from eight slums in Nairobi addressing issues of safety, security, and well-being in relation to housing. The authors conclude that there is a need for researchers to embark upon the use of visual tools to expand the life and use of visual productions, and in particular to ensure meaningful participation of communities in social change.

  7. Appreciative Organizing: Charting a Course for Community Engagement

    OpenAIRE

    Shelly A. Parini-Runge

    2015-01-01

    This article provides a brief overview of Appreciative Organizing (AO), a term coined by the author in her graduate work to describe the roles that dialogue, listening, storytelling, community networks, social bonding, and leadership play in designing and leading meaningful community engagement initiatives that result in transformative partnerships. It offers constructive steps and a real-life example of how AO was used to strengthen relationships between an institution of higher learning and...

  8. Appreciative Organizing: Charting a Course for Community Engagement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shelly A. Parini-Runge

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This article provides a brief overview of Appreciative Organizing (AO, a term coined by the author in her graduate work to describe the roles that dialogue, listening, storytelling, community networks, social bonding, and leadership play in designing and leading meaningful community engagement initiatives that result in transformative partnerships. It offers constructive steps and a real-life example of how AO was used to strengthen relationships between an institution of higher learning and the community it serves. AO posits that in order to strengthen America’s sense of community, public engagement practices must become more inclusive and innovative, and better networked. It illustrates how this community-centered method, grounded in the philosophical principles of partnership, appreciation, hope, and imagination, transformed an administration and built a culture of continuous engagement that helped the college meet and exceed its institutional goals. Further, through this example, the article’s larger objective is to share ways in which this method, when broadly applied, can be used to build trust and strengthen working relationships within a community setting.

  9. The impact of team dialogue sessions on employee engagement in an information and communication technology company

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael A.W. Seymour

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Orientation: Engaged employees are regarded as extremely valuable in today’s unstable economic environment. However, despite spending large amounts of money on the improvement of employee engagement, the effect thereof is seldom determined. This study was about determining the impact of team dialogue sessions on the enhancement of employee engagement in a large information and communication technology company over a 2-year period. Research purpose: This study focused on determining the improvement of employee engagement through an organisation development intervention. The intervention was based on a social constructionist perspective, namely, team dialoguing, and was facilitated over a period of two years. Motivation for the study: Although the matter regarding the improvement of employee engagement seems to be extensively discussed in the literature, research on the use of interventions to enhance employee engagement is to a large extent still lacking. Based on a theoretical integration, it was argued that team dialoguing could improve employee engagement. Research design, approach and method: This was a quantitative study, employing a quasi-experimental design. An experimental group was exposed to an organisation development intervention of team dialogues over a 2-year period and then compared to a control group that had not been exposed to the intervention. Main findings: Although with a small effect size, it was discovered that facilitating team dialogue sessions had a positive impact on employee engagement, more specifically on the exercise of discretionary effort, intention to remain, rational commitment, communication and supervisory support as dimensions. Practical and managerial implications: The practical implication of this study is that the engagement of employees can be enhanced by involving the direct supervisor and his or her team in dialoguing sessions. Contribution or value-add: The study contributed to the literature

  10. Contextual Factors for Aging Well: Creating Socially Engaging Spaces Through the Use of Deliberative Dialogues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canham, Sarah L; Fang, Mei Lan; Battersby, Lupin; Woolrych, Ryan; Sixsmith, Judith; Ren, Tori Hui; Sixsmith, Andrew

    2018-01-18

    Home and community engagement are key contextual factors for aging well, particularly for older adults in vulnerable social positions. A community-based participatory action research project conducted in Western Canada examined how to best use the shared amenity spaces in a low-income seniors' apartment complex in order to connect services and programs with tenants and to provide opportunities for service providers and local stakeholders to build upon and create new relationships toward collaboration and service delivery. Pre-move deliberative dialogue workshops (n = 4) were conducted with stakeholders (e.g., service providers, developers, and municipal government employees). Workshop participants (n = 24) generated ideas and plans on how physical and social environments can contribute to the social engagement of senior tenants. Shared dialogue led to community investment and asset sharing by integrating the knowledge and experiences of multiple stakeholder groups into the planning process. This article highlights how collaborative planning approaches for the effective use of the social environment (e.g., social programming), within the physical environment (e.g., amenity and community spaces), can generate rich and illuminating data for informing enhancements in the social environment of apartment dwelling low-income seniors. Contextual challenges to service provision are discussed, including the need for communication about and coordination of on-site programming, culturally diverse and responsive programming, and long-term funding. Prolonging independent community living with the assistance of support services should be a goal to both delay premature relocation into institutional care and meet the preferences of older adults. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  11. A review of the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) Public Dialogue Pilot (2015) for new nuclear build in the UK: lessons for engagement theory and practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whitton, John; Parry, Ioan; Grundy, Colette; Lillycrop, Annabelle; Ross, David

    2016-06-01

    We have discussed previously that a community-based, asset-based approach is required to achieve any sense of how social sustainability can be defined in a community setting within the context of energy developments. Our approach aims to initiate a lasting change within 'energy' communities through building social capital; focusing on community assets not deficits to define their social priorities. Through deliberation, we develop an understanding of social sustainability so that a community is well placed to enter discussions with government and industry regarding large energy developments that will directly affect them. We review the 2015 Generic Design Assessment (GDA) Public Dialogue Pilot process for potential new nuclear reactors in the UK. We examine the aims of the dialogue, giving particular attention to a comparison between the national sampling of citizens for the GDA and the local community-based, deliberative approach we have proposed previously. We find an ongoing tension between 'national' engagement processes (such as the GDA Public Dialogue Pilot process) and the specific requirements of those energy communities that live adjacent or close to energy infrastructure, manifested here by a conflict between the requirements of the convenor and those of participants regarding priority issues for discussion. We also reveal a paradox; despite participant preference for a remote, internet-based engagement process, they agreed that face to face contact is a priority to encourage trust building between participants and the convenor of the process-a desired outcome of the process. The GDA Public Dialogue Pilot process has demonstrated that stakeholders are willing to engage with and be more directly involved in local energy-related decisions that affect them directly, provided there is opportunity to discuss locally-relevant and site-specific issues in addition to those of a broader nature. There exists a disparity and conflict between 'national' engagement

  12. Learning to Generate Dialogue: Theory, Practice, and Evaluation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    McCallie, Ellen; Simonsson, Elin; Gammon, Ben

    2007-01-01

    -commonly called dialogue events-that bring scientific and technical experts, social scientists, and policymakers into discussion with members of the public about contemporary science-based issues. This article clarifies the difference between non-policy-informing dialogue events and other interactions in museums......Over the past decade in the UK, communities of scientists, governmental bodies, and informal learning organizations have increasingly promoted public engagement with science. One of the most visible features of these efforts within museums is the staging of adult-focused, face-to-face forums...... of engagement through dialogue related to science and society...

  13. The Immunity Community: A Community Engagement Strategy for Reducing Vaccine Hesitancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schoeppe, Jennie; Cheadle, Allen; Melton, Mackenzie; Faubion, Todd; Miller, Creagh; Matthys, Juno; Hsu, Clarissa

    2017-09-01

    Parental concerns about vaccine safety have grown in the United States and abroad, resulting in delayed or skipped immunizations (often called "vaccine hesitancy"). To address vaccine hesitancy in Washington State, a public-private partnership of health organizations implemented and evaluated a 3-year community intervention, called the "Immunity Community." The intervention mobilized parents who value immunization and provided them with tools to engage in positive dialogue about immunizations in their communities. The evaluation used qualitative and quantitative methods, including focus groups, interviews, and pre and post online surveys of parents, to assess perceptions about and reactions to the intervention, assess facilitators and barriers to success, and track outcomes including parental knowledge and attitudes. The program successfully engaged parent volunteers to be immunization advocates. Surveys of parents in the intervention communities showed statistically significant improvements in vaccine-related attitudes: The percentage concerned about other parents not vaccinating their children increased from 81.2% to 88.6%, and the percentage reporting themselves as "vaccine-hesitant" decreased from 22.6% to 14.0%. There were not statistically significant changes in parental behaviors. This study demonstrates the promise of using parent advocates as part of a community-based approach to reduce vaccine hesitancy.

  14. Apples and Pears: Engaging Social Work Students in Social Dialogue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reyneke, Roelof P.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: To investigate how an adventure-based activity could help facilitate dialogue and enable a safe process where students could engage in a difficult topic such as diversity without feeling threatened. Method: A qualitative study was used in which 89 social work students who took part in diversity training gave permission that their…

  15. Community engagement as conflict prevention: Understanding the social license to operate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knih, Dejana

    This thesis examines community engagement as a form of conflict prevention in order to obtain the social license to operate (SLO) in Alberta's oil and gas industry. It does this by answering the question: what are the key elements of the Social License to Operate and how can these elements be applied to community engagement/consultation in a way that prevents conflicts in Alberta's oil and gas industry? The underlying assumption of this thesis is that building good relationships and working collaboratively functions as a form of conflict prevention and that this in turn leads to the SLO. This thesis outlines the key features of both successful community engagement and of the SLO, to provide a guideline for what is needed to obtain the SLO. Data was collected from semi-structured interviews and through a literature review. The data analysis concluded that there are direct parallels between the key elements of effective community engagement and the key elements of the SLO as identified in the interviews. These parallels are: knowing the community, addressing community needs, corporate social responsibility, relationship building, follow through and evidence for what has been done, executive buy-in, excellent communication, and open dialogue, all within a process which is principled (there is trust, understanding, transparency and respect), inclusive, dynamic, flexible, ongoing, and long-term. Moreover, the key elements of effective community engagement and of the SLO identified in the interviews also overlapped with those found in the literature review, with only one exception. The literature review explicitly named early involvement as a key element of both effective community engagement and the SLO, whereas the interview participants only explicitly indicated it as a key factor of community engagement and implied it to be a key element of the SLO.

  16. Professional Dialogue, Reflective Practice and Teacher Research: Engaging Early Childhood Pre-Service Teachers in Collegial Dialogue about Curriculum Innovation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simoncini, Kym M.; Lasen, Michelle; Rocco, Sharn

    2014-01-01

    While embedded in teacher professional standards and assumed aspects of teacher professionalism, willingness and ability to engage in professional dialogue about practice and curriculum initiatives are rarely examined or explicitly taught in teacher education programs. With this in mind, the authors designed an assessment task for pre-service…

  17. Marital Dialogue – between Conflict, Agreement and Relationship Breakdown

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kornaszewska-Polak Monika

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Marital dialogue plays an essential role in shaping the relationship between spouses and supports experiencing personal I in the context of the community – We. In these couples, where dialogue is going well, it fulfils the function of a secure base forming a community based on the foundation of unity. However, contemporary culture denies an interpersonal dialogue the authenticity and engagement, emphasizing individualistic attitudes, preoccupation with oneself, leading to relationship and community disintegration and breakdown. This paper is to present the authors twenty year research into bonds, communication styles, marital conflicts and ways of coping with them. The research shows various issues related to developing the interpersonal dialogue and thus creating bonds and unity in the marriage and family. At first, the research devoted to the transmission of generation patterns in the family is presented and it is followed by presentation of selected psychological factors influencing marriage quality and marital satisfaction.

  18. Effective dialogue: Enhanced public engagement as a legitimising tool for municipal waste management decision-making

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garnett, Kenisha; Cooper, Tim

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • A review of public engagement in waste management decision-making is undertaken. • Enhanced public engagement is explored as a means to legitimise waste decisions. • Analytical–deliberative processes are explored as a tool for effective dialogue. • Considerations for integrating public values with technical analysis are outlined. • Insights into the design of appropriate public engagement processes are provided. - Abstract: The complexity of municipal waste management decision-making has increased in recent years, accompanied by growing scrutiny from stakeholders, including local communities. This complexity reflects a socio-technical framing of the risks and social impacts associated with selecting technologies and sites for waste treatment and disposal facilities. Consequently there is growing pressure on local authorities for stakeholders (including communities) to be given an early opportunity to shape local waste policy in order to encourage swift planning, development and acceptance of the technologies needed to meet statutory targets to divert waste from landfill. This paper presents findings from a research project that explored the use of analytical–deliberative processes as a legitimising tool for waste management decision-making. Adopting a mixed methods approach, the study revealed that communicating the practical benefits of more inclusive forms of engagement is proving difficult even though planning and policy delays are hindering development and implementation of waste management infrastructure. Adopting analytical–deliberative processes at a more strategic level will require local authorities and practitioners to demonstrate how expert-citizen deliberations may foster progress in resolving controversial issues, through change in individuals, communities and institutions. The findings suggest that a significant shift in culture will be necessary for local authorities to realise the potential of more inclusive decision

  19. Effective dialogue: Enhanced public engagement as a legitimising tool for municipal waste management decision-making

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garnett, Kenisha, E-mail: k.garnett@cranfield.ac.uk [Institute for Environment, Health, Risks and Futures, School of Environment, Energy and Agri-food, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 0AL (United Kingdom); Cooper, Tim, E-mail: t.h.cooper@ntu.ac.uk [School of Architecture Design and the Built Environment, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham NG1 4BU (United Kingdom)

    2014-12-15

    Highlights: • A review of public engagement in waste management decision-making is undertaken. • Enhanced public engagement is explored as a means to legitimise waste decisions. • Analytical–deliberative processes are explored as a tool for effective dialogue. • Considerations for integrating public values with technical analysis are outlined. • Insights into the design of appropriate public engagement processes are provided. - Abstract: The complexity of municipal waste management decision-making has increased in recent years, accompanied by growing scrutiny from stakeholders, including local communities. This complexity reflects a socio-technical framing of the risks and social impacts associated with selecting technologies and sites for waste treatment and disposal facilities. Consequently there is growing pressure on local authorities for stakeholders (including communities) to be given an early opportunity to shape local waste policy in order to encourage swift planning, development and acceptance of the technologies needed to meet statutory targets to divert waste from landfill. This paper presents findings from a research project that explored the use of analytical–deliberative processes as a legitimising tool for waste management decision-making. Adopting a mixed methods approach, the study revealed that communicating the practical benefits of more inclusive forms of engagement is proving difficult even though planning and policy delays are hindering development and implementation of waste management infrastructure. Adopting analytical–deliberative processes at a more strategic level will require local authorities and practitioners to demonstrate how expert-citizen deliberations may foster progress in resolving controversial issues, through change in individuals, communities and institutions. The findings suggest that a significant shift in culture will be necessary for local authorities to realise the potential of more inclusive decision

  20. A Grassroots Community Dialogue on the Ethics of the Care of People with Autism and Their Families: The Stony Brook Guidelines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Post, Stephen G; Pomeroy, John; Keirns, Carla; Cover, Virginia Isaacs; Dorn, Michael Leverett

    2017-06-01

    The increased recognition and reported prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) combined with the associated societal and clinical impact call for a broad grassroots community-based dialogue on treatment related ethical and social issues. In these Stony Brook Guidelines, which were developed during a full year of community dialogue (2010-2011) with affected individuals, families, and professionals in the field, we identify and discuss topics of paramount concern to the ASD constituency: treatment goals and happiness, distributive justice, managing the desperate hopes for a cure, sibling responsibilities, intimacy and sex, diagnostic ethics, and research ethics. The members of the dialogue core committee included doctors, ethicists, administrators, social workers, ministers, disability experts, and many family members of individuals with autism who were especially engaged in community activities on behalf of their constituency, including siblings, parents, and grandparents. Our guidelines are not based on "top-down" imposition of professional expertise, but rather on a "bottom-up" grass roots attention to the voices of affected individuals and families speaking from experience. These guidelines can inform clinical practice, but they also are meaningful for the wider social conversation emerging over the treatment of individuals with ASD.

  1. Qanuqtuurniq—finding the balance: an IPY television series using community engagement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Catherine L. Carry

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The three-part television broadcast Qanuqtuurniq—finding the balance was an International Polar Year communications and outreach project concerning Inuit health and wellness. The goal of this project was to engage the Inuit public and others in “real-time” dialogue about health and wellness issues and health research, and to deliver key messages. It was aired live in the Inuit language (with English captions/sub-titles from Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada, in May 2009 and simultaneously webcast. Qanuqtuurniq—finding the balance used an Inuit communications model for remote communities that was developed in the Arctic in 1994 by the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation/Inuit Communications. In Qanuqtuurniq—finding the balance more than 250 people were engaged through the use of a diverse range of methods, including content working groups, stakeholder input, music recordings, pre-recorded community programme videos, live and public screening of the broadcasts, live panels, live audiences, public phone-ins, Skype video-conferencing and real-time online chat, focus groups and e-mail. This article examines the project in light of the principles of “community engagement”, demonstrating that Qanuqtuurniq—finding the balance exemplifies community engagement in a number of significant ways, including heavily involving community members in the selection of the health theme content of the televised programmes and through the formation of focus groups. Based on challenges encountered during the Qanuqtuurniq—finding the balance project, the article offers recommendations for future projects.

  2. A Community-Engaged Assessment of Barriers and Facilitators to Rapid Stroke Treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nemeth, Lynne S.; Jenkins, Carolyn; Jauch, Edward C.; Conway, Sharon; Pearlman, Adam; Spruill, Ida J.; Brown, Lynette J.; Linnen, Joyce; Linnen, Florene; Andrews, Jeannette O.

    2016-01-01

    Treatment for acute ischemic stroke must be initiated within hours of stroke symptom onset, and the sooner it is administered, the better. In South Carolina, 76% of the population can access expert stroke care, and rural hospitals may provide specialized treatment using telemedicine, but many stroke sufferers seek care too late to achieve full benefit. Using a community-engaged approach in a southern rural community, we explored barriers and facilitators to early stroke care and implications for improvement. The Community-Engaged Assessment to facilitate Stroke Elimination (CEASE) study was guided by a community advisory group to ensure community centeredness and local relevance. In a qualitative descriptive study, eight focus groups were conducted including 52 individuals: recent stroke survivors, family members, emergency medical personnel, hospital emergency department staff, primary care providers, and community leaders. From analysis of focus group transcripts came six themes: lack of trust in healthcare system and providers; weak relationships fueled by poor communication; low health literacy; financial limitations related to health care; community-based education; and faith as a message of hope. A hierarchy model for improving early community-based stroke care was developed through consensus dialogue by community representatives and the research team. This model can be used to inform a community-partnered, stake-holder-informed intervention to improve stroke care in a rural southern community with the goal of improving stroke education, care, and outcome. PMID:27545591

  3. Engaging Canadians: national oil sands dialogues - A background paper

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carson, Bruce

    2010-01-01

    It is expected that the world's energy demand will grow significantly between now and the year 2050. Hydrocarbons will have an important role to play in meeting this increasing demand and unconventional sources such as oil sands will become more and more important. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) has been engaged in a dialogue process to examine the environmental, economic and social impacts of the oil sands industry and the aim of this background paper is to provide stakeholders with some context. The paper highlights the fact that although the oil sands industry gives rise to environmental issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, air pollutants, land disturbance and water use, the environmental performance of the industry has been improving in recent years thanks to new technologies.

  4. Scientists and Faith Communities in Dialogue - Finding Common Ground to Care for our Common Home

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jablonski, L. M.

    2017-12-01

    World-wide, faith communities are a key place for education and outreach to the general adult population. The sacred responsibility to care for the earth, living sustainability and concern for the poor are nearly universal priorities across faith communities. Scientists and people of faith share in common experiences of awe and wonder and ethical roles as citizens. The majority of faith communities have statements on climate changes, environmental justice, and stewardship, and respond with education, action plans and advocacy. People of faith are increasingly seeking science expertise to better understand the science and best solutions to implement. Transformation of point of view often requires heart-felt motivation (domain of religion) as well as knowledge (science). Scientists can participate in alleviating environmental justice by providing data and education to communities. Expert testimony is a critical service. Pope Francis' environmental encyclical Laudato si, engaged diverse scientists in its writing and outreach. Francis invites our continued dialogue with people of faith and goodwill of all societal sectors and fields to achieve an integral ecology that integrates science, economics, and impacts on the poor. For scientists to be most effective in sharing expertise, and building understanding and trust in scientific findings, skill- building is needed in: communication, finding common ground, intercultural competency, working with diverse populations and religious literacy. Educational initiatives bridging scientists and faith-communities will be highlighted including within: the Ecological Society of America, American Assn for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, faith-based & Environmental Justice networks, Nature centers, Higher Education (including Seminary) Initiatives and the Hanley Sustainability Institute, and interfaith religious organizations engaged with scientists. Bridge-building and ongoing partnerships of scientists, EJ

  5. Valuing and Evaluating Community-Engaged Scholarship

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shephard, Kerry; Brown, Kim; Guiney, Tess; Deaker, Lynley

    2018-01-01

    This article examines the nature of, and need for, evaluation of community-engaged university teaching and research. The research was conducted as part of a larger project aimed at improving institutional understanding of how to best support community-engaged university people. We interviewed 25 community-engaged colleagues, and used a general…

  6. Towards Building a Bridge between Community Engagement in Research (CEnR) and Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Syed M; Nelson, David; Kissack, Anne; Franco, Zeno; Whittle, Jeff; Kotchen, Theodore; Meurer, John R; Morzinski, Jeffrey; Brandenburg, Terry

    2015-04-01

    A major national priority is establishing an effective infrastructure for translation of scientific discoveries into the community. Knowledge and practice continue to accelerate in health research yet healthcare recommendation adoption remains slow for practitioners, patients, and communities. Two areas of research placed in the later stages of the translational research spectrum, Community Engagement in Research and Comparative Effectiveness Research, are ideal for approaching this challenge collaboratively. The Clinical and Translational Science Institute of Southeastern Wisconsin convened academics and community-based organizations familiar with these fields of research in a 1-day workshop to establish an initial dialogue on similarities and differences with a goal of exploring ways to operationalize a collective effort. Participants represented four academic institutions and twelve other healthcare and community-based service organizations. Primary fields of study included community engaged research, comparative effectiveness research, psychology, clinical research, administration, nursing, public health, education, and other professionals. This initial report outlines the results of this diverse discussion and provides insights into the priorities, diverging issues, and areas for future examination and practice. Key discoveries reveal clear crosscutting issues, value in philosophical and provocative discussions among investigators, a need for practice and lessons learned, and bidirectional exchange with community representation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Partnered Evaluation of a Community Engagement Intervention: Use of a “Kickoff” Conference in a Randomized Trial for Depression Care Improvement in Underserved Communities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mendel, Peter; Ngo, Victoria K.; Dixon, Elizabeth; Stockdale, Susan; Jones, Felica; Chung, Bowen; Jones, Andrea; Masongsong, Zoe; Khodyakov, Dmitry

    2013-01-01

    Community partnered research and engagement strategies are gaining recognition as innovative approaches to improving healthcare systems and reducing health disparities in underserved communities. These strategies may have particular relevance for mental health interventions in low income, minority communities in which there often is great stigma and silence surrounding conditions such as depression and difficulty in implementing improved access and quality of care. At the same time, there is a relative dearth of evidence on the effectiveness of specific community engagement interventions and on the design, process, and context of these interventions necessary for understanding their implementation and generalizability. This paper evaluates one of a number of community engagement strategies employed in the Community Partners in Care (CPIC) study, the first randomized controlled trial of the role of community engagement in adapting and implementing evidence-based depression care. We specifically describe the unique goals and features of a community engagement “kickoff” conference as used in CPIC and provide evidence on the effectiveness of this type of intervention by analyzing its impact on: 1) stimulating a dialogue, sense of collective efficacy, and opportunities for learning and networking to address depression and depression care in the community, 2) activating interest and participation in CPIC’s randomized trial of two different ways to implement evidence-based quality improvement (QI) programs for depression across diverse community agencies, and 3) introducing evidence-based toolkits and collaborative care models to potential participants in both intervention conditions and other community members. We evaluated the effectiveness of the conference through a community-partnered process in which both community and academic project members were involved in study design, data collection and analysis. Data sources include participant conference evaluation

  8. A Dialogue Game Protocol for Agent Purchase Negotiations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    McBurney, P.; Eijk, R.M. van; Parsons, S.; Amgoud, L.

    2003-01-01

    We propose a dialogue game protocol for purchase negotiation dialogues which identifies appropriate speech acts, defines constraints on their utterances, and specifies the different sub-tasks agents need to perform in order to engage in dialogues according to this protocol. Our formalism combines

  9. Trialing the Community-Based Collaborative Action Research Framework: Supporting Rural Health Through a Community Health Needs Assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Gelderen, Stacey A; Krumwiede, Kelly A; Krumwiede, Norma K; Fenske, Candace

    2018-01-01

    To describe the application of the Community-Based Collaborative Action Research (CBCAR) framework to uplift rural community voices while conducting a community health needs assessment (CHNA) by formulating a partnership between a critical access hospital, public health agency, school of nursing, and community members to improve societal health of this rural community. This prospective explorative study used the CBCAR framework in the design, collection, and analysis of the data. The framework phases include: Partnership, dialogue, pattern recognition, dialogue on meaning of pattern, insight into action, and reflecting on evolving pattern. Hospital and public health agency leaders learned how to use the CBCAR framework when conducting a CHNA to meet Affordable Care Act federal requirements. Closing the community engagement gap helped ensure all voices were heard, maximized intellectual capital, synergized efforts, improved communication by establishing trust, aligned resources with initiatives, and diminished power struggles regarding rural health. The CBCAR framework facilitated community engagement and promoted critical dialogue where community voices were heard. A sustainable community-based collaborative was formed. The project increased the critical access hospital's capacity to conduct a CHNA. The collaborative's decision-making capacity was challenged and ultimately strengthened as efforts continue to be made to address rural health.

  10. Community engagement to enhance child survival and early development in low- and middle-income countries: an evidence review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farnsworth, S Katherine; Böse, Kirsten; Fajobi, Olaoluwa; Souza, Patricia Portela; Peniston, Anne; Davidson, Leslie L; Griffiths, Marcia; Hodgins, Stephen

    2014-01-01

    As part of a broader evidence summit, USAID and UNICEF convened a literature review of effective means to empower communities to achieve behavioral and social changes to accelerate reductions in under-5 mortality and optimize early child development. The authors conducted a systematic review of the effectiveness of community mobilization and participation that led to behavioral change and one or more of the following: child health, survival, and development. The level and nature of community engagement was categorized using two internationally recognized models and only studies where the methods of community participation could be categorized as collaborative or shared leadership were eligible for analysis. The authors identified 34 documents from 18 countries that met the eligibility criteria. Studies with shared leadership typically used a comprehensive community action cycle, whereas studies characterized as collaborative showed clear emphasis on collective action but did not undergo an initial process of community dialogue. The review concluded that programs working collaboratively or achieving shared leadership with a community can lead to behavior change and cost-effective sustained transformation to improve critical health behaviors and reduce poor health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Overall, community engagement is an understudied component of improving child outcomes.

  11. Civil society engagement in multi-stakeholder dialogue: a qualitative study exploring the opinions and perceptions of MeTA members.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buckland-Merrett, Gemma L; Kilkenny, Catherine; Reed, Tim

    2017-01-01

    The Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) is an initiative that brings together all stakeholders in the medicines market to create a multi-stakeholder dialogue and improve access, availability and affordability of medicines. Key to this multi-stakeholder dialogue is the participation of Civil Society Organisations. A recent MeTA annual review, identified uneven engagement of civil society organisations in the multi-stakeholder process. This study was designed to explore the engagement of Civil Society Organisations in the MeTA multi-stakeholder process and the factors influencing their participation. Participants were drawn from a convenience sample of key MeTA informants attending a MeTA global meeting in Geneva in 2014. Study participants consisted of members of MeTA, which included representatives from government, the private sector and civil society. In-depth semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted to identify perceptions around the barriers to civil society engagement in the multi-stakeholder process. Interviews were guided by a conceptual framework exploring the three main themes of the political environment, relative stakeholder strength and agenda setting/gatekeepers. Interviews were structured to enable additional themes to emerge and be explored. Fifteen interviews were conducted. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a general inductive approach. All interviewees provided written informed consent. Findings were captured within three main overarching themes: the political environment, relative stakeholder strength and agenda setting/gatekeepers, with the opportunity for additional themes to emerge in the interviewing process. The study conformed these three themes were important in the engagement process. Participants reported that civil society engagement is particularly limited by those who set the agenda. It was largely seen that the political environment was the significant factor that enabled or

  12. Artists in dialogue: Creative approaches to interreligious encounters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ruth Illman

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available This article explores the forms and functions of contemporary interreligious dialogue by focusing on artists who are active in this field. They represent different art forms and different religious positions: with their roots in Judaism, Christianity and Islam they have opted for a variety of positions, ranging from traditional adherence to renunciation of a personal religious engagement, or a fascination for new forms of religiosity. The aim is to critically examine interreligious dialogue and to provide an alternative perspective on the topic, based on both theoretical and empirical analyses. The article seeks an understanding of how persons engaging in creative forms of dialogue formulate a dialogic worldview in a religiously plural and post-secular context and what motivates them to engage in dialogue. Traditional normative theories of interreligious dialogue are hence called into question. Critical attention is brought to the narrow focus on dialogue as a purely intellectual quest for making the religious other, as a coherent theological and historical entity, intelligible. A contrasting view of dialogue as a question of interpersonal ethics is introduced, inspired primarily by the philosophy of Buber. Also the works of Habermas, Gadamer, Levinas, Løgstrup, Wittgenstein and Gaita are central to the research.Ruth Illman is a senior researcher at the Donner Institute in Åbo and Docent in comparative religion, Åbo Akademi University. https://www.donnerinstitute.fi/en/ruth-illmans-research/

  13. Embracing Uncertainty to Enable Transformation: The Process of Engaging in Trialogue for Mental Health Communities in Ireland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simon Dunne

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Community-based participatory approaches are valuable methods for improving outcomes and effectively integrating care among mental health communities. Trialogue is one such approach which uses Open Dialogue methods with groups of three or more people from different backgrounds who deal with mental health systems. Theory and Method: The current study employed a participatory action research design, which prospectively documented the processes and challenges of participating in Trialogue Meetings. Individuals from participating communities took part in interviews, focus groups or Open Dialogue discussions across three cycles of research. Results: Three prospective themes were identified from participants’ dialogue across the three cycles of research relating to the experience of participating in Trialogue, the development of Open Dialogue skills and the growth of individual Trialogue communities. Conclusions and Discussion: The findings demonstrate that, where desirable conditions are present, Trialogue Meetings are worthwhile and sustainable community-based participatory approaches which encourage disclosure and dialogue surrounding mental health, and may assist in improved integration of care between mental health stakeholders. In particular, Trialogue Meetings stimulate the development of Open Dialogue skills, provide a platform for “vital” and “transformative” self-expression with the potential for positive mental health outcomes and may facilitate the growth of communities surrounding mental health.

  14. I-RREACH: an engagement and assessment tool for improving implementation readiness of researchers, organizations and communities in complex interventions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maar, Marion; Yeates, Karen; Barron, Marcia; Hua, Diane; Liu, Peter; Moy Lum-Kwong, Margaret; Perkins, Nancy; Sleeth, Jessica; Tobe, Joshua; Wabano, Mary Jo; Williamson, Pamela; Tobe, Sheldon W

    2015-05-04

    Non-communicable chronic diseases are the leading causes of mortality globally, and nearly 80% of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In high-income countries (HICs), inequitable distribution of resources affects poorer and otherwise disadvantaged groups including Aboriginal peoples. Cardiovascular mortality in high-income countries has recently begun to fall; however, these improvements are not realized among citizens in LMICs or those subgroups in high-income countries who are disadvantaged in the social determinants of health including Aboriginal people. It is critical to develop multi-faceted, affordable and realistic health interventions in collaboration with groups who experience health inequalities. Based on community-based participatory research (CBPR), we aimed to develop implementation tools to guide complex interventions to ensure that health gains can be realized in low-resource environments. We developed the I-RREACH (Intervention and Research Readiness Engagement and Assessment of Community Health Care) tool to guide implementation of interventions in low-resource environments. We employed CBPR and a consensus methodology to (1) develop the theoretical basis of the tool and (2) to identify key implementation factor domains; then, we (3) collected participant evaluation data to validate the tool during implementation. The I-RREACH tool was successfully developed using a community-based consensus method and is rooted in participatory principles, equalizing the importance of the knowledge and perspectives of researchers and community stakeholders while encouraging respectful dialogue. The I-RREACH tool consists of three phases: fact finding, stakeholder dialogue and community member/patient dialogue. The evaluation for our first implementation of I-RREACH by participants was overwhelmingly positive, with 95% or more of participants indicating comfort with and support for the process and the dialogue it creates. The I

  15. Student Engagement with Community

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knight-McKenna, Mary; Felten, Peter; Darby, Alexa

    2018-01-01

    Student engagement in the local community comes with both risks and rewards. This chapter explains the cognitive, behavioral, and affective outcomes of student learning in the community, along with noting the importance of preparation and reflection.

  16. Consumer engagement in social networks brand community

    OpenAIRE

    Rybakovas, Paulius

    2016-01-01

    Consumers increasingly integrate social media into their day-to-day lives. For companies consumer engagement in a brand community on social network is becoming increasingly important for developing relations with consumers. Consumer engagement in a brand community on social network creates a dynamic relationship between the community members and the brand which contributes to an increase in consumer loyalty to the brand. The literature is abundant of studies, which examines the consumer engag...

  17. Decolonizing Engagement? Creating a Sense of Community through Collaborative Filmmaking

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah Marie Wiebe

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The visual medium has the potential to be a creative avenue for enhancing  awareness, critical thought and social justice. Through the prism of collaborative filmmaking, academic-activists can enrich textual analyses while creating what Jacques Rancière calls a “sense of community” among participants. This article reflects on the process of co-producing an Indigenous youth-driven documentary film, Indian Givers, which is publicly available on YouTube. It discusses the applied practice of engaging in a collaborative process with the aim of countering Western models of knowledge. The film and this article each draw into focus the experiences and stories of Indigenous youth who live in a highly polluted place commonly referred to as Canada’s “Chemical Valley.” Informed by Chantal Mouffe’s notion of agonism, I contend that collaborative filmmaking contributes to anti-oppressive and community engaged scholarship by facilitating intercultural dialogue, offering a reflexive and relational approach to research, co-creating knowledge and contributing to social action. This paper reflects on some of the challenges of collaborative filmmaking in order to contribute to academic-activist research. As an anti-oppressive research tool, collaborative filmmaking provides a forum for resistance to dominant colonial discourses while creating space for radical difference in pursuit of decolonization.

  18. Values mapping with Latino forest users: Contributing to the dialogue on multiple land use conflict management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly Biedenweg; Lee Cerveny; Rebecca J. McLain

    2014-01-01

    Participatory mapping of landscape values is gaining ground as a method for engaging communities and stakeholders in natural resource management. Socio-spatial mapping allows the public to identify places of economic, social, cultural, or personal importance. In addition to providing data for planning and land management, the mapping process can open dialogue about...

  19. Engagement in a Community College Setting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Troy, David

    2013-01-01

    There is an abundance of research concerning the definition measurement, and promotion of engagement across various work-related organizations. However, little is known about how we might begin to understand and facilitate engagement among community college faculty. Community college faculty face a unique set of challenges that render them at…

  20. Inter-Religious Dialogue Models in Malaysia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wan Sabri Wan Yusof

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Over the years, many organizations have involved in the implementation of inter-religious dialogue in Malaysia. However, there are stillthose who doubt the role and purpose of interreligious dialogue. This might be due to lack of information and understanding regardingthe methodology of dialogue and also about different types that it may take. The present study is aimed at exploring a few models ofinter-religious dialogue that have been practised by some organizations that actively involved in dialogue. The study focuses on a review of selected organizational or institutional dialoguemodels such as Center for Civilizational Dialogue (CCD, Students Representative Council of Malaysia Science University (HealthCampus and Inter-faith Spiritual Fellowship (INSaF. This study provides information concerning the various designs of inter-religiousdialogue model in Malaysia and proposes that different designs of inter-religious dialogue rely on its different types and goals. It is found that, the commonly practiced type of dialogue in Malaysia is educational type which focuses on exploring inter-religious commonalities as well as differences which consequently willincrease understanding and foster meaningful engagement between people of different ethnic and religious background in Malaysia. Thistype of dialogue is distinguished from conflict resolution types of dialogue which aims at identifying issues and generating action plansto conflicts or disputes.

  1. Science and Community Engagement: Connecting Science Students with the Community

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lancor, Rachael; Schiebel, Amy

    2018-01-01

    In this article we describe a course on science outreach that was developed as part of our college's goal that all students participate in a meaningful community engagement experience. The Science & Community Engagement course provides a way for students with science or science-related majors to learn how to effectively communicate scientific…

  2. Mental health-promoting dialogues from the perspective of community-dwelling seniors with multimorbidity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grundberg, Åke; Ebbeskog, Britt; Gustafsson, Sanna Aila; Religa, Dorota

    2014-01-01

    Mental health promotion needs to be studied more deeply within the context of primary care, because persons with multiple chronic conditions are at risk of developing poor mental health. In order to make progress in the understanding of mental health promotion, the aim of this study was to describe the experiences of health-promoting dialogues from the perspective of community-dwelling seniors with multimorbidity – what these seniors believe is important for achieving a dialogue that may promote their mental health. Seven interviews with six women and one man, aged 83–96 years, were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The results were summarized into nine subcategories and three categories. The underlying meaning of the text was formulated into an overarching theme that embraced every category, “perceived and well-managed as a unique individual”. These seniors with multimorbidity missed someone to talk to about their mental health, and needed partners that were accessible for health dialogues that could promote mental health. The participants missed friends and relatives to talk to and they (crucially) lacked health care or social service providers for health-promoting dialogues that may promote mental health. An optimal level of care can be achieved through involvement, continuity, and by providing a health-promoting dialogue based on seniors’ needs and wishes, with the remembrance that general health promotion also may promote mental health. Implications for clinical practice and further research are discussed. PMID:24812516

  3. Ragnar Rommetveit's Approach to Everyday Spoken Dialogue from Within.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kowal, Sabine; O'Connell, Daniel C

    2016-04-01

    The following article presents basic concepts and methods of Ragnar Rommetveit's (born 1924) hermeneutic-dialogical approach to everyday spoken dialogue with a focus on both shared consciousness and linguistically mediated meaning. He developed this approach originally in his engagement of mainstream linguistic and psycholinguistic research of the 1960s and 1970s. He criticized this research tradition for its individualistic orientation and its adherence to experimental methodology which did not allow the engagement of interactively established meaning and understanding in everyday spoken dialogue. As a social psychologist influenced by phenomenological philosophy, Rommetveit opted for an alternative conceptualization of such dialogue as a contextualized, partially private world, temporarily co-established by interlocutors on the basis of shared consciousness. He argued that everyday spoken dialogue should be investigated from within, i.e., from the perspectives of the interlocutors and from a psychology of the second person. Hence, he developed his approach with an emphasis on intersubjectivity, perspectivity and perspectival relativity, meaning potential of utterances, and epistemic responsibility of interlocutors. In his methods, he limited himself for the most part to casuistic analyses, i.e., logical analyses of fictitious examples to argue for the plausibility of his approach. After many years of experimental research on language, he pursued his phenomenologically oriented research on dialogue in English-language publications from the late 1980s up to 2003. During that period, he engaged psycholinguistic research on spoken dialogue carried out by Anglo-American colleagues only occasionally. Although his work remained unfinished and open to development, it provides both a challenging alternative and supplement to current Anglo-American research on spoken dialogue and some overlap therewith.

  4. Chatbot trained on movie dialogue

    OpenAIRE

    Roghult, Alexander

    2014-01-01

    A chatbot is a computer program that engages in written or spoken conversation with a human user. This project aims to investigate the possibility of training a chatbot in using movie dialogue in generating the response. Movie dialogue can be found in both movie scripts as well as subtitles, though using subtitles is much easier as they follow a special formatting. Using one subtitle as a response to each word found in the preceding subtitle, the implemented chatbot links together subtitles. ...

  5. Reflective scientific sense-making dialogue in two languages: The science in the dialogue and the dialogue in the science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ash, Doris

    2004-11-01

    In this paper I focus on the transition from everyday to scientific ways of reasoning, and on the intertwined roles of meaning-making dialogue and science content as they contribute to scientific literacy. I refer to views of science, and how scientific understanding is advanced dialogically, by Hurd (Science Education, 1998, 82, 402-416), Brown (The Journal of Learning Sciences, 1992, 2(2), 141-178), Bruner (Acts of Meaning, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1990), Roth (In J. Brophy (Ed.), Social Constructivist Teaching: Affordances and Constraints (Advances in Research on Teaching Series, Vol. 9), New York: Elsevier/JAI, 2003), and Wells (Dialogic Inquiry: Towards a Sociocultural Practice and Theory of Education, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999). I argue that family collaborative dialogues in nonschool settings can be the foundations for scientific ways of thinking. I focus on the particular reflective family dialogues at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, when family members remembered and synthesized essential biological themes, centering on adaptation, from one visit to the next, in both Spanish and English. My approach is informed by sociocultural theory, with emphasis on the negotiations of meaning in the zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1978), as learners engage in joint productive activity (Tharp & Gallimore, Rousing Minds to Life: Teaching, Learning and Schooling in Social Context, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988). Over the past decades, researchers have discovered that observing social activity, conversation, and meaning-making in informal settings (Crowley & Callanan, 1997; Guberman, 2002; Rogoff, 2001; Vasquez, Pease-Alvarez, & Shannon, Pushing Boundaries: Language and Culture in a Mexicano Community, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994) has much to teach us regarding learning in general. To date there has been little research with Spanish-speaking families in informal learning settings and virtually none that

  6. Engaging diverse communities towards climate protection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nichols, J.; Imran, N. [Blekinge Inst. of Technology, Karlskrona (Sweden)

    2008-07-01

    Engaging urban communities as newcomers towards UN climate change targets is not only good governance but also a way of relating deliberative democracy to the human need of participation. This poster outlines effective multicultural engagement as it relates to strategic sustainable development. The presentation shares the benefits of broadening communication strategies from informing citizens to consultation and empowering diverse communities to participate in the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

  7. Wind Farms Community Engagement Good Practice Review

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aitken, Mhairi; Haggett, Claire; Rudolph, David Philipp

    2014-01-01

    This report sets out the findings of a review of community engagement for wind farm developments. We focus in particular on the engagement carried out by developers with communities. The aims of the study were to evaluate current good practice for engaging people in decision making about on......- and offshore wind farms in different European countries; to evaluate the effect that different practices have on public opinion and acceptance; and to make relevant recommendations for Scottish policy and planning....

  8. Carnegie's New Community Engagement Classification: Affirming Higher Education's Role in Community

    Science.gov (United States)

    Driscoll, Amy

    2009-01-01

    In 2005, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CFAT) stirred the higher education world with the announcement of a new classification for institutions that engage with community. The classification, community engagement, is the first in a set of planned classification schemes resulting from the foundation's reexamination of the…

  9. Becoming a Person of Dialogue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Williams Stacy A. S.

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available It is imperative that Social Sciences examine in depth the underlying issues in human relations that have contributed to divisions among persons, within families, institutions, between nations and religions. If we accept that dialogue is the main currency of statecraft, diplomacy, negotiation, mediation and peacebuilding (Rieker and Turn 2015, then we need to ask ourselves, what are the characteristics of a person capable of engaging in dialogue? Are they characteristics that can be taught? Are they characteristics that make us human?

  10. CONSIDERATIONS ON THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL DIALOGUE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mihai, OPRESCU

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available At the moment, worldwide, social dialogue is considered to be a very useful tool in solving serious social problems caused by globalization or as a consequence of the way the costs and benefits of the economic changes are distributed. Promoting social dialogue at European level remains a strategic objective of the European Union, which must be sustained by all appropriate means, and in the same time it should be used as an instrument for Stability and Development. Improving the convergence of the social partners' actions from the Member States with the social partners' actions from the Community level is required for the effectiveness of European social dialogue. Social dialogue will be applied, in the next period, into the trans-national system, at regional and inter-regional levels, given the trends of decentralization, integration and globalization that affect all communities.

  11. Story-dialogue: creating community through storytelling

    OpenAIRE

    Doyle-Jones, Carol Sarah

    2006-01-01

    This narrative case study examines the role of storytelling in creating community with a grade 7 class. Twelve girls and eleven boys, ages 12 to 13, participated in this classroom-based study. Students engaged in three structured storytelling activities incorporating home-to-school stories, story responses, and classroom presentations. First, students’ parents/guardians told a coming-of-age or Confirmation story to their child. Second, at school, students shared their family story with a part...

  12. Talking back in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Rational dialogue or emotional shouting match?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elie Friedman

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available The Internet has facilitated a broad global conversation among citizens, enabling cross-cultural dialogue on a range of issues, in particular through Web 2.0 tools. This study analyzes the nature of the talkback discourse on news web sites within the framework of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The study's findings demonstrated that several talkback writers engage in rational-critical discussion of issues essential to the conflict, although they often use rational arguments to de-legitimize conflicting opinions. Talkback dialogue is characterized by engaged discussion, though the majority of respondents engage in dialogue with the article, rather than with other talkback writers. The findings showed that talkback discourse enables a lively, eclectic, and inclusive version of a public sphere, which facilitates the exchange of heterogeneous opinions, though favoring exhibitionism over engagement.

  13. Is knowledge translation without patient or community engagement flawed?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramsden, Vivian R; Rabbitskin, Norma; Westfall, John M; Felzien, Maret; Braden, Janice; Sand, Jessica

    2017-06-01

    The engagement of patients/individuals and/or communities has become increasingly important in all aspects of the research process. The aim of this manuscript is to begin the discussion about the use and implementation of authentic engagement in the development of presentations and manuscripts which evolve from research that has engaged patients/individuals and/or communities. Community-Based Participatory Research; Transformative Action Research. In Canada, the framework for engaging patients/individuals and/or communities is clearly outlined in Chapter 9 of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans which indicates that when research projects involving First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, the peoples in these communities are to have a role in shaping/co-creating the research that affects them. It is increasingly important that presentations and manuscripts that evolve from results/findings which have engaged patients/individuals and/or communities be co-presented/co-published. Presentations are often done without patients/individuals and/or communities and manuscripts published with only academic authors. Frequently, grants submitted and subsequently funded do not consider this aspect of the process in the budget which makes integrated and outcome knowledge translation, dissemination and distribution by and with patients/individuals and/or communities difficult to facilitate. This manuscript was designed to begin the discussion at various levels related to authentic engagement in the development of presentations and manuscripts which evolve from research that has engaged patients/individuals and/or communities. How will you include patients/individuals and/or communities in your presentations and publications? © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Business Unusual: Transforming Business School Curricula through Community Engagement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehrich, Kristine; Ceranic, Tara; Liu, Judith

    2014-01-01

    As part of a Community Service-Learning Faculty Scholars Program, University of San Diego business faculty members created community engagement projects that connected students with the local community, exposed them to the realities of a global business world and showed the inherent value of community engagement. By utilizing service-learning and…

  15. Changing closed agricultural policy communities

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Termeer, C.J.A.M.; Werkman, R.A.

    2011-01-01

    Agricultural policy networks have served as classic examples of closed policy communities facing pressure to open up. However, attempts to change them are slowly moving forward. The dialogues on Common Agricultural Policy reforms in which the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture is engaged with a range of

  16. A Study of Work Engagement among Community College Instructors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, Gemmy S.

    2017-01-01

    This study examined how community college instructors perceive their level of work engagement. Businesses have studied work engagement, but the empirical literature on work engagement of community college instructors has been limited. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent the type of faculty member (full-time instructor versus…

  17. Preparing engineers for the challenges of community engagement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harsh, Matthew; Bernstein, Michael J.; Wetmore, Jameson; Cozzens, Susan; Woodson, Thomas; Castillo, Rafael

    2017-11-01

    Despite calls to address global challenges through community engagement, engineers are not formally prepared to engage with communities. Little research has been done on means to address this 'engagement gap' in engineering education. We examine the efficacy of an intensive, two-day Community Engagement Workshop for engineers, designed to help engineers better look beyond technology, listen to and learn from people, and empower communities. We assessed the efficacy of the workshop in a non-experimental pre-post design using a questionnaire and a concept map. Questionnaire results indicate participants came away better able to ask questions more broadly inclusive of non-technological dimensions of engineering projects. Concept map results indicate participants have a greater understanding of ways social factors shape complex material systems after completing the programme. Based on the workshop's strengths and weaknesses, we discuss the potential of expanding and supplementing the programme to help engineers account for social aspects central to engineered systems.

  18. Concept mapping methodology and community-engaged research: A perfect pairing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaughn, Lisa M; Jones, Jennifer R; Booth, Emily; Burke, Jessica G

    2017-02-01

    Concept mapping methodology as refined by Trochim et al. is uniquely suited to engage communities in all aspects of research from project set-up to data collection to interpreting results to dissemination of results, and an increasing number of research studies have utilized the methodology for exploring complex health issues in communities. In the current manuscript, we present the results of a literature search of peer-reviewed articles in health-related research where concept mapping was used in collaboration with the community. A total of 103 articles met the inclusion criteria. We first address how community engagement was defined in the articles and then focus on the articles describing high community engagement and the associated community outcomes/benefits and methodological challenges. A majority (61%; n=63) of the articles were classified as low to moderate community engagement and participation while 38% (n=39) of the articles were classified as high community engagement and participation. The results of this literature review enhance our understanding of how concept mapping can be used in direct collaboration with communities and highlights the many potential benefits for both researchers and communities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Engaging the expert in public dialogue: Developing the role of performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Littleboy, Anna; Hodgkinson, David

    2001-01-01

    Participatory approaches to decision-making call for two-way dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders. In the United Kingdom, probabilistic performance assessments of a potential deep geological disposal facility have typically been undertaken by experts to meet regulations set by other experts. However, there is potential for performance assessments to fulfil the additional role of enabling dialogue with other stakeholder groups. This paper suggests developments in the focus and presentation of performance assessments to foster such dialogue. It reflects issues relevant to performance assessment that arise as waste management organisations consider the consequences of involving wider stakeholder groups in decision making about repository development

  20. Engaging the expert in public dialogue: Developing the role of performance assessment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Littleboy, Anna [United Kingdom Nirex Ltd., Harwell (United Kingdom); Hodgkinson, David [Quintessa Ltd., Henley-on-Thames (United Kingdom)

    2001-07-01

    Participatory approaches to decision-making call for two-way dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders. In the United Kingdom, probabilistic performance assessments of a potential deep geological disposal facility have typically been undertaken by experts to meet regulations set by other experts. However, there is potential for performance assessments to fulfil the additional role of enabling dialogue with other stakeholder groups. This paper suggests developments in the focus and presentation of performance assessments to foster such dialogue. It reflects issues relevant to performance assessment that arise as waste management organisations consider the consequences of involving wider stakeholder groups in decision making about repository development.

  1. Community Identity and User Engagement in a Multi-Community Landscape.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Justine; Hamilton, William L; Danescu-Niculescu-Mizil, Cristian; Jurafsky, Dan; Leskovec, Jure

    2017-05-01

    A community's identity defines and shapes its internal dynamics. Our current understanding of this interplay is mostly limited to glimpses gathered from isolated studies of individual communities. In this work we provide a systematic exploration of the nature of this relation across a wide variety of online communities. To this end we introduce a quantitative, language-based typology reflecting two key aspects of a community's identity: how distinctive , and how temporally dynamic it is. By mapping almost 300 Reddit communities into the landscape induced by this typology, we reveal regularities in how patterns of user engagement vary with the characteristics of a community. Our results suggest that the way new and existing users engage with a community depends strongly and systematically on the nature of the collective identity it fosters, in ways that are highly consequential to community maintainers. For example, communities with distinctive and highly dynamic identities are more likely to retain their users. However, such niche communities also exhibit much larger acculturation gaps between existing users and newcomers, which potentially hinder the integration of the latter. More generally, our methodology reveals differences in how various social phenomena manifest across communities, and shows that structuring the multi-community landscape can lead to a better understanding of the systematic nature of this diversity.

  2. Sense of Community and Academic Engagement in the Seminary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chukwuorji, JohnBosco Chika; Ifeagwazi, Chuka Mike; Nwonyi, Sampson Kelechi; Ujoatuonu, Ikechukwu V. N.

    2018-01-01

    This study examined the associations of sense of community (SOC) and academic engagement in a seminary. The seminarians (N = 300) completed the Classroom Sense of Community Inventory (CSCI)-School Form, and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student Version. Results showed that a perception that the seminary provided a positive learning community for…

  3. Building a Future without Gender Violence: Rural Teachers and Youth in Rural Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, Leading Community Dialogue

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Lange, Naydene; Mitchell, Claudia

    2014-01-01

    This article advances the idea that rural youth and teachers are the key in leading community dialogue towards addressing gender-based violence (GBV) in their community through their film making. The youth voices on the realities of GBV in their school and community, in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, captured through the process of…

  4. Community Engagement in Youth Violence Prevention: Crafting Methods to Context.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrel-Samuels, Susan; Bacallao, Martica; Brown, Shelli; Bower, Meredith; Zimmerman, Marc

    2016-04-01

    The purpose of the Youth Violence Prevention Centers (YVPC) Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is to reduce youth violence in defined high-risk communities through the implementation and evaluation of comprehensive, evidence based prevention strategies. Within this common framework, each YVPC varies in its structure and methods, however all engage communities in multiple ways. We explore aspects of community engagement employed by three centers that operate in very different contexts: a rural county in North Carolina; a suburban area of Denver, Colorado; and an urban setting in Flint, Michigan. While previous research has addressed theories supporting community involvement in youth violence prevention, there has been less attention to the implementation challenges of achieving and sustaining participation. In three case examples, we describe the foci and methods for community engagement in diverse YVPC sites and detail the barriers and facilitating factors that have influenced implementation. Just as intervention programs may need to be adapted in order to meet the needs of specific populations, methods of community engagement must be tailored to the context in which they occur. We discuss case examples of community engagement in areas with varying geographies, histories, and racial and ethnic compositions. Each setting presents distinct challenges and opportunities for conducting collaborative violence prevention initiatives and for adapting engagement methods to diverse communities. Although approaches may vary depending upon local contexts, there are certain principles that appear to be common across cultures and geography: trust, transparency, communication, commitment. We also discuss the importance of flexibility in community engagement efforts.

  5. Evaluation of a Spoken Dialogue System for Virtual Reality Call for Fire Training

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Robinson, Susan M; Roque, Antonio; Vaswani, Ashish; Traum, David; Hernandez, Charles; Millspaugh, Bill

    2007-01-01

    .... We briefly describe aspects of the Joint Fires and Effects Trainer System, and the Radiobot-CFF dialogue system, which can engage in voice communications with a trainee in call for fire dialogues...

  6. Community Engagement using World Café: The Well London Experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheridan, Kevin; Adams-Eaton, Faye; Trimble, Allison; Renton, Adrian; Bertotti, Marcello

    2010-01-01

    The Well London programme was launched across twenty boroughs in London during late 2007 to improve the health and well-being of residents living in some of the most deprived communities in London. Well London employed a multi-stage community engagement process which informed the overall project strategy for each intervention area. In this article we establish and describe the key principles that guided the design of this innovative community engagement process. Principles included building collaborative partnerships, working with whole-systems, privileging community knowledge and working with the deficit of experience in each area. The article then describes in detail how these principles were operationalised throughout the preparation and delivery of forty World Cafes, which were the first open community activities of the Well London community engagement process. Finally, this article reflects on and summarises the lessons learned when employing innovative, inclusive and transparent community engagement for health promotion.

  7. Faculty for the Engaged Campus: Advancing Community-Engaged Careers in the Academy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seifer, Sarena D.; Blanchard, Lynn W.; Jordan, Catherine; Gelmon, Sherril; McGinley, Piper

    2012-01-01

    Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) is a national membership organization that promotes health equity and social justice through partnerships between communities and higher education institutions. In response to faculty concerns about the institutional barriers to community-engaged careers in the academy, CCPH embarked on a series of…

  8. Determine small and medium enterprise social media activities: A community engagement project in the Tshwane community

    OpenAIRE

    Louise van Scheers; Jacques van Scheers

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to determine small and medium enterprise (SME) social media activities and promote CE scholarship engagement. It is a community engagement project conducted in the Tshwane community. Community engagement (CE) as a planned process with the specific purpose of working with identified groups of people in the community to address issues affecting their well-being. The CE project SME skills transfer workshops are aimed at expanding involvement with the community. The benef...

  9. The Human Communication Research Centre dialogue database.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, A H; Garrod, S C; Clark, A; Boyle, E; Mullin, J

    1992-10-01

    The HCRC dialogue database consists of over 700 transcribed and coded dialogues from pairs of speakers aged from seven to fourteen. The speakers are recorded while tackling co-operative problem-solving tasks and the same pairs of speakers are recorded over two years tackling 10 different versions of our two tasks. In addition there are over 200 dialogues recorded between pairs of undergraduate speakers engaged on versions of the same tasks. Access to the database, and to its accompanying custom-built search software, is available electronically over the JANET system by contacting liz@psy.glasgow.ac.uk, from whom further information about the database and a user's guide to the database can be obtained.

  10. El Dialogo en la Educacion No Formal: Su Aporte al Desarrollo Comunitario (Dialogue in Non-Formal Education: Its Contribution to Community Development).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linke, Hildegard

    2000-01-01

    Seeks to justify the educational practice of dialogue and its contributions to community development. Contends that the central element and cause of dialogue is constituted within the non-formal educational process. States that Paulo Freire emphasizes the role of words and its basis as a creative synthesis of theory and practice. (BT)

  11. University-Community Engagement: Case Study of University Social Responsibility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chile, Love M.; Black, Xavier M.

    2015-01-01

    Corporatisation of universities has drawn parallels between contemporary universities and business corporations, and extended analysis of corporate social responsibility to universities. This article reports on a case study of university-community engagement with schools and school communities through youth engagement programmes to enhance…

  12. Practices and rationales of community engagement with wind farms: awareness raising, consultation, empowerment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aitken, Mhairi; Haggett, Claire; Rudolph, David Philipp

    2016-01-01

    In light of the growing emphasis on community engagement in the literature on renewable energy planning, and given the acknowledgement of the complexity of community engagement as a concept, we conducted an empirical review of practice relating to community engagement with onshore wind farms...... in the UK, exploring what is actually happening in terms of community engagement relating to onshore wind farms, and examining the rationales underpinning approaches to community engagement. We found that a wide range of engagement methods are being used in relation to onshore wind farms across the UK......-hierarchical classification of community engagement approaches: awareness raising; consultation and empowerment. This provides a useful tool for reflecting on practices and rationales of community engagement. By considering the three approaches non-hierarchically, this model allows for an examination of how such rationales...

  13. Beyond the Classroom Wall: Community Engagement Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jenny; Lai, Shu-Chuan; Wang, Chao-Min

    2016-01-01

    This study (n = 11) examined active community-school collaborative classes using sociocultural constructivist approaches over an academic year in an early childhood institute. A semi-formal interview was conducted to describing how the early childhood teachers and community members worked collaboratively to develop community engagement activities…

  14. Children’s Civic Engagement in the Scratch Online Community

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ricarose Roque

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available In public discourse, and in the governance of online communities, young people are often denied agency. Children are frequently considered objects to protect, safeguard, and manage. Yet as children go online from very early ages, they develop emergent forms of civic and political engagement. Children appropriate the affordances of digital platforms in order to discuss, connect, and act with their peers and in their communities. In this paper, we analyze civic engagement in Scratch Online, a creative community where children from around the world learn programming by designing and sharing interactive media projects. We explore the ways that young Scratch community members connect with issues of global importance, as well as with local topics and questions of community governance. We develop a typology of the strategies they use to express themselves, engage with their peers, and call for action. We then analyze the reaction of the community, including other Scratch members and adult moderators, and draw key lessons from these examples in order to describe guidelines for educators and designers who would like to support children’s rights to civic engagement in online learning environments.

  15. Negotiating Service Learning through Community Engagement: Adaptive Leadership, Knowledge, Dialogue and Power

    Science.gov (United States)

    Preece, Julia

    2016-01-01

    This article builds on two recent publications (Preece 2013; 2013a) concerning the application of asset-based community development and adaptive leadership theories when negotiating university service learning placements with community organisations in one South African province. The first publication introduced the concept of 'adaptive…

  16. Trinitarian Paradigm for Dialogue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Derdziuk Andrzej

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available A dialogue as a social reality consists, first and foremost, in communication between those who realize that they are called to notice and to accept the other and to treat him or her with proper respect. Such a dialogue may be motivated either by the desire to share the good or by the willingness to avoid conflict. The aforementioned approaches are marked by distinctly different attitudes, which are not only rooted in two different methodologies and have two different aims, but they also encompass two diverse procedures. More importantly, engaging in dialogue may also be motivated by realizing one’s own mission in life, i.e. acting in harmony with the spiritual nature of the human being, who is a relational being. Upon realizing his or her likeness to the Triune God, i.e. the inseparable communion of the Divine Persons, a Christian discovers that the Holy Trinity constitutes the model and source for his or her own involvement in maintaining relationships with other people.

  17. Informing Educational Psychology Training with Students' Community Engagement Experiences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebersohn, Liesel; Bender, C. J. Gerda; Carvalho-Malekane, Wendy M.

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this article was to describe students' experiences of community engagement in an Educational Psychology practicum in order to inform relevant educational psychology training literature with experiences of students' community engagement. Experiential learning served as our theoretical framework and we employed an instrumental case…

  18. Toward an Ideal Relational Ethic: Rethinking university-community engagement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steve Garlick

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper explores how an ideal relational ethic based on Zygmunt Bauman’s (1995 notion of forms of togetherness is needed to underpin university-community engagement processes and practices. We focus on the notion of being-for, and suggest that it can be used as an ‘engagement bridge’ between higher education institutions, the creation of human capital and communities, and can be a means to achieve ethical outcomes to local concerns. Much of Bauman’s (1995; 2001; 2007 theoretical development has focussed on the liquidity of modernity, to give the impression that community - in the spatially, physically located and fixed sense of the term - no longer exists. This paper proposes that spatial dimensions, particularly in the context of developing relational ethics, are important. This is particularly so for paying adequate attention to context-specific values, principles and issues in communities, for developing enterprising human capital via engagement, and for addressing matters of socio-political importance such as the environment. Contemporary neo-liberal times require ethical and moral leadership from universities. This paper suggests that such leadership can be developed from focussing attention on the forms of togetherness fostered by university-community engagement.

  19. We're Engaged! A Community-University Library Collaboration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rolloff, Evelyn K.

    2013-01-01

    Since its inception, Metropolitan State University has demonstrated a strong commitment to community partnerships and the integration of community engagement into student learning and scholarship while meeting community-defined needs. This article presents examples of reciprocal partnerships in the context of a shared community-university library…

  20. End-of-life conversations and care: an asset-based model for community engagement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matthiesen, Mary; Froggatt, Katherine; Owen, Elaine; Ashton, John R

    2014-09-01

    Public awareness work regarding palliative and end-of-life care is increasingly promoted within national strategies for palliative care. Different approaches to undertaking this work are being used, often based upon broader educational principles, but little is known about how to undertake such initiatives in a way that equally engages both the health and social care sector and the local communities. An asset-based community engagement approach has been developed that facilitates community-led awareness initiatives concerning end-of-life conversations and care by identifying and connecting existing skills and expertise. (1) To describe the processes and features of an asset-based community engagement approach that facilitates community-led awareness initiatives with a focus on end-of-life conversations and care; and (2) to identify key community-identified priorities for sustainable community engagement processes. An asset-based model of community engagement specific to end-of-life issues using a four-step process is described (getting started, coming together, action planning and implementation). The use of this approach, in two regional community engagement programmes, based across rural and urban communities in the northwest of England, is described. The assets identified in the facilitated community engagement process encompassed people's talents and skills, community groups and networks, government and non-government agencies, physical and economic assets and community values and stories. Five priority areas were addressed to ensure active community engagement work: information, outreach, education, leadership and sustainability. A facilitated, asset-based approach of community engagement for end-of-life conversations and care can catalyse community-led awareness initiatives. This occurs through the involvement of community and local health and social care organisations as co-creators of this change across multiple sectors in a sustainable way. This approach

  1. European Union and diaspora engagement policy within changing realities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Violina MARDARI

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The article presents an analysis of the European Union and diaspora engagement policy within changing realities. The author focuses on the main research question concerning how the new, uncontrolled migration flows may influence the approach on diaspora engagement policy within member states. This process could have positive as well as negative implications for the Community space even if the EU attempts to develop a new legal framework on migration. The interdisciplinary approach and methods as empirical analysis, comparison and observation on some good practices and new issues gave the possibility to estimate the results of how changing diaspora role perception reduces the gap between different migrants in the EU and improves the diaspora engagement dialogue on institutional and civil society level.

  2. Universities' perspectives on community engagement

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Benneworth, Paul Stephen; Humphrey, L.; Benneworth, P.

    2012-01-01

    This chapter makes the argument that despite the fact that utility has always been important to why universities exist, engaging with communities has been framed in ways that reinforce its perception as a transient, peripheral and even undesirable activity. The chapter begins by noting the way that

  3. Should Iceland engage in policy dialogue with developing countries?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hilmar Þór Hilmarsson

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available This article provides a brief overview of the current status of Icelandic development cooperation, bilaterally and multilaterally, and argues that it is time for Iceland to become more engaged in policy dialogue with developing countries on issues related to public sector reform and economic policy. Iceland should also in the authors view take more advantages of the extensive knowledge that Icelandic experts possess, and the experience they have gained, both in Iceland and internationally. Iceland should be more active in offering exerts in the public service, in the academia, as well as in the private sector to provide policy advise and technical assistance to developing countries that are implementing complex economic and public sector reforms. A number of those exerts have also gained considerable international experience in implementing policy reform programs. The article then discusses two cases: (i the case of Latvia where Iceland rushed to recognize its independence, but did little to assist the country in the post independence period, and (ii, the case of Vietnam where a country like Iceland could provide valuable assistance to a country that is achieving remarkable progress in poverty reduction, implementing important public sector reforms and creating a better business environment for foreign investors. This article is based on the authors experience as chairman of the Board of the Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA and as Special Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Iceland from 1995 to 1999, and as World Bank specialist at the Bank’s Head Quarters in Washington DC from 1990 to 1995, in Latvia from 1999 to 2003 and in Vietnam from 2003 to 2006.

  4. Researching the Professional-Development Needs of Community-Engaged Scholars in a New Zealand University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kerry Shephard

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available We explored the processes adopted by university teachers who engage with communities with a focus on asking how and why they became community-engaged, and an interest in what promotes and limits their engagement and how limitations may be addressed. As part of year-long research project we interviewed 25 community-engaged colleagues and used a general inductive approach to identify recurring themes within interview transcripts. We found three coexisting and re-occurring themes within our interviews. Community-engaged scholars in our institution tended to emphasise the importance of building enduring relationships between our institution and the wider community; have personal ambitions to change aspects of our institution, our communities, or the interactions between them and identified community engagement as a fruitful process to achieve these changes; and identified the powerful nature of the learning that comes from community engagement in comparison with other more traditional means of teaching. Underlying these themes was a sense that community engagement requires those involved to take risks. Our three themes and this underlying sense of risk-taking suggest potential support processes for the professional development of community-engaged colleagues institutionally.

  5. Exploring Engaged Spaces in Community-University Partnership

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davies, Ceri; Gant, Nick; Millican, Juliet; Wolff, David; Prosser, Bethan; Laing, Stuart; Hart, Angie

    2016-01-01

    The Community University Partnership Programme (CUPP) has been operating at the University of Brighton for the past 10 years. This article explores the different types of space we think need to exist to support a variety of partnership and engaged work. We therefore explore our understandings of shared or "engaged" spaces as a physical,…

  6. Exploring the Mediating Effect of E-social Capital Between Community Members Interaction and Consumer Engagement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Bingsheng

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This article explored the effect of instrumental interaction and relational interaction on consumer engagement (community engagement and brand engagement among community members. The mediating effect of E-social capital was investigated as well. The research results showed that: both instrumental interaction and interpersonal interaction promote the formation of E-social capital (online trust and online reciprocity; online trust plays a partial mediating role between community interaction (instrumental interaction, relational interaction and community engagement, but the influence of online reciprocity on community engagement is not significant; community engagement leads to brand engagement. The findings enrich the theories of brand community and consumer engagement and contribute to the virtual community management.

  7. Lessons learnt from promising practices in community engagement for the elimination of new HIV infections in children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive: summary of a desk review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ackerman Gulaid, Laurie; Kiragu, Karusa

    2012-07-11

    them, improves programme efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability. Monitoring, innovation and information sharing are critical to scale up. Ten recommendations on community engagement are offered for ending vertical transmission and enhancing the health of mothers and families: (1) expand the frontline health workforce, (2) increase engagement with community- and faith-based organizations, (3) engage communities in programme monitoring and accountability, (4) promote community-driven social and behaviour change communication including grassroots campaigns and dialogues, (5) expand peer support, (6) empower communities to address programme barriers, (7) support community activism for political commitment, (8) share tools for community engagement, (9) develop better indicators for community involvement and (10) conduct cost analyses of various community engagement strategies. As programmes expand, care should be taken to support and not to undermine work that communities are already doing, but rather to actively identify and build on such efforts.

  8. Older Chinese-Australian and Chinese community music engagement

    OpenAIRE

    Li, Sicong

    2017-01-01

    This research study will investigate community music engagement by both Chinese-Australians and Chinese older people at two different older people’s organizations with the aim of exploring the affects of music engagement on older people. The study seeks to explore cultural differences between Chinese-Australian older people and Chinese older people as they relate to their music engagement. The research contentions were that (1) active music engagement can enhance the quality of the life of ol...

  9. The role of interpersonal communication in preventing unsafe abortion in communities: the dialogues for life project in Nepal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bingham, Allison; Drake, Jennifer Kidwell; Goodyear, Lorelei; Gopinath, C Y; Kaufman, Anne; Bhattarai, Sanju

    2011-03-01

    Legal, procedural, and institutional restrictions on safe abortion services-such as laws forbidding the practice or policies preventing donors from supporting groups who provide legal services-remain a major access barrier for women worldwide. However, even when abortion services are legal, women face social and cultural barriers to accessing safe abortion services and preventing unwanted pregnancy. Interpersonal communication interventions play an important role in overcoming these obstacles, including as part of broad educational- and behavioral-change efforts. This article presents results from an interpersonal communication behavior change pilot intervention, Dialogues for Life, undertaken in Nepal from 2004 to 2006, after abortion was legalized in 2002. The project aimed to encourage and enable women to prevent unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortions and was driven by dialogue groups and select community events. The authors' results confirm that a dialogue-based interpersonal communication intervention can help change behavior and that this method is feasible in a low-resource, low-literacy setting. Dialogue groups play a key role in addressing sensitive and stigmatizing health issues such as unsafe abortion and in empowering women to negotiate for the social support they need when making decisions about their health.

  10. Fostering Sustained Climate Engagement and Collaborative Leadership through Creativity and Science-Informed Arts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rothballer, K.; Sturges, M. J.

    2016-12-01

    Join veteran artist/activist Molly Sturges for a presentation on FIREROCK: PASS THE SPARK performances and engagement processes that foster personal and collective creativity for sustained climate engagement and collaborative leadership. FIREROCK: PASS THE ROCK opens in San Francisco in October 2016. This project is an evolving, long-term, social innovation project that has been developed with faith, Indigenous and directly impacted communities as well as schools, towns and universities. Informed by science, social justice, Indigenous knowledge, and grassroots activism FIREROCK includes performances that are accompanied by a series of activities designed to build community and engineer creative spaces for dialogue and response. The FIREROCK team has found that people are excited to engage around climate when there are venues available for expressivity and meaningful exchange. FIREROCK supports us in moving from our current stance in which we are paralyzed— often not knowing what to do or how to act—to seeing ourselves as part of the solution. FIREROCK is a family-friendly catalytic musical journey inviting people into the complexity of climate change and sparking an inspired response to the mythic challenges of our time. Through story, song and unique engagement experiences, FIREROCK builds community towards action and solutions. FIREROCK provides partners with everything they need to make the project their own, including a comprehensive toolkit to assist groups in learning how to develop community partnerships, convene FIREROCK engagement activities and facilitate dialogue and skill sharing. This dynamic storytelling project is scalable and can be employed, adapted and localized by groups and communities nationwide as a powerful catalyst for climate engagement work. Molly Sturges is a national leader in arts, ecology and social change work. She is the Founding Artistic Director of Littleglobe, a diverse arts cooperative made up of artistic and cultural workers

  11. Assessing participatory practices in community-based natural resource management: experiences in community engagement from southern Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dyer, J; Stringer, L C; Dougill, A J; Leventon, J; Nshimbi, M; Chama, F; Kafwifwi, A; Muledi, J I; Kaumbu, J-M K; Falcao, M; Muhorro, S; Munyemba, F; Kalaba, G M; Syampungani, S

    2014-05-01

    The emphasis on participatory environmental management within international development has started to overcome critiques of traditional exclusionary environmental policy, aligning with shifts towards decentralisation and community empowerment. However, questions are raised regarding the extent to which participation in project design and implementation is meaningful and really engages communities in the process. Calls have been made for further local-level (project and community-scale) research to identify practices that can increase the likelihood of meaningful community engagement within externally initiated projects. This paper presents data from three community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) project case studies from southern Africa, which promote Joint Forest Management (JFM), tree planting for carbon and conservation agriculture. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, community-level meetings, focus groups and interviews. We find that an important first step for a meaningful community engagement process is to define 'community' in an open and participatory manner. Two-way communication at all stages of the community engagement process is shown to be critical, and charismatic leadership based on mutual respect and clarity of roles and responsibilities is vital to improve the likelihood of participants developing understanding of project aims and philosophy. This can lead to successful project outcomes through community ownership of the project goals and empowerment in project implementation. Specific engagement methods are found to be less important than the contextual and environmental factors associated with each project, but consideration should be given to identifying appropriate methods to ensure community representation. Our findings extend current thinking on the evaluation of participation by making explicit links between the community engagement process and project outcomes, and by

  12. A Typology of International Student Community Engagement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fleischman, David; Raciti, Maria; Lawley, Meredith

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents an empirical study undertaken to develop a typology of international student community engagement activities that incorporates the perceptions of three key stakeholder groups--the international students, the community and the university. Framed by the notion of value co-creation, our exploratory study was undertaken at a…

  13. Resolving community conflicts and problems: public deliberation and sustained dialogue

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Lohmann, Roger A; Van Til, Jon

    2011-01-01

    ... into eventual dialogue the disparate leaders of Israel and Egypt. Saunders's work continued through the 1980s and 1990s with the Dartmouth Seminar, developing public conversation between Soviet and American citizen leaders, and has since spread to many other nations under the rubric of "sustained dialogue." During the same period, the Kettering Fo...

  14. Aligning the goals of community-engaged research: why and how academic health centers can successfully engage with communities to improve health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michener, Lloyd; Cook, Jennifer; Ahmed, Syed M; Yonas, Michael A; Coyne-Beasley, Tamera; Aguilar-Gaxiola, Sergio

    2012-03-01

    Community engagement (CE) and community-engaged research (CEnR) are increasingly viewed as the keystone to translational medicine and improving the health of the nation. In this article, the authors seek to assist academic health centers (AHCs) in learning how to better engage with their communities and build a CEnR agenda by suggesting five steps: defining community and identifying partners, learning the etiquette of CE, building a sustainable network of CEnR researchers, recognizing that CEnR will require the development of new methodologies, and improving translation and dissemination plans. Health disparities that lead to uneven access to and quality of care as well as high costs will persist without a CEnR agenda that finds answers to both medical and public health questions. One of the biggest barriers toward a national CEnR agenda, however, are the historical structures and processes of an AHC-including the complexities of how institutional review boards operate, accounting practices and indirect funding policies, and tenure and promotion paths. Changing institutional culture starts with the leadership and commitment of top decision makers in an institution. By aligning the motivations and goals of their researchers, clinicians, and community members into a vision of a healthier population, AHC leadership will not just improve their own institutions but also improve the health of the nation-starting with improving the health of their local communities, one community at a time.

  15. Evaluation criteria for dialogue processes: key findings from RISCOM II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Atherton, Elizabeth

    2003-01-01

    As part of Work Package 4 (undertaken by a consortium of partners from the United Kingdom) in the joint European project RISCOM II, work was undertaken on evaluation criteria for determining the success of dialogue processes; this note outlines its key findings as, in order to continue the development of dialogue processes, it is important to evaluate and learn from the experience of engaging with stakeholders. Criteria can be developed to evaluate how successful a process has been, these can range from very practical criteria relating to how well the process worked or be linked to more subjective criteria developed from the aims of the dialogue process itself. Some criteria are particularly relevant to dialogue processes that aim to encourage deliberation and the development of stakeholders' views through participation in the dialogue process: transparency, legitimacy, equality of access, 'being able to speak', a deliberative environment, openness of framing, developing insight into range of issues (new meanings are generated), inclusive and 'best' knowledge elicited, producing acceptable/tolerable and usable outcomes/decisions, improvement of trust and understanding between participants, developing a sense of shared responsibility and common good. Evaluation will incur a cost in terms of time and money, but will help practitioners to be able to develop processes that meet the needs of those who participate and improve the way that we try to engage people in the debate

  16. Work engagement in nursing practice: a relational ethics perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keyko, Kacey

    2014-12-01

    The concept of work engagement has existed in business and psychology literature for some time. There is a significant body of research that positively correlates work engagement with organizational outcomes. To date, the interest in the work engagement of nurses has primarily been related to these organizational outcomes. However, the value of work engagement in nursing practice is not only an issue of organizational interest, but of ethical interest. The dialogue on work engagement in nursing must expand to include the ethical importance of engagement. The relational nature of work engagement and the multiple levels of influence on nurses' work engagement make a relational ethics approach to work engagement in nursing appropriate and necessary. Within a relational ethics perspective, it is evident that work engagement enables nurses to have meaningful relationships in their work and subsequently deliver ethical care. In this article, I argue that work engagement is essential for ethical nursing practice. If engagement is essential for ethical nursing practice, the environmental and organizational factors that influence work engagement must be closely examined to pursue the creation of moral communities within healthcare environments. © The Author(s) 2014.

  17. Narratives of community engagement: a systematic review-derived conceptual framework for public health interventions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brunton, Ginny; Thomas, James; O'Mara-Eves, Alison; Jamal, Farah; Oliver, Sandy; Kavanagh, Josephine

    2017-12-11

    Government policy increasingly supports engaging communities to promote health. It is critical to consider whether such strategies are effective, for whom, and under what circumstances. However, 'community engagement' is defined in diverse ways and employed for different reasons. Considering the theory and context we developed a conceptual framework which informs understanding about what makes an effective (or ineffective) community engagement intervention. We conducted a systematic review of community engagement in public health interventions using: stakeholder involvement; searching, screening, appraisal and coding of research literature; and iterative thematic syntheses and meta-analysis. A conceptual framework of community engagement was refined, following interactions between the framework and each review stage. From 335 included reports, three products emerged: (1) two strong theoretical 'meta-narratives': one, concerning the theory and practice of empowerment/engagement as an independent objective; and a more utilitarian perspective optimally configuring health services to achieve defined outcomes. These informed (2) models that were operationalized in subsequent meta-analysis. Both refined (3) the final conceptual framework. This identified multiple dimensions by which community engagement interventions may differ. Diverse combinations of intervention purpose, theory and implementation were noted, including: ways of defining communities and health needs; initial motivations for community engagement; types of participation; conditions and actions necessary for engagement; and potential issues influencing impact. Some dimensions consistently co-occurred, leading to three overarching models of effective engagement which either: utilised peer-led delivery; employed varying degrees of collaboration between communities and health services; or built on empowerment philosophies. Our conceptual framework and models are useful tools for considering appropriate and

  18. Learning through Ethnographic Dialogues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landis, David; Kalieva, Rysaldy; Abitova, Sanim; Izmukhanbetova, Sophia; Musaeva, Zhanbota

    2006-01-01

    This article describes ways that conversations constituted ethnographic research for students and teachers in Kazakhstan. Through dialogues with local community members, students worked as researchers to develop knowledge about cultural patterns and social life. Ethnographic research and writing provided valuable language and research experiences…

  19. More than words: Using visual graphics for community-based health research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morton Ninomiya, Melody E

    2017-04-20

    With increased attention to knowledge translation and community engagement in the applied health research field, many researchers aim to find effective ways of engaging health policy and decision makers and community stakeholders. While visual graphics such as graphs, charts, figures and photographs are common in scientific research dissemination, they are less common as a communication tool in research. In this commentary, I illustrate how and why visual graphics were created and used to facilitate dialogue and communication throughout all phases of a community-based health research study with a rural Indigenous community, advancing community engagement and knowledge utilization of a research study. I suggest that it is essential that researchers consider the use of visual graphics to accurately communicate and translate important health research concepts and content in accessible forms for diverse research stakeholders and target audiences.

  20. Engaging community to support HIV prevention research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahay, Seema; Mehendale, Sanjay

    2011-01-01

    Actively engaging communities in effective partnerships is considered critical for ethically robust and locally relevant HIV prevention research. This can be challenging in developing countries that have little prior experience in this area. This paper summarizes processes and lessons learnt while setting up the Community Involvement Plan of National AIDS Research Institute, Pune, India. Formal partnerships were established with voluntary agencies. The focus was on using strategies adapted from participatory learning and action techniques. The community program was implemented through peer educators specifically identified from the communities where partner non-governmental organizations function. At the grass root level, peer educators imparted education to the common people about research studies and helped to implement community based recruitment and retention activities. The focus was on facilitating periodic interaction between the outreach workers of the research team and the peers and modifying the strategies till they were found locally implementable and appropriate. Through adequate time investment, mutually beneficial and respectful partnerships with community based organizations and grass root level workers, the community became actively involved in clinical research. The program helped in developing a sense of partnership among the peers for the research conducted by the research organization, widening the net of community education and identification of research participants. By building trust in the community and implementing research within an ethical framework, culturally sensitive matters were appropriately addressed. The community involvement process is long, laborious and ever-evolving. Effective community engagement requires institutional leadership support, adequate funding and commitment by researchers. It is possible to sustain such a model in a resource limited setting.

  1. The Worldviews Network: Innovative Strategies for Increasing Climate and Ecological Literacy in Your Community

    Science.gov (United States)

    Connolly, R.; Yu, K.; McConville, D.; Sickler, J.; "Irving, Lindsay", L. S.; Gardiner, N.; Hamilton, H.

    2011-12-01

    Informal science Institutions (ISI) are in the unique position to convene and support community dialogues surrounding local ecological impacts of global change. The Worldviews Network-a collaboration between museums, scientists, and community-based organizations-is developing and testing innovative approaches for promoting and encouraging ecological literacy with the American public. In this session, we will share strategies for sparking and sustaining dialogue and action in local communities through high-impact visual presentations and real-world examples of successful projects that are increasing the healthy functioning of regional and global ecosystems. Educating the public about interconnected global change issues can be a daunting task. ISIs can help communities by facilitating dialogues about realistic and regionally relevant approaches for systemically addressing global challenges. Managing the complexity of these challenges requires going far beyond the standard prescriptions for behavior change; it requires inspiring participants with positive examples of system-wide solutions as well as actively involving the audience in scientifically informed design processes. This session will demonstrate how you can implement and sustain these community dialogues, using real-world examples from our partners' national events. We present visualization story templates and a model for facilitating dialogues that can be adapted at your institution. Based on video and written assessment feedback from visitors of our first Worldviews events, we will present initial evaluation findings about the impact that these strategies are having on our audiences and ISI partners. These findings show that engaging the public and NGO partners in sustainability and design dialogues is a powerful way to maintain the relevance of ISIs within their communities.

  2. PALAR as a methodology for community engagement by faculties of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    PALAR as a methodology for community engagement by faculties of education. L Wood, O Zuber-Skerrit. Abstract. Community engagement (CE) is a core function of the university in South Africa. In the field of education, the imperative to pursue and promote CE provides an exciting opportunity for researchers to work with ...

  3. Analysis of the Carnegie Classification of Community Engagement: Patterns and Impact on Institutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Driscoll, Amy

    2014-01-01

    This chapter describes the impact that participation in the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement had on the institutions of higher learning that applied for the classification. This is described in terms of changes in direct community engagement, monitoring and reporting on community engagement, and levels of student and professor…

  4. Community Development as an Approach to Community Engagement in Rural-Based Higher Education Institutions in South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Netshandama, V. O.

    2010-01-01

    The premise of this article is that the "jury is still out" to describe what effective Community Engagement entails in South African higher education institutions. The current discussions about community engagement and service learning do not cover the primary objective of adding value to the community, particularly of the rural-based…

  5. Power, fairness and trust: understanding and engaging with vaccine trial participants and communities in the setting up the EBOVAC-Salone vaccine trial in Sierra Leone

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luisa Enria

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background This paper discusses the establishment of a clinical trial of an Ebola vaccine candidate in Kambia District, Northern Sierra Leone during the epidemic, and analyses the role of social science research in ensuring that lessons from the socio-political context, the recent experience of the Ebola outbreak, and learning from previous clinical trials were incorporated in the development of community engagement strategies. The paper aims to provide a case study of an integrated social science and communications system in the start-up phase of the clinical trial. Methods The paper is based on qualitative research methods including ethnographic observation, interviews with trial participants and key stakeholder interviews. Results Through the case study of EBOVAC Salone, the paper suggests ways in which research can be used to inform communication strategies before and during the setting up of the trial. It explores notions of power, fairness and trust emerging from analysis of the Sierra Leonean context and through ethnographic research, to reflect on three situations in which social scientists and community liaison officers worked together to ensure successful community engagement. Firstly, a section on “power” considers the pitfalls of considering communities as homogeneous and shows the importance of understanding intra-community power dynamics when engaging communities. Secondly, a section on “fairness” shows how local understandings of what is fair can help inform the design of volunteer recruitment strategies. Finally, a section on “trust” highlights how historically rooted rumours can be effectively addressed through active dialogue rather than through an approach focused on correcting misinformation. Conclusion The paper firstly emphasises the value of social science in the setting up of clinical trials, in terms of providing an in depth understanding of context and social dynamics. Secondly, the paper suggests

  6. Doing emotion work in museums: reconceptualising the role of community engagement practitioners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ealasaid Munro

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper I investigate the practice of community engagement, and suggest that ideas around emotion work and emotional labour might offer new ways of thinking about the role of museum staff in community engagement settings. Through material gathered as part of an ethnographic research project conducted with Glasgow Museums - the city of Glasgow’s municipal museums service - I show that community engagement practitioners routinely utilize emotional performances as part of their work. I argue that, often, the emotion work that is done in these settings is under-valued, and suggest that both scholars of museums and museum professionals need to pay more attention to the interpersonal relationships that might be forged within community engagement settings.

  7. Three dialogues concerning robots in elder care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Metzler, Theodore A; Barnes, Susan J

    2014-01-01

    The three dialogues in this contribution concern 21st century application of life-like robots in the care of older adults. They depict conversations set in the near future, involving a philosopher (Dr Phonius) and a nurse (Dr Myloss) who manages care at a large facility for assisted living. In their first dialogue, the speakers discover that their quite different attitudes towards human-robot interaction parallel fundamental differences separating their respective concepts of consciousness. The second dialogue similarly uncovers deeply contrasting notions of personhood that appear to be associated with respective communities of nursing and robotics. The additional key awareness that arises in their final dialogue links applications of life-like robots in the care of older adults with potential transformations in our understandings of ourselves - indeed, in our understandings of the nature of our own humanity. This series of dialogues, therefore, appears to address a topic in nursing philosophy that merits our careful attention. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Risk Communication and Citizen Engagement

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Merkelsen, Henrik

    2011-01-01

    Despite the last few decades’ devotion to deliberative methods in risk communication, many studies point to how important challenges arise when citizens are engaged in public dialogue. Since the era of enlightenment public dialogue has occupied a position as a normative ideal for political...... governance. But ideals are social constructions that have a tendency to direct attention away from underlying conflicts. The concept of dialogue is no exception, and exemplified by the Danish solution to dealing with public scepticism in relation to technological controversies, the internationally acclaimed...

  9. Using Community-Based Participatory Research and Human-Centered Design to Address Violence-Related Health Disparities Among Latino/a Youth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kia-Keating, Maryam; Santacrose, Diana E; Liu, Sabrina R; Adams, Jessica

    High rates of exposure to violence and other adversities among Latino/a youth contribute to health disparities. The current article addresses the ways in which community-based participatory research (CBPR) and human-centered design (HCD) can help engage communities in dialogue and action. We present a project exemplifying how community forums, with researchers, practitioners, and key stakeholders, including youths and parents, integrated HCD strategies with a CBPR approach. Given the potential for power inequities among these groups, CBPR + HCD acted as a catalyst for reciprocal dialogue and generated potential opportunity areas for health promotion and change. Future directions are described.

  10. Developing a Conceptual Framework for Student Learning during International Community Engagement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pink, Matthew A.; Taouk, Youssef; Guinea, Stephen; Bunch, Katie; Flowers, Karen; Nightingale, Karen

    2016-01-01

    University-community engagement often involves students engaging with people who experience multiple forms of disadvantage or marginalization. This is particularly true when universities work with communities in developing nations. Participation in these projects can be challenging for students. Assumptions about themselves, their professional…

  11. The Paradox of Dialogue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Peter

    2011-01-01

    The Council of Europe's 2008 "White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue" signalled--with a measure of deep concern--the limits of multiculturalism and its attendant problems of identity politics, communal segregation, and the undermining of rights and freedoms in culturally closed communities. The White Paper proposed the replacement of the…

  12. The Community Mentorship Program: Providing Community-Engagement Opportunities for Early-Stage Clinical and Translational Scientists to Facilitate Research Translation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patino, Cecilia M; Kubicek, Katrina; Robles, Marisela; Kiger, Holly; Dzekov, Jeanne

    2017-02-01

    A goal of the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (SC-CTSI) at the University of Southern California and Children's Hospital Los Angeles is to train early-stage clinical and translational scientists (CTSs) to conduct research that improves the health of diverse communities. This goal aligns well with the Institute of Medicine's recommendations emphasizing community engagement in biomedical research that facilitates research translation. The Community Mentorship Program (CMP), created to complement community-engaged research didactics, matches CTSs with community mentors who help them identify and complete community-engaged experiences that inform their research. The CMP was piloted in 2013-2015 by the SC-CTSI Workforce Development and Community Engagement cores. The CMP team matched three CTSs (assistant professors pursuing mentored career development awards) with mentors at community-based organizations (CBOs) aligned with their research interests. Each mentor-mentee pair signed a memorandum of understanding. The CMP team checked in regularly, monitoring progress and addressing challenges in CTSs' completion of their community-engaged experience. Each pair completed at least one community-engaged activity informing the CTS's research. In exit interviews, the CTSs and CBO mentors expressed satisfaction with the program and stated that they would continue to work together. The CTSs reported that the program provided opportunities to develop networks outside academia, build trust within the community, and receive feedback and learn from individuals in communities affected by their research. The CMP will be expanded to include all eligible early-career CTSs and promoted for use in similar settings outside the SC-CTSI.

  13. Integrating Reiki and community-engaged scholarship: an interdisciplinary educational innovation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bremner, Marie N; Bennett, David N; Chambers, Donna

    2014-09-01

    To provide students with a meaningful holistic care experience while integrating community-engaged scholarship, students partnered with a Reiki-prepared faculty member within a nurse-managed community clinic to offer Reiki to the clients and participate in the evaluation of the effectiveness of the modality. This article describes how students and faculty integrated holistic care, scholarship, and community engagement. This experience provided the students with an opportunity to embrace the art and science of holistic nursing while obtaining experience in measuring outcomes.

  14. Community organizing and community health: piloting an innovative approach to community engagement applied to an early intervention project in south London.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolton, Matthew; Moore, Imogen; Ferreira, Ana; Day, Crispin; Bolton, Derek

    2016-03-01

    The importance of community engagement in health is widely recognized, and key themes in UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommendations for enhancing community engagement are co-production and community control. This study reports an innovative approach to community engagement using the community-organizing methodology, applied in an intervention of social support to increase social capital, reduce stress and improve well-being in mothers who were pregnant and/or with infants aged 0-2 years. Professional community organizers in Citizens-UK worked with local member civic institutions in south London to facilitate social support to a group of 15 new mothers. Acceptability of the programme, adherence to principles of co-production and community control, and changes in the outcomes of interest were assessed quantitatively in a quasi-experimental design. The programme was found to be feasible and acceptable to participating mothers, and perceived by them to involve co-production and community control. There were no detected changes in subjective well-being, but there were important reductions in distress on a standard self-report measure (GHQ-12). There were increases in social capital of a circumscribed kind associated with the project. Community organizing provides a promising model and method of facilitating community engagement in health. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health.

  15. Documenting Community Engagement Practices and Outcomes: Insights from Recipients of the 2010 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noel, Jana; Earwicker, David P.

    2015-01-01

    This study was performed to document the strategies and methods used by successful applicants for the 2010 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification and to document the cultural shifts connected with the application process and receipt of the Classification. Four major findings emerged: (1) Applicants benefited from a team approach; (2)…

  16. LYNX community advocacy & service engagement (CASE) project final report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-05-14

    This report is a final assessment of the Community Advocacy & Service Engagement (CASE) project, a LYNX-FTA research project designed : to study transit education and public engagement methods in Central Florida. In the Orlando area, as in other part...

  17. Engaging plant anatomy and local knowledge on the buriti palm ( Mauritia flexuosa L.f.: Arecaceae): the microscopic world meets the golden grass artisan's perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viana, Rebeca V. R.; Scatena, Vera L.; Eichemberg, Mayra T.; Sano, Paulo T.

    2018-03-01

    Considering that both Western Science and Local Knowledge Systems share a common ground—observations of the natural world—the dialogue between them should not only be possible, but fruitful. Local communities whose livelihoods depend on traditional uses of the local biodiversity not only develop knowledge about nature, making several uses of such knowledge, but, with that process, several inquiries about nature can be raised. Here we present our experience with the engagement of Western Science with golden grass artisan's knowledge about the buriti palm ( M. flexuosa). We applied 25 semi-directive interviews, combined with field diary and participative observation, in two quilombola communities from Jalapão region (Central-Brazil). One of the inquiries that emerged from the artisan's perspectives was about the differences between male and female buriti palms' fiber. We then engaged both local and scientific perspectives regarding this issue using plant anatomy as a dialogue instrument. Here we describe this experience and resort to Paulo Freire's ideas on dialogue to argue that, to integrate Western Science and Local Knowledge Systems in a collaborative and contextualized perspective, the research should be faced as a mutual learning practice.

  18. Cohorts and community: a case study of community engagement in the establishment of a health and demographic surveillance site in Malaysia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allotey, Pascale; Reidpath, Daniel D.; Devarajan, Nirmala; Rajagobal, Kanason; Yasin, Shajahan; Arunachalam, Dharmalingam; Imelda, Johanna Debora; Soyiri, Ireneous; Davey, Tamzyn; Jahan, Nowrozy

    2014-01-01

    Background Community engagement is an increasingly important requirement of public health research and plays an important role in the informed consent and recruitment process. However, there is very little guidance about how it should be done, the indicators for assessing effectiveness of the community engagement process and the impact it has on recruitment, retention, and ultimately on the quality of the data collected as part of longitudinal cohort studies. Methods An instrumental case study approach, with data from field notes, policy documents, unstructured interviews, and focus group discussions with key community stakeholders and informants, was used to explore systematically the implementation and outcomes of the community engagement strategy for recruitment of an entire community into a demographic and health surveillance site in Malaysia. Results For a dynamic cohort, community engagement needs to be an ongoing process. The community engagement process has likely helped to facilitate the current response rate of 85% in the research communities. The case study highlights the importance of systematic documentation of the community engagement process to ensure an understanding of the effects of the research on recruitment and the community. Conclusions A critical lesson from the case study data is the importance of relationships in the recruitment process for large population-based studies, and the need for ongoing documentation and analysis of the impact of cumulative interactions between research and community engagement. PMID:24804983

  19. Tunisia’s 2013 National Dialogue

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Haugbølle, Rikke Hostrup; Ghali, Amine; Yousfi, Hèla

    was a response to an acute political crisis. Hence, the Tunisian National Dialogue served as an instrument for crisis management, implemented while the crisis was still unfolding. The Tunisian National Dialogue was an ad hoc process, with many actors engaged on different levels and several parts of the process......On July 25, 2013 the drafting of a new constitution by the Tunisian Constitutional Assembly reached a complete impasse, following the assassination of opposition politician Mohamed Brahmi that very day. Fears mounted that the fragile democratization process would come to a halt. In 2011, free...... and fair elections had brought the Islamist democratic party Ennahda to power, which had formed a government with two smaller opposition parties. Simultaneously, other “old” opposition forces underwent internal reforms and strengthened their position in the new political landscape. Instead of building...

  20. Engaging with Underserved Urban Communities on Climate Resilience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akerlof, K.; Moser, F. C.; Baja, K.; Dindinger, J. M.; Chanse, V.; Rowan, K. E.; Rohring, B.

    2016-12-01

    Meeting the needs of urban high-risk/low-resource communities is one of the most critical challenges in improving climate resilience nationally, but little tailored information exists to guide community engagement efforts specifically for these contexts. This case study describes a collaboration between universities, local governments, and community members working in underserved neighborhoods of the City of Baltimore and Prince George's County, Maryland. In service of current and developing community programs, the team surveyed residents door-to-door about their perceptions of the socio-environmental risks they face, their priorities for change, and the ways in which communication may build protective social capital. We highlight theoretical, applied, and pedagogical aspects of the study that inform both the promise and limitations of these collaborations. These include: 1) the role of citizen participation in climate adaptation decision-making; 2) the meaning, use, and potential impact of community data; 3) balancing differing organizational priorities, timelines, and cultures within community-based projects; and 4) research participation of undergraduate students. The results of the survey illuminate climate risk perceptions in neighborhoods facing complex stressors with lessons for communication and engagement in other urban areas facing similar adaptation challenges.

  1. Measuring work engagement among community health workers in Sierra Leone: Validating the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale

    OpenAIRE

    Vallières, Frédérique; McAuliffe, Eilish; Hyland, Philip; Galligan, Marie; Ghee, Annette

    2017-01-01

    This study examines the concept of volunteer work engagement in a sample of 334 community health workers in Bonthe District, Sierra Leone. Structural equation modelling was used to validate both the 9-item and the 17-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9 and UWES-17, respectively). Results assessing the UWES-17 invalidated the three-factor structure within this cohort of community health workers, as high correlations were found between latent factors. Findings for the validity of the UWE...

  2. Finding the community in sustainable online community engagement: Not-for-profit organisation websites, service-learning and research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alice Dodd

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available This article explores the use of action research (2008–2014 based on a case study of the Sustainable Online Community Engagement (SOCE Project, a service-learning project in which University of South Australia students build websites for not-for-profit (NFP organisations, to demonstrate that effective teaching, public service and research are interdependent. A significant problem experienced in the SOCE project was that, despite some training and ongoing assistance, the community organisations reported that they found it difficult to make effective use of their websites. One of the proposed solutions was to develop an online community of the participating organisations that would be self-supporting, member-driven and collaborative, and enable the organisations to share information about web-based technology. The research reported here explored the usefulness of developing such an online community for the organisations involved and sought alternative ways to assist the organisations to maintain an effective and sustainable web presence. The research used a three-phase ethnographic action research approach. The first phase was a content analysis and review of the editing records of 135 organisational websites hosted by the SOCE project. The second phase was an online survey sent to 145 community organisation members responsible for the management of these websites, resulting in 48 responses. The third phase consisted of semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 18 of the website managers from 12 of these organisations. The research revealed the extent to which organisations were unable to manage their websites and found that the proposed solution of an online community would not be useful. More importantly, it suggested other useful strategies which have been implemented. In Furco’s (2010 model of the engaged campus, public engagement can be used to advance the public service, teaching and research components of higher education’s tripartite

  3. Engaging Institutional Review Boards in Developing a Brief, Community-Responsive Human Subjects Training for Community Partners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calzo, Jerel P; Bogart, Laura M; Francis, Evelyn; Kornetsky, Susan Z; Winkler, Sabune J; Kaberry, Julie

    2016-01-01

    Engaging community partners as co-investigators in community-based participatory research (CBPR) requires certification in the rules, ethics, and principles governing research. Despite developments in making human research protection trainings more convenient and standardized (eg, self-paced Internet modules), time constraints and the structure of the content (which may favor academic audiences) may hinder the training of community partners. This paper is motivated by a case example in which academic and community partners, and stakeholders of a community-based organization actively engaged the leadership of a pediatric hospital-based institutional review board (IRB) in implementing a brief, community-responsive human subjects training session. A 2-hour, discussion-based human subjects training was developed via collaborations between the IRB and the community and academic partners. Interviews with trainees and facilitators after the training were used to evaluate its acceptability and possible future applications. Local IRBs have the potential to assist community partners in building sufficient knowledge of human subjects research protections to engage in specific projects, thereby expediting the progress of vital research to address community needs. We propose the need for developing truncated human subjects education materials to train and certify community partners, and creating formally organized entities within academic and medical institutions that specialize in community-based research to guide the development and implementation of alternative human subjects training certification opportunities for community partners.

  4. Community Health Workers Promote Civic Engagement and Organizational Capacity to Impact Policy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabo, Samantha; Flores, Melissa; Wennerstrom, Ashley; Bell, Melanie L; Verdugo, Lorena; Carvajal, Scott; Ingram, Maia

    2017-12-01

    Community health workers (CHW) have historically served to link structurally vulnerable populations to broad support systems. Emerging evidence suggests that CHWs engage in various forms of advocacy to promote policy and systems change. We assessed the impact of CHW community advocacy on community change, defined as civic engagement, organizational capacity and policy and systems change. Data are drawn from the 2014 National Community Health Worker Advocacy Survey (N = 1776) aimed to identify the state of the CHW profession, and their impact on health disparities through community advocacy and policy engagement. Our primary analysis used multiple linear regression to assess the association between CHW advocacy and community change. As predicted, there was a significant, positive association between CHW advocacy and change in community conditions. Additionally, both adjusted and sensitivity models had similar standardized beta estimates for advocacy, and adjusted R 2 statistics. CHW advocacy predicts positive change in community conditions and further advances the CHW Community Advocacy Framework designed to support and monitor CHW community advocacy to reduce health disparities through advocacy and policy change.

  5. Achieving Teaching, Scholarship, and Service through Community Engagement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carole K. Ivey

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Occupational therapy faculty currently face enormous challenges in meeting teaching load expectations, while also under pressure to participate in scholarly projects and to make administrative and service contributions. Community engagement projects may provide opportunities for faculty to effectively and efficiently meet the goals in each of these areas while imparting benefits to students and community partners as well. Faculty at the Department of Occupational Therapy (OT at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU embraced this idea as consistent with the university’s mission and strategic plan, and recognized its benefits in assisting faculty to meet workload demands. Four community partnerships reflecting the range and diversity of populations currently involved are highlighted: the Children’s Museum of Richmond, Rebuilding TogetherRichmond, the William Nelson Bland Literacy Center, and Gateway Homes of Richmond. The developmental process and resulting benefits are described for each of these partnerships, and the paper concludes with lessons learned from these collaborative efforts. From these examples, it appears important to be proactive about developing community partnerships and realistic about the challenges of collaboration, but also to be aware of the role community engagement plays in creatively blending the potentially conflicting demands on faculty time.

  6. Engaging Institutional Review Boards in Developing a Brief, Community-Responsive Human Subjects Training for Community Partners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calzo, Jerel P.; Bogart, Laura M.; Francis, Evelyn; Kornetsky, Susan Z.; Winkler, Sabune J.; Kaberry, Julie M.

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND Engaging community partners as co-investigators in community-based participatory research (CBPR) requires certification in the rules, ethics, and principles governing research. Despite developments in making human research protection trainings more convenient and standardized (e.g., self-paced Internet modules), time constraints and the structure of the content (which may favor academic audiences) may hinder the training of community partners. OBJECTIVES This paper is motivated by a case example in which academic and community partners, and stakeholders of a community-based organization actively engaged the leadership of a pediatric hospital-based Institutional Review Board (IRB) in implementing a brief, community-responsive human subjects training session. METHODS A two hour, discussion-based human subjects training was developed via collaborations between the IRB and the community and academic partners. Interviews with trainees and facilitators after the training were used to evaluate its acceptability and possible future applications. CONCLUSIONS Local Institutional Review Boards have the potential to assist community partners in building sufficient knowledge of human subjects research protections to engage in specific projects, thereby expediting the progress of vital research to address community needs. We propose the need for developing truncated human subjects education materials to train and certify community partners, and creating formally organized entities within academic and medical institutions that specialize in community-based research to guide the development and implementation of alternative human subjects training certification opportunities for community partners. PMID:28230554

  7. Achieving successful community engagement: a rapid realist review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Weger, E; Van Vooren, N; Luijkx, K G; Baan, C A; Drewes, H W

    2018-04-13

    Community engagement is increasingly seen as crucial to achieving high quality, efficient and collaborative care. However, organisations are still searching for the best and most effective ways to engage citizens in the shaping of health and care services. This review highlights the barriers and enablers for engaging communities in the planning, designing, governing, and/or delivering of health and care services on the macro or meso level. It provides policymakers and professionals with evidence-based guiding principles to implement their own effective community engagement (CE) strategies. A Rapid Realist Review was conducted to investigate how interventions interact with contexts and mechanisms to influence the effectiveness of CE. A local reference panel, consisting of health and care professionals and experts, assisted in the development of the research questions and search strategy. The panel's input helped to refine the review's findings. A systematic search of the peer-reviewed literature was conducted. Eight action-oriented guiding principles were identified: Ensure staff provide supportive and facilitative leadership to citizens based on transparency; foster a safe and trusting environment enabling citizens to provide input; ensure citizens' early involvement; share decision-making and governance control with citizens; acknowledge and address citizens' experiences of power imbalances between citizens and professionals; invest in citizens who feel they lack the skills and confidence to engage; create quick and tangible wins; take into account both citizens' and organisations' motivations. An especially important thread throughout the CE literature is the influence of power imbalances and organisations' willingness, or not, to address such imbalances. The literature suggests that 'meaningful participation' of citizens can only be achieved if organisational processes are adapted to ensure that they are inclusive, accessible and supportive of citizens.

  8. Community-Engaged Scholarship: Toward a Shared Understanding of Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    da Cruz, Cynthia Gordon

    2018-01-01

    Community-engaged scholarship (CES) is frequently recommended as a postsecondary practice for producing knowledge to address real-world issues and support the public good. But CES has multiple meanings, and understandings overlap with similar terms, such as publicly engaged scholarship. I draw upon recommendations in the field to propose an…

  9. A community engagement process for families with children with disabilities: lessons in leadership and policy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vargas, Claudia María; Arauza, Consuelo; Folsom, Kim; Luna, María del Rosario; Gutiérrez, Lucy; Frerking, Patricia Ohliger; Shelton, Kathleen; Foreman, Carl; Waffle, David; Reynolds, Richard; Cooper, Phillip J

    2012-01-01

    This article examines a community engagement process developed as part of leadership training for clinical trainees in the Oregon Leadership Education for Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program in a complex community with diverse families who have children with disabilities. The goal is to examine the process and lessons learned for clinical trainees and their mentors from such a process. This is a case study conducted as community-engaged action research by participant-observers involved in the Cornelius community for the past 4 years. The authors include faculty members and clinical trainees of the Oregon LEND Program at the Oregon Health & Science University, families with children with disabilities in the community, and city officials. It is a critical case study in that it studied a community engagement process in one of the poorest communities in the region, with an unusually high population of children with disabilities, and in a community that is over half Latino residents. Lessons learned here can be helpful in a variety of settings. Community engagement forum, community engagement processes, a debriefing using a seven-element feasibility framework, and trainee evaluations are key elements. A community engagement forum is a meeting to which community members and stakeholders from pertinent agencies are invited. Community engagement processes used include a steering committee made up of, and guided by community members which meets on a regular basis to prioritize and carry out responses to problems. Trainee evaluations are based on a set of questions to trigger open-ended responses. Lessons learned are based on assessments of initial and long-term outcomes of the community engagement processes in which families, community members, local officials and LEND trainees and faculty participate as well as by trainee participant-observations, end of year evaluations and trainee debriefings at the time of the initial community assessment forum

  10. Seducing, engaging and supporting communities at Achmea

    OpenAIRE

    Dignum, M.V.; Eeden, P. van

    2003-01-01

    This paper discusses the development of sponsored communities of practice at Achmea and their contribution to the strategic objectives of the organization. The development process, based on the empowerment of communities, stresses the role of the participants. The paper introduces the SES model (seduce, engage, support) for the development of CoPs. The distributed nature of CoPs at Achmea imposes extra demands and requirements on their design. The paper also discusses specific aspects related...

  11. Use of community engagement strategies to increase research participation in practice-based research networks (PBRNs).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spears, William; Tsoh, Janice Y; Potter, Michael B; Weller, Nancy; Brown, Anthony E; Campbell-Voytal, Kimberly; Getrich, Christina M; Sussman, Andrew L; Pascoe, John; Neale, Anne Victoria

    2014-01-01

    Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) are increasingly encouraged to use community engagement approaches. The extent to which PBRNs engage clinic and community partners in strategies to recruit and retain participants from their local communities (specifically racial/ethnic communities) is the focus of this study. The design was a cross-sectional survey of PBRN directors in the United States. Survey respondents indicated whether their research network planned for, implemented, and has capacity for activities that engage clinic and community partners in 7 recommended strategies organized into study phases, called the cycle of trust. The objectives of the national survey were to (1) describe the extent to which PBRNs across the United States routinely implement the strategies recommended for recruiting diverse patient groups and (2) identify factors associated with implementing the recommended strategies. The survey response rate was 63%. Activities that build trust often are used more with clinic partners than with community partners. PBRNs that adopt engagement strategies when working with clinic and community partners have less difficulty in recruiting diverse populations. Multivariate analysis showed that the targeting racial/ethnic communities for study recruitment, Clinical and Translational Science Award affiliation, and planning to use community engagement strategies were independent correlates of PBRN implementation of the recommended strategies. PBRNs that successfully engage racial/ethnic communities as research partners use community engagement strategies. New commitments are needed to support PBRN researchers in developing relationships with the communities in which their patients live. Stable PBRN infrastructure funding that appreciates the value of maintaining community engagement between funded studies is critical to the research enterprise that values translating research findings into generalizable care models for patients in the community.

  12. An International Dialogue on Community Colleges in a Changing World. [Symposium Report of] New Orleans Jam Session (New Orleans, Louisiana, January 8-9, 2002).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenfeld, Stuart; Liston, Cynthia

    This document details a symposium that brought together U.S., Canadian, and European experts, college leaders, and policy makers for an "International Dialogue on Community Colleges in a Changing World." Discussion centered on the following four topics: (1) Community colleges are the largest source of postsecondary education for…

  13. Libraries serving dialogue

    CERN Document Server

    Dupont, Odile

    2014-01-01

    This book based on experiences of libraries serving interreligious dialogue, presents themes like library tools serving dialogue between cultures, collections dialoguing, children and young adults dialoguing beyond borders, story telling as dialog, librarians serving interreligious dialogue.

  14. The impact of online brand community type on consumer's community engagement behaviors: consumer-created vs. marketer-created online brand community in online social-networking web sites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Doohwang; Kim, Hyuk Soo; Kim, Jung Kyu

    2011-01-01

    The current study proposed and tested a theoretical model of consumers' online brand community engagement behaviors, with particular attention given to online brand community type (consumer vs. marketer-created). By integrating attribution and social identity theories, this study investigated the causal linkages between intrinsic motives of altruism, social identification motivations, and online brand community engagement behaviors. The results showed that consumers' online brand community engagement intentions were indirectly influenced by the different types of communities through different levels of consumers' attributions to intrinsic motives of altruism. This study also found that, in the attribution processes, consumers' intrinsic motives of altruism motivated them to identify themselves socially with the online communities they join. Finally, this study demonstrated that the intrinsic motives of altruism and social identification motivations provided strong social incentives to motivate consumers to engage in subsequent online brand community behaviors.

  15. Community Engagement Studios: A Structured Approach to Obtaining Meaningful Input From Stakeholders to Inform Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joosten, Yvonne A; Israel, Tiffany L; Williams, Neely A; Boone, Leslie R; Schlundt, David G; Mouton, Charles P; Dittus, Robert S; Bernard, Gordon R; Wilkins, Consuelo H

    2015-12-01

    Engaging communities in research increases its relevance and may speed the translation of discoveries into improved health outcomes. Many researchers lack training to effectively engage stakeholders, whereas academic institutions lack infrastructure to support community engagement. In 2009, the Meharry-Vanderbilt Community-Engaged Research Core began testing new approaches for community engagement, which led to the development of the Community Engagement Studio (CE Studio). This structured program facilitates project-specific input from community and patient stakeholders to enhance research design, implementation, and dissemination. Developers used a team approach to recruit and train stakeholders, prepare researchers to engage with stakeholders, and facilitate an in-person meeting with both. The research core has implemented 28 CE Studios that engaged 152 community stakeholders. Participating researchers, representing a broad range of faculty ranks and disciplines, reported that input from stakeholders was valuable and that the CE Studio helped determine project feasibility and enhanced research design and implementation. Stakeholders found the CE Studio to be an acceptable method of engagement and reported a better understanding of research in general. A tool kit was developed to replicate this model and to disseminate this approach. The research core will collect data to better understand the impact of CE Studios on research proposal submissions, funding, research outcomes, patient and stakeholder engagement in projects, and dissemination of results. They will also collect data to determine whether CE Studios increase patient-centered approaches in research and whether stakeholders who participate have more trust and willingness to participate in research.

  16. Influencing consumer engagement in online customer communities: The role of interactivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mercy Mpinganjira

    2016-08-01

    Originality and value of research: Little research exists on consumer engagement, resulting in limited understanding of the concept as well as its antecedents. Focusing on online customer communities, this article contributes to addressing this gap in literature. Managers of online customer communities can use the findings to monitor levels of consumer engagement on their sites and find ways of enhancing it.

  17. Engaging youth and transferring knowledge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mantagaris, E.

    2011-01-01

    Youth engagement is a key component of the work of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) as it collaborates with Canadians to implement Adaptive Phased Management (APM), Canada's plan for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel. Knowledge transfer is an important aspect of APM implementation, which will span several decades and will need to be flexible enough to adjust to changing societal values and new information. By engaging youth, the NWMO is putting in place mechanisms for ongoing societal learning and capacity building, so that future generations will be well-equipped to make decisions and participate in future dialogues on APM. The NWMO convened a Youth Roundtable, comprised of 18- to 25-year-olds with a diversity of backgrounds and experience, to seek advice on the best approaches to engaging youth on this topic. In May 2009, the Roundtable presented its recommendations to the NWMO and its Advisory Council, providing valuable guidance on: development of dynamic messages and communications materials that will resonate with young people; use of new technologies and social media to engage youth where they are already connecting and conversing; and a range of activities to engage youth through the educational system and in their communities. The NWMO has begun to implement many of the Youth Roundtable recommendations and is developing longer-term implementation plans, including a framework for education and outreach to youth. Through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program, the NWMO is laying the foundation for greater science and technology literacy and enhanced community engagement among young Canadians. Additionally, the NWMO is working with Aboriginal peoples to develop strategies for further engagement of Aboriginal youth, as part of the organization's ongoing collaborative work with Aboriginal peoples that could be affected by the implementation of APM. Youth engagement will continue to be a NWMO priority moving

  18. Engaging youth and transferring knowledge

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mantagaris, E. [Nuclear Waste Management Organization, Toronto, ON (Canada)

    2011-07-01

    Youth engagement is a key component of the work of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) as it collaborates with Canadians to implement Adaptive Phased Management (APM), Canada's plan for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel. Knowledge transfer is an important aspect of APM implementation, which will span several decades and will need to be flexible enough to adjust to changing societal values and new information. By engaging youth, the NWMO is putting in place mechanisms for ongoing societal learning and capacity building, so that future generations will be well-equipped to make decisions and participate in future dialogues on APM. The NWMO convened a Youth Roundtable, comprised of 18- to 25-year-olds with a diversity of backgrounds and experience, to seek advice on the best approaches to engaging youth on this topic. In May 2009, the Roundtable presented its recommendations to the NWMO and its Advisory Council, providing valuable guidance on: development of dynamic messages and communications materials that will resonate with young people; use of new technologies and social media to engage youth where they are already connecting and conversing; and a range of activities to engage youth through the educational system and in their communities. The NWMO has begun to implement many of the Youth Roundtable recommendations and is developing longer-term implementation plans, including a framework for education and outreach to youth. Through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program, the NWMO is laying the foundation for greater science and technology literacy and enhanced community engagement among young Canadians. Additionally, the NWMO is working with Aboriginal peoples to develop strategies for further engagement of Aboriginal youth, as part of the organization's ongoing collaborative work with Aboriginal peoples that could be affected by the implementation of APM. Youth engagement will continue to be a NWMO priority moving

  19. Doing What we Know we Should: Engaged scholarship and community development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruce Muirhead

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available In Australia, engaged scholarship oriented towards community development objectives has yet to be recognised in funding regimes as being inherently beneficial in terms of scholarly excellence and university rankings. While the civic role of universities is acknowledged by individual universities, higher education management and at the Federal policy level, they are most often framed as funding problems related to ‘community service’ rather than as research opportunities which can raise the university’s profile by providing the basis for excellent research outputs and community enrichment. Community engagement has become a familiar term in the Australian higher education lexicon in recent years but there is still little institutional infrastructure that directly embodies the principles and sentiment of community engagement evident in current Australian universities. In this paper, the inaugural Director and Research Manager of the University of Queensland’s Community Service and Research Centre reflect on their five years leading a Centre that was/has been privileged to enjoy significant institutional support and the lessons learnt in forging into unknown territories. The reflections focus on the Centre’s seminal project, the Goodna Service Integration Project.

  20. Scars of disengagement: perspectives on community leadership and youth engagement in rural South Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Majee, Wilson; Jooste, Karien; Aziato, Lydia; Anakwe, Adaobi

    2017-08-01

    Given the emerging global youth disengagement epidemic, anticipated population growth, and the threat of continued rural-urban migration among young adults, recent research has focused on community leadership practice and the factors that influence youth engagement at the local level. Studying these practices and factors can elicit interventions that can improve youth engagement and youth health. This study engaged South African rural community leaders in interviews to collect perceptions and experiences on community leadership and factors that influence youth engagement and their health behaviors. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. Emergent themes are categorized into four domains: conceptualizations of leadership, current youth behaviors, barriers to youth engagement, and youth leadership opportunities and potential solutions. Findings demonstrate a clear grasp of the concept of community leadership among community leaders, and an awareness of the complex interplay of social, economic and environmental factors on youth disengagement and the potential interventions to promote more youth participation.

  1. Community engagement in the CTSA program: stakeholder responses from a national Delphi process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freeman, Elmer; Seifer, Sarena D; Stupak, Matthew; Martinez, Linda Sprague

    2014-06-01

    In response to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee's December 2012 public request for stakeholder input on the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program, two nonprofit organizations, the Center for Community Health Education Research and Service, Inc. (CCHERS) and Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH), solicited feedback from CTSA stakeholders using the Delphi method. Academic and community stakeholders were invited to participate in the Delphi, which is an exploratory method used for group consensus building. Six questions posed by the IOM Committee to an invited panel on community engagement were electronically sent to stakeholders. In Round 1 stakeholder responses were coded thematically and then tallied. Round 2 asked stakeholders to state their level of agreement with each of the themes using a Likert scale. Finally, in Round 3 the group was asked to rank the Round 2 based on potential impact for the CTSA program and implementation feasibility. The benefits of community engagement in clinical and translational research as well as the need to integrate community engagement across all components of the CTSA program were common themes. Respondents expressed skepticism as to the feasibility of strengthening CTSA community engagement. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Faculty perspectives on rewards and incentives for community-engaged work: A multinational exploratory study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Trang Vuong

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Universities around the world are grappling with the challenge of how to best recognise and support community-engaged teaching, research and scholarship. The status quo reveals two major problems: many faculty members express the sentiment that such work is often discounted, and there is a dearth of available information on faculty perspectives at non-US, especially non-Western, institutions. Understanding faculty needs and perceptions may help institutions improve reward systems and community research and engagement. Also, filling the information gap between the Global North and Global South may help policy-makers and educators make higher education more civically engaged and socially responsible. As a global coalition of universities moving beyond the ivory tower, the Talloires Network (TN is uniquely positioned to provide support for and conduct research on community-engaged work. To better understand engaged faculty attitudes about rewards and incentives, TN launched a pilot survey involving 14 institutions in 11 countries. All of these institutions are members of TN, an international association of 368 institutions in 77 countries committed to strengthening civic engagement. Thirty-eight respondents were chosen based on diverse recruiting requirements. This exploratory study highlights some common opinions about what kind of faculty work is encouraged; whether institutional policies regarding engaged work exist; and how community-engaged work is perceived by colleagues. More importantly, this study contributes to the design and administration of larger surveys on community-engaged work.

  3. Community engagement and social licence to operate

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dare, Melanie (Lain); Schirmer, Jacki; Vanclay, Frank

    2014-01-01

    Achieving ‘a social licence to operate’ is important for organisations with long time horizons, high exposure to global markets and with a wide range of interested stakeholders. Community engagement is critical to achieve a social licence to operate, but its capacity to influence social licence is

  4. Inter-religious dialogue in schools: A pedagogical and civic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    p1243322

    learners) should be allowed to engage in inter-religious dialogue as .... Religious leaders study the dogmas, ... All people share certain primordial questions at a ... This leads to the conviction that human behaviour can be perfected through ..... should also have the potential to bind them together as citizens of the same.

  5. Engaging 'communities': anthropological insights from the West African Ebola epidemic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkinson, A; Parker, M; Martineau, F; Leach, M

    2017-05-26

    The recent Ebola epidemic in West Africa highlights how engaging with the sociocultural dimensions of epidemics is critical to mounting an effective outbreak response. Community engagement was pivotal to ending the epidemic and will be to post-Ebola recovery, health system strengthening and future epidemic preparedness and response. Extensive literatures in the social sciences have emphasized how simple notions of community, which project solidarity onto complex hierarchies and politics, can lead to ineffective policies and unintended consequences at the local level, including doing harm to vulnerable populations. This article reflects on the nature of community engagement during the Ebola epidemic and demonstrates a disjuncture between local realities and what is being imagined in post-Ebola reports about the lessons that need to be learned for the future. We argue that to achieve stated aims of building trust and strengthening outbreak response and health systems, public health institutions need to reorientate their conceptualization of 'the community' and develop ways of working which take complex social and political relationships into account.This article is part of the themed issue 'The 2013-2016 West African Ebola epidemic: data, decision-making and disease control'. © 2017 The Authors.

  6. Using deliberative techniques to engage the community in policy development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gregory, Judy; Hartz-Karp, Janette; Watson, Rebecca

    2008-07-16

    This paper examines work in deliberative approaches to community engagement used in Western Australia by the Department of Planning and Infrastructure and other planning and infrastructure agencies between 2001 and 2005, and considers whether the techniques could be applied to the development of health policy in Australia. Deliberative processes were used in WA to address specific planning and infrastructure problems. Using deliberative techniques, community participants contributed to joint decision making and policy development. Outcomes from deliberative processes were seriously considered by the Minister and used to influence policy decisions. In many cases, the recommendations generated through deliberative processes were fully adopted by the Minister. The experiences in WA demonstrate that deliberative engagement processes can be successfully implemented by government and can be used to guide policy. The techniques can be adapted to suit the context and issues experienced by a portfolio, and the skills required to conduct deliberative processes can be fostered amongst the portfolio's staff. Health policy makers may be able to learn from the experiences in WA, and adopt approaches to community engagement that allow for informed deliberation and debate in the community about the future of Australia's health system.

  7. Community Engagement for Collective Resilience: The Rising System

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-01

    Threat: Congressional Research Service, 2011. 43 Eileen Sullivan, “New White House Strategy to Hit Violent Extremism,” Associated Press, August 3, 2011...Yvonne Lewis, Ella Greene-Moton, Jo Anne Grunbaum, and Barbara Gray , “Community Engagement in Preventive Research: The Centers for Disease Control and...Community Policing Evaluation Consortium, 2004. Sullivan, Eileen . “New White House Strategy to Hit Violent Extremism,” Associated Press, August 3

  8. The Film in Language Teaching Association (FILTA): A Multilingual Community of Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herrero, Carmen

    2016-01-01

    This article presents the Film in Language Teaching Association (FILTA) project, a community of practice (CoP) whose main goals are first to engage language teachers in practical uses of film and audio-visual media in the second language classroom; second, to value the artistic features of cinema; and third, to encourage a dialogue between…

  9. Working Together to Support English Language Learners: School-Family-Community Engagement. PERC Research Brief

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, Rosemary; Reumann-Moore, Rebecca; Rowland, Jeannette; Lin, Joshua

    2016-01-01

    When schools, families, and communities work together, student outcomes are better. This brief focuses on the ways family and community engagement can enhance schools' efforts to improve outcomes for ELLs and highlights specific strategies schools can use to more effectively engage families and communities.

  10. Comparing Community College Student and Faculty Perceptions of Student Engagement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Senn-Carter, Darian

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare faculty and student perceptions of "student engagement" at a mid-Atlantic community college to determine the level of correlation between student experiences and faculty practices in five benchmark areas of student engagement: "academic challenge, student-faculty interaction,…

  11. Community engagement among men who have sex with men living with HIV/AIDS in Taiwan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chuang, Deng-Min; Lacombe-Duncan, Ashley

    2016-01-01

    Community engagement was developed as a global principle in the provision of HIV/AIDS services, yet evidence-based research of implementation of the principle is lacking in Taiwan. This short report aims to understand factors associated with engagement in two types of activities with varying levels of visibility: HIV-related community events and HIV-related community action, in Taiwanese men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV. A cross-sectional survey was distributed to a purposive sample of participants recruited from AIDS service organizations (ASOs). Among participants (n = 178), 63.6% were involved in HIV-related community events, while less than half (47.7%) were involved in HIV-related community action. In multivariable analysis, age, involvement in ASOs, and AIDS knowledge were positively associated with engagement in community events, and living in the north of Taiwan, years of infection, and self-stigma were negatively associated with this type of engagement. Few factors, with the exception of involvement in ASOs, were positively associated with engagement in HIV-related community action. To this end, ASOs appear to play a strong role in improving and organizing both types of community engagement in Taiwan. Future studies should evaluate tailored programs delivered through ASOs for strengthening community connectedness among younger, stigmatized, and longer diagnosed MSM living with HIV.

  12. Community dialogues for child health: results from a qualitative process evaluation in three countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Sandrine; Leitão, Jordana; Muhangi, Denis; Nuwa, Anthony; Magul, Dieterio; Counihan, Helen

    2017-06-05

    Across the developing world, countries are increasingly adopting the integrated community case management of childhood illnesses (iCCM) strategy in efforts to reduce child mortality. This intervention's effectiveness is dependent on community adoption and changes in care-seeking practices. We assessed the implementation process of a theory-driven community dialogue (CD) intervention specifically designed to strengthen the support and uptake of the newly introduced iCCM services and related behaviours in three African countries. A qualitative process evaluation methodology was chosen and used secondary project data and primary data collected in two districts of each of the three countries, in purposefully sampled communities. The final data set included 67 focus group discussions and 57 key informant interviews, totalling 642 respondents, including caregivers, CD facilitators community leaders, and trainers. Thematic analysis of the data followed the 'Framework Approach' utilising both a deduction and induction process. Results show that CDs contribute to triggering community uptake of and support for iCCM services through filling health information gaps and building cooperation within communities. We found it to be an effective approach for addressing social norms around child care practices. This approach was embraced by communities for its flexibility and value in planning individual and collective change. Regular CDs can contribute to the formation of new habits, particularly in relation to seeking timely care in case of child sickness. This study also confirms the value of process evaluation to unwrap the mechanisms of community mobilisation approaches in context and provides key insights for improving the CD approach.

  13. The Relationship of Social Engagement and Social Support With Sense of Community.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Fengyan; Chi, Iris; Dong, Xinqi

    2017-07-01

    We aimed to investigate the relationship of engagement in social and cognitive activities and social support with the sense of community (SOC) and its components among older Chinese Americans. The Sense of Community Index (SCI) was used to measure SOC and its four component factors: membership, influence, needs fulfillment, and emotional connection. Social engagement was assessed with 16 questions. Social support included positive support and negative strain. Principal component analysis was used to identify the SCI components. Linear regression analysis was used to detect the contribution of social engagement and social support to SOC and its components. After controlling for sociodemographics and self-rated health, social activity engagement and positive social support were positively related to SOC and its components. This study points to the importance of social activity engagement and positive support from family and friends in increasing the sense of community. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Inter-religious dialogue in schools: A pedagogical and civic unavoidability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Abdool

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available Social and civic conflict inspired by the fundamental convictions of different religious groups seems to be rife all over the world, also in schools. One way of addressing this problem is to promote inter-religious dialogue. To establish the viability of this solution, the authors take several steps. They analyze the phenomenon “religion” and discover that it is constituted of several layers or levels that have to be accounted for in the proposed inter-religious dialogue in schools. After discussing the term “dialogue” they consider several approaches to religious diversity or plurality to find a suitable basis for the proposed inter-religious dialogue in schools. Based on these analyses, the authors argue that schools (teacher-educators and learners should be allowed to engage in inter-religious dialogue as part of their pedagogical and civic duty. This will ensure a better understanding of others and their religions, also at the deepest spiritual level. Such comprehension can contribute to the more peaceful co-existence of people in religiously pluralist societies.

  15. The rules of engagement

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Davies, Sarah Rachael

    2013-01-01

    This article reflects on the “dialogic turn,” focusing on one analytical framework for understanding the wide range of processes that fall under the rubric of engagement. The notion of power-in-interaction is explored using a case study of informal dialogue, the Dana Centre, London. Using...... that imposed hierarchies are continually re-negotiated. In concluding I reflect on some implications of using power in the analysis of engagement....

  16. Community pharmacists as educators in Danish residential facilities: a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mygind, Anna; El-Souri, Mira; Pultz, Kirsten; Rossing, Charlotte; Thomsen, Linda A

    2017-08-01

    To explore experiences with engaging community pharmacists in educational programmes on quality and safety in medication handling in residential facilities for the disabled. A secondary analysis of data from two Danish intervention studies where community pharmacists were engaged in educational programmes. Data included 10 semi-structured interviews with staff, five semi-structured interviews and three open-ended questionnaires with residential facility managers, and five open-ended questionnaires to community pharmacists. Data were thematically coded to identify key points pertaining to the themes 'pharmacists as educators' and 'perceived effects of engaging pharmacists in competence development'. As educators, pharmacists were successful as medicines experts. Some pharmacists experienced pedagogical challenges. Previous teaching experience and obtained knowledge of the local residential facility before teaching often provided sufficient pedagogical skills and tailored teaching to local needs. Effects of engaging community pharmacists included in most instances improved cooperation between residential facilities and community pharmacies through a trustful relationship and improved dialogue about the residents' medication. Other effects included a perception of improved patient safety, teaching skills and branding of the pharmacy. Community pharmacists provide a resource to engage in educational programmes on medication handling in residential facilities, which may facilitate improved cooperation between community pharmacies and residential facilities. However, development of pedagogical competences and understandings of local settings are prerequisites for facilities and pharmacists to experience the programmes as successful. © 2016 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

  17. Using Participatory Learning & Action (PLA) research techniques for inter-stakeholder dialogue in primary healthcare: an analysis of stakeholders' experiences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Brún, T; O'Reilly-de Brún, M; Van Weel-Baumgarten, E; Burns, N; Dowrick, C; Lionis, C; O'Donnell, C; Mair, F S; Papadakaki, M; Saridaki, A; Spiegel, W; Van Weel, C; Van den Muijsenbergh, M; MacFarlane, A

    2017-01-01

    aspects of primary healthcare. Participatory methodologies have the potential to support engagement and dialogue between stakeholders from academic, migrant community and health service settings. This paper focuses on a specific participatory research methodology, Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) in which all stakeholders are regarded as equal partners and collaborators in research.Our research question for this paper was: "Does the application of PLA lead to meaningful engagement of all stakeholders, and if so, what elements contribute to a positive and productive inter-stakeholder dialogue?". Methods We explored the use of PLA in RESTORE, a European FP7-funded project, during 2011-2015 in 5 countries: Austria, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands and the UK. The objective of RESTORE was to investigate and support the implementation of guidelines and training initiatives (G/TIs) to enhance communication in cross-cultural primary care consultations with migrants.Seventy eight stakeholders (migrants, interpreters, doctors, nurses and others - see Table 2) participated in a total of 62 PLA sessions (discussions, activities, evaluations) of approximately 2-3 h' duration across the five sites. During the fieldwork, qualitative data were generated about stakeholders' experiences of engagement in this dialogue, by means of various methods including participatory evaluations, researchers' fieldwork reports and researcher interviews. These were analysed following the principles of thematic analysis. Results Stakeholders involved in PLA inter-stakeholder dialogues reported a wide range of positive experiences of engagement, and very few negative experiences. A positive atmosphere during early research sessions helped to create a sense of safety and trust. This enabled stakeholders from very different backgrounds, with different social status and power, to offer their perspectives in a way that led to enhanced learning in the group - they learned with and from each other. This

  18. Pragmatic epistemology and the community of engaged actors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prodanović Srđan

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper I will explore the relation between engagement and social science. I will try to argue that positivist epistemology found in the early days of social sciences still greatly influences our understanding of social engagement. In the first part of the paper, I will analyze the epistemology of social sciences advocated by Fourier and Saint-Simon and try to show that, for them, scientific method was primarily the means for taming social change, as well as projecting private desires and plans onto the public sphere. In the second part, I will offer an alternative account of social engagement using the epistemic role of the community found in pragmatism.

  19. Science Center Public Forums: Engaging Lay-Publics in Resilience Deliberations Through Informal Science Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sittenfeld, D.; Choi, F.; Farooque, M.; Helmuth, B.

    2017-12-01

    Because climate hazards present a range of potential impacts and considerations for different kinds of stakeholders, community responses to increase resilience are best considered through the inclusion of diverse, informed perspectives. The Science Center Public Forums project has created multifaceted modules to engage diverse publics in substantive deliberations around four hazards: heat waves, drought, extreme precipitation, and sea level rise. Using a suite of background materials including visualization and narrative components, each of these daylong dialogues engage varied groups of lay-participants at eight US science centers in learning about hazard vulnerabilities and tradeoffs of proposed strategies for building resilience. Participants listen to and consider the priorities and perspectives of fellow residents and stakeholders, and work together to formulate detailed resilience plans reflecting both current science and informed public values. Deliverables for the project include visualizations of hazard vulnerabilities and strategies through immersive planetarium graphics and Google Earth, stakeholder perspective narratives, and detailed background materials for each project hazard. This session will: communicate the process for developing the hazard modules with input from subject matter experts, outline the process for iterative revisions based upon findings from formative focus groups, share results generated by participants of the project's first two pilot forums, and describe plans for broader implementation. These activities and outcomes could help to increase the capacity of informal science education institutions as trusted conveners for informed community dialogue by educating residents about vulnerabilities and engaging them in critical thinking about potential policy responses to critical climate hazards while sharing usable public values and priorities with civic planners.

  20. Using health information technology to engage communities in health, education, and research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marriott, Lisa K; Nelson, David A; Allen, Shauntice; Calhoun, Karen; Eldredge, Christina E; Kimminau, Kim S; Lucero, Robert J; Pineda-Reyes, Fernando; Rumala, Bernice B; Varanasi, Arti P; Wasser, June S; Shannon, Jackilen

    2012-02-01

    The August 2011 Clinical and Translational Science Awards conference "Using IT to Improve Community Health: How Health Care Reform Supports Innovation" convened four "Think Tank" sessions. Thirty individuals, representing various perspectives on community engagement, attended the "Health information technology (HIT) as a resource to improve community health and education" session, which focused on using HIT to improve patient health, education, and research involvement. Participants discussed a range of topics using a semistructured format. This article describes themes and lessons that emerged from that session, with a particular focus on using HIT to engage communities to improve health and reduce health disparities in populations.

  1. Bringing bike share to a low-income community: lessons learned through community engagement, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2011.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kretman Stewart, Sarah; Johnson, David C; Smith, William P

    2013-08-15

    High prevalence of physical inactivity contributes to adverse health outcomes. Active transportation (cycling or walking) is associated with better health outcomes, and bike-sharing programs can help communities increase use of active transportation. The Minneapolis Health Department funded the Nice Ride Minnesota bike share system to expand to the Near North community in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Near North is a diverse, low-income area of the city where residents experience health disparities, including disparities in physical activity levels. The installation of new bike share kiosks in Near North resulted in an environmental change to support physical activity. Community engagement was conducted pre-intervention only and consisted of focus groups, community meetings, and interviews. Postintervention data on bike share trips and subscribers were collected to assess intervention effectiveness. Focus group participants offered insights on facilitators and barriers to bike share and suggested system improvements. Community engagement efforts showed that Near North residents were positive about Nice Ride and wanted to use the system; however, the numbers of trips and subscriptions in Near North were low. Results show that the first season of the expansion was moderately successful in improving outreach efforts and adapting bike share to meet the needs of low-income populations. However, environmental change without adequate, ongoing community engagement may not be sufficient to result in behavior change.

  2. Competency-Based Faculty Development in Community-Engaged Scholarship: A Diffusion of Innovation Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jordan, Catherine; Doherty, William J.; Jones-Webb, Rhonda; Cook, Nancy; Dubrow, Gail; Mendenhall, Tai J.

    2012-01-01

    The authors utilized interviews, competency surveys, and document review to evaluate the effectiveness of a one-year, cohort-based faculty development pilot program, grounded in diffusion of innovations theory, and aimed at increasing competencies in community engagement and community-engaged scholarship. Five innovator participants designed the…

  3. Exploring the Mediating Effect of E-social Capital Between Community Members Interaction and Consumer Engagement

    OpenAIRE

    Yan Bingsheng; Li Lihua; Sun Hongtao

    2017-01-01

    This article explored the effect of instrumental interaction and relational interaction on consumer engagement (community engagement and brand engagement) among community members. The mediating effect of E-social capital was investigated as well. The research results showed that: both instrumental interaction and interpersonal interaction promote the formation of E-social capital (online trust and online reciprocity); online trust plays a partial mediating role between community interaction (...

  4. Barriers and Strategies to Engaging Our Community-Based Preceptors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graziano, Scott C; McKenzie, Margaret L; Abbott, Jodi F; Buery-Joyner, Samantha D; Craig, LaTasha B; Dalrymple, John L; Forstein, David A; Hampton, Brittany S; Page-Ramsey, Sarah M; Pradhan, Archana; Wolf, Abigail; Hopkins, Laura

    2018-03-26

    This article, from the "To the Point" series that is prepared by the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics Undergraduate Medical Education Committee, is a review of commonly cited barriers to recruiting and retaining community-based preceptors in undergraduate medical education and potential strategies to overcome them. Community-based preceptors have traditionally served as volunteer, nonsalaried faculty, with academic institutions relying on intrinsic teaching rewards to sustain this model. However, increasing numbers of learners, the burdens of incorporating the electronic medical record in practice, and increasing demands for clinical productivity are making recruitment and retention of community-based preceptors more challenging. General challenges to engaging preceptors, as well as those unique to women's health, are discussed. Potential solutions are reviewed, including alternative recruitment strategies, faculty development to emphasize efficient teaching practices in the ambulatory setting, offers of online educational resources, and opportunities to incorporate students in value-added roles. Through examples cited in this review, clerkship directors and medical school administrators should have a solid foundation to actively engage their community-based preceptors.

  5. Determine small and medium enterprise social media activities: A community engagement project in the Tshwane community

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Louise van Scheers

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to determine small and medium enterprise (SME social media activities and promote CE scholarship engagement. It is a community engagement project conducted in the Tshwane community. Community engagement (CE as a planned process with the specific purpose of working with identified groups of people in the community to address issues affecting their well-being. The CE project SME skills transfer workshops are aimed at expanding involvement with the community. The benefits of social media seem to be ignored by most SMEs however; challenges prevent SME owners from using the tool effectively. A survey study method of research design has been selected for the research. The sample for the study comprised 200 SME owners who currently manage small businesses in the Tshwane area. The conducted research recommends that social media can be cost effective if the SMEs make use of their social networks and use best practises that enable them to get their adverts or posts shared across social networks. The conducted research also recommends that SMEs with limited resources start with social media and YouTube as a marketing tool, as the learning curve is low and cost involved is almost nil.

  6. Thriving despite adversity: Job engagement and self-care among community nurses

    OpenAIRE

    Vinje, Hege Forbech

    2007-01-01

    Background: Community nursing in Norway has become an increasingly stressful occupation and many nurses who experience symptoms of burnout leave the profession. Yet others manage to cope with the adversity of nursing. This study addressed the question ‘how and why do nurses in community health care experience job engagement and stay healthy – and what can we learn from those who succeed?’ The assumption underlying this study was that job engagement is health promoting, and the ...

  7. Increasing Resilience Through Engagement In Sea Level Rise Community Science Initiatives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chilton, L. A.; Rindge, H.

    2017-12-01

    Science literate and engaged members of the public, including students, are critical to building climate resilient communities. USC Sea Grant facilitates programs that work to build and strengthen these connections. The Urban Tides Community Science Initiative (Urban Tides) and the Youth Exploring Sea Level Rise Science Program (YESS) engage communities across the boundaries of public engagement, K-12 education, and informal education. YESS is an experiential sea level rise education program that combines classroom learning, field investigations and public presentations. Students explore sea level rise using a new curricula, collect their own data on sea level rise, develop communication products, and present their findings to city governments, researchers, and others. Urban Tides engages community members, informal education centers, K-12 students, and local government leaders in a citizen science program photo- documenting extreme high tides, erosion and coastal flooding in Southern California. Images provide critical information to help calibrate scientific models used to identify locations vulnerable to damage from future sea level rise. These tools and information enable community leaders and local governments to set priorities, guidelines, and update policies as they plan strategies that will help the region adapt. The program includes a mobile app for data collection, an open database to view photos, a lesson plan, and community beach walks. Urban Tides has led to an increase in data and data-gathering capacity for regional scientists, an increase in public participation in science, and an increase in ocean and climate literacy among initiative participants. Both of these programs bring informed and diverse voices into the discussion of how to adapt and build climate resilient communities. USC Sea Grant will share impacts and lessons learned from these two unique programs.

  8. THE PRACTICES AND APPROACHES OF INTERFAITH DIALOGUE AT LEICESTER, UK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Faizuddin Ramli

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The diversity of human is one of the God's. With the diversity, people from different religions, ethnics, and cultures can live together and sharing the good values. However, it can only be achieved with dialogue which is perceived as the best mechanism to build mutual understanding and respect with each other. In the context of Leicester, which located in the East Midlands of England, the practices of interfaith dialogue are implemented successfully till today. There are a lot of organizations and people who are involved and organizing interfaith dialogue activities with different approaches. This article will discuss about the practices and approaches of interfaith dialogue in Leicester. The method used in this research was qualitative, which included literature review, observation and participation, and particularly interviews with fifteen people who represented interfaith organization and religious community in Leicester. The findings show the practices of interfaith dialogue have been organized with different types of approaches. In addition, it can be deliberated as a good model of interfaith dialogue particularly for those who want to involve in these activities.

  9. Does forest certification enhance community engagement in Australian plantation management?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dare, Melanie (Lain); Vanclay, Frank; Schirmer, Jacki

    The rapid expansion of timber plantations across Australia has been contentious, with ongoing debate in rural communities about the social, economic and environmental impacts of plantations. The need for effective and ongoing community engagement (CE) has been highlighted by this ongoing contention

  10. Improving healthcare for Aboriginal Australians through effective engagement between community and health services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durey, Angela; McEvoy, Suzanne; Swift-Otero, Val; Taylor, Kate; Katzenellenbogen, Judith; Bessarab, Dawn

    2016-07-07

    Effectively addressing health disparities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians is long overdue. Health services engaging Aboriginal communities in designing and delivering healthcare is one way to tackle the issue. This paper presents findings from evaluating a unique strategy of community engagement between local Aboriginal people and health providers across five districts in Perth, Western Australia. Local Aboriginal community members formed District Aboriginal Health Action Groups (DAHAGs) to collaborate with health providers in designing culturally-responsive healthcare. The purpose of the strategy was to improve local health service delivery for Aboriginal Australians. The evaluation aimed to identify whether the Aboriginal community considered the community engagement strategy effective in identifying their health service needs, translating them to action by local health services and increasing their trust in these health services. Participants were recruited using purposive sampling. Qualitative data was collected from Aboriginal participants and health service providers using semi-structured interviews or yarning circles that were recorded, transcribed and independently analysed by two senior non-Aboriginal researchers. Responses were coded for key themes, further analysed for similarities and differences between districts and cross-checked by the senior lead Aboriginal researcher to avoid bias and establish reliability in interpreting the data. Three ethics committees approved conducting the evaluation. Findings from 60 participants suggested the engagement process was effective: it was driven and owned by the Aboriginal community, captured a broad range of views and increased Aboriginal community participation in decisions about their healthcare. It built community capacity through regular community forums and established DAHAGs comprising local Aboriginal community members and health service representatives who met quarterly and were

  11. Essential elements for community engagement in evidence-based youth violence prevention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miao, Tai-An; Umemoto, Karen; Gonda, Deanna; Hishinuma, Earl S

    2011-09-01

    In the field of youth violence prevention, there has been increasing emphasis on "evidence based" programs and principles shown through scientific research as reaching their intended outcomes. Community mobilization and engagement play a critical role in many evidence-based programs and strategies, as it takes a concerted effort among a wide range of people within a community to alter behavior and maintain behavioral change. How do concerned individuals and groups within a community engage others within and outside of that community to effectively plan, develop and implement appropriate EB programs as well as evaluate the outcomes and impacts of locally developed programs yet to be proven? The authors discuss five elements essential for community engagement in evidence-based youth violence prevention based on their work in a university-community partnership through the Asian/Pacific Islander Youth Violence Prevention Center (API Center), a National Academic Center for Excellence on Youth Violence Prevention Center supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They include: (a) aligning EBPs with a community's shared vision and values; (b) establishing an inclusive environment for the planning, implementation and evaluation of EBPs; (c) nurturing collaboration for increased effectiveness and efficacy of EBPs; (d) building adequate leadership and community capacity to develop and sustain EBPs; and (e) building a learning community for evaluation and self-reflection. The authors propose placing greater emphasis on "evaluative thinking" and organizational capacity for evaluation as we pursue evidence-based practices for youth violence prevention. This is especially important for ethnic groups for which an evidence base is not well established.

  12. Measuring work engagement among community health workers in Sierra Leone: Validating the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frédérique Vallières

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available This study examines the concept of volunteer work engagement in a sample of 334 community health workers in Bonthe District, Sierra Leone. Structural equation modelling was used to validate both the 9-item and the 17-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9 and UWES-17, respectively. Results assessing the UWES-17 invalidated the three-factor structure within this cohort of community health workers, as high correlations were found between latent factors. Findings for the validity of the UWES-9 were largely consistent with those of the UWES-17. Model fit for the UWES-9 were generally equivalent for the one-factor, three-factor, and bifactor solutions, however the three-factor model was once again rejected due to high factor correlations. Based on these results, the current sample provides evidence that work engagement is best represented as a unidimensional construct in this context. Findings are considered alongside previous research to offer support for the utilization of the shortened UWES-9 in this context, as it appears to provide a good representation of work engagement and possess a parsimonious unidimensional scoring scheme.

  13. University student social media use and its influence on offline engagement in higher educational communities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karen Sutherland

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Previous research has emphasised social media adoption by students and the implementation of social media by educators, yet few studies have explored whether students are using it to facilitate engagement in offline environments with peers within university communities. Studies suggest engagement in educational communities and extra-curricular activities can reduce student attrition. This study surveyed 106 undergraduate students to investigate whether students using social media to interact online with their university felt: (i connected to the broader university community, and (ii social media helped them engage offline by meeting up with peers and attending university events. The results indicated that the majority (82% never or rarely used the technology to facilitate offline engagement within their academic communities. Fourth year students were most likely to use social media to engage offline (66.7%. However, more than half of students (52.8% felt that university social media profiles helped them to feel part of their academic community.

  14. Building dialogue POMDPs from expert dialogues an end-to-end approach

    CERN Document Server

    Chinaei, Hamidreza

    2016-01-01

    This book discusses the Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) framework applied in dialogue systems. It presents POMDP as a formal framework to represent uncertainty explicitly while supporting automated policy solving. The authors propose and implement an end-to-end learning approach for dialogue POMDP model components. Starting from scratch, they present the state, the transition model, the observation model and then finally the reward model from unannotated and noisy dialogues. These altogether form a significant set of contributions that can potentially inspire substantial further work. This concise manuscript is written in a simple language, full of illustrative examples, figures, and tables. Provides insights on building dialogue systems to be applied in real domain Illustrates learning dialogue POMDP model components from unannotated dialogues in a concise format Introduces an end-to-end approach that makes use of unannotated and noisy dialogue for learning each component of dialogue POM...

  15. UNAVCO's Education and Community Engagement Program: Evaluating Five years of Geoscience Education and Community Outreach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charlevoix, D. J.; Dutilly, E.

    2017-12-01

    In 2013, UNAVCO, a facility co-sponsored by the NSF and NASA, received a five-year award from the NSF: Geodesy Advancing Geosciences and EarthScope (GAGE). Under GAGE, UNAVCO's Education and Community Engagement (ECE) program conducts outreach and education activities, in essence broader impacts for the scientific community and public. One major challenge of this evaluation was the breadth and depth of the dozens of projects conducted by the ECE program under the GAGE award. To efficiently solve this problem of a large-scale program evaluation, we adopted a deliberative democratic (DD) approach that afforded UNAVCO ECE staff a prominent voice in the process. The evaluator directed staff members to chose the projects they wished to highlight as case studies of their finest broader impacts work. The DD approach prizes inclusion, dialogue, and deliberation. The evaluator invited ECE staff to articulate qualities of great programs and develop a case study of their most valuable broader impacts work. To anchor the staff's opinion in more objectivity than opinion, the evaluator asked each staff member to articulate exemplary qualities of their chosen project, discuss how these qualities fit their case study, and helped staff to develop data collection systems that lead to an evidence-based argument in support of their project's unique value. The results of this evaluation show that the individual ECE work areas specialized in certain kinds of projects. However, when viewed at the aggregate level, ECE projects spanned almost the entire gamut of NSF broader impacts categories. Longitudinal analyses show that since the beginning of the GAGE award, many projects grew in impact from year 1 to year 5. While roughly half of the ECE projects were prior work projects, by year five at least 33% of projects were newly developed under GAGE. All selected case studies exemplified how education and outreach work can be productively tied to UNAVCO's core mission of promoting geodesy.

  16. Community Health Warriors: Marshallese Community Health Workers' Perceptions and Experiences with CBPR and Community Engagement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purvis, Rachel S; Bing, Williamina Ioanna; Jacob, Christopher J; Lang, Sharlynn; Mamis, Sammie; Ritok, Mandy; Rubon-Chutaro, Jellesen; McElfish, Pearl Anna

    2017-01-01

    Our manuscript highlights the viewpoints and reflections of the native Marshallese community health workers (CHWs) engaged in research with the local Marshallese community in Northwest Arkansas. In particular, this paper documents the vital role Marshallese CHWs play in the success of programs and research efforts. The negative health effects of nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands has been passed down through many generations, along with unfavorable attitudes toward the U.S. government and researchers. However, the community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach used by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has allowed the native Marshallese CHWs to become advocates for the Marshallese community. The use of native CHWs has also leveled the power dynamics that can be a barrier to community-based research, and has strengthened trust with community stakeholders. Our paper shows how using Marshallese CHWs can produce positive health outcomes for the Marshallese community.

  17. Living with conflicts in Ghana's Prestea mining area: Is community engagement the answer?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Obed Adonteng-Kissi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Large scale mines acknowledge that their continuous existence in indigenous communities is threatened without the cooperation and support of local people. In recent times, large-scale mines have attempted to secure Social License to Operate (SLO and ensure sustainable development (SD by reconciling business interests with local needs and aspirations. Accomplishing local cooperation and support without threatening business interest remains a top priority for the large-scale mines. Community engagement forms part of the broader Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR policy initiatives which are often promoted as a way of enhancing sustainable development. This paper examines the local perceptions of the design and application of Golden Star Resources' (GSR community engagement program. This paper contends that this community engagement model has a positive impact on conflict management regardless of age, sex, education, marital status and occupation of participants. However, presently the model remains symbolic and has not yet attain the status of a real functional strategy since many of local grievances that result in clashes are unresolved. Furthermore, it is believed that GSR's community engagement program is not adequately developed, systematic or moulded to achieve the exact or intended community relation. This paper further contends that the dominant sources and causes of conflict in Prestea is land use conflicts and environmental impact issues.

  18. Public health program planning logic model for community engaged type 2 diabetes management and prevention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    West, Joseph F

    2014-02-01

    Diabetes remains a growing epidemic with widening health inequity gaps in disease management, self-management knowledge, access to care and outcomes. Yet there is a paucity of evaluation tools for community engaged interventions aimed at closing the gaps and improving health. The Guide to Community Preventive Services (the Community Guide) developed by the Task Force on Community Preventive Services (the Task Force) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends two healthcare system level interventions, case management interventions and disease management programs, to improve glycemic control. However, as a public health resource guide for diabetes interventions a model for community engagement is a glaringly absent component of the Community Guide recommendations. In large part there are few evidence-based interventions featuring community engagement as a practice and system-level focus of chronic disease and Type 2 diabetes management. The central argument presented in this paper is that the absence of these types of interventions is due to the lack of tools for modeling and evaluating such interventions, especially among disparate and poor populations. A conceptual model emphasizing action-oriented micro-level community engagement is needed to complement the Community Guide and serve as the basis for testing and evaluation of these kinds of interventions. A unique logic model advancing the Community Guide diabetes recommendations toward measureable and sustainable community engagement for improved Type 2 diabetes outcomes is presented. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Dialogue-Based Activities and Manipulatives to Engage Liberal Arts Majors in Mathematics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Price, James C.

    2015-01-01

    This article presents four inquiry-based learning activities developed for a liberal arts math course. The activities cover four topics: the Pythagorean theorem, interest theory, optimization, and the Monty Hall problem. Each activity consists of a dialogue, with a theme and characters related to the topic, and a manipulative, that allow students…

  20. The First Wave of Community-Engaged Institutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sandmann, Lorilee R.; Thornton, Courtney H.; Jaeger, Audrey J.

    2009-01-01

    In nature, waves are transmitters of energy. Once the energy moves through the medium, that medium often returns to its previous state. The first wave of community-engaged institutions has transmitted great energy across the U.S. higher education system. And in contrast to what occurs in nature, these classified institutions often do not go back…

  1. Dialogue Systems and Dialogue Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-12-01

    users) UNCLASSIFIED DST-Group-TR-3331 UNCLASSIFIED 1 1. Introduction The motivation behind an investigation into spoken dialogue systems lies with...characteristics can form the basis of a user model or motivate the use of an alternative dialogue strategy to cater for users based on what the system ...2007) in their use of POMDPs implicitly capture what system actions are desired by associating them with large positive rewards , and negative

  2. Engaging with users

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Riisberg, Vibeke; Bang, Anne Louise

    with the biggest sense organ – our skin. Thus, the aim of our research is to develop new dialogue tools for teaching fashion and textile students in order to stimulate new ways of thinking and engaging with users. By developing and employing participatory design methods in the field of fashion and textiles, we...

  3. Service Learning as a Response to Community/School Engagement: Towards a Pedagogy of Engagement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexander, Gregg; Khabanyane, Mokhethi

    2013-01-01

    The promulgation of the White Paper on Higher Education (1997) necessitated Higher Education Institutions (HEis) in South Africa to avail their expertise in their human resources and physical infrastructure for service learning and community engagement initiatives, in the interest of demonstrating social responsibility, collaborative partnerships…

  4. Intercultural Identity and Inter-Religious Dialogue: A Holy Place to Be?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolf, Alain

    2012-01-01

    The paper critically engages with contemporary theories of intercultural and inter-religious dialogue found in the areas of linguistic pragmatics and intercultural theology. Drawing on Ducrot's theory of polyphony, it takes preliminary steps in formulating an alternative conception of the individual subject that incorporates a polyphonic…

  5. Christian Spiritual Experience as a Model of a Culture of Dialogue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rybicki Adam

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available A space for dialogue between people and the cultures is a focus of this article. To start with, the biblical basis for analysing spiritual experience is presented, followed by the components of Christian spiritual-religious experience. It is also explored whether it is possible to cross-reference the said components with the culture of dialogue. A particular focus is made on the spirituality of encounter and mysticism that leads to a conclusion that a reliable and continuously deepening reflection on Christian spirituality shows its value not only on a “vertical” (upright plane, i.e. a dialogue with God, but also on a horizontal, flat plane. It shapes the overall attitude of a person, both towards other people and towards themselves, as well as towards the world around them. Certain elements may play a major role in shaping the culture of dialogue between people and the communities of people. These elements are: relational character, desire of getting to know “the other you”, emphasizing the dignity of “the other you”, mutual respect, shared search for and acceptance of the truth and a communal dimension (communion. The ethical aspects of spiritual experience – including a mystical experience – such as conscience, virtue or value, have also been regarded because the ethical elements play a very important role in the dialogue of people and communities.

  6. Do You Think You Can? The Influence of Student Self-Efficacy on the Effectiveness of Tutorial Dialogue for Computer Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiggins, Joseph B.; Grafsgaard, Joseph F.; Boyer, Kristy Elizabeth; Wiebe, Eric N.; Lester, James C.

    2017-01-01

    In recent years, significant advances have been made in intelligent tutoring systems, and these advances hold great promise for adaptively supporting computer science (CS) learning. In particular, tutorial dialogue systems that engage students in natural language dialogue can create rich, adaptive interactions. A promising approach to increasing…

  7. Predicting initial client engagement with community mental health services by routinely measured data

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Roeg, D.P.K.; van de Goor, L.A.M.; Garretsen, H.F.L.

    2015-01-01

    Engagement is a determinant of how well a person will respond to professional input. This study investigates whether, in practice, routinely measured data predict initial client engagement with community mental health services. Engagement, problem severity, client characteristics, and duration

  8. Lifeline dialogues with Roberta

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lopez, A.; Ratni, A.; Trong, T.N.; Olaso, J.M.; Montenegro, S.; Lee, M.; Haider, F.; Schlogl, S.; Chollet, G.; Jokinen, K.; Petrovska-Delacretaz, D.; Sansen, H.; Torres, M.I.

    2016-01-01

    This paper describes work on dialogue data collection and dialogue system design for personal assistant humanoid robots undertaken at eNTERFACE 2016. The emphasis has been on the system's speech capabilities and dialogue modeling of what we call LifeLine Dialogues, i.e. dialogues that help people

  9. The Model of Tourist Virtual Community Members Engagement Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krzysztof Stepaniuk

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Building numerous and active virtual tourist communities involved in the tourist brand, connected with product, attraction or travel destination is a significant challenge for a dynamic and competitive tourist market. The main aim of presented pilot study was the drawing up guidelines for development of users engagement of selected virtual tourist communities on the example of Facebook. For that purpose a ranking of the most popular indicators of thematic areas, around which virtual tourist communities are formed was built. Simultaneously a typology of members of virtual tourist communities was presented as well as motives for the participation in communities gathered around the definite subject matter were analysed.

  10. Design of a Community-Engaged Health Informatics Platform with an Architecture of Participation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Millery, Mari; Ramos, Wilson; Lien, Chueh; Aguirre, Alejandra N; Kukafka, Rita

    2015-01-01

    Community-engaged health informatics (CEHI) applies information technology and participatory approaches to improve the health of communities. Our objective was to translate the concept of CEHI into a usable and replicable informatics platform that will facilitate community-engaged practice and research. The setting is a diverse urban neighborhood in New York City. The methods included community asset mapping, stakeholder interviews, logic modeling, analysis of affordances in open-source tools, elicitation of use cases and requirements, and a survey of early adopters. Based on synthesis of data collected, GetHealthyHeigths.org (GHH) was developed using open-source LAMP stack and Drupal content management software. Drupal's organic groups module was used for novel participatory functionality, along with detailed user roles and permissions. Future work includes evaluation of GHH and its impact on agency and service networks. We plan to expand GHH with additional functionality to further support CEHI by combining informatics solutions with community engagement to improve health.

  11. From Archives to Action: Zines, Participatory Culture, and Community Engagement in Asian America

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Todd Honma

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available As a pedagogical tool, zines exist at the intersection of radical history, analog creativity, participatory culture, and community engagement. This article highlights the importance of contextualizing zines within a history of social activism to shift the focus of zines from individualism and self motivation to their role in community empowerment and social justice. This is particularly relevant when teaching about the topic of Asian American zines and community engagement. The first half of this article discusses the use of Densho’s online archive of the complete print run of the Asian American movement periodical Gidra as a way to teach students about histories of Asian American independent publishing, racial formation, and community activism. The second part of this article moves from archives to practice, concerning how students can use the skills and knowledge that they learn from these archival materials and apply them to current events and community engagement projects surrounding gentrification and tenants’ rights in Los Angeles Chinatown.

  12. It takes a community to engage a community: a model for public engagement about the impacts of nuclear research and development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dalzell, M.T.J.; Main, M.G.; Root, J.H.

    2014-01-01

    The Forum for Accountability and Communities Talking nuclear Science - 'nuclearFACTS' - is a cornerstone of the Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation's strategy to engage the people of Saskatchewan in evidence-based conversations about the impacts of the nuclear research, development and training activities supported by the Fedoruk Centre. The event is the primary mechanism through which the Fedoruk Centre's community of researchers reports on the progress of their work to the Fedoruk Centre and to their peers in a collegial environment. Intended to be an annual event, the inaugural nuclearFACTS was held 28 August 2013, with leaders of five projects in nuclear medicine, energy and safety systems, materials research using nuclear techniques and social environmental research. The one day event included a peer-to-peer forum as well as a public colloquium and press briefing. The public colloquium clearly demonstrated that this unique approach, enlisting the participation of a willing community of experts, highlighting the impacts of their work using straightforward, concise explanations can lead to successful public engagement. This paper will discuss some of the lessons learned from the first nuclearFACTS and plans for future events. (author)

  13. It takes a community to engage a community: a model for public engagement about the impacts of nuclear research and development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dalzell, M.T.J.; Main, M.G.; Root, J.H., E-mail: matthew.dalzell@usask.ca, E-mail: marci.main@usask.ca, E-mail: john.root@usask.ca [Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation, Saskatoon, SK (Canada)

    2014-07-01

    The Forum for Accountability and Communities Talking nuclear Science - 'nuclearFACTS' - is a cornerstone of the Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation's strategy to engage the people of Saskatchewan in evidence-based conversations about the impacts of the nuclear research, development and training activities supported by the Fedoruk Centre. The event is the primary mechanism through which the Fedoruk Centre's community of researchers reports on the progress of their work to the Fedoruk Centre and to their peers in a collegial environment. Intended to be an annual event, the inaugural nuclearFACTS was held 28 August 2013, with leaders of five projects in nuclear medicine, energy and safety systems, materials research using nuclear techniques and social environmental research. The one day event included a peer-to-peer forum as well as a public colloquium and press briefing. The public colloquium clearly demonstrated that this unique approach, enlisting the participation of a willing community of experts, highlighting the impacts of their work using straightforward, concise explanations can lead to successful public engagement. This paper will discuss some of the lessons learned from the first nuclearFACTS and plans for future events. (author)

  14. Science Identity's Influence on Community College Students' Engagement, Persistence, and Performance in Biology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riccitelli, Melinda

    In the United States (U.S.), student engagement, persistence, and academic performance levels in college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs have been unsatisfactory over the last decade. Low student engagement, persistence, and academic performance in STEM disciplines have been identified as major obstacles to U.S. economic goals and U.S. science education objectives. The central and salient science identity a college student claims can influence his engagement, persistence, and academic achievement in college science. While science identity studies have been conducted on four-year college populations there is a gap in the literature concerning community college students' science identity and science performance. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between community college students claimed science identities and engagement, persistence, and academic performance. A census sample of 264 community college students enrolled in biology during the summer of 2015 was used to study this relationship. Science identity and engagement levels were calculated using the Science Identity Centrality Scale and the Biology Motivation Questionnaire II, respectively. Persistence and final grade data were collected from institutional and instructor records. Engagement significantly correlated to, r =.534, p = .01, and varied by science identity, p < .001. Percent final grade also varied by science identity (p < .005), but this relationship was weaker (r = .208, p = .01). Results for science identity and engagement and final grade were consistent with the identity literature. Persistence did not vary by science identity in this student sample (chi2 =2.815, p = .421). This result was inconsistent with the literature on science identity and persistence. Quantitative results from this study present a mixed picture of science identity status at the community college level. It is suggested, based on the findings

  15. Understanding communication pathways to foster community engagement for health improvement in North West Pakistan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Monique Lhussier

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background This paper describes the community engagement process undertaken to ascertain the focus, development and implementation of an intervention to improve iodised salt consumption in rural communities in North West Pakistan. The Jirga is a traditional informal structure, which gathers men respected within their community and acts in a governing and decision-making capacity in the Pukhtoon culture. The Jirga system had a dual purpose for the study: to access men from the community to discuss the importance of iodised salt, and as an engagement process for the intervention. Methods A number of qualitative data collection activities were undertaken, with Jirga members and their wives, male and female outreach workers and two groups of women, under and over 40 years old. The aim of these was to highlight the communication channels and levers of influence on health behaviour, which were multiple and complex and all needed to be taken into consideration in order to ensure successful and locally sensitive community engagement. Results Communication channels are described within local families and the communities around them. The key influential role of the Jirga is highlighted as linked both to the standing of its members and the community cohesion ethos that it embodies. Engaging Jirga members in discussions about iodised salt was key in designing an intervention that would activate the most influential levers to decision making in the community. Gendered decision-making processes within the household have been highlighted as restricting women’s autonomy. Whilst in one respect our data confirm this, a more complex hierarchy of decisional power has been highlighted, whereby the concept of ‘wisdom’- an amalgamation of age, experience and education- presents important possibilities. Community members with the least autonomy are the youngest uneducated females, who rely on a web of socially and culturally determined ways to influence

  16. Sense of Cohesion among Community Activists Engaging in Volunteer Activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levy, Drorit; Itzhaky, Haya; Zanbar, Lea; Schwartz, Chaya

    2012-01-01

    The present article attempts to shed light on the direct and indirect contribution of personal resources and community indices to Sense of Cohesion among activists engaging in community volunteer work. The sample comprised 481 activists. Based on social systems theory, three levels of variables were examined: (1) inputs, which included personal…

  17. Helping Students to Think Like Scientists in Socratic Dialogue-Inducing Labs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hake, Richard

    2012-01-01

    Socratic dialogue-inducing (SDI) labs are based on Arnold Arons' half-century of ethnographic research, listening carefully to students' responses to probing Socratic questions on physics, science, and ways of thinking, and culminating in his landmark "Teaching Introductory Physics." They utilize "interactive engagement" methods and are designed,…

  18. Engaging Young People as a Community Development Strategy in the Wisconsin Northwoods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andresen, William; Dallapiazza, Margaret; Calvert, Matthew

    2013-01-01

    This chapter focuses on two remote rural communities that engaged young people in meaningful community development efforts to build social capital. One community connected youth to the assets of the community and created opportunities for young adults to strengthen social networks. The other created partnerships and networks to build…

  19. Space and place for WHO health development dialogues in the African Region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirigia, Joses Muthuri; Nabyonga-Orem, Juliet; Dovlo, Delanyo Yao Tsidi

    2016-07-18

    Majority of the countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region are not on track to achieve the health-related Millennium Development Goals, yet even more ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 3 on heath, have been adopted. This paper highlights the challenges - amplified by the recent Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa - that require WHO and other partners' dialogue in support of the countries, and debate on how WHO can leverage the existing space and place to foster health development dialogues in the Region. To realise SDG 3 on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages, the African Region needs to tackle the persistent weaknesses in its health systems, systems that address the social determinants of health and national health research systems. The performance of the third item is crucial for the development and innovation of systems, products and tools for promoting, maintaining and restoring health in an equitable manner. Under its new leadership, the WHO Regional Office for Africa is transforming itself to galvanise existing partnerships, as well as forging new ones, with a view to accelerating the provision of timely and quality support to the countries in pursuit of SDG 3. WHO in the African Region engages in dialogues with various stakeholders in the process of health development. The EVD outbreak in West Africa accentuated the necessity for optimally exploiting currently available space and place for health development discourse. There is urgent need for the WHO Regional Office for Africa to fully leverage the space and place arenas of the World Health Assembly, WHO Regional Committee for Africa, African Union, Regional economic communities, Harmonization for Health in Africa, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, African Development Bank, professional associations, and WHO African Health Forum, when it is created, for dialogues to mobilise the required resources to

  20. Health Extension and Clinical and Translational Science: An Innovative Strategy for Community Engagement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaufman, Arthur; Rhyne, Robert L; Anastasoff, Juliana; Ronquillo, Francisco; Nixon, Marnie; Mishra, Shiraz; Poola, Charlene; Page-Reeves, Janet; Nkouaga, Carolina; Cordova, Carla; Larson, Richard S

    Health Extension Regional Officers (HEROs) through the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center (UNMHSC) help to facilitate university-community engagement throughout New Mexico. HEROs, based in communities across the state, link priority community health needs with university resources in education, service, and research. Researchers' studies are usually aligned with federal funding priorities rather than with health priorities expressed by communities. To help overcome this misalignment, the UNM Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) provides partial funding for HEROs to bridge the divide between research priorities of UNMHSC and health priorities of the state's communities. A bidirectional partnership between HEROs and CTSC researchers was established, which led to: 1) increased community engaged studies through the CTSC, 2) the HERO model itself as a subject of research, 3) a HERO-driven increase in local capacity in scholarship and grant writing, and 4) development of training modules for investigators and community stakeholders on community-engaged research. As a result, 5 grants were submitted, 4 of which were funded, totaling $7,409,002.00, and 3 research articles were published. Health extension can serve as a university-funded, community-based bridge between community health needs and Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) research capacity, opening avenues for translational research. © Copyright 2017 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

  1. University-community engagement in the wider policy environment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Benneworth, Paul Stephen; Charles, David; Benneworth, Paul

    2012-01-01

    This chapter seeks to place the idea of university–community engagement in terms of the way that is regarded by public policy managers, who are increasingly adopting the mind-sets and policy paradigms of New Public Management (NPM). This chapter firstly argues that one unintended consequence of the

  2. Dialogue on ‘Dialogic Education’: Has Rupert gone over to ‘the Dark Side’?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eugene Matusov

    2014-02-01

    through us. This dialogue is much bigger than us. It participates in a dialogue that humanity has been having about education for thousands of years. We hope that it also engages you and calls you to respond.

  3. Climbing the walls: prison mental health and community engagement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caie, Jude

    Until recently, treatment for mental health conditions has focused on medical and psychological therapy. The role and significance of social and community interventions and initiatives in fostering recovery, resilience and a sense of 'flourishing' is now being recognised. This paper seeks to explore how these principles, which are usually community-based, can be successfully applied within a prison setting, and how such interventions may have a positive effect on the mental health of prisoners through successfully engaging them with the communities they are set to return to after release while still in custody.

  4. Faculty Development for Advancing Community Engagement in Higher Education: Current Trends and Future Directions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Welch, Marshall; Plaxton-Moore, Star

    2017-01-01

    This research involved the conduct of a conceptual review of 28 refereed journal articles and a survey of campus centers for community engagement staff to identify salient features and trends of existing faculty development programming designed to advance service-learning and community engagement in higher education. Results of this investigation…

  5. The Idea of Dialogue, Trust and Reconciliation in the Pilgrimage of Trust on Earth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katarzyńska Agnieszka

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to present the Pilgrimage of Trust on Earth organized by the brothers of Taizé Community as an event building a relationship of dialogue, trust and reconciliation between nations and cultures. The article features an in-depth discussion of the elements of youth meetings and their impact on developing an attitude of dialogue and trust. We will briefly discuss the means used by the brothers to develop a dialogue between people, as well as the methods of spreading the idea of dialogue, trust and solidarity in interpersonal and international relations.

  6. Socratic dialogue as a teaching and research method for co-creativity?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keith Stenning

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available We sketch a theory of creativity which centres on the framing of activity by repetitive thinking and action, and sees creativity as divergences from these routines which is thereby framed against them. Without a repetitive frame creativity is impossible. Mere repetition is not creative, even if new. Creativity disrupts a frame, purposefully. Socratic Dialogue is an ancient technique of engaging a student in a dialogue by asking non-leading questions, aimed at revealing to the student how much knowledge he or she already has on some topic: Socrates’ demonstration to the slave-boy (and the audience that the boy already knows geometry (without any schooling is the founding example. We aim to illustrate that internalising the Socratic kind of reflective self-questioning and co-questioning is intimately related to the view of creativity as the reframing of routine. Therefore, we have qualitatively analysed primary and secondary school pilots in Greece, Austria and the United Kingdom. The illustrations of facilitated Socratic Dialogues with children and young people have been derived from the analysis of 14 Socratic Dialogues involving a total number of 97 students. This paper outlines the Socratic Dialogue as a method of both researching and teaching creative thinking, and it reveals that the Socratic method dovetails with this conception of co-creativity. As a research method, Socratic Dialogue aims to elicit information concerning reasoning processes and shared experiences. As a teaching method, Socratic Dialogue aims to get students to internalise the public methodology of Socratic Dialogue, and to adopt it across the range of domains they meet. The students’ use of the internalised method towards enabling creative thinking is illustrated by the experiences of the teaching intervention teams in the C2Learn project, using games to provide occasions for co-creativity.

  7. Householder engagement with energy consumption feedback: the role of community action and communications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burchell, Kevin; Rettie, Ruth; Roberts, Tom C.

    2016-01-01

    The provision of energy consumption feedback on in-home displays (IHDs) has a prominent role in government strategies for domestic energy demand reduction. Research suggests that IHDs can support energy consumption reduction, but also that engagement with IHDs can be limited to men and is often short-term. In this paper, we draw on research carried out in Smart Communities, a two-year project in which electricity and gas consumption feedback played a key role. This study was distinctive because it was accompanied by a weekly email communications programme and was provided within the context of community action. Project findings suggest that, although by no means panaceas, approaches such as these can support long-term engagement with energy consumption feedback, including by women, and can support behaviour change. - Highlights: • We examine the challenge of householder engagement with energy consumption feedback. • The potential of ‘community action’ and ‘communications’ is explored. • These approaches are shown to support long-term engagement by householders. • These approaches are also shown to support greater engagement by women. • Recommendations for future IHD platforms and smart meter roll-outs are presented.

  8. Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee (LPDC) - Phase II | CRDI ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    The Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee (LPDC) was established in 2006 to raise awareness of the social and humanitarian conditions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and to coordinate efforts by stakeholders (United Nations Relief and Works Agency-UNRWA, Lebanese ministries, the international community, ...

  9. The Model of Tourist Virtual Community Members Engagement Management

    OpenAIRE

    Stepaniuk, Krzysztof

    2015-01-01

    Building numerous and active virtual tourist communities involved in the tourist brand, connected with product, attraction or travel destination is a significant challenge for a dynamic and competitive tourist market. The main aim of presented pilot study was the drawing up guidelines for development of users engagement of selected virtual tourist communities on the example of Facebook. For that purpose a ranking of the most popular indicators of thematic areas, around which virtual tourist c...

  10. Electronic engagement on radioactive waste management: the experience of the Scottish executive

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gray, E.

    2006-01-01

    The International Tele-democracy Centre (Napier University) carried out research between February and June 2004 to develop and test appropriate online tools and mechanisms to engage young people in dialogue on Radioactive Waste Management. The study found interest and enthusiasm in using information and communication technology (ICT) e-engagement tools, to take part in the debate on Radioactive Waste Management (RWM) through groups that also meet face-to-face, i.e. school classes or youth groups. The main barriers to young people's effective use of such tools are likely to be organisational: coordinating the provision and use of the tools and their content. The tools themselves should be designed with an emphasis on ease-of-use and accessibility. The active support of the education and community sectors is recommended. RWM specialists and decision-makers should be directly involved in the e-engagement. There is a need for non-government stakeholders including environmental organisations to provide their input

  11. Modeling Community Engagement in an Undergraduate Course in Psychology at an HBCU

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henderson, Dawn X.

    2017-01-01

    This article describes an undergraduate course in community psychology at an Historically Black University. The course integrated community engagement using a local neighborhood revitalization project as a platform for students to volunteer, prepare a historical analysis, and sense of community project. The course aims to fulfill a requirement…

  12. HIV cure research community engagement in North Carolina: a mixed-methods evaluation of a crowdsourcing contest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathews, Allison; Farley, Samantha; Blumberg, Meredith; Knight, Kimberley; Hightow-Weidman, Lisa; Muessig, Kate; Rennie, Stuart; Tucker, Joseph

    2017-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using a crowdsourcing contest to promote HIV cure research community engagement. Crowdsourcing contests are open calls for community participation to achieve a task, in this case to engage local communities about HIV cure research. Our contest solicited images and videos of what HIV cure meant to people. Contestants submitted entries to IdeaScale, an encrypted online contest platform. We used a mixed-methods study design to evaluate the contest. Engagement was assessed through attendance at promotional events and social media user analytics. Google Analytics measured contest website user-engagement statistics. Text from contest video entries was transcribed, coded and analysed using MAXQDA. There were 144 attendees at three promotional events and 32 entries from 39 contestants. Most individuals who submitted entries were black ( n =31), had some college education ( n =18) and were aged 18-23 years ( n =23). Social media analytics showed 684 unique page followers, 2233 unique page visits, 585 unique video views and an overall reach of 80,624 unique users. Contest submissions covered themes related to the community's role in shaping the future of HIV cure through education, social justice, creativity and stigma reduction. Crowdsourcing contests are feasible for engaging community members in HIV cure research. Community contributions to crowdsourcing contests provide useful content for culturally relevant and locally responsive research engagement.

  13. Engaging and Supporting a University Press Scholarly Community

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Megan Taylor

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we explore how the development of The University of Huddersfield Press, a publisher of open access scholarly journals and monographs, has enabled the sharing of research with a wider online audience. We situate the development of the Press within a wider research environment and growing community of New University Presses (NUPs where there is an increasing demand for demonstrating research impact, which drives the need for improved analysis and reporting of impact data, a task that often falls within the remit of library and academic support services. We detail the benefits of the University Press Manager role in terms of ensuring professional service that delivers consistency and sustainability. We go on to outline the experiences of engaging with different online spaces and detail the extensive support for student authors. We argue that in order for the Press to support building a strong and engaged scholarly community and provide new spaces for emerging research, continued investment in both platform development and infrastructure is required.

  14. Voices of dialogue and directivity in family therapy with refugees: evolving ideas about dialogical refugee care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Haene, Lucia; Rober, Peter; Adriaenssens, Peter; Verschueren, Karine

    2012-09-01

    In this article, we reflect on our evolving ideas regarding a dialogical approach to refugee care. Broadening the predominant phased trauma care model and its engaging of directive expertise in symptom reduction, meaning making, and rebuilding connectedness, these developing dialogical notions involve the negotiation of silencing and disclosure, meaning and absurdity, hope and hopelessness in a therapeutic dialogue that accepts its encounter of cultural and social difference. In locating therapeutic practice within these divergent approaches, we argue an orientation on collaborative dialogue may operate together with notions from the phased trauma care model as heuristic background in engaging a polyphonic understanding of coping with individual and family sequelae of forced displacement. This locating of therapeutic practice, as informed by each perspective, invites us to remain present to fragments of therapeutic positioning that resonate power imbalance or appropriation in a therapeutic encounter imbued with a social context that silences refugees' suffering. In a clinical case analysis, we further explore these relational complexities of negotiating directive expertise and collaborative dialogue in the therapeutic encounter with refugee clients. © FPI, Inc.

  15. Community engagement and the social context of targeted malaria treatment: a qualitative study in Kayin (Karen) State, Myanmar.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahan, Kate; Pell, Christopher; Smithuis, Frank; Phyo, Aung Kyaw; Maung, Sai Maung; Indrasuta, Chanida; Dondorp, Arjen M; White, Nicholas J; Day, Nicholas P J; von Seidlein, Lorenz; Cheah, Phaik Yeong

    2017-02-14

    The spread of artemisinin-resistance in Plasmodium falciparum is a threat to current global malaria control initiatives. Targeted malaria treatment (TMT), which combines mass anti-malarial administration with conventional malaria prevention and control measures, has been proposed as a strategy to tackle this problem. The effectiveness of TMT depends on high levels of population coverage and is influenced by accompanying community engagement activities and the local social context. The article explores how these factors influenced attitudes and behaviours towards TMT in Kayin (Karen) State, Myanmar. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with villagers from study villages (N = 31) and TMT project staff (N = 14) between March and July 2015. Community engagement consisted of a range of activities to communicate the local malaria situation (including anti-malarial drug resistance and asymptomatic malaria), the aims of the TMT project, and its potential benefits. Community engagement was seen by staff as integral to the TMT project as a whole and not a sub-set of activities. Attitudes towards TMT (including towards community engagement) showed that developing trusting relationships helped foster participation. After initial wariness, staff received hospitality and acceptance among villagers. Offering healthcare alongside TMT proved mutually beneficial for the study and villagers. A handful of more socially-mobile and wealthy community members were reluctant to participate. The challenges of community engagement included time constraints and the isolation of the community with its limited infrastructure and a history of conflict. Community engagement had to be responsive to the local community even though staff faced time constraints. Understanding the social context of engagement helped TMT to foster respectful and trusting relationships. The complex relationship between the local context and community engagement complicated evaluation of the community strategy

  16. Learning by doing in practice: a roundtable discussion about stakeholder engagement in implementation research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arwal, Said Habib; Aulakh, Bhupinder Kaur; Bumba, Ahmed; Siddula, Akshita

    2017-12-28

    Researchers and policy-makers alike increasingly recognise the importance of engaging diverse perspectives in implementation research. This roundtable discussion presents the experiences and perspectives of three decision-makers regarding the benefits and challenges of their engagement in implementation research. The first perspective comes from a rural district medical officer from Uganda and touches on the success of using data as evidence in a low-resource setting. The second perspective is from an Afghani Ministry of Health expert who used a community-based approach to improving healthcare services in remote regions. Finally, the third perspective highlights the successes and trials of a policy-maker from India who offers advice on how to grow the relationship between decision-makers and researchers. Overall, the stakeholders in this roundtable discussion saw important benefits to their engagement in research. In order to facilitate greater engagement in the future, they advise on closer dialogue between researchers and policy-makers and supporting the development of capacity to stimulate and facilitate engagement in research and the use of evidence in decision-making.

  17. Student Engagement at a Large Suburban Community College: Gender and Race Differences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sontam, Varalakshmi; Gabriel, George

    2012-01-01

    Previous research shows that there are individual differences in academic achievement associated with gender and race. Research also suggests that student engagement is an important determinant of student outcomes/achievement. The present study explored student engagement at an extra-large community college. It specifically investigated possible…

  18. A Decade of Community Engagement Literature: Exploring Past Trends and Future Implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Diann Olszowy; Lee, Joonghee

    2017-01-01

    Academic journals play a lead role in disseminating community-campus engagement scholarship. However, assessment of the content, methodologies, and authorship of this published body of works is lacking. This study was performed to review publication trends in the "Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement" ("JHEOE"),…

  19. The urban and community health pathway: preparing socially responsive physicians through community-engaged learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meurer, Linda N; Young, Staci A; Meurer, John R; Johnson, Sheri L; Gilbert, Ileen A; Diehr, Sabina

    2011-10-01

    One of five options for the new required Medical College of Wisconsin Pathways program, the Urban and Community Health Pathway (UCHP), links training with community needs and assets to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to provide effective care in urban, underserved settings; promote community health; and reduce health disparities. Students spend at least 10 hours per month on pathway activities: 4 hours of core material delivered through readings, didactics, case discussions, and site visits; and at least 6 hours of experiential noncore activities applying core competencies, guided by an Individualized Learning Plan and faculty advisor. Noncore activities include community-engaged research, service-learning activities or other relevant experiences, and submission of a synthesis paper addressing pathway competencies. The first cohort of students began their pathways in January 2010. Of 560 participating students, 95 (of which 48 were first-year, 21 second-year, and 26 third-year students) selected UCHP. Core sessions focused on public health, social determinants, cultural humility, poverty, the local healthcare system, and safety net. During noncore time, students engaged in projects addressing homelessness, obesity, advocacy, Hmong and Latino health, HIV, asthma, and violence prevention. Students enjoyed working with peers across classes and favored interactive, community-based sessions over didactics in the classroom. Students' papers reflected a range of service and scholarly activities and a deepened appreciation of social and economic influences on health. The UCHP enriches the traditional curriculum with individualized, community-based experiences to build knowledge about health determinants and skills in partnering with communities to improve health. Copyright © 2011 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Brokered dialogue: A new research method for controversial health and social issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parsons, Janet A; Lavery, James V

    2012-07-02

    Dialogue is a foundational feature of social life and an important way in which we come to understand one another. In situations of controversy dialogue is often absent because of a range of social barriers. We have developed a new film-based qualitative research method for studying controversial issues in healthcare and social policy. We call this method Brokered Dialogue. Theoretically informed by the traditions in narrative inquiry and visual anthropology, the method is premised on the idea that dialogue possesses features making it unique as a generator of new knowledge and opportunities for social intervention. Film is not only an extraordinarily rich data source, but an excellent medium for knowledge transfer and dissemination. The paper introduces the Brokered Dialogue method. We outline its critical steps, including the procedures for sampling, data collection and data analysis of both textual and visual data. Participants in a Brokered Dialogue engage in filmed interviews that capture their perspectives on a given topic; they then share their perspectives with, and pose questions of, one another through the medium of film. Using a participatory editing process, only footage that participants feel comfortable showing to others is incorporated. This technique offers participants a 'safe' space for respectful interaction. The editing process itself is analytic, and the final assembly of footage approximates a dialogue on the topic at hand. A link to a film produced from a project piloting the method is provided to demonstrate its real world application. Brokered Dialogue is a method for promoting respectful interactions among those with seemingly divergent views on a controversial topic and for discovering critical points of divergence that may represent pathways for improvement. While the end product is a 'film', the goal is to have these films used as catalysts for ongoing respectful dialogue and problem-solving concerning the topic at hand informing

  1. Creating Community Engagements Between People with Disability and the Local Community Through Digital Storytelling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shinsuke Funaki

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The International Federation of Social Workers adopted a new global definition of social work in 2014. Although promotion of social cohesion and respect for diversities was included in the new definition, social work practices for promoting cultural citizenship were still under-developed in Japan. Since the 1990s, community arts organizations in Australia have developed community engagement projects for people with disabilities through digital media production, such as digital storytelling, film making etc. It is important to develop collaborative methods between social workers and artists to promote cultural citizenship as social inclusion for minority groups such as immigrants and people with disabilities. With the aid of social workers and artists working in disability care fields, iPad digital storytelling workshops for people with intellectual disabilities were organized in Fukui, Japan, from 2013 to 2014. The digital media training programs for human service professionals and social work students were organized in Sydney, Australia, and Fukui, Japan, prior to these workshops. During this research project, we conducted interviews with participants to understand the ways in which people with disabilities and the local community interact with each other through digital storytelling. This paper explores two key questions. Firstly, we examine how digital storytelling can be employed for community engagement between people with disabilities and the local community and how it can help them achieve cultural citizenship. Secondly, we investigate how we can develop social work practices for people with disabilities through digital storytelling.

  2. An information and dialogue conference on the human genome project (HGP) for the minority communities in the state of Louisiana

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1999-06-01

    Zeta Phi Beta Sorority National Educational Foundation, in cooperation with Xavier University of New Orleans, and the New Orleans District Office of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, held the Information and Dialogue Conference on the Human Genome Project for the Minority Communities in the State of Louisiana on April 16-17, 1999. The Conference was held on the campus of Xavier University in New Orleans. Community leaders, government officials, minority professional and social organizations leaders, religious leaders, persons from the educational and academic community, and students were invited. Conference objectives included bringing HGP information and a focus in the minority community on the project, in clear and understandable terms, to spread the work in the minority community about the project; to explore the likely positive implications with respect to health care and related matters; to explore possible negative results and strategies to meet them; to discuss the social, legal, and ethical implications; and to facilitate minority input into the HGP as it develops.

  3. Meaningful Engagement in Scientific Practices: How Classroom Communities Develop Authentic Epistemologies for Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krist, Christina Rae

    Recent reforms in science education, based on decades of learning research, emphasize engaging students in science and engineering practices as the means to develop and refine disciplinary ideas. These reforms advocate an epistemic shift in how school science is done: from students learning about science ideas to students figuring out core science ideas. This shift is challenging to implement: how do we bring the goals and practices of a discipline into classroom communities in meaningful ways that go beyond simply following rote scientific procedures? In this dissertation, I investigate how classroom communities learn to engage meaningfully in scientific practices, characterizing their engagement as a process of epistemic learning. I take a situated perspective that defines learning as shifts in how members engage in communities of practice. I examine students' epistemic learning as a function of their participation in a classroom community of scientific practice along two dimensions: what they do, or the practical epistemic heuristics they use to guide how they build knowledge; and who they are, or how ownership and authorship of ideas is negotiated and affectively marked through interaction. I focus on a cohort of students as they move from 6th to 8 th grade. I analyze three science units, one from each grade level, to look at the epistemic heuristics implicit in student and teacher talk and how the use of those heuristics shifts over time. In addition, I examine one anomalous 8th grade class to look at how students and the teacher position themselves and each other with respect to the ideas in their classroom and how that positioning supports epistemic learning. Taken together, these analyses demonstrate how students' engagement in scientific practices evolves in terms of what they do and who they are in relation to the knowledge and ideas in their classroom over time. I propose a model for epistemic learning that articulates how classroom communities develop

  4. World Heritage cities and community engagement : surveying past, present and future practices

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rosetti, I.; Roders, A.R.; Colenbrander, B.J.F.; Burgers, G.

    2017-01-01

    Community engagement is today a goal of heritage management. Participatory practices are generally advocated for matters of authenticity and ethics, but also for the economic, environmental, cultural and social, in short, sustainable development of local communities. However, criticisms and

  5. A systematic strategic planning process focused on improved community engagement by an academic health center: the University of Kansas Medical Center's story.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cook, David C; Nelson, Eve-Lynn; Ast, Cori; Lillis, Teresa

    2013-05-01

    A growing number of academic health centers (AHCs) are considering approaches to expand collaboration with their communities in order to address complex and multisystem health concerns. In 2010, internal leaders at the University of Kansas Medical Center undertook a strategic planning process to enhance both community engagement activities and the scholarship resulting from these engagement activities. The authors describe the strategic planning process, recommendations, and actions associated with elevating community engagement within the AHC's mission and priorities. The strategic planning process included conducting an inventory of community engagement activities within the AHC; analyzing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for community engagement work; and identifying goals and strategies to improve future community engagement activities and scholarship. The resulting road map for enhancing community engagement at their institution through 2015 consists of four main strategies: emphasize scholarship in community engagement, revise organizational structures to better facilitate community engagement, prioritize current engagement activities to ensure appropriate use of resources, and enhance communication of engagement initiatives to further develop stakeholder relationships.The authors also discuss implementation of the plan to date and highlight lessons learned that may inform other AHCs as they enhance and expand similar endeavors.

  6. Power and Reciprocity in Partnerships: Deliberative Civic Engagement and Transformative Learning in Community-Engaged Scholarship

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Katherine L.; Kliewer, Brandon W.; Nicolaides, Aliki

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this work is to assist partners in identifying, naming, and facilitating dynamic relational forces and learning processes that shape the effectiveness of community engagement practice and partnerships. We offer a hypothetical case to assist in framing and discussing concepts of reciprocity and power in partnerships and how these…

  7. Engaging creative communities in an industrial city setting: A question of enclosure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chris Gibson

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available This article discusses the politics and practicalities of research process in a major government-funded, academic/community collaborative research project on cultural assets in Wollongong, a regional industrial city 85 km south of Sydney, Australia. It does so through the theoretical concept of ‘enclosure’, which helps illuminate how policy discourses are framed, and reveals capacities to challenge and reframe policy imaginations through research. The setting is pivotal: Wollongong has a legacy of steel and coal industries that dominates contemporary discourses about the city’s future prosperity. Cultural industries such as music, film, art, circus and theatre have at various times been either marginalised as insignificant to economic futures or, when they have been noticed, have been worked into city planning in very particular ways – as cultural pastimes, as prospects for economic diversification or as means to renew socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Such visions have rested on notions of what constitutes ‘culture’ and ‘creativity’, with a focus on the performing arts, while other forms of vernacular creativity have remained largely unnoticed. Our research project has sought to respond to this, identifying and engaging with people involved in forms of vernacular creativity outside the arts orthodoxy among Wollongong’s blue-collar and youth populations (including surfboard shapers, Aboriginal rappers, custom car designers and alternative music subcultures. Our hope is that such engagement can better inform future planning for cultural industries in Wollongong. However, engaging with such creative communities is complicated, and in different times and places research strategies confronted apathy, suspicion, absence of representative organisation and ‘consultation fatigue’. We discuss our efforts at engagement with creative communities beyond the arts orthodoxy, and appraise some of the prospects and

  8. Youth engagement in the community: the ethics of inclusion and exclusion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristi S. Lekies

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available This study focuses on the engagement of children and youth in their communities and the ways they are included in and excluded from community life. Using a content analysis of a small town United States newspaper over a one-year period, examples of engagement were identified and classified into 12 categories: programs, clubs and special events; fundraising and community service; business and community support; participation in community events; school events; athletic and other performances; employment; involvement in local planning and decision making; serving as a community representative; visibility and recognition; criminal activity and accidents; and use of public space. Examples of community exclusion were identified as well. Young people were engaged primarily through activities that were adult-directed or supervised, or organized through schools, churches, and youth clubs. There was little involvement in local planning, decision making, or activism. Some evidence existed of peer teaching, leadership, and self-initiated activities, as well as intentional efforts by adults to give youth a greater voice in community activities. Implications include several ethical issues regarding the role of young people in community life, particularly young children, and the need for grmunities of the contributions young people can make. L’article porte sur l’implication, l’inclusion et l’exclusion des jeunes et enfants au sein de leurs communautés. À travers l’analyse du contenu du journal d’un village étasunien (une année, des exemples d’engagement ont été identifiés et classés selon 12 catégories : programmes, clubs et événements spéciaux; levée de fonds et service communautaire; support communautaire et des entreprises; participation aux événements communautaires; événements scolaires; performances athlétiques ou d’autre type; emploi; implication dans l’aménagement et la prise de décisions; repr

  9. Dialogue, Eurocentrism, and Comparative Political Theory: A View from Cross-Cultural Intellectual History.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shogimen, Takashi

    2016-01-01

    Comparative political theory is an emerging sub-field of political theory; it is a response to the dissatisfaction with the prevalent Eurocentric mode of political theorizing in the age of globalization. A methodological characteristic of comparative political theory is cross-cultural engagement through dialogue with foreign political ideas. The present paper argues that the dialogical mode of cross-cultural engagement is distinctively European. While the dialogical engagement with foreign worldviews constitutes a mainstream of the European literary tradition, it is largely absent, for example, from the Japanese counterpart. Despite its anti-Eurocentric motivations, comparative political theory is methodologically rooted in the European tradition.

  10. Use of Web 2.0 Social Media Platforms to Promote Community-Engaged Research Dialogs: A Preliminary Program Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valdez Soto, Miguel; Bishop, Shawn G; Aase, Lee A; Timimi, Farris K; Montori, Victor M; Patten, Christi A

    2016-01-01

    Background Community-engaged research is defined by the Institute of Medicine as the process of working collaboratively with groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interests, or similar situations with respect to issues affecting their well-being. Traditional face-to-face community-engaged research is limited by geographic location, limited in resources, and/or uses one-way communications. Web 2.0 technologies including social media are novel communication channels for community-engaged research because these tools can reach a broader audience while promoting bidirectional dialogs. Objective This paper reports on a preliminary program evaluation of the use of social media platforms for promoting engagement of researchers and community representatives in dialogs about community-engaged research. Methods For this pilot program evaluation, the Clinical and Translational Science Office for Community Engagement in Research partnered with the Social Media Network at our institution to create a WordPress blog and Twitter account. Both social media platforms were facilitated by a social media manager. We used descriptive analytics for measuring engagement with WordPress and Twitter over an 18-month implementation period during 2014-2016. For the blog, we examined type of user (researcher, community representative, other) and used content analysis to generate the major themes from blog postings. For use of Twitter, we examined selected demographics and impressions among followers. Results There were 76 blog postings observed from researchers (48/76, 64%), community representatives (23/76, 32%) and funders (5/76, 8%). The predominant themes of the blog content were research awareness and dissemination of community-engaged research (35/76, 46%) and best practices (23/76, 30%). For Twitter, we obtained 411 followers at the end of the 18-month evaluation period, with an increase of 42% (from 280 to 411) over the final 6 months. Followers reported varied

  11. Use of Web 2.0 Social Media Platforms to Promote Community-Engaged Research Dialogs: A Preliminary Program Evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valdez Soto, Miguel; Balls-Berry, Joyce E; Bishop, Shawn G; Aase, Lee A; Timimi, Farris K; Montori, Victor M; Patten, Christi A

    2016-09-09

    Community-engaged research is defined by the Institute of Medicine as the process of working collaboratively with groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interests, or similar situations with respect to issues affecting their well-being. Traditional face-to-face community-engaged research is limited by geographic location, limited in resources, and/or uses one-way communications. Web 2.0 technologies including social media are novel communication channels for community-engaged research because these tools can reach a broader audience while promoting bidirectional dialogs. This paper reports on a preliminary program evaluation of the use of social media platforms for promoting engagement of researchers and community representatives in dialogs about community-engaged research. For this pilot program evaluation, the Clinical and Translational Science Office for Community Engagement in Research partnered with the Social Media Network at our institution to create a WordPress blog and Twitter account. Both social media platforms were facilitated by a social media manager. We used descriptive analytics for measuring engagement with WordPress and Twitter over an 18-month implementation period during 2014-2016. For the blog, we examined type of user (researcher, community representative, other) and used content analysis to generate the major themes from blog postings. For use of Twitter, we examined selected demographics and impressions among followers. There were 76 blog postings observed from researchers (48/76, 64%), community representatives (23/76, 32%) and funders (5/76, 8%). The predominant themes of the blog content were research awareness and dissemination of community-engaged research (35/76, 46%) and best practices (23/76, 30%). For Twitter, we obtained 411 followers at the end of the 18-month evaluation period, with an increase of 42% (from 280 to 411) over the final 6 months. Followers reported varied geographic location (321/411, 78

  12. Designing a Healthy Food Partnership: lessons from the Australian Food and Health Dialogue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Alexandra; Magnusson, Roger; Swinburn, Boyd; Webster, Jacqui; Wood, Amanda; Sacks, Gary; Neal, Bruce

    2016-07-27

    Poor diets are a leading cause of disease burden worldwide. In Australia, the Federal Government established the Food and Health Dialogue (the Dialogue) in 2009 to address this issue, primarily through food reformulation. We evaluated the Dialogue's performance over its 6 years of operation and used these findings to develop recommendations for the success of the new Healthy Food Partnership. We used information from the Dialogue website, media releases, communiqués, e-newsletters, materials released under freedom-of-information, and Parliamentary Hansard to evaluate the Dialogue's achievements from October 2013 to November 2015, using the RE-AIM (reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation and maintenance) framework. We also engaged closely with two former Dialogue members. Our findings update a prior assessment done in October 2013. Little data is available to evaluate the Dialogue's recent achievements, with no information about progress against milestones released since October 2013. In the last 2 years, only one additional set of sodium reduction targets (cheese) was agreed and Quick Service Restaurant foods were added as an area for action. Some activity was identified in 12 of a possible 137 (9 %) areas of action within the Dialogue's mandate. Independent evaluation found targets were partially achieved in some food categories, with substantial variation in success between companies. No effects on the knowledge, behaviours or nutrient intake of the Australian population or evidence of impact on diet-related disease could be identified. The new Healthy Food Partnership has similar goals to the Dialogue. While highly laudable and recognised globally as cost-effective, the mechanism for delivery in Australia has been woefully inadequate. Strong government leadership, adequate funding, clear targets and timelines, management of conflict of interest, comprehensive monitoring and evaluation, and a plan for responsive regulation in the event of missed milestones

  13. Improving child survival through a district management strengthening and community empowerment intervention: early implementation experiences from Uganda.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katahoire, Anne Ruhweza; Henriksson, Dorcus Kiwanuka; Ssegujja, Eric; Waiswa, Peter; Ayebare, Florence; Bagenda, Danstan; Mbonye, Anthony K; Peterson, Stefan Swartling

    2015-08-19

    The Community and District Empowerment for Scale-up (CODES) project pioneered the implementation of a comprehensive district management and community empowerment intervention in five districts in Uganda. In order to improve effective coverage and quality of child survival interventions CODES combines UNICEF tools designed to systematize priority setting, allocation of resources and problem solving with Community dialogues based on Citizen Report Cards and U-Reports used to engage and empower communities in monitoring health service provision and to demand for quality services. This paper presents early implementation experiences in five pilot districts and lessons learnt during the first 2 years of implementation. This qualitative study was comprised of 38 in-depth interviews with members of the District Health Teams (DHTs) and two implementing partners. These were supplemented by observations during implementation and documents review. Thematic analysis was used to distill early implementation experiences and lessons learnt from the process. All five districts health teams with support from the implementing partners were able to adopt the UNICEF tools and to develop district health operational work plans that were evidence-based. Members of the DHTs described the approach introduced by the CODES project as a more systematic planning process and very much appreciated it. Districts were also able to implement some of the priority activities included in their work plans but limited financial resources and fiscal decision space constrained the implementation of some activities that were prioritized. Community dialogues based on Citizen Report Cards (CRC) increased community awareness of available health care services, their utilization and led to discussions on service delivery, barriers to service utilization and processes for improvement. Community dialogues were also instrumental in bringing together service users, providers and leaders to discuss problems and

  14. Engaging students in a community of learning: Renegotiating the learning environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Theobald, Karen A; Windsor, Carol A; Forster, Elizabeth M

    2018-03-01

    Promoting student engagement in a student led environment can be challenging. This article reports on the process of design, implementation and evaluation of a student led learning approach in a small group tutorial environment in a three year Bachelor of Nursing program at an Australian university. The research employed three phases of data collection. The first phase explored student perceptions of learning and engagement in tutorials. The results informed the development of a web based learning resource. Phase two centred on implementation of a community of learning approach where students were supported to lead tutorial learning with peers. The final phase constituted an evaluation of the new approach. Findings suggest that students have the capacity to lead and engage in a community of learning and to assume greater ownership and responsibility where scaffolding is provided. Nonetheless, an ongoing whole of course approach to pedagogical change would better support this form of teaching and learning innovation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. An Ontology-Based Dialogue Management System for Banking and Finance Dialogue Systems

    OpenAIRE

    Altinok, Duygu

    2018-01-01

    Keeping the dialogue state in dialogue systems is a notoriously difficult task. We introduce an ontology-based dialogue manage(OntoDM), a dialogue manager that keeps the state of the conversation, provides a basis for anaphora resolution and drives the conversation via domain ontologies. The banking and finance area promises great potential for disambiguating the context via a rich set of products and specificity of proper nouns, named entities and verbs. We used ontologies both as a knowledg...

  16. Patient Engagement in Community Health Center Leadership: How Does it Happen?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Anjana E; Huang, Beatrice; Knox, Margae; Willard-Grace, Rachel; Potter, Michael B

    2018-05-18

    Patient engagement in primary care leadership is an important means to involve community voices at community health centers. Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are mandated to have patient representation within their governing boards, while practices seeking patient-centered medical home certification receive credit for implementing patient advisory councils (PACs). Our objective was to compare and contrast how community health centers engage patients in clinic management, decision-making and planning within governing boards versus PACs. Qualitative study conducted from August 2016 to June 2017 at community health centers in California, Arizona and Hawaii. We interviewed practice leaders of patient engagement programs at their site. Eligible clinics had patient representatives within their governing board, PAC, or both. We assessed patient demographics, roles and responsibilities of patients participating, and extent of involvement in quality improvement among governing boards versus PACs. We interviewed 19 sites, of which 17 were FQHCs that had governing boards. Of the 17 FQHCs, 11 had also implemented PACs. Two non-FQHC safety-net sites had PACs but did not have governing boards. Governing board members had formal, structured membership responsibilities such as finances and hiring personnel. PAC roles were more flexible, focusing on day-to-day clinic operations. Clinics tended to recruit governing board patient members for their skill set and professional experience; PAC member recruitment focused more on demographic representation of the clinic's patient population. Both groups worked on quality improvement, but governing boards tended to review clinic performance metrics, while PAC members were involved in specific project planning and implementation to improve clinical outcomes and patient experience. Patient involvement in clinic improvement in CHCs includes higher-level decision-making and governance through mechanisms such as governing boards, as

  17. Designing a community engagement strategy for Limerick Smarter travel using focus groups and precedent studies

    OpenAIRE

    Cullinane, Kathleen Clair

    2012-01-01

    peer-reviewed This research aims to create a rational basis for designing and implementing a plan for Limerick Smarter Travel. This plan will pay particular attention to community engagement. This research establishes a rationale for a community engagement strategy. Precedent studies also provide direct guidance for this rationale. The objective of the plan is to develop a local culture of Smarter Travel in Limerick communities using best international practice, and thereby achieving behav...

  18. Designing for Dialogue and Digitality in Higher and Continuing Education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sorensen, Elsebeth Korsgaard; Kjærgaard, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    for studying these design aspects is constituted by learning designs from, both a University context and a University College context. The findings and discussion resulting from the analysis suggest that a meta-communicative learning-to-learn (L2L) approach to dialogue in the pedagogic aspects of the learning...... design may be fruitful in highlighting and promoting the establishment and maintenance of a collaborative digital dialogue that is conducive to deep learning in digital CoPs unfolding in VLEs. Consequently, we suggest development of hybrid designs that synthesise the dialogical advantages of online......This study investigates and contrasts three scenarios of further education; presence lessons and two types of blended learning. It addresses the conceptual challenge of creating learning designs for online learning communities of practice (COPs) with a focus on 'collaborative digital dialogue...

  19. Engaging Citizens In Discussions of Coastal Climate ChangeTwo examples of place-based research that engaged community members will be presented. Lessons learned in how to engage community members and working with high school students and hands-on learning across generations can provide insights into social and ecosystem change will be shared.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kruger, L. E.; Johnson, A. C.

    2017-12-01

    By engaging community members as research partners, people become not just the subject of the story, they become storytellers as well. Participatory community-based research that engages community residents in gathering and sharing their lived experiences is instrumental in connecting people to each other and their forests and forest science and helpful when confronted by change. Two examples of place-based research that engaged community members as researchers will be presented. What factors led to collaborative outcomes that integrated citizen-informed knowledge with scientific knowledge? What lessons were learned in how best to engage community members? How did working with high school students draw even hesitant members of the community to participate? By strengthening bonds between students and their communities, both natural and social environments, we can provide young people with opportunities to better understand how they fit into the greater community and their natural environment. Hands-on learning that explores experiences in nature across generations can benefit communities, especially youth, and can provide insights into social and ecosystem change.

  20. The keys to governance and stakeholder engagement: the southeast michigan beacon community case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Des Jardins, Terrisca R

    2014-01-01

    Community-based health information exchanges (HIEs) and efforts to consolidate and house data are growing, given the advent of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) under the Affordable Care Act and other similar population health focused initiatives. The Southeast Michigan Beacon Community (SEMBC) can be looked to as one case study that offers lessons learned, insights on challenges faced and accompanying workarounds related to governance and stakeholder engagement. The SEMBC case study employs an established Data Warehouse Governance Framework to identify and explain the necessary governance and stakeholder engagement components, particularly as they relate to community-wide data sharing and data warehouses or repositories. Perhaps the biggest lesson learned through the SEMBC experience is that community-based work is hard. It requires a great deal of community leadership, collaboration and resources. SEMBC found that organizational structure and guiding principles needed to be continually revisited and nurtured in order to build the relationships and trust needed among stakeholder organizations. SEMBC also found that risks and risk mitigation tactics presented challenges and opportunities at the outset and through the duration of the three year pilot period. Other communities across the country embarking on similar efforts need to consider realistic expectations about community data sharing infrastructures and the accompanying and necessary governance and stakeholder engagement fundamentals.

  1. The Keys to Governance and Stakeholder Engagement: The Southeast Michigan Beacon Community Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Des Jardins, Terrisca R.

    2014-01-01

    Community-based health information exchanges (HIEs) and efforts to consolidate and house data are growing, given the advent of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) under the Affordable Care Act and other similar population health focused initiatives. The Southeast Michigan Beacon Community (SEMBC) can be looked to as one case study that offers lessons learned, insights on challenges faced and accompanying workarounds related to governance and stakeholder engagement. The SEMBC case study employs an established Data Warehouse Governance Framework to identify and explain the necessary governance and stakeholder engagement components, particularly as they relate to community-wide data sharing and data warehouses or repositories. Perhaps the biggest lesson learned through the SEMBC experience is that community-based work is hard. It requires a great deal of community leadership, collaboration and resources. SEMBC found that organizational structure and guiding principles needed to be continually revisited and nurtured in order to build the relationships and trust needed among stakeholder organizations. SEMBC also found that risks and risk mitigation tactics presented challenges and opportunities at the outset and through the duration of the three year pilot period. Other communities across the country embarking on similar efforts need to consider realistic expectations about community data sharing infrastructures and the accompanying and necessary governance and stakeholder engagement fundamentals. PMID:25848612

  2. How wind became a four-letter word: Lessons for community engagement from a wind energy conflict in King Island, Australia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Colvin, R.M.; Witt, G.Bradd; Lacey, Justine

    2016-01-01

    Wind is recognised as a key source of renewable energy. Despite broad public support for the sector, wind energy proposals have routinely triggered social conflict and localised opposition. To promote social acceptance and avoid conflict, the wind energy sector undertakes community engagement. This paper interrogates the community engagement undertaken in King Island (Tasmania, Australia) for a large scale wind energy development proposal which did not proceed to implementation due to external economic factors. Despite the proponent's adoption of what was described as a ‘best practice’ community engagement strategy, the proposal caused significant social conflict for the community. In-depth interviews (n=30) were conducted with members of the King Island community and were qualitatively analysed through the social identity lens. Five key drivers of the local conflict were identified: problematic pre-feasibility engagement; the lack of a third-party facilitator of the community consultative committee; holding a vote which polarised the community; the lack of a clear place in the engagement process for local opposition, and; the significance of local context. These findings are instructive for improving community engagement practice for wind energy and other energy generation and land use change sectors. - Highlights: • Community engagement for a controversial wind energy proposal is analysed. • Key factors driving local conflict are identified and discussed. • The social identity approach provides understanding of hidden complexities. • Implications for community engagement practice are discussed.

  3. Actualization of the intercultural dialogue in the Internet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M E Lipatova

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The article considers the main directions of the intercultural dialogue in the Internet. Based on the analysis of the nature of intercultural communication in the Internet the authors identify features that characterize the Internet as a tool for intercultural communication providing its users wide opportunities for implementing the idea of intercultural dialogue. The authors analyze new types and forms of communication that change and improve the cross-cultural interaction in the Internet; the online network communities that turn to be the continuation and a new dimension of traditional structures of social and cultural life, and represent a special socio-cultural space, in which the existing social reality transforms and develops into a new form of everyday life. The article considers different approaches to the study of the current role of the Internet as a means of intercultural communication, including the specifics of the Russian Internet in achieving this goal; the resources of intercultural dialogue, in particular visual communication as a nowadays tool for intercultural communication in the Internet. The authors show the widest range of possibilities for the dialogue provided by various social networks today - these resources can act as both a platform for communication of large social groups and a service for correspondence between individuals.

  4. Partnering with American Indian communities in health using methods of strategic collaboration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajaram, Shireen S; Grimm, Brandon; Giroux, Jennifer; Peck, Magda; Ramos, Athena

    2014-01-01

    The Association for Prevention Teaching and Research (APTR) sponsored six regional workshops in 2010 on community engagement and community-engaged research. One of the six workshops was a collaborative effort between the Great Plains Tribal Chairman's Health Board (GPTCHB)-Northern Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center and the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC-COPH). To create a meaningful and dynamic forum for the exchange of ideas and co-learning between researchers from urban, tribal and nontribal communities and to build the groundwork for development of sustainable partnerships between researchers and American Indian (AI) communities to eliminate health disparities. To enhance meaningful community engagement, we utilized methods of Strategic Collaboration using the Appreciative Inquiry, 4D Change Process Model and designed several interactive group activities including Collaborative Learning and Understanding Exercises (CLUE) and the Research Café. The key themes that emerged from the interactive sessions stressed the importance of building relationships and trust; mutual use and sharing of data; and acquiring knowledge, skills, and abilities to enable sustainable research partnerships with AI communitiesConclusions: Innovative, dynamic, and strategic collaborative methods of Appreciative Inquiry and the World Café can served to engage people in a constructive dialogue to create a shared vision and plan for more meaningful research partnerships based on principles of equity and social justice, essential for the elimination of health disparities. These collaborative methods can be replicated and adapted in diverse communities, locally, nationally, and globally.

  5. University-Community Engagement: What does it mean?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jenny Onyx

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available This article reflects on the nature of Community-University engagement from a research focus. This entails several steps. In this I start with ‘engagement’ and what that might mean in the context of a University-based research centre. I then reflect on the nature of ‘community’ and the significance of the third sector globally and in Australia. The Centre for Australian Community Organisations and Management (CACOM was the first research centre in Australia, and one of the first in the world designed explicitly to study the Community Sector and its impact. The article outlines one significant research program that emerged from the work of CACOM, namely the story of social capital research. This research was initiated by a request from community partners, and was carried out in collaboration with them. The research program led to several significant research projects which have had a major impact on theory and public policy. It challenges the nature of the University as ‘expert’ and illustrates the co-production of knowledge. The article concludes by discussing the various roles that the University can play within the co-production of research knowledge with the community, as collaborator in the research process itself, as mediator in the development of linking social capital between community and more powerful players, and as the potential site for independent and critical analysis.

  6. Advancing community stakeholder engagement in biomedical HIV prevention trials: principles, practices and evidence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newman, Peter A; Rubincam, Clara

    2014-12-01

    Community stakeholder engagement is foundational to fair and ethically conducted biomedical HIV prevention trials. Concerns regarding the ethical engagement of community stakeholders in HIV vaccine trials and early terminations of several international pre-exposure prophylaxis trials have fueled the development of international guidelines, such as UNAIDS' good participatory practice (GPP). GPP aims to ensure that stakeholders are effectively involved in all phases of biomedical HIV prevention trials. We provide an overview of the six guiding principles in the GPP and critically examine them in relation to existing social and behavioral science research. In particular, we highlight the challenges involved in operationalizing these principles on the ground in various global contexts, with a focus on low-income country settings. Increasing integration of social science in biomedical HIV prevention trials will provide evidence to advance a science of community stakeholder engagement to support ethical and effective practices informed by local realities and sociocultural differences.

  7. Brokered dialogue: A new research method for controversial health and social issues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Parsons Janet A

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Dialogue is a foundational feature of social life and an important way in which we come to understand one another. In situations of controversy dialogue is often absent because of a range of social barriers. We have developed a new film-based qualitative research method for studying controversial issues in healthcare and social policy. We call this method Brokered Dialogue. Theoretically informed by the traditions in narrative inquiry and visual anthropology, the method is premised on the idea that dialogue possesses features making it unique as a generator of new knowledge and opportunities for social intervention. Film is not only an extraordinarily rich data source, but an excellent medium for knowledge transfer and dissemination. Discussion The paper introduces the Brokered Dialogue method. We outline its critical steps, including the procedures for sampling, data collection and data analysis of both textual and visual data. Participants in a Brokered Dialogue engage in filmed interviews that capture their perspectives on a given topic; they then share their perspectives with, and pose questions of, one another through the medium of film. Using a participatory editing process, only footage that participants feel comfortable showing to others is incorporated. This technique offers participants a ‘safe’ space for respectful interaction. The editing process itself is analytic, and the final assembly of footage approximates a dialogue on the topic at hand. A link to a film produced from a project piloting the method is provided to demonstrate its real world application. Summary Brokered Dialogue is a method for promoting respectful interactions among those with seemingly divergent views on a controversial topic and for discovering critical points of divergence that may represent pathways for improvement. While the end product is a ‘film’, the goal is to have these films used as catalysts for ongoing respectful

  8. Multicultural Education as Community Engagement: Policies and Planning in a Transnational Era

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Kathryn A.; Phyak, Prem; Bui, Thuy Thi Ngoc

    2012-01-01

    Through viewing multicultural education as policy and planning that is enacted at national, regional, and local levels in Nepal and Vietnam, we explore the challenges and possibilities of engaging communities. We examine transnationalism, neoliberalism, and globalization as these impact national policies, community ideologies, regional/local…

  9. Engaging Youth on Climate & Health to Cultivate Community Resilience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haine, D. B.; Gray, K. M.; Chang, D.; Morton, T.; Steele, B.; Backus, A.; Hauptman, M.

    2017-12-01

    Cultivating climate literacy among youth positions them to develop solutions and advocate for actions that prepare communities to adapt to climate change, mitigate emissions and ultimately protect human health and well-being, with an eye towards protecting the most vulnerable populations. This presentation will describe an innovative partnership among three university environmental health programs—based at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Columbia University and Harvard University—and their community collaborators: the Alliance for Climate Education, Boston Children's Hospital Pediatric Environmental Health Center and WE ACT for Environmental Justice. This project engages youth through non-formal educational programming that promotes climate literacy while also building the capacity of today's youth to promote community resilience. This partnership led to the development and implementation of two, long-duration extracurricular youth science enrichment programs in 2017, one in North Carolina (NC) and one in New York, with joint activities conducted virtually and in person to connect students with each other and with leading public health professionals and others working to promote community resilience and climate justice. Forty high school students, 20 from central NC and 20 from West Harlem in New York City, are enrolled in each program. In July 2017, students came together for a 3-day summer institute in NC. This session will feature the strategies, STEM-based activities and resources used in this project to engage students in the examination of their communities, identification and evaluation of climate adaptation and mitigation strategies and promotion of community resilience. Programming entailed having students interact with public health professionals, scientists and others to learn about climate impacts to public health and its infrastructure, vulnerable populations and planning for resilient communities. Ultimately, we sought to promote

  10. Dialogue with Immigrant Mothers from Chinese and Tamil Communities to Explore Homogenization, Normalization, and Objectification of their Body

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manuela Ferrari

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The influence of urbanization, modernization and acculturation processes as causes for the development of body image concerns and eating disorders are documented in the literature. Women exposed to a Western idea of "beauty" as skinny and thin may be more vulnerable to body dissatisfaction. The elements of Western society that contribute to women's body dissatisfaction are captured and described in BORDO's empire of images (2003 and FREDRICKSON and ROBERTS' objectification theories (1997. Both theories rest on the assumptions that women's bodies are seen as passive elements in Western society, and that as a result women often engage in activities that measure, modify, and control their bodies to meet Western standards of beauty and attractiveness. Homogenization, normalization, and objectification have not been studied among immigrant women, nor have similarities and differences been explored across ethno-cultural communities. Participatory methodology informed the data collection process and analysis. A series of three separate parent focus groups were held with each of the Tamil and Mainland Chinese mothers of elementary school children respectively, for a total of six focus groups and 13 participants. Through dialogue, newcomer immigrant mothers were invited to define their cultural idea of beauty and to confront it with the Canadian one. For both Chinese and Tamil mothers, the homogenization, normalization, and objectification of their bodies appeared to occur in similar ways. Immigrant women and their daughters tend to internalize the Western ideals of women's thinness; this makes them self-conscious about their own bodies. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs130126

  11. Using a Dialogue System Based on Dialogue Maps for Computer Assisted Second Language Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Sung-Kwon; Kwon, Oh-Woog; Kim, Young-Kil; Lee, Yunkeun

    2016-01-01

    In order to use dialogue systems for computer assisted second-language learning systems, one of the difficult issues in such systems is how to construct large-scale dialogue knowledge that matches the dialogue modelling of a dialogue system. This paper describes how we have accomplished the short-term construction of large-scale and…

  12. Addressing Cultural Competency in Pharmacy Education through International Service Learning and Community Engagement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosemin Kassam

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes the design, implementation and evaluation of a course in international service learning and community engagement for pharmacy undergraduate students. The course offered students opportunities to cultivate cultural competency in an international setting foreign to their own—Sub-Saharan Africa. The experience consisted of pre-departure preparation seminars followed by subsequent community immersion to experience, explore and confront personal attitudes and perceptions. A key feature of this course was its emphasis on a continuing cycle of learning, community engagement and reflection. Three students participated, a near-maximum cohort. Their daily self-reflections were qualitatively analyzed to document the impact of their cultural learning and experiences and revealed meaningful learning in the domains of self-assessment and awareness of their personal and professional culture, exposure to a participatory health delivery model involving the patient, the community and a multidisciplinary team and opportunities to engage in patient care in a different cultural setting. This proof-of-concept course provided students with experiences that were life-changing on both personal and professional levels and confirmed the viability and relevance of international service learning for the pharmacy field within its university-wide mandate.

  13. Psycho-Ecological Systems Model: A Systems Approach to Planning and Gauging the Community Impact of Community-Engaged Scholarship

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reeb, Roger N.; Snow-Hill, Nyssa L.; Folger, Susan F.; Steel, Anne L.; Stayton, Laura; Hunt, Charles A.; O'Koon, Bernadette; Glendening, Zachary

    2017-01-01

    This article presents the Psycho-Ecological Systems Model (PESM)--an integrative conceptual model rooted in General Systems Theory (GST). PESM was developed to inform and guide the development, implementation, and evaluation of transdisciplinary (and multilevel) community-engaged scholarship (e.g., a participatory community action research project…

  14. Public Engagement with Science

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Irwin, Alan

    2014-01-01

    ). The ‘deficit theory’ which still today characterize many scientific activities that address citizen can be criticized for ‘one-way communication’, ‘sanctity of expertise’, and treatment of the publics as ‘homogeneous’. When arguing for the need for public engagement with science it is question about...... for dialogue exercises look microscopic against the backdrop of global science and its governance. Maybe it has been over-promised what such public engagement exercises can deliver. We can safely conclude that, despite all the ‘from deficit to democracy’ talk, no such easy shift has been made. At best, partial...

  15. Models of Persuasion Dialogue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prakken, Henry

    This chapter1 reviews formal dialogue systems for persuasion. In persuasion dialogues two or more participants try to resolve a conflict of opinion, each trying to persuade the other participants to adopt their point of view. Dialogue systems for persuasion regulate how such dialogues can be conducted and what their outcome is. Good dialogue systems ensure that conflicts of view can be resolved in a fair and effective way [6]. The term ‘persuasion dialogue’ was coined by Walton [13] as part of his influential classification of dialogues into six types according to their goal. While persuasion aims to resolve a difference of opinion, negotiation tries to resolve a conflict of interest by reaching a deal, information seeking aims at transferring information, deliberationdeliberation wants to reach a decision on a course of action, inquiry is aimed at “growth of knowledge and agreement” and quarrel is the verbal substitute of a fight. This classification leaves room for shifts of dialogues of one type to another. In particular, other types of dialogues can shift to persuasion when a conflict of opinion arises. For example, in information-seeking a conflict of opinion could arise on the credibility of a source of information, in deliberation the participants may disagree about likely effects of plans or actions and in negotiation they may disagree about the reasons why a proposal is in one’s interest.

  16. Climate Resilience: Outreach and Engagement with Hard to Reach Communities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baja, K.

    2017-12-01

    Baltimore faces a unique combination of shocks and stresses that cut across social, economic, and environmental sectors. Like many postindustrial cities, Baltimore has experienced a decline in its population - resulting in a lower tax base. These trends have had deleterious effects on the city's ability to attend to much needed infrastructure improvements and human services. Furthermore, Baltimore has an unfortunate history of deliberate racial segregation that is directly responsible for many of the economic and social challenges the City faces today. In addition to considerable social and economic issues, the city is already experiencing negative impacts from climate change. Baltimore is vulnerable to many natural hazards including heavy precipitation, sea level rise, storm surge, and extreme heat. Impacts from hazards and the capacity to adapt to them is not equal across all populations. Low-income residents and communities of color are most vulnerable and lack access to the resources to effectively plan, react and recover. They are also less likely to engage in government processes or input sessions, either due to distrust or ineffective outreach efforts by government employees and partners. This session is focused on sharing best practices and lessons learned from Baltimore's approach to community outreach and engagement as well as its focus on power shifting and relationship building with hard-to-reach communities. Reducing neighborhood vulnerability and strengthening the fabric that holds systems together requires a large number of diverse stakeholders coordinated around resiliency efforts. With the history of deliberate segregation and current disparities it remains critical to build trust, shift power from government to residents, and focus on relationship building. Baltimore City utilized this approach in planning, implementation and evaluation of resiliency work. This session will highlight two plan development processes, several projects, and innovative

  17. Engaging the Deaf American Sign Language Community: Lessons From a Community-Based Participatory Research Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKee, Michael; Thew, Denise; Starr, Matthew; Kushalnagar, Poorna; Reid, John T.; Graybill, Patrick; Velasquez, Julia; Pearson, Thomas

    2013-01-01

    Background Numerous publications demonstrate the importance of community-based participatory research (CBPR) in community health research, but few target the Deaf community. The Deaf community is understudied and underrepresented in health research despite suspected health disparities and communication barriers. Objectives The goal of this paper is to share the lessons learned from the implementation of CBPR in an understudied community of Deaf American Sign Language (ASL) users in the greater Rochester, New York, area. Methods We review the process of CBPR in a Deaf ASL community and identify the lessons learned. Results Key CBPR lessons include the importance of engaging and educating the community about research, ensuring that research benefits the community, using peer-based recruitment strategies, and sustaining community partnerships. These lessons informed subsequent research activities. Conclusions This report focuses on the use of CBPR principles in a Deaf ASL population; lessons learned can be applied to research with other challenging-to-reach populations. PMID:22982845

  18. Psychological Conditions of Engagement among Community College Maintenance Employees: A Cross-Sectional Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franks, Tammy T.

    2017-01-01

    This dissertation examined the relationship between employee engagement and the factors that may influence the three psychological conditions of engagement: meaningfulness, safety, and availability for the sector of employees classified as maintenance, grounds, and custodial employees in a community college setting. The factors for each of the…

  19. Dialogue as interpersonal synergy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fusaroli, Riccardo; Raczaszek-Leonardi, Joanna; Tylén, Kristian

    2014-01-01

    What is the proper unit of analysis in the psycholinguistics of dialogue? While classical approaches are largely based on models of individual linguistic processing, recent advances stress the social coordinative nature of dialogue. In the influential interactive alignment model, dialogue is thus...... of individual cognitive systems but must be approached also at the interpersonal level. From such a perspective follows a number of new predictions: beyond simple synchrony, dialogue affords complementary dynamics, constrained by contextual sensitivity and functional specificity. We substantiate our arguments...

  20. Cultural hegemony? Educators? perspectives on facilitating cross-cultural dialogue

    OpenAIRE

    Zaidi, Zareen; Verstegen, Dani?lle; Vyas, Rashmi; Hamed, Omayma; Dornan, Tim; Morahan, Page

    2016-01-01

    Background: We live in an age when education is being internationalized. This can confront students with ‘cultural hegemony’ that can result from the unequal distribution of power and privilege in global society. The name that is given to awareness of social inequality is ‘critical consciousness’. Cross-cultural dialogue provides an opportunity for learners to develop critical consciousness to counter cultural hegemony. The purpose of this research was to understand how learners engage with c...

  1. Collaboration for Transformation: Community-Campus Engagement for Just and Sustainable Food Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levkoe, Charles Z.; Andrée, Peter; Bhatt, Vikram; Brynne, Abra; Davison, Karen M.; Kneen, Cathleen; Nelson, Erin

    2016-01-01

    This article focuses on the collaborations between academics and community-based organizations seeking to fundamentally reorganize the way food is produced, distributed, and consumed as well as valued. The central research question investigates whether and how the growth of community--campus engagement (CCE) can strengthen food movements. Drawing…

  2. Exploration Into the Business Priorities Related to Corporate Engagement in Community Health Improvement Partnerships.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pronk, Nicolaas P; Baase, Catherine; May, Jeanette; Terry, Paul; Moseley, Karen

    2017-11-01

    To explore factors that matter to business in making decisions regarding engagement in community health improvement efforts. Using qualitative methods, domains of interest were identified through literature reviews and expert interviews. Relevance of the domains in terms of potential priorities for action was tested through employer and community stakeholder interviews. Factors that employers considered important to sustained community collaboration as a business priority included (1) credibility of the convener, (2) broad representation of the community, (3) strong mission and goals, (4) individual commitment to health, (5) organizational commitment to health, and (6) demonstrated commitment from leadership. Priorities have been identified for engaging business in community health efforts. Implications for research, practice, and policy include the need for measurement, transparency in reporting, and agreement on principles for public-private partnership in this area.

  3. Engaging Community College Students Using an Engineering Learning Community

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maccariella, James, Jr.

    The study investigated whether community college engineering student success was tied to a learning community. Three separate data collection sources were utilized: surveys, interviews, and existing student records. Mann-Whitney tests were used to assess survey data, independent t-tests were used to examine pre-test data, and independent t-tests, analyses of covariance (ANCOVA), chi-square tests, and logistic regression were used to examine post-test data. The study found students that participated in the Engineering TLC program experienced a significant improvement in grade point values for one of the three post-test courses studied. In addition, the analysis revealed the odds of fall-to-spring retention were 5.02 times higher for students that participated in the Engineering TLC program, and the odds of graduating or transferring were 4.9 times higher for students that participated in the Engineering TLC program. However, when confounding variables were considered in the study (engineering major, age, Pell Grant participation, gender, ethnicity, and full-time/part-time status), the analyses revealed no significant relationship between participation in the Engineering TLC program and course success, fall-to-spring retention, and graduation/transfer. Thus, the confounding variables provided alternative explanations for results. The Engineering TLC program was also found to be effective in providing mentoring opportunities, engagement and motivation opportunities, improved self confidence, and a sense of community. It is believed the Engineering TLC program can serve as a model for other community college engineering programs, by striving to build a supportive environment, and provide guidance and encouragement throughout an engineering student's program of study.

  4. On using ethical principles of community-engaged research in translational science.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khodyakov, Dmitry; Mikesell, Lisa; Schraiber, Ron; Booth, Marika; Bromley, Elizabeth

    2016-05-01

    The transfer of new discoveries into both clinical practice and the wider community calls for reliance on interdisciplinary translational teams that include researchers with different areas of expertise, representatives of health care systems and community organizations, and patients. Engaging new stakeholders in research, however, calls for a reconsideration or expansion of the meaning of ethics in translational research. We explored expert opinion on the applicability of ethical principles commonly practiced in community-engaged research (CEnR) to translational research. To do so, we conducted 2 online, modified-Delphi panels with 63 expert stakeholders who iteratively rated and discussed 9 ethical principles commonly used in CEnR in terms of their importance and feasibility for use in translational research. The RAND/UCLA appropriateness method was used to analyze the data and determine agreement and disagreement among participating experts. Both panels agreed that ethical translational research should be "grounded in trust." Although the academic panel endorsed "culturally appropriate" and "forthcoming with community about study risks and benefits," the mixed academic-community panel endorsed "scientifically valid" and "ready to involve community in interpretation and dissemination" as important and feasible principles of ethical translational research. These findings suggest that in addition to protecting human subjects, contemporary translational science models need to account for the interests of, and owe ethical obligations to, members of the investigative team and the community at large. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Effectiveness of Community Dialogue in Changing Gender and Sexual Norms for HIV Prevention: Evaluation of the Tchova Tchova Program in Mozambique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Figueroa, Maria Elena; Poppe, Patricia; Carrasco, Maria; Pinho, Maria Dirce; Massingue, Felisberto; Tanque, Maria; Kwizera, Amata

    2016-05-01

    Structural HIV prevention interventions have gained prominence as ways to address underlying social and cultural factors that fuel the HIV epidemic. Identifying theories that explain how structural interventions are expected to change such factors can substantially increase their success. The Tchova Tchova community dialogue program, a theory-based intervention implemented in 2009-2010 in the provinces of Zambezia and Sofala, Mozambique, aimed to change gender and sexual norms for HIV prevention. Through facilitated sessions, the program sparked critical thinking and open dialogue among participants. This article measures the program's effectiveness based on a sample of 462 participants and 453 nonparticipants. The results show that the program was successful in producing changes in three of the underlying structural factors of HIV: gender attitudes, gender roles, and HIV stigma. The program was also successful in changing other factors associated with HIV infection, including HIV prevention knowledge, discussion of HIV between sex partners, and having multiple sex partners.

  6. Detroit Works Long-Term Planning Project: Engagement Strategies for Blending Community and Technical Expertise

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toni L. Griffin

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available In January 2013, civic leaders, community stakeholders, and residents came together to release Detroit Future City: 2012 Detroit Strategic Framework Plan, a guiding blueprint for transforming Detroit from its current state of population loss and excessive vacancy into a model for the reinvention of post-industrial American cities. Three years prior, the U.S. Census had reported that the city had lost 24% of its population over the last decade and had experienced a 20% increase in vacant and abandoned property, bringing total vacancy to roughly the size of Manhattan. In addition to physical and economic challenges, Detroiters had also acknowledged significant barriers to effective civic engagement. Foremost among these barriers were a profound sense of immobilization, planning fatigue, and a general perception of cynicism about planning and engagement efforts. These challenges were compounded by historic racial dynamics and tension. This case study elaborates on the comprehensive and innovative civic engagement executed in a citywide planning process called the Detroit Works Project, which took place from late 2010 through late 2012. For the citywide planning process to be successful and sustainable, civic leaders and project funders committed to a planning initiative that would be different from previous efforts, in large part because the “owners” of the process would be diverse and inclusive across all community sectors. The case study, written by three of the key consultants from the project, describes four key civic engagement strategies deployed in the creation of the strategic framework: (1 addressing profound challenges of culture, race, and politics by deliberately building trust; (2 elevating community expertise by fostering a sense of ownership of the process; (3 blending technical and community expertise; and (4 viewing civic engagement as an ongoing two-way conversation rather than a series of large-scale episodic events. This

  7. Prophetic dialogue: The quest for religious leaders seeking reconciliation in the aftermath of the transition in South Africa?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christo H. Thesnaar

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The TRC re-enactment consultation18 afforded the opportunity to reflect on the leadership of religious leaders during the apartheid era, and in the years that followed. This chapter is particularly interested in the prophetic leadership provided by religious leaders during apartheid, and 20 years following the transition by engaging with some normative thoughts on prophetic dialogue. The findings on the leadership provided during the post-TRC are reflected upon in terms of reconciliation through the hermeneutical lens of the Belgian scholar Valarie Rosoux. Hereby, this chapter seeked to contribute to reconciliation and national unity in the current South African context with some strategic conclusions to ensure that the process of reconciliation becomes a priority for all faith communities across the nation.

  8. From Kisiizi to Baltimore: cultivating knowledge brokers to support global innovation for community engagement in healthcare.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ibe, Chidinma A; Basu, Lopa; Gooden, Rachel; Syed, Shamsuzzoha B; Dadwal, Viva; Bone, Lee R; Ephraim, Patti L; Weston, Christine M; Wu, Albert W

    2018-02-09

    Reverse Innovation has been endorsed as a vehicle for promoting bidirectional learning and information flow between low- and middle-income countries and high-income countries, with the aim of tackling common unmet needs. One such need, which traverses international boundaries, is the development of strategies to initiate and sustain community engagement in health care delivery systems. In this commentary, we discuss the Baltimore "Community-based Organizations Neighborhood Network: Enhancing Capacity Together" Study. This randomized controlled trial evaluated whether or not a community engagement strategy, developed to address patient safety in low- and middle-income countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa, could be successfully applied to create and implement strategies that would link community-based organizations to a local health care system in Baltimore, a city in the United States. Specifically, we explore the trial's activation of community knowledge brokers as the conduit through which community engagement, and innovation production, was achieved. Cultivating community knowledge brokers holds promise as a vehicle for advancing global innovation in the context of health care delivery systems. As such, further efforts to discern the ways in which they may promote the development and dissemination of innovations in health care systems is warranted. Trial Registration Number: NCT02222909 . Trial Register Name: Reverse Innovation and Patient Engagement to Improve Quality of Care and Patient Outcomes (CONNECT). Date of Trial's Registration: August 22, 2014.

  9. Auditing and Evaluating University-Community Engagement: Lessons from a UK Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Angie; Northmore, Simon

    2011-01-01

    The growing importance of community and public engagement activities in universities has led to an increasing emphasis on auditing and evaluating university-community partnerships. However, the development of effective audit and evaluation tools is still at a formative stage. This article presents a case study of the University of Brighton's…

  10. Voices of Youth: Podcasting as a Means for Inquiry-Based Community Engagement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruce, Bertram; Lin, Ching-Chiu

    2009-01-01

    A youth community informatics (YCI) research project intersected an inquiry learning model with the making of audiovisual podcasts to foster personal growth and community engagement in a group of Mexican American youth enrolled in an afterschool program. Specifically, the article describes the cycle of inquiry together with the development of a…

  11. Dealing with Plagiarism in the Academic Community: Emotional Engagement and Moral Distress

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vehviläinen, Sanna; Löfström, Erika; Nevgi, Anne

    2018-01-01

    This article deals with the demands that plagiarism places on academic communities, and with the resources staff possess in dealing with these demands. It is suggested that plagiarism ought to be placed in the context of network of intertwining communities (scholarly, pedagogical and administrative), to which participants are engaged to a…

  12. Participatory Sustainability Approach to Value Capture-Based Urban Rail Financing in India through Deliberated Stakeholder Engagement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Satya Sai Kumar Jillella

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Increasingly, cities around the world are seeking innovative financial mechanisms to build rail transit projects. Land value capture (VC is a financing mechanism to fund urban rail transit. Often VC mechanisms are viewed only as a financing tool applied in relation to increased land values from the administration and legislation perspectives, without actively involving the community in the process. The lack of such participation has resulted in the under collection of the true value established. The transit beneficiary community and city tax payers are especially important stakeholders in this process as their willingness to participate is really critical to the overall VC success and transport outcome. This paper introduces a participatory sustainability approach to enable a more deliberated stakeholder engagement intervention across the VC life cycle. A four-step “Participatory Strategic Value Capture (PSVC” framework is proposed offering step-by-step guidance toward facilitating a meaningful stakeholder dialogue, deliberation, and collaboration around the stated engagement interests. The PSVC framework, applied to the proposed Bangalore sub-urban rail project in India, has demonstrated the importance of stakeholder engagement using deliberated participatory approaches from a win-win perspective.

  13. Research and Engagement Strategies for Young Adult Immigrants Without Documentation: Lessons Learned Through Community Partnership.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raymond-Flesch, Marissa; Siemons, Rachel; Brindis, Claire D

    2016-01-01

    Limited research has focused on undocumented immigrants' health and access to care. This paper describes participant engagement strategies used to investigate the health needs of immigrants eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Community-based strategies engaged advocates and undocumented Californians in study design and recruitment. Outreach in diverse settings, social media, and participant-driven sampling recruited 61 DACA-eligible focus group participants. Social media, community-based organizations (CBOs), family members, advocacy groups, and participant-driven sampling were the most successful recruitment strategies. Participants felt engaging in research was instrumental for sharing their concerns with health care providers and policymakers, noteworthy in light of their previously identified fears and mistrust of government officials. Using multiple culturally responsive strategies including participant-driven sampling, engagement with CBOs, and use of social media, those eligible for DACA eagerly engage as research participants. Educating researchers and institutional review boards (IRBs) about legal and safety concerns can improve research engagement.

  14. Moving beyond Test-Prep Pedagogy: Dialoguing with Multicultural Preservice Teachers for a Quality Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez, Louie F.

    2013-01-01

    In a "post-NCLB era," the schooling experiences of mostly low-income students of color continue to be consumed by a test-prep pedagogy--narrowed curriculum, low expectations, and ignored relationships. In this article the author describes a pedagogical approach using educational dialogues to engage preservice teachers to critically…

  15. Fostering climate dialogue by introducing students to uncertainty in decision-making

    Science.gov (United States)

    Addor, N.; Ewen, T.; Johnson, L.; Coltekin, A.; Derungs, C.; Muccione, V.

    2014-12-01

    Uncertainty is present in all fields of climate research, spanning from climate projections, to assessing regional impacts and vulnerabilities to adaptation policy and decision-making. The complex and interdisciplinary nature of climate information, however, makes the decision-making process challenging. This process is further hindered by a lack of institutionalized dialogue between climate researchers, decision-makers and user groups. Forums that facilitate such dialogue would allow these groups to actively engage with each other to improve decisions. In parallel, introducing students to these challenges is one way to foster such climate dialogue. We present the design and outcome of an innovative workshop-seminar series we convened at the University of Zurich to demonstrate the pedagogical importance of such forums. An initial two-day workshop brought together 50 participants, including bachelor, master and PhD students and academic staff, and nine speakers from academia, industry, government, and philanthropy. The main objectives were to provide participants with tools to communicate uncertainty in their current or future research projects, to foster exchange between practitioners, students and scientists from different backgrounds and finally to expose students to multidisciplinary collaborations and real-world problems involving decisions under uncertainty. An opinion survey conducted before and after the workshop enabled us to observe changes in participants' perspectives on what information and tools should be exchanged between researchers and decision-makers to better address uncertainty. Responses demonstrated a marked shift from a pre-workshop vertical conceptualization of researcher-user group interaction to a post-workshop horizontal mode: in the former, researchers were portrayed as bestowing data-based products to decision-makers, while in the latter, both sets of actors engaged in frequent communication, exchanging their needs and expertise. Drawing

  16. Effectiveness of community outreach and engagement in recruitment success for a prebirth cohort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tigges, Beth B; Kaar, Jill L; Erbstein, Nancy; Silberman, Pamela; Winseck, Kate; Lopez-Class, Maria; Burbacher, Thomas M

    2017-06-01

    We describe the effectiveness of community outreach and engagement in supporting recruitment for the US National Children's Vanguard Study between 2009 and 2012. Thirty-seven study locations used 1 of 4 strategies to recruit 18-49-year-old pregnant or trying to conceive women: (1) Initial Vanguard Study used household-based recruitment; (2) Direct Outreach emphasized self-referral; (3) Enhanced Household-Based Recruitment enhanced Initial Vanguard Study strategies; and (4) Provider-Based Recruitment recruited through healthcare providers. Outreach and engagement included advance letters, interactions with healthcare providers, participation in community events, contacts with community organizations, and media outreach. After 1-2 years, 41%-74% of 9844 study-eligible women had heard about the National Children's Vanguard Study when first approached. Women who heard were 1.5-3 times more likely to consent. Hearing via word-of-mouth or the media most frequently predicted consent. The more sources women heard from the higher the odds of consent. We conclude that tailored outreach and engagement facilitate recruitment in cohort studies.

  17. "Know your audience": A hospital community engagement programme in a non-profit paediatric hospital in Cambodia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sreymom Pol

    Full Text Available The purpose of this evaluation is to explore the impact of the new hospital community engagement programme (comprised of a Young Persons Advisory Group and a Science Café on community members and other stakeholders, with regard to their attitudes, skills and degree of engagement in a paediatric hospital in Cambodia.Data collection included feedback questionnaires and reflections produced after each YPAG and Science Café event. Further questionnaires and reflective interviews were conducted to gather the views of key stakeholders. Data were analysed by thematic content analysis and numerical data were expressed using descriptive statistics.The vast majority of participants expressed their enjoyment and satisfaction of the hospital community engagement programme. Delivering the programme in the right manner for the target audiences, by prioritising their needs was key to this. Participants valued the programmes in terms of the knowledge delivered around good health practices, the skills developed such as confidence and responsibility for their health, and the provision of opportunities to voice their opinions. All stakeholders recognised the importance of the programme in improving the quality of the healthcare service provided at the hospital.In order to have a successful hospital community engagement programme, understanding the target audience is essential. The engagement programme must be delivered in the right way to meet the needs of community members, including right communication, right setting, right people and right timing. This will ultimately result in a meaningful programme that is able to empower community members, potentially resulting in lasting change in healthcare practices. In conclusion, the gap between hospitals and the community could narrow, allowing everyone to interact and learn from each other.

  18. Spoken Dialogue Systems

    CERN Document Server

    Jokinen, Kristiina

    2009-01-01

    Considerable progress has been made in recent years in the development of dialogue systems that support robust and efficient human-machine interaction using spoken language. Spoken dialogue technology allows various interactive applications to be built and used for practical purposes, and research focuses on issues that aim to increase the system's communicative competence by including aspects of error correction, cooperation, multimodality, and adaptation in context. This book gives a comprehensive view of state-of-the-art techniques that are used to build spoken dialogue systems. It provides

  19. Public/community engagement in health research with men who have sex with men in sub-Saharan Africa: challenges and opportunities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molyneux, Sassy; Sariola, Salla; Allman, Dan; Dijkstra, Maartje; Gichuru, Evans; Graham, Susan; Kamuya, Dorcas; Gakii, Gloria; Kayemba, Brian; Kombo, Bernadette; Maleche, Allan; Mbwambo, Jessie; Marsh, Vicki; Micheni, Murugi; Mumba, Noni; Parker, Michael; Shio, Jasmine; Yah, Clarence; van der Elst, Elise; Sanders, Eduard

    2016-05-27

    Community engagement, incorporating elements of the broader concepts of public and stakeholder engagement, is increasingly promoted globally, including for health research conducted in developing countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, community engagement needs and challenges are arguably intensified for studies involving gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, where male same-sex sexual interactions are often highly stigmatised and even illegal. This paper contextualises, describes and interprets the discussions and outcomes of an international meeting held at the Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust in Kilifi, Kenya, in November 2013, to critically examine the experiences with community engagement for studies involving men who have sex with men. We discuss the ethically charged nature of the language used for men who have sex with men, and of working with 'representatives' of these communities, as well as the complementarity and tensions between a broadly public health approach to community engagement, and a more rights based approach. We highlight the importance of researchers carefully considering which communities to engage with, and the goals, activities, and indicators of success and potential challenges for each. We suggest that, given the unintended harms that can emerge from community engagement (including through labelling, breaches in confidentiality, increased visibility and stigma, and threats to safety), representatives of same-sex populations should be consulted from the earliest possible stage, and that engagement activities should be continuously revised in response to unfolding realities. Engagement should also include less vocal and visible men who have sex with men, and members of other communities with influence on the research, and on research participants and their families and friends. Broader ethics support, advice and research into studies involving men who have sex with men is needed to ensure that ethical challenges

  20. Readiness of communities to engage with childhood obesity prevention initiatives in disadvantaged areas of Victoria, Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cyril, Sheila; Polonsky, Michael; Green, Julie; Agho, Kingsley; Renzaho, Andre

    2017-07-01

    Objective Disadvantaged communities bear a disproportionate burden of childhood obesity and show low participation in childhood obesity prevention initiatives. This study aims to examine the level of readiness of disadvantaged communities to engage with childhood obesity prevention initiatives. Methods Using the community readiness model, 95 semi-structured interviews were conducted among communities in four disadvantaged areas of Victoria, Australia. Community readiness analysis and paired t-tests were performed to assess the readiness levels of disadvantaged communities to engage with childhood obesity prevention initiatives. Results The results showed that disadvantaged communities demonstrated low levels of readiness (readiness score=4/9, 44%) to engage with the existing childhood obesity prevention initiatives, lacked knowledge of childhood obesity and its prevention, and reported facing challenges in initiating and sustaining participation in obesity prevention initiatives. Conclusion This study highlights the need to improve community readiness by addressing low obesity-related literacy levels among disadvantaged communities and by facilitating the capacity-building of bicultural workers to deliver obesity prevention messages to these communities. Integrating these needs into existing Australian health policy and practice is of paramount importance for reducing obesity-related disparities currently prevailing in Australia. What is known about the topic? Childhood obesity prevalence is plateauing in developed countries including Australia; however, obesity-related inequalities continue to exist in Australia especially among communities living in disadvantaged areas, which experience poor engagement in childhood obesity prevention initiatives. Studies in the USA have found that assessing disadvantaged communities' readiness to participate in health programs is a critical initial step in reducing the disproportionate obesity burden among these communities

  1. Student Engagement: Stakeholder Perspectives on Course Representation in University Governance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carey, Philip

    2013-01-01

    Student engagement has become a key feature of UK higher education policy and analysis. At the core of this is a notion of engagement characterised by dialogue and joint venture. The article explores this by considering the role of student representation in university governance. It focuses on the system of course representation that is a feature…

  2. Community Response and Engagement During Extreme Water Events in Saskatchewan, Canada and Queensland, Australia

    Science.gov (United States)

    McMartin, Dena W.; Sammel, Alison J.; Arbuthnott, Katherine

    2018-01-01

    Technology alone cannot address the challenges of how societies, communities, and individuals understand water accessibility, water management, and water consumption, particularly under extreme conditions like floods and droughts. At the community level, people are increasingly aware challenges related to responses to and impacts of extreme water events. This research begins with an assessment of social and political capacities of communities in two Commonwealth jurisdictions, Queensland, Australia and Saskatchewan, Canada, in response to major flooding events. The research further reviews how such capacities impact community engagement to address and mitigate risks associated with extreme water events and provides evidence of key gaps in skills, understanding, and agency for addressing impacts at the community level. Secondary data were collected using template analysis to elucidate challenges associated with education (formal and informal), social and political capacity, community ability to respond appropriately, and formal government responses to extreme water events in these two jurisdictions. The results indicate that enhanced community engagement alongside elements of an empowerment model can provide avenues for identifying and addressing community vulnerability to negative impacts of flood and drought.

  3. Exploring Community Philosophy as a Tool for Parental Engagement in a Primary School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haines Lyon, Charlotte

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, I will reflect on the initial reconnaissance, action, and reflection cycle of my doctoral research, exploring Community Philosophy as a tool for critical parental engagement in a primary school (Elliot, 1991). I will examine how I reflexively engaged with my influence on participants, which then significantly influenced the framing…

  4. Building community-engaged health research and discovery infrastructure on the South Side of Chicago: science in service to community priorities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindau, Stacy Tessler; Makelarski, Jennifer A; Chin, Marshall H; Desautels, Shane; Johnson, Daniel; Johnson, Waldo E; Miller, Doriane; Peters, Susan; Robinson, Connie; Schneider, John; Thicklin, Florence; Watson, Natalie P; Wolfe, Marcus; Whitaker, Eric

    2011-01-01

    To describe the roles community members can and should play in, and an asset-based strategy used by Chicago's South Side Health and Vitality Studies for, building sustainable, large-scale community health research infrastructure. The Studies are a family of research efforts aiming to produce actionable knowledge to inform health policy, programming, and investments for the region. Community and university collaborators, using a consensus-based approach, developed shared theoretical perspectives, guiding principles, and a model for collaboration in 2008, which were used to inform an asset-based operational strategy. Ongoing community engagement and relationship-building support the infrastructure and research activities of the studies. Key steps in the asset-based strategy include: 1) continuous community engagement and relationship building, 2) identifying community priorities, 3) identifying community assets, 4) leveraging assets, 5) conducting research, 6) sharing knowledge and 7) informing action. Examples of community member roles, and how these are informed by the Studies' guiding principles, are provided. Community and university collaborators, with shared vision and principles, can effectively work together to plan innovative, large-scale community-based research that serves community needs and priorities. Sustainable, effective models are needed to realize NIH's mandate for meaningful translation of biomedical discovery into improved population health. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Sustainable childhood obesity prevention through community engagement (SCOPE) program: evaluation of the implementation phase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McIntosh, Bonnie; Daly, Amelia; Mâsse, Louise C; Collet, Jean-Paul; Higgins, Joan Wharf; Naylor, Patti-Jean; Amed, Shazhan

    2015-10-01

    Childhood obesity rates are steadily rising. Sustainable Childhood Obesity Prevention Through Community Engagement (SCOPE) is a community-based participatory action research (PAR) program aimed at preventing childhood obesity. This study aimed to describe community perspectives on, and elicit feedback about, SCOPE's first phase of implementation in two pilot cities in British Columbia, Canada. A case study was implemented using interviews and questionnaires to obtain feedback about SCOPE from two groups: SCOPE coordinators and stakeholders (i.e., individuals and organizations that were a member of the community and engaged with SCOPE coordinators). Participants were recruited via email and (or) by telephone. Coordinators completed a telephone interview. Stakeholders completed a questionnaire and (or) a telephone interview. Thematic analysis was conducted. Participants included 2 coordinators and 15 stakeholders. Participants similarly interpreted SCOPE as a program focused on raising awareness about childhood obesity prevention, while engaging multiple community sectors. Overall, participants valued the program's role in facilitating networking and partnership development, providing evidence-based resources, technical expertise, and contributing funding. Participants felt that SCOPE is sustainable. However, participants felt that barriers to achieving healthy weights among children included those related to the built environment, and social, behavioral, and economic obstacles. Perspectives on factors that facilitated and acted as barriers to SCOPE's first phase of implementation were obtained from the SCOPE communities and may be used to enhance the sustainability of SCOPE and its applicability to other BC communities.

  6. Comparing Face-To-Face and Asynchronous Online Communication as Mechanisms for Critical Reflective Dialogue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salter, Susan; Douglas, Tracy; Kember, David

    2017-01-01

    Two mechanisms for engaging in critical reflective dialogue are discussed and compared: face-to-face meetings and asynchronous online discussion. The context is an umbrella action research project, with over 20 participants, which aimed to improve practices in online teaching and contribute to the development of graduate attributes. The article…

  7. Engaging Scientists and Users in Climate Change Research and Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cloyd, E. T.; Reeves, K.; Shimamoto, M. M.; Zerbonne, S.

    2016-12-01

    The U.S. Global Change Research Program has a mandate to "consult with actual and potential users of the results of the program" in developing products that will support learning about and responding to climate change. USGCRP has sought to engage stakeholders throughout the development and dissemination of key products, such as the Third National Climate Assessment (NCA3, 2014) and the Climate and Health Assessment (CHA, 2016), in the strategic planning processes leading to the National Global Change Research Plan (2012) and Update to the Strategic Plan (2016), and through regular postings to social media that highlight research results and opportunities for engagement. Overall, USGCRP seeks to promote dialogue between scientific experts, stakeholders, and decision makers about information needs in regions or sectors, the potential impacts of climate change, and possible responses. This presentation will describe how USGCRP has implemented various stakeholder engagement measures during the planning, development, and release of products such as NCA3 and CHA. Through repeated opportunities for stakeholder input, USGCRP has promoted process transparency and inclusiveness in the framing of assessments and other products. In addition, USGCRP has supported scientists' engagement with a range of audiences and potential collaborators through a variety of mechanisms, including community-based meetings, deliberative forums, and identification of non-Federal speaking and knowledge co-production opportunities. We will discuss key lessons learned and successful approaches for engaging users as well as opportunities and challenges for future engagement.

  8. Engaging Siblingships

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gulløv, Eva; Palludan, Charlotte; Winther, Ida Wentzel

    2015-01-01

    Inspired by sociological and anthropological family studies, our point of departure is that there is neither a given nor an unequivocal prototype of sibling relationships. On the basis of qualitative interviews, dialogues and filmed observations of everyday life, we investigate how children...... and young people in contemporary Denmark engage emotionally in sibling relationships. It emerges that siblingships inevitably involve frictions in various forms. In the article, we analyse the impact frictions have on social relations and discuss how such dynamics in sibling relationships both reflect...

  9. Social Media Use in Research: Engaging Communities in Cohort Studies to Support Recruitment and Retention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farina-Henry, Eva; Waterston, Leo B; Blaisdell, Laura L

    2015-07-22

    This paper presents the first formal evaluation of social media (SM) use in the National Children's Study (NCS). The NCS is a prospective, longitudinal study of the effects of environment and genetics on children's health, growth and development. The Study employed a multifaceted community outreach campaign in combination with a SM campaign to educate participants and their communities about the Study. SM essentially erases geographic differences between people due to its omnipresence, which was an important consideration in this multi-site national study. Using SM in the research setting requires an understanding of potential threats to confidentiality and privacy and the role that posted content plays as an extension of the informed consent process. This pilot demonstrates the feasibility of creating linkages and databases to measure and compare SM with new content and engagement metrics. Metrics presented include basic use metrics for Facebook as well as newly created metrics to assist with Facebook content and engagement analyses. Increasing Likes per month demonstrates that online communities can be quickly generated. Content and Engagement analyses describe what content of posts NCS Study Centers were using, what content they were posting about, and what the online NCS communities found most engaging. These metrics highlight opportunities to optimize time and effort while determining the content of future posts. Further research about content analysis, optimal metrics to describe engagement in research, the role of localized content and stakeholders, and social media use in participant recruitment is warranted.

  10. Engagement in community music classes sparks neuroplasticity and language development in children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kraus, Nina; Hornickel, Jane; Strait, Dana L; Slater, Jessica; Thompson, Elaine

    2014-01-01

    Children from disadvantaged backgrounds often face impoverished auditory environments, such as greater exposure to ambient noise and fewer opportunities to participate in complex language interactions during development. These circumstances increase their risk for academic failure and dropout. Given the academic and neural benefits associated with musicianship, music training may be one method for providing auditory enrichment to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. We followed a group of primary-school students from gang reduction zones in Los Angeles, CA, USA for 2 years as they participated in Harmony Project. By providing free community music instruction for disadvantaged children, Harmony Project promotes the healthy development of children as learners, the development of children as ambassadors of peace and understanding, and the development of stronger communities. Children who were more engaged in the music program-as defined by better attendance and classroom participation-developed stronger brain encoding of speech after 2 years than their less-engaged peers in the program. Additionally, children who were more engaged in the program showed increases in reading scores, while those less engaged did not show improvements. The neural gains accompanying music engagement were seen in the very measures of neural speech processing that are weaker in children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our results suggest that community music programs such as Harmony Project provide a form of auditory enrichment that counteracts some of the biological adversities of growing up in poverty, and can further support community-based interventions aimed at improving child health and wellness.

  11. Dialogue Research

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Duelund, Peter

    1991-01-01

    Departing from Anthony Giddens´s theory of structuration and the concept double hermeneutics and Jürgen Habermas´s Theory of Communicative Actions the article specifies theories and methods af dialogue as method in the humanities and social sciences. The article concludes by pointing at dialogues...... as a new theoretical, methodological and empirical research concept i an society where the traditional planning instruments have failed....

  12. A Dialogue between Partnership and Feminism: Deconstructing Power and Exclusion in Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mercer-Mapstone, Lucy; Mercer, Gina

    2018-01-01

    Students as partners (SaP) has seen an increase in focus as an area of active student engagement in higher education. Many complexities and challenges have been shared in this evolving field regarding inclusivity and power. We discuss, in this dialogue, insights that can be uncovered by exploring SaP through a feminist lens--illuminating the fact…

  13. Engaging parents in evidence-based treatments in schools: Community perspectives from implementing CBITS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santiago, Catherine Decarlo; Pears, Gillian; Baweja, Shilpa; Vona, Pamela; Tang, Jennifer; Kataoka, Sheryl H

    2013-12-01

    This study explored parent engagement in an evidence-based treatment, the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS), which was delivered in a school setting. To examine the successes and challenges in engaging parents in this school-based program, we conducted qualitative interviews by phone to obtain data from clinicians, parents, and other school personnel across eleven schools from 3 different regions of the United States. Almost all of these schools served low-income and ethnically diverse communities. We describe general impressions of parent engagement, parent reactions and preferences with regard to CBITS, barriers to parent engagement, and how to overcome barriers from multiple perspectives. Parent engagement across schools varied, with extensive outreach and relatively good parent engagement in CBITS described in some schools, while in other schools, efforts to engage parents were not as consistent. Implications for future efforts to engage parents in school-based treatments are discussed.

  14. Helping Young People Engage with Scientists

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leggett, Maggie; Sykes, Kathy

    2014-01-01

    There can be multiple benefits of scientists engaging with young people, including motivation and inspiration for all involved. But there are risks, particularly if scientists do not consider the interests and needs of young people or listen to what they have to say. We argue that "dialogue" between scientists, young people and teachers…

  15. Stakeholder participation for the legacy ponds and legacy silos (LP and LS) facility at Sellafield, Cumbria. UK: the nature and effectiveness of the dialogue - 16030

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Whitton, John

    2009-01-01

    The Legacy Ponds and Silos (LP and S) facilities are part of the UK nuclear legacy located at the Sellafield Site, Cumbria. There are four individual facilities containing nuclear wastes that have accumulated over a period of approximately 50 years. Waste retrieval and conditioning, in preparation for decommissioning, is currently being carried out by the site operator. LP and S have recently proposed a re-engagement with stakeholders following the initial engagement in December 2005. This paper reviews this earlier engagement in terms of the nature of dialogue that was carried out when compared against definitions of deliberation provided in the literature. The aim of this paper is to provide those planning future engagement with a better understanding of how the nature of dialogue can vary and uses participation and deliberation as indicators of effective engagement. A concern of those working towards a programme of effective stakeholder participation in 2005 was how to ensure genuine dialogue and stakeholder representation in such a strictly controlled and regulated environment with a technical complexity that challenges technical specialist and lay person alike. LP and S recognised that effective dialogue with stakeholders on the available technical options and their associated societal impacts would form a significant part of this process if options were to prove resilient. However, the challenge presented to LP and S was how to engage stakeholders on a variety of projects, whilst ensuring the output could be used by the projects as part of their technical decision making. Initial contact was made with stakeholders in December 2005, as part of a 'Baseline' Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO) study. A BPEO study leads to decisions on waste management based on an integrated assessment of alternative options, on the basis of factors such as the occupational and environmental risks, the environmental impacts, costs and social implications of the options

  16. Community engagement in sexual health and uptake of HIV testing and syphilis testing among MSM in China: a cross-sectional online survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Tiange P; Liu, Chuncheng; Han, Larry; Tang, Weiming; Mao, Jessica; Wong, Terrence; Zhang, Ye; Tang, Songyuan; Yang, Bin; Wei, Chongyi; Tucker, Joseph D

    2017-04-03

    HIV and syphilis testing rates remain low among men who have sex with men (MSM) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Community engagement has been increasingly used to promote HIV testing among key populations in high-income countries, often in settings with stronger civil society. This study aimed to assess socio-demographic, behavioural, and community engagement factors associated with HIV and syphilis testing among MSM in China. MSM ≥16 years old who had condomless sex in the past three months were recruited nationwide to complete a cross-sectional online survey in November 2015. Data were collected on socio-demographics, sexual behaviours, HIV testing, syphilis testing, and community engagement in sexual health. We defined community engagement in sexual health using six items assessing awareness and advocacy of sexual health programmes. The underlying factor structure of a 6-item community engagement scale was determined through exploratory factor analysis. Univariate and multivariable logistic regressions identified correlates of HIV and syphilis testing. 1189 MSM were recruited. 54% (647/1189) of men had ever tested for HIV and 30% (354/1189) had ever tested for syphilis. Factor analysis suggested three levels of community engagement (minimal, moderate, and substantial) and this model explained 79.5% of observed variance. A quarter (26%, 312/1189) reported none to minimal engagement, over one half (54%, 644/1189) reported moderate engagement, and a fifth (20%, 233/1189) reported substantial engagement. Multivariable logistic regression showed that MSM with greater community engagement in sexual health were more likely to have ever tested for HIV (substantial vs. no engagement: aOR 7.91, 95% CI 4.98-12.57) and for syphilis (substantial vs. no engagement: aOR 5.35, 95% CI 3.16-9.04). HIV and syphilis testing are suboptimal among MSM in China. Community engagement may be useful for promoting testing in China and should be considered in intervention

  17. University Community Engagement and the Strategic Planning Process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Newton Miller

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract  Objectives – To understand how university libraries are engaging with the university community (students, faculty, campus partners, and administration when working through the strategic planning process.  Methods – Literature review and exploratory open-ended survey to members of CAUL (Council of Australian University Librarians, CARL (Canadian Association of Research Libraries, CONZUL (Council of New Zealand University Librarians, and RLUK (Research Libraries UK who are most directly involved in the strategic planning process at their library.  Results – Out of a potential 113 participants from 4 countries, 31 people (27% replied to the survey. Libraries most often mentioned the use of regularly-scheduled surveys to inform their strategic planning, which helps to truncate the process for some respondents, as opposed to conducting user feedback specifically for the strategic planning process. Other quantitative methods include customer intelligence and library-produced data. Qualitative methods include the use of focus groups, interviews, and user experience/design techniques to help inform the strategic plan. The focus of questions to users tended to fall towards user-focused (with or without library lens, library-focused, trends and vision, and feedback on plan.  Conclusions – Combining both quantitative and qualitative methods can help give a fuller picture for librarians working on a strategic plan. Having the university community join the conversation on how the library moves forward is an important but difficult endeavour.  Regardless, the university library needs to be adaptive to the rapidly changing environment around it. Having a sense of how other libraries engage with the university community benefits others who are tasked with strategic planning.

  18. "Rekindle and Recapture the Love": Establishing System-Wide Indicators of Progress in Community Engagement and Economic Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janke, Emily M.

    2014-01-01

    In May 2012, University of North Carolina (UNC) President Tom Ross simultaneously commissioned two task forces to develop indicators that all UNC campuses could use to measure "progress in community engagement and economic development." The charge to the Community Engagement Task Force and the Economic Development Task Force was to…

  19. The Central Role of Philosophy in a Study of Community Dialogues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moses, Michele S.; Saenz, Lauren P.; Farley, Amy N.

    2015-01-01

    The project we highlight in this article stems from our philosophical work on moral disagreements that appear to be--and sometimes are--intractable. Deliberative democratic theorists tout the merits of dialogue as an effective way to bridge differences of values and opinion, ideally resulting in agreement, or perhaps more often resulting in…

  20. Enablers and Barriers to Community Engagement in Public Health Emergency Preparedness: A Literature Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramsbottom, Anna; O'Brien, Eleanor; Ciotti, Lucrezio; Takacs, Judit

    2018-04-01

    Public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) all too often focusses only on institutional capabilities, including their technical expertise and political influence, while overlooking community capabilities. However, the success of institutional emergency preparedness plans depends upon communities and institutions working together to ensure successful anticipation, response and recovery. Broader community engagement is therefore recommended worldwide. This literature review was carried out to identify enablers and barriers to community and institutional synergies in emergency preparedness. Searches were undertaken across bibliographic databases and grey literature sources. The literature identified was qualitative in nature. A qualitative, 'best fit' framework approach using a pre-existing framework was used to analyse the literature, whereby themes were added and changed as analysis progressed. A working definition of community was identified, based on a 'whole community' approach, inclusive of the whole multitude of stakeholders including community residents and emergency management staff. Given the diversity in community make-up, the types of emergencies that could be faced, the socio-economic, environmental and political range of communities, there are no set practices that will be effective for all communities. The most effective way of engaging communities in emergency preparedness is context-dependent and the review did draw out some important key messages for institutions to consider.

  1. Scenarios and design: Scoping the dialogue space

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Selin, Cynthia Lea; Kimbell, Lucy; Ramirez, Rafael

    2015-01-01

    This paper examines the intersections between two futures-oriented domains of practice and research: scenario planning and design. Both are practice-led, with uneasy but productive relationships with theorizing. Exploring their relations offers ways to address challenges faced by interdisciplinar......'s contribution is to suggest how scenario planning can engage with design, resulting in new opportunities for research and projects. These modes of engagement provide a framing to explore dialogues between other management disciplines.......This paper examines the intersections between two futures-oriented domains of practice and research: scenario planning and design. Both are practice-led, with uneasy but productive relationships with theorizing. Exploring their relations offers ways to address challenges faced by interdisciplinary...... management research, which struggles to connect research and practice. The authors describe how they brought the two fields together. We outline how we convened, designed and facilitated the fourth Oxford Futures Forum held in May 2014. This event brought together leading practitioners and researchers...

  2. Towards a Science of Community Stakeholder Engagement in Biomedical HIV Prevention Trials: An Embedded Four-Country Case Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newman, Peter A; Rubincam, Clara; Slack, Catherine; Essack, Zaynab; Chakrapani, Venkatesan; Chuang, Deng-Min; Tepjan, Suchon; Shunmugam, Murali; Roungprakhon, Surachet; Logie, Carmen; Koen, Jennifer; Lindegger, Graham

    2015-01-01

    Broad international guidelines and studies in the context of individual clinical trials highlight the centrality of community stakeholder engagement in conducting ethically rigorous HIV prevention trials. We explored and identified challenges and facilitators for community stakeholder engagement in biomedical HIV prevention trials in diverse global settings. Our aim was to assess and deepen the empirical foundation for priorities included in the GPP guidelines and to highlight challenges in implementation that may merit further attention in subsequent GPP iterations. From 2008-2012 we conducted an embedded, multiple case study centered in Thailand, India, South Africa and Canada. We conducted in-depth interviews and focus groups with respondents from different trial-related subsystems: civil society organization representatives, community advocates, service providers, clinical trialists/researchers, former trial participants, and key HIV risk populations. Interviews/focus groups were recorded, and coded using thematic content analysis. After intra-case analyses, we conducted cross-case analysis to contrast and synthesize themes and sub-themes across cases. Lastly, we applied the case study findings to explore and assess UNAIDS/AVAC GPP guidelines and the GPP Blueprint for Stakeholder Engagement. Across settings, we identified three cross-cutting themes as essential to community stakeholder engagement: trial literacy, including lexicon challenges and misconceptions that imperil sound communication; mistrust due to historical exploitation; and participatory processes: engaging early; considering the breadth of "community"; and, developing appropriate stakeholder roles. Site-specific challenges arose in resource-limited settings and settings where trials were halted. This multiple case study revealed common themes underlying community stakeholder engagement across four country settings that largely mirror GPP goals and the GPP Blueprint, as well as highlighting

  3. Towards a Science of Community Stakeholder Engagement in Biomedical HIV Prevention Trials: An Embedded Four-Country Case Study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter A Newman

    Full Text Available Broad international guidelines and studies in the context of individual clinical trials highlight the centrality of community stakeholder engagement in conducting ethically rigorous HIV prevention trials. We explored and identified challenges and facilitators for community stakeholder engagement in biomedical HIV prevention trials in diverse global settings. Our aim was to assess and deepen the empirical foundation for priorities included in the GPP guidelines and to highlight challenges in implementation that may merit further attention in subsequent GPP iterations.From 2008-2012 we conducted an embedded, multiple case study centered in Thailand, India, South Africa and Canada. We conducted in-depth interviews and focus groups with respondents from different trial-related subsystems: civil society organization representatives, community advocates, service providers, clinical trialists/researchers, former trial participants, and key HIV risk populations. Interviews/focus groups were recorded, and coded using thematic content analysis. After intra-case analyses, we conducted cross-case analysis to contrast and synthesize themes and sub-themes across cases. Lastly, we applied the case study findings to explore and assess UNAIDS/AVAC GPP guidelines and the GPP Blueprint for Stakeholder Engagement.Across settings, we identified three cross-cutting themes as essential to community stakeholder engagement: trial literacy, including lexicon challenges and misconceptions that imperil sound communication; mistrust due to historical exploitation; and participatory processes: engaging early; considering the breadth of "community"; and, developing appropriate stakeholder roles. Site-specific challenges arose in resource-limited settings and settings where trials were halted.This multiple case study revealed common themes underlying community stakeholder engagement across four country settings that largely mirror GPP goals and the GPP Blueprint, as well as

  4. Opening the Black Box: Conceptualizing Community Engagement From 109 Community-Academic Partnership Programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Syed M; Maurana, Cheryl; Nelson, David; Meister, Tim; Young, Sharon Neu; Lucey, Paula

    2016-01-01

    This research effort includes a large scale study of 109 community-academic partnership projects funded by the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program (HWPP), a component of the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin endowment at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The study provides an analysis unlike other studies, which have been smaller, and/or more narrowly focused in the type of community-academic partnership projects analyzed. To extract themes and insights for the benefit of future community-academic partnerships and the field of community-engaged research (CEnR). Content analysis of the final reports submitted by 109 community-academic partnership projects awards within the time frame of March 2005 to August 2011. Thirteen themes emerged from the report analysis: community involvement, health accomplishments, capacity building, sustainability, collaboration, communication, best practices, administration, relationship building, clarity, adjustment of plan, strategic planning, and time. Data supported previous studies in the importance of some themes, and provided insights regarding how these themes are impactful. The case analysis revealed new insights into the characteristics of these themes, which the authors then grouped into three categories: foundational attributes of successful community-academic partnership, potential challenges of community-academic partnerships, and outcomes of community-academic partnerships. The insights gained from these reports further supports previous research extolling the benefits of community-academic partnerships and provides valuable direction for future partners, funders and evaluators in how to deal with challenges and what they can anticipate and plan for in developing and managing community-academic partnership projects.

  5. A prescription for sustaining community engagement in malaria elimination on Aneityum Island, Vanuatu: an application of Health Empowerment Theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Noriko; Kaneko, Akira; Yamar, Sam; Taleo, George; Tanihata, Takeo; Lum, J Koji; Larson, Peter S; Shearer, Nelma B C

    2015-07-31

    Community engagement has contributed to disease control and elimination in many countries. Community engagement in malaria elimination (ME) on Aneityum Island has been sustained since its introduction in the early 1990s. Capacity developed within this population has led to a health empowered community response. Health Empowerment Theory (HET) can account for the innovative community actions and capacity development efforts taken to realize and sustain meaningful changes in well-being. This study used the HET framework to investigate participant perceptions of ME efforts on the island focusing on two HET elements, personal and social-contextual resources. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of empowerment as a critical element of community engagement. Six focus group discussions, ten key informant interviews and 17 in-depth interviews were conducted in July 2012 on Aneityum. Both deductive and inductive approaches to qualitative content analysis were used to identify themes, which were condensed, coded and classified based on the HET elements above. Awareness and use of personal and social-contextual resources played an important role in ME efforts. Most participants shared their knowledge to prevent malaria reintroduction. Many participants reported their skills needed for behavioral maintenance, problem-solving or leadership. Participants who perceived a threat took preventive actions even in the dry season. Community leaders focused on second generation capacity development. A local health coalition provided ME services. Members of networks were sources of information and assistance. Face-to-face was the preferred method of communication. Barriers to engagement (e.g., financial difficulties, health literacy issues and underdeveloped infrastructure) were minimized through active collaboration and mutual assistance. In the community engagement continuum, health empowerment develops incrementally overtime as people gain their knowledge and skills, form

  6. Dialogue as Data in Learning Analytics for Productive Educational Dialogue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knight, Simon; Littleton, Karen

    2015-01-01

    This paper provides a novel, conceptually driven stance on the state of the contemporary analytic challenges faced in the treatment of dialogue as a form of data across on- and offline sites of learning. In prior research, preliminary steps have been taken to detect occurrences of such dialogue using automated analysis techniques. Such advances…

  7. Exploring the contexts of urban science classrooms: Cogenerative dialogues, coteaching, and cosmopolitanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emdin, Christopher

    The body of work presented in this dissertation is a response to the reported association between poor outcomes in science achievement and students of color in urban schools. By presenting counterexamples to the cultural motif that urban students of color perform poorly in science, I argue that poor achievement cannot be traced to a group of people but can be linked to institutions promoting subject delivery methods that instill distaste for science and compel students to display an illusion of disinterest in school. There are two major goals of this study. First, I plan to demonstrate how plans of action generated by coteachers and cogenerative dialogue groups can coalesce under the ethos of making science and schooling accessible to populations that are traditionally marginalized from science achievement. My second aim is to develop mechanisms for transforming science learning contexts into cosmopolitan learning communities that develop student success in science. Through a three-year ethnographic study of physics and chemistry classrooms in a high school in New York City, I present explorations of the culture and context of the urban classroom as a chief means to meet my goals. In my research, I find that obstacles to identity development around science can be tied to corporate understandings of teaching and learning that are amenable to local efforts toward change. This change is facilitated through the use of transformative tools like cogenerative dialogues, coteaching, and cosmopolitanism. Through the application of these research tools, I uncover and investigate how various misalignments that present themselves in physics and chemistry classrooms serve as signifiers of macro issues that permeate science classrooms from larger fields. By utilizing cogenerative dialogues as a tool for investigating both micro enactments within classrooms and the macro structures that generate these enactments, I show how students and teachers can work together as co

  8. Engagement in community music classes sparks neuroplasticity and language development in children from disadvantaged backgrounds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nina eKraus

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Children from disadvantaged backgrounds often face impoverished auditory environments, such as greater exposure to ambient noise and fewer opportunities to participate in complex language interactions during development. These circumstances increase their risk for academic failure and dropout. Given the academic and neural benefits associated with musicianship, music training may be one method for providing auditory enrichment to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. We followed a group of disadvantaged primary-school students from gang reduction zones in Los Angeles, CA for two years as they participated in the Harmony Project. By providing free community music instruction for disadvantaged children, the Harmony Project promotes the healthy development of children as learners, the development of children as ambassadors of peace and understanding, and the development of stronger communities. Children who were more engaged in the music program—as defined by better attendance and classroom participation—developed stronger brain encoding of speech after two years than their less-engaged peers in the program. Additionally, children who were more engaged in the program showed increases in reading scores, while those less engaged did not show improvements. The neural gains accompanying music engagement were seen in the very measures of neural speech processing that are weaker in children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our results suggest that community music programs such as Harmony Project provide a form of auditory enrichment that counteracts some of the biological adversities of growing up in poverty, and can further support for community-based interventions aimed at improving child health and wellness.

  9. A successful model for longitudinal community-engaged health research: the 2040 Partners for Health Student Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Redman, Romany M; Reinsvold, Magdalena C; Reddy, Anireddy; Bennett, Paige E; Hoerauf, Janine M; Puls, Kristina M; Ovrutsky, Alida R; Ly, Alexandra R; White, Gregory; McNeil, Owetta; Meredith, Janet J

    2017-06-01

    Community-based participatory research [CBPR] is an emerging approach to collaborative research aimed at creating locally effective and sustainable interventions. The 2040 Partners for Health student program was developed as a unique model of longitudinal CBPR. Analysis of this program and its components illuminates both the challenges and the opportunities inherent in community engagement. The program rests on a foundation of a community-based, non-profit organization and a supportive academic university centre. Inter-professional health students and community members of underserved populations work together on different health projects by employing an adapted CBPR methodology. Three successful examples of sustainable CBPR projects are briefly described. The three projects are presented as primary outcomes resulting from this model. Benefits and challenges of the model as an approach to community-engaged research are discussed as well as secondary benefits of student participation. The 2040 Partners for Health student program represents a successful model of CBPR, illuminating common challenges and reiterating the profound value of community-engaged research. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  10. Lessons from the Labor Organizing Community and Health Project: Meeting the Challenges of Student Engagement in Community Based Participatory Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allison, Juliann Emmons; Khan, Tabassum; Reese, Ellen; Dobias, Becca Spence; Struna, Jason

    2015-01-01

    Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) provides opportunities for scholars and students to respond directly to community needs; students also practice critical thinking, problem-solving, and conflict-resolution skills necessary for professional life and engaged citizenship. The challenges of involving undergraduate students in CBPR include…

  11. Olivebranches and idiot's guides: Frameworks for community engagement in Australian wind farm development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Howard, Tanya

    2015-01-01

    In Australia, renewable energy is under pressure in the context of a highly politicised debate about how to act on climate change. The recent repeal of an established carbon tax has seen the defunding of significant renewable energy initiatives and a controversial review of the national Renewable Energy Target is threatening key drivers for investment in renewable energy. The current regulatory focus on community ‘acceptance’ does not facilitate the active community support necessary to challenge this increasingly hostile policy context. This research considers current experiences of community engagement in wind farm governance in one Australian jurisdiction. Through documentary analysis and two qualitative case studies, it examines legal and non-legal requirements for community governance mechanisms and considers how these influence wind farm development in rural areas. Findings include a problematic reliance on procedural compliance in assessing wind farm consultation, domination by vested interests, and reduced expertise in community engagement at the time it is needed most. Recommendations include integration of best practice guidelines in current regulation; harmonisation of policy settings to ensure equity across energy sectors; and an evidence-based commitment to benefit sharing as a strategy for increasing community support of rural wind farm development. - Highlights: • Changes to renewable energy policy in Australia threaten wind farm development. • Active community support is required to ensure ongoing viability of the industry. • Benefit sharing models are shown to increase community support for wind farms. • Legal frameworks reinforce a minimum compliance paradigm and entrench vested interests. • Best practice guidelines improve implementation of community engagement procedures

  12. Humanising Coursebook Dialogues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Timmis, Ivor

    2016-01-01

    In this article, I argue that the most important thing about coursebook dialogues is not whether they are "authentic" or "inauthentic" but whether they are "plausible" as human interaction and behaviour. Coursebook dialogues are often constructed as vehicles for various kinds of language work and even sometimes as…

  13. Researching safety culture: deliberative dialogue with a restorative lens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorenzini, Elisiane; Oelke, Nelly D; Marck, Patricia Beryl; Dall'agnol, Clarice Maria

    2017-10-01

    Safety culture is a key component of patient safety. Many patient safety strategies in health care have been adapted from high-reliability organizations (HRO) such as aviation. However, to date, attempts to transform the cultures of health care settings through HRO approaches have had mixed results. We propose a methodological approach for safety culture research, which integrates the theory and practice of restoration science with the principles and methods of deliberative dialogue to support active engagement in critical reflection and collective debate. Our aim is to describe how these two innovative approaches in health services research can be used together to provide a comprehensive effective method to study and implement change in safety culture. Restorative research in health care integrates socio-ecological theory of complex adaptive systems concepts with collaborative, place-sensitive study of local practice contexts. Deliberative dialogue brings together all stakeholders to collectively develop solutions on an issue to facilitate change. Together these approaches can be used to actively engage people in the study of safety culture to gain a better understanding of its elements. More importantly, we argue that the synergistic use of these approaches offers enhanced potential to move health care professionals towards actionable strategies to improve patient safety within today's complex health care systems. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Formal systems for persuasion dialogue

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Prakken, Henry

    This article reviews formal systems that regulate persuasion dialogues. In such dialogues two or more participants aim to resolve a difference of opinion, each trying to persuade the other participants to adopt their point of view. Systems for persuasion dialogue have found application in various

  15. 78 FR 26100 - Advisory Committee on the Secretary of State's Strategic Dialogue With Civil Society; Notice of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-03

    ... businesses engaged with civil society. They may include: leaders of independent public policy advocacy... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 8312] Advisory Committee on the Secretary of State's Strategic... of the Advisory Committee on the Secretary of State's Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society...

  16. Dialogue and Connectivism: A New Approach to Understanding and Promoting Dialogue-Rich Networked Learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew Ravenscroft

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Connectivism offers a theory of learning for the digital age that is usually understood as contrasting with traditional behaviourist, cognitivist, and constructivist approaches. This article will provide an original and significant development of this theory through arguing and demonstrating how it can benefit from social constructivist perspectives and a focus on dialogue. Similarly, I argue that we need to ask whether networked social media is, essentially, a new landscape for dialogue and therefore should be conceived and investigated based on this premise, through considering dialogue as the primary means to develop and exploit connections for learning. A key lever in this argument is the increasingly important requirement for greater criticality on the Internet in relation to our assessment and development of connections with people and resources. The open, participative, and social Web actually requires a greater emphasis on higher order cognitive and social competencies that are realised predominantly through dialogue and discourse. Or, as Siemens (2005 implies in his call to rethink the fundamental precepts of learning, we need to shift our focus to promoting core evaluative skills for flexible learning that will, for example, allow us to actuate the knowledge we need at the point that we need it. A corollary of this is the need to reorient educational experiences to ensure that we develop in our learners the ability “to think, reason, and analyse.” In considering how we can achieve these aims this article will review the principles of connectivism from a dialogue perspective; propose some social constructivist approaches based on dialectic and dialogic dimensions of dialogue, which can act as levers in realising connectivist learning dialogue; demonstrate how dialogue games can link the discussed theories to the design and performance of networked dialogue processes; and consider the broader implications of this work for designing

  17. Disruption, Dialogue, and Swerve: Reflective Structured Dialogue in Religious Studies Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeTemple, Jill; Sarrouf, John

    2017-01-01

    This article focuses on Reflective Structured Dialogue as a set of practices developed in the context of conflict resolution that are well suited to handling quotidian uneasiness and extraordinary moments of disruption in religious studies classrooms. After introducing Reflective Structured Dialogue's history, goals, and general practices, the…

  18. Public Understanding of Science in turbulent times III: Deficit to dialogue, champions to critics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smallman, Melanie

    2016-02-01

    As part of the 20th Anniversary of the Public Understanding of Science journal, the journal has been reflecting on how the field and journal have developed. This research note takes a closer look at some of the trends, considering the journal's 50 most cited papers and using IRaMuTeQ, an open-source computer text analysis technique. The research note presents data that show that the move within public engagement from deficit to dialogue has been followed by a further shift from championing dialogue to criticising its practice. This shift has taken place alongside a continued, but changing, interest in media coverage, surveys and models of public understanding. © The Author(s) 2014.

  19. Challenging homophobia and heterosexism through storytelling and critical dialogue among Hong Kong Chinese immigrant parents in Toronto.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Josephine Pui-Hing; Poon, Maurice Kwong-Lai

    2013-01-01

    Homophobia and heterosexism are ubiquitous in Canadian society. They contribute to significant health and mental health disparities for lesbian, gay and bisexual youth and their families. Anti-homophobia efforts tend to focus on students and teachers at school. While these efforts are important, they do not reach parents, who play an important role in shaping young people's attitudes towards gender and sexuality. To eliminate bullying and victimisation associated with homophobia at school and in the community, concerted efforts are urgently needed to mobilise parents to become champions against homophobia and heterosexism. In this paper, we report on our use of storytelling and critical dialogue to engage a group of Hong Kong Chinese immigrant parents in Toronto to interrogate their values and assumptions about homosexuality. In particular, we illustrate how we use storytelling to create a liminal space whereby the narrators and listeners collaborate to create counter-discourses that challenge social domination and exclusion. We then discuss the implications of using a critical dialogical approach to integrate anti-homophobia efforts in community parenting programmes.

  20. Predictors of Faculty-Student Engagement for Black Men in Urban Community Colleges: An Investigation of the Community College Survey of Men

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, J. Luke; Newman, Christopher B.

    2017-01-01

    This research focuses on factors predicting faculty-student engagement for Black male collegians. In this study, the authors investigated whether students' perceptions of racial/gender stereotypes had a moderating effect on the determinants of engagement with faculty. The sample population was derived from 16 urban community colleges located…

  1. Adequate Consultation And Dialogue With Local Community Unlocking The Untapped Potential For Peace And Development Evidences From South Omo Zone

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed Yimer

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The paper argues that adequate consultation and public wide dialogues at the grass root level are the two potential entry points in times of development interventions. This will foster peace among the nearby people and led a foundation for the subsequent development. The study was undertaken to examine whether the agro-pastoral communities of South Omo zone were jeopardized as a result of the Omo Kuraz Sugar development project or not. It also targeted whether there was adequate consultation with the local people at the earliest days of the project. Adopting Ethnographic design the study accompanied by primary data collected through participant observation focus group discussion and key informant interview indicated that there were attempts to consult the indigenous people though not adequate. It also indicated that despite the absence of compensation for the local displaced people due to their mobile life the people were not endangered as a result of the project. This project as a development project that is established at the communal land of the agro-pastoralists is providing training for the nearby people to hire them in its various offices. Far from the claims of the various oversees institutions propounded as if the agro-pastoral communities were miserably suffered from such a project the people consider it as if it is their own project. The study implied that South Omo zone is a counter example of how local level consultation and a wide range of dialogue are indispensable preconditions to foster peace and development in many pastoral and agro-pastoral areas of the country.

  2. Notes on Women Who Rock: Making Scenes, Building Communities: Participatory Research, Community Engagement, and Archival Practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle Habell-Pallán

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Since 2011, Women Who Rock (WWR has brought together scholars, archivists, musicians, media-makers, performers, artists, and activists to explore the role of women and popular music in the creation of cultural scenes and social justice movements in the Americas and beyond. The project promotes generative dialogue and documentation by “encompassing several interwoven components: project-based coursework at the graduate and undergraduate levels; an annual participant-driven conference and film festival; and an oral history archive hosted by the University of Washington Libraries Digital Initiatives Program that ties the various components together” (Bartha 8. In our courses, programming, and archive, we examine the politics of performance, social identity, and material access in music scenes, cultures, and industries. Performance studies scholar Daphne Brooks argues that the “confluence of cultural studies, rock studies, and third wave feminist critical studies makes it possible now more than ever to continue to critique and re-interrogate the form and content of popular music histories” (58. WWR implements this approach, asking how particular stories of popular music determine a performer, band, or scene’s “legendary” status or excision from the official annals of memory. WWR reshapes conventional understandings of popular music studies by initiating collective methods of participatory research, as well as community collaboration and dialogue. By way of WWR, we seek to transform traditional models of popular music studies, instigating new convergences between academic disciplines and critical approaches that create alternative histories and new forms of knowledge.

  3. Finding the community in sustainable online community engagement: Not-for-profit organisation websites, service-learning and research

    OpenAIRE

    Dodd, Alice

    2017-01-01

    This article explores the use of action research (2008–2014) based on a case study of the Sustainable Online Community Engagement (SOCE) Project, a service-learning project in which University of South Australia students build websites for not-for-profit (NFP) organisations, to demonstrate that effective teaching, public service and research are interdependent. A significant problem experienced in the SOCE project was that, despite some training and ongoing assistance, the community organisat...

  4. Engaging with culturally and linguistically diverse communities to reduce the impact of depression and anxiety: a narrative review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, Amy E Z; Procter, Nicholas G; Ferguson, Monika S

    2016-07-01

    Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Australia face significant challenges in terms of reducing barriers to information and support for depression and anxiety. Increased stigma surrounding mental ill-health in some cultures and related concerns about trust and confidentiality all impact upon timely access to information, services and support for consumers and carers from CALD backgrounds. For health services, there is a need to understand how to better engage CALD communities in mental healthcare. The objective of this narrative review was to identify examples of evidence-based, best practice for what works effectively for engaging with CALD communities to reduce the impact of depression and anxiety. In January 2014, we searched Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, Health-Source Consumer Edition, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO (all databases within the EbscoHost platform) and PubMed for peer-reviewed articles published between 1994 and 2014. The search revealed a total of 706 records contained within the EbscoHost platform and 689 records in PubMed; 15 matched the inclusion criteria. Six key themes were identified: (i) setting the scene for engagement; (ii) cultural values and preferences; (iii) language considerations; (iv) 'engagers' in the therapeutic process; (v) opening out engagement to include others; and (vi) engaging through the use of technology and alternative mediums. The literature obtained provides a small body of evidence regarding approaches to engaging CALD communities, with findings highlighting the importance of processes which are tailored to the CALD community of interest and which take into account different cultural explanatory models of mental ill-health. Review findings are also discussed within the framework of intersectionality, in which broader structural inequalities and power imbalances - in areas such as gender and social class - collectively impact on help-seeking and mental health outcomes. This review supports further

  5. Evaluating the effects of community-based organization engagement on HIV and AIDS-related risk behavior in Kenya.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riehman, Kara S; Kakietek, Jakub; Manteuffel, Brigitte A; Rodriguez-García, Rosalía; Bonnel, Rene; N'Jie, N'Della; Godoy-Garraza, Lucas; Orago, Alloys; Murithi, Patrick; Fruh, Joseph

    2013-01-01

    International donors have increasingly shifted AIDS funding directly to community-based organizations (CBOs) with the assumption that responding to the epidemic is best achieved at the community level. The World Bank, ICF Macro, and the National Council for Population and Development in Kenya, conducted a study to evaluate the community response in Kenya. The study used a quasi-experimental design comparing seven study communities and seven comparison communities in Nyanza Province and Western Province. We examined the impact of CBO activity on individual and community-level outcomes, including HIV knowledge, awareness and perceptions, sexual risk behavior, and social transformation (gender ideology and social capital). The study consisted of two components: a household survey conducted in all 14 communities, and qualitative data collected in a subset of communities. Individuals in communities with higher CBO engagement were significantly more likely to have reported consistent condom use. Higher CBO engagement was associated with some measures of social capital, including participation in local and national elections, and participation in electoral campaigns. CBOs provide added value in addressing the HIV and AIDS epidemic in very targeted and specific ways that are closely tied to the services they provide (e.g., prevention education); thus, increasing CBO engagement can be an effective measure in scaling up prevention efforts in those areas.

  6. COREDAR: COmmunicating Risk of sea level rise and Engaging stakeholDers in framing community based Adaptation stRategies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amsad Ibrahim Khan, S. K.; Chen, R. S.; de Sherbinin, A. M.; Andimuthu, R.; Kandasamy, P.

    2015-12-01

    Accelerated sea-level rise (SLR) is a major long term outcome of climate change leading to increased inundation of low-lying areas. Particularly, global cities that are located on or near the coasts are often situated in low lying areas and these locations put global cities at greater risk to SLR. Localized flooding will profoundly impact vulnerable communities located in high-risk urban areas. Building community resilience and adapting to SLR is increasingly a high priority for cities. On the other hand, Article 6 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change addresses the importance of climate change communication and engaging stakeholders in decision making process. Importantly, Community Based Adaptation (CBA) experiences emphasize that it is important to understand a community's unique perceptions of their adaptive capacities to identify useful solutions and that scientific and technical information on anticipated coastal climate impacts needs to be translated into a suitable language and format that allows people to be able to participate in adaptation planning. To address this challenge, this study has put forth three research questions from the lens of urban community engagement in SLR adaptation, (1) What, if any, community engagement in addressing SLR occurring in urban areas; (2) What information do communities need and how does it need to be communicated, in order to be better prepared and have a greater sense of agency? and (3) How can government agencies from city to federal levels facilitate community engagement and action?. To answer these questions this study has evolved a framework "COREDAR" (COmmunicating Risk of sea level rise and Engaging stakeholDers in framing community based Adaptation StRategies) to communicate and transfer complex climate data and information such as projected SLR under different scenarios of IPCC AR5, predicted impact of SLR, prioritizing vulnerability, etc. to concerned stakeholders and local communities

  7. Towards a Science of Community Stakeholder Engagement in Biomedical HIV Prevention Trials: An Embedded Four-Country Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newman, Peter A.; Rubincam, Clara; Slack, Catherine; Essack, Zaynab; Chakrapani, Venkatesan; Chuang, Deng-Min; Tepjan, Suchon; Shunmugam, Murali; Roungprakhon, Surachet; Logie, Carmen; Koen, Jennifer; Lindegger, Graham

    2015-01-01

    Objectives Broad international guidelines and studies in the context of individual clinical trials highlight the centrality of community stakeholder engagement in conducting ethically rigorous HIV prevention trials. We explored and identified challenges and facilitators for community stakeholder engagement in biomedical HIV prevention trials in diverse global settings. Our aim was to assess and deepen the empirical foundation for priorities included in the GPP guidelines and to highlight challenges in implementation that may merit further attention in subsequent GPP iterations. Methods From 2008–2012 we conducted an embedded, multiple case study centered in Thailand, India, South Africa and Canada. We conducted in-depth interviews and focus groups with respondents from different trial-related subsystems: civil society organization representatives, community advocates, service providers, clinical trialists/researchers, former trial participants, and key HIV risk populations. Interviews/focus groups were recorded, and coded using thematic content analysis. After intra-case analyses, we conducted cross-case analysis to contrast and synthesize themes and sub-themes across cases. Lastly, we applied the case study findings to explore and assess UNAIDS/AVAC GPP guidelines and the GPP Blueprint for Stakeholder Engagement. Results Across settings, we identified three cross-cutting themes as essential to community stakeholder engagement: trial literacy, including lexicon challenges and misconceptions that imperil sound communication; mistrust due to historical exploitation; and participatory processes: engaging early; considering the breadth of “community”; and, developing appropriate stakeholder roles. Site-specific challenges arose in resource-limited settings and settings where trials were halted. Conclusions This multiple case study revealed common themes underlying community stakeholder engagement across four country settings that largely mirror GPP goals and the

  8. A national survey on health department capacity for community engagement in emergency preparedness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schoch-Spana, Monica; Selck, Frederic W; Goldberg, Lisa A

    2015-01-01

    Limited systematic knowledge exists about how public health practitioners and policy makers can best strengthen community engagement in public health emergency preparedness ("CE-PHEP"), a top priority for US national health security. To investigate local health department (LHD) adoption of federally recommended participatory approaches to PHEP and to identify LHD organizational characteristics associated with more intense CE-PHEP. National survey in 2012 of LHDs using a self-administered Web-based questionnaire regarding LHD practices and resources for CE-PHEP ("The Community Engagement for Public Health Emergency Preparedness Survey"). Differences in survey responses were examined, and a multivariate analysis was used to test whether LHD organizational characteristics were associated with differences in CE-PHEP intensity. A randomized sample of 754 LHDs drawn from the 2565 LHDs that had been invited to participate in the 2010 National Profile of LHDs. Sample selection was stratified by the size of population served and geographic location. Emergency preparedness coordinators reporting on their respective LHDs. CE-PHEP intensity as measured with a scoring system that rated specific CE-PHEP practices by LHD according to the relative degrees of public participation and community capacity they represented. Survey response rate was 61%. The most common reported CE-PHEP activity was disseminating personal preparedness materials (90%); the least common was convening public forums on PHEP planning (22%). LHD characteristics most strongly associated with more intense CE-PHEP were having a formal CE-PHEP policy, allocating funds for CE-PHEP, having strong support from community-based organizations, and employing a coordinator with prior CE experience. Promising ways to engage community partners more fully in the PHEP enterprise are institutionalizing CE-PHEP objectives, employing sufficient and skilled staff, leveraging current community-based organization support, and

  9. Community-Engaged Attribute Mapping: Exploring Resources and Readiness to Change the Rural Context for Obesity Prevention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    John, Deborah; Winfield, Tammy; Etuk, Lena; Hystad, Perry; Langellotto, Gail; Manore, Melinda; Gunter, Kathy

    2017-01-01

    Individual risk factors for obesity are well-known, but environmental characteristics that influence individual risk, especially in rural communities, are not confirmed. Rural communities face unique challenges to implementing environmental strategies, such as walkability, aimed at supporting weight healthy lifestyles. Cooperative Extension, a community-embedded weight health partner, convened and engaged community members in self-exploration of local resources and readiness to change environmental characteristics perceived to promote unhealthy eating and inactivity. This approach leveraged Extension's mission, which includes connecting rural communities with land-grant university resources. HEAL MAPPS™ (Healthy Eating Active Living Mapping Attributes using Participatory Photographic Surveys) was developed as a participatory action research methodology. Adopted by Extension community partners, HEAL MAPPS™ involved residents in photomapping, characterizing, and communicating lived experiences of their rural community, and prioritizing interventions to change the obesogenic context. Extension educators serving rural communities in six Western U.S. states were trained to implement HEAL MAPPS™. Extension engaged community members who mapped and evaluated their encounters with environmental attributes that shape their dietary and activity patterns. The method partnered residents with decision makers in identifying issues, assessing resources and readiness, and prioritizing locally relevant environmental strategies to reduce access disparities for rural populations with high obesity risk. HEAL MAPPS™ revealed differences in resource availability, accessibility, and affordability within and among rural communities, as well as in readiness to address the obesogenic context. Extension functioned successfully as the backbone organization, and local community health partner, cooperatively implementing HEAL MAPPS™ and engaging constituents in shaping weight healthy

  10. Combining Community Engagement and Scientific Approaches in Next-Generation Monitor Siting: The Case of the Imperial County Community Air Network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle Wong

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Air pollution continues to be a global public health threat, and the expanding availability of small, low-cost air sensors has led to increased interest in both personal and crowd-sourced air monitoring. However, to date, few low-cost air monitoring networks have been developed with the scientific rigor or continuity needed to conduct public health surveillance and inform policy. In Imperial County, California, near the U.S./Mexico border, we used a collaborative, community-engaged process to develop a community air monitoring network that attains the scientific rigor required for research, while also achieving community priorities. By engaging community residents in the project design, monitor siting processes, data dissemination, and other key activities, the resulting air monitoring network data are relevant, trusted, understandable, and used by community residents. Integration of spatial analysis and air monitoring best practices into the network development process ensures that the data are reliable and appropriate for use in research activities. This combined approach results in a community air monitoring network that is better able to inform community residents, support research activities, guide public policy, and improve public health. Here we detail the monitor siting process and outline the advantages and challenges of this approach.

  11. The role of social engagement and identity in community mobility among older adults aging in place.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gardner, Paula

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to understand how neighbourhoods - as physical and social environments - influence community mobility. Seeking an insider's perspective, the study employed an ethnographic research design. Immersed within the daily lives of 6 older adults over an 8-month period, auditory, textual, and visual data was collected using the "go-along" interview method. During these interviews, the researcher accompanied participants on their natural outings while actively exploring their physical and social practices by asking questions, listening, and observing. Findings highlight a process of community mobility that is complex, dynamic and often difficult as participant's ability and willingness to journey into their neighborhoods were challenged by a myriad of individual and environmental factors that changed from one day to the next. Concerned in particular with the social environment, final analysis reveals how key social factors - social engagement and identity - play a critical role in the community mobility of older adults aging in place. Identity and social engagement are important social factors that play a role in community mobility. The need for social engagement and the preservation of identity are such strong motivators for community mobility that they can "trump" poor health, pain, functional ability and hazardous conditions. To effectively promote community mobility, the social lives and needs of individuals must be addressed.

  12. Engaging with communities, engaging with patients: amendment to the NAPCRG 1998 Policy Statement on Responsible Research With Communities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, Michele L; Salsberg, Jon; Knot, Michaela; LeMaster, Joseph W; Felzien, Maret; Westfall, John M; Herbert, Carol P; Vickery, Katherine; Culhane-Pera, Kathleen A; Ramsden, Vivian R; Zittleman, Linda; Martin, Ruth Elwood; Macaulay, Ann C

    2017-06-01

    In 1998, the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) adopted a groundbreaking Policy Statement endorsing responsible participatory research (PR) with communities. Since that time, PR gained prominence in primary care research. To reconsider the original 1998 Policy Statement in light of increased uptake of PR, and suggest future directions and applications for PR in primary care. This work contributed to an updated Policy Statement endorsed by NAPCRG in 2015. 32 university and 30 community NAPCRG-affiliated research partners, convened a workshop to document lessons learned about implementing processes and principles of PR. This document emerged from that session and reflection and discussion regarding the original Policy Statement, the emerging PR literature, and our own experiences. The foundational principles articulated in the 1998 Policy Statement remain relevant to the current PR environment. Lessons learned since its publication include that the maturation of partnerships is facilitated by participatory processes that support increased community responsibility for research projects, and benefits generated through PR extend beyond research outcomes. Future directions that will move forward the field of PR in primary care include: (i) improve assessment of PR processes to better delineate the links between how PR teams work together and diverse PR outcomes, (ii) increase the number of models incorporating PR into translational research from project inception to dissemination, and (iii) increase application of PR approaches that support patient engagement in clinical settings to patient-provider relationship and practice change research. PR has markedly altered the manner in which primary care research is undertaken in partnership with communities and its principles and philosophies continue to offer means to assure that research results and processes improve the health of all communities. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All

  13. Conducting Intelligent Business Dialogue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hulbert, Jack E.

    1980-01-01

    Indicates that speaking skills (especially dialogue) are not adequately taught in management education. Describes effective dialogue as: defining the problem, gathering facts, interpreting the evidence, considering alternatives, and reaching decisions. Discusses various aspects of agreement and disagreement. (TJ)

  14. Disability and Democracy in Cambodia: An Integrative Approach to Community Building and Civic Engagement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zook, Darren C.

    2010-01-01

    The political framework through which the various communities of disabled persons in Cambodia advocate for and claim their rights is complex and confusing. Both governmental and non-governmental actors engage this political framework through the mobilization of persons from the various disabled communities, competing in the civic sphere through…

  15. Patterns of Practice: Case Studies of Early Childhood Education & Family Engagement in Community Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobson, Linda; Rollins, S. Kwesi; Brown, Janet; Naviasky, Heather

    2016-01-01

    This "Patterns of Practice: Case Studies of Early Childhood Education & Family Engagement in Community Schools" report updates the community school case studies through a description of ongoing developments in Cincinnati, OH; Evansville, IN; Multnomah County, OR; and Tulsa, OK and adds to that knowledge base of early learning and…

  16. Dialogue on dialogues Multi-voiced dialogues (dialogism) as means for the co-production of knowledge in and on leadership communicative practices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bager, Ann

    2013-01-01

    The article elaborates on a theoretical understanding of dialogue as a means for the co-production of knowledge in and on leadership communicative practices through ongoing research collaboration that involves leaders, researchers and master students at Aalborg University. Dialogue is viewed from...

  17. Interactive and Participatory Decision Support: Linking Cyberinfrastructure, Multi-Touch Interfaces, and Substantive Dialogue for Geothermal Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malin, R.; Pierce, S. A.; Bass, B. J.

    2012-12-01

    Socio-technical approaches to complex, ill-structured decision problems are needed to identify adaptive responses for earth resource management. This research presents a hybrid approach to create decision tools and engender dialogue among stakeholders for geothermal development in Idaho, United States and El Tatio, Chile. Based on the scarcity of data, limited information availability, and tensions across stakeholder interests we designed and constructed a decision support model that allows stakeholders to rapidly collect, input, and visualize geoscientific data to assess geothermal system impacts and possible development strategies. We have integrated this decision support model into multi-touch interfaces that can be easily used by scientists and stakeholders alike. This toolkit is part of a larger cyberinfrastructure project designed to collect and present geoscientific information to support decision making processes. Consultation with stakeholders at the El Tatio geothermal complex of northern Chile—indigenous communities, local and national government agencies, developers, and geoscientists - informed the implementation of a sustained dialogue process. The El Tatio field case juxtaposes basic parameters such as pH, spring temperature, geochemical content, and FLIR imagery with stakeholder perceptions of risks due to mineral extraction and energy exploration efforts. The results of interviews and a participatory workshop are driving the creation of three initiatives within an indigenous community group; 1) microentrepreneurial efforts for science-based tourism, 2) design of a citizen-led environmental monitoring network in the Altiplano, and 3) business planning for an indigenous renewable energy cooperative. This toolkit is also being applied in the Snake River Plain of Idaho has as part of the DOE sponsored National Student Geothermal Competition. The Idaho case extends results from the Chilean case to implement a more streamlined system to analyze

  18. Using a Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) approach to develop and pilot a photo grid method to gain insights into early child health and development in a socio-economic disadvantaged community.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lowrie, Emma; Tyrrell-Smith, Rachel

    2017-01-01

    This paper reports on the use of a Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) approach to develop a new research tool to involve members of the community in thinking about priorities for early child health and development in a deprived area of the UK. The CEnR approach involves researchers, professionals and members of the public working together during all stages of research and development.Researchers used a phased approach to the development of a Photo Grid tool including reviewing tools which could be used for community engagement, and testing the new tool based on feedback from workshops with local early years professionals and parents of young children.The Photo Grid tool is a flat square grid on which photo cards can be placed. Participants were asked to pace at the top of the grid the photos they considered most important for early child health and development, working down to the less important ones at the bottom. The findings showed that the resulting Photo Grid tool was a useful and successful method of engaging with the local community. The evidence for this is the high numbers of participants who completed a pilot study and who provided feedback on the method. By involving community members throughout the research process, it was possible to develop a method that would be acceptable to the local population, thus decreasing the likelihood of a lack of engagement. The success of the tool is therefore particularly encouraging as it engages "seldom heard voices," such as those with low literacy. The aim of this research was to consult with professionals and parents to develop a new research toolkit (Photo Grid), to understand community assets and priorities in relation to early child health and development in Blackpool, a socio-economic disadvantaged community. A Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) approach was used to consult with community members. This paper describes the process of using a CEnR approach in developing a Photo Grid toolkit. A phased CEnR approach

  19. Study of Approaches to Danish-Arab Dialogue

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pace, Michelle; Haugbølle, Rikke Hostrup; Skrubbeltrang, Jørgen

    This study responds to previous critique of the ‘dialogue objective’ of the Danish Arab Partnership Programme (DAPP). The ‘dialogue objective’ specifically refers to the second objective of the DAPP which is ‘to improve dialogue, understanding and cooperation between Denmark and the MENA region...... (the Middle East and North Africa)’.1 A 2009 review and an evaluation conducted in 2013 both concluded that the DAPP ‘dialogue objective’ needed to be further clarified. Following from this critique the present study examines the ‘dialogue objective’. The study was given the following three aims: 1....... To analyse dialogue assumptions and approaches of DAPP interventions. 2. To review academic state-of-the-art theories on and methods for promoting dialogue. 3. To create tools for improving and documenting dialogue interventions. In the concluding remarks the study points to the need for future studies...

  20. 76 FR 22160 - Advisory Committee on the Secretary of State's Strategic Dialogue With Civil Society; Notice of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-20

    ... representatives who are leaders of U.S. and foreign civil society and U.S. and foreign businesses engaged with... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 7397] Advisory Committee on the Secretary of State's Strategic... establishment of the Advisory Committee on the Secretary of State's Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society...

  1. An Exploration of "Hyper-Local" Community-University Engagement in the Development of Smart Cities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leigh, Elaine W.

    2017-01-01

    The use of big data in smart cities poses new questions about higher education and community-university engagement practices in addressing longstanding social and economic exclusion in urban communities. Drawing on transdisciplinary ideas in higher education, cultural theory, and science and technology studies, primary concerns in the era of big…

  2. Critical Assessment of Video Production in Teacher Education: Can Video Production Foster Community-Engaged Scholarship?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Kyung-Hwa

    2014-01-01

    In the theoretical framework of production pedagogy, I reflect on a video production project conducted in a teacher education program and discuss the potential of video production to foster community-engaged scholarship among pre-service teachers. While the importance of engaging learners in creating media has been emphasized, studies show little…

  3. Engaging community volunteers in participatory action research in Tāmaki community of Auckland, New Zealand.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andajani-Sutjahjo, Sari; Liew, Theresa C H; Smith, John F; Esekielu, Iutita; Mason, Gabrielle; Tariu, Imele

    2018-04-01

    This article discusses the experiences of community volunteers' participation in a community-based participatory research project in Tāmaki, a low socio-economic and ethnically diverse suburban community within greater Auckland City, New Zealand. In the Tāmaki Community Action Research project, community volunteers were recruited and trained to conduct random household surveys (RHS) and asset mapping commissioned by community groups and government agencies in that area. The volunteers were involved in planning, coordination and ongoing governance of the project and ∼70 residents and local university students participated at different stages of the 2-year project. Over 600 RHS were completed and the volunteers' experiences were recorded in field notes, informal group discussions, daily team meetings and individual interviews and form the basis of this article. Only their experiences are discussed here, not the survey results which will be presented elsewhere. The project reflected the inherent asset-rich nature of the community via examples of individual volunteer empowerment and collective social/community capacity building. Volunteers increased their interpersonal and organizational skills, their understanding of the complexity of their community's logistics and cultural diversity, and gained an increased sense of community purpose and commitment. There was very strong endorsement of culturally sensitive research practice to recognize cultural differences and to engage productively within their richly ethnically diverse community. Full community volunteer participation in the project's governance (i.e. through design, training, implementation and ongoing consultation/management phases) was considered key to sustaining the life of project.

  4. LITERATURE REVIEW ON SOCIAL DIALOGUE IN POLAND

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agnieszka Otreba

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The article depicts the most important aspects of social dialogue in Poland: definitions and dimensions of the term, basic research questions, dialogue partners and factors influencing the quality of social dialogue. The potential of subsequent research issues are advocated: institutionalized forms and bottom-up models of social dialogue, public policies aiming at enhancement of the analyzed process. Moreover, the social dialogue can be treated as a public policy itself.

  5. One or Many? Tensions with Authorship and Evaluation in Community Engagement Writing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taggart, Amy Rupiper

    2007-01-01

    This article illustrates the sometimes unproductive tensions between community engagement goals in teaching writing and academic trends and institutional structures that influence grading practices and the language of authorship. To broaden instructors' understandings of possibilities for the relatively peaceful coexistence of individual and…

  6. Exploring engagement in a virtual community of practice in pediatric rehabilitation: who are non-users, lurkers, and posters?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hurtubise, Karen; Pratte, Gabrielle; Rivard, Lisa; Berbari, Jade; Héguy, Léa; Camden, Chantal

    2017-12-20

    Communities of practice are increasingly recognized in rehabilitation as useful knowledge transfer tools; however, little is known about their users. This exploratory study describes the characteristics of participants and non-participants invited to engage in a pediatric rehabilitation virtual community of practice. In addition, we explored virtual community of practice utilization behaviors, engagement predictors, and the impact of strategies designed to foster engagement. Participants' demographics including information-seeking style and organization e-readiness, as well as online platform frequency of use data were collected and analyzed using descriptive, comparative, and predictive statistics. Seventy-four percent of those invited used the virtual community of practice. Users had less years of experience in pediatric rehabilitation than non-users. Among the users, 71% were classified as "lurkers," who engaged through reading content only; while 29% were classified as "posters," editing online content. Predictive factors were not uncovered, however an increased number of forum visits correlated with being a poster, a non-information seeker, an employee of an organization demonstrating e-readiness, and regularly working with children with the virtual community of practice specific condition. User-engagement strategies increased visits to the forum. These findings will assist rehabilitation leaders in leveraging rehabilitation-specific virtual community of practice to improve knowledge transfer and practice in pediatric rehabilitation and disability management. Implications for Rehabilitation Communities of practice are increasingly recognized as useful knowledge transfer tools for rehabilitation professionals and are made more accessible thanks to virtual technologies. Our virtual community of practice was found to be optimized in health care organizations with an electronic culture, when the topic area had daily relevance to its target audience, and was

  7. Gestures Specialized for Dialogue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bavelas, Janet Beavin; And Others

    1995-01-01

    Explored how hand gestures help interlocutors coordinate their dialogue. Analysis of dyadic conversations and monologues revealed that requirements of dialogue uniquely affect interactive gestures. Gestures aided the speaker's efforts to include the addressee in the conversation. Gestures also demonstrated the importance of social processes in…

  8. The Language of Engagement: "Aha!" Moments from Engaging Patients and Community Partners in Two Pilot Projects of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tai-Seale, Ming; Sullivan, Greer; Cheney, Ann; Thomas, Kathleen; Frosch, Dominick

    2016-01-01

    Compared with people living in the community, researchers often have different frameworks or paradigms for thinking about health and wellness. These differing frameworks are often accompanied by differences in terminology or language. The purpose of this commentary is to describe some of our "Aha!" moments from conducting two pilot studies funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. Over time, we came to understand how our language and word choices may have been acting as a wedge between ourselves and our community research partners. We learned that fruitful collaborative work must attend to the creation of a common language, which we refer to as the language of engagement. Such patient-centered language can effectively build a bridge between researchers and community partners. We encourage other researchers to think critically about their cultural competency, to be mindful of the social power dynamics between patient and physician, to reflect on how their understanding might differ from those of their patient partners, and to find ways to use a common language that engages patients and other community partners.

  9. Dialogue for Fostering Participation or Manipulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Devi Akella

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Dialogue is a communication form which enables open and honest communication between employees and management. Without dialogue there can be no exchange of information and ideas nor any shared understandings between labor and management. Dialogue leads to reflection of one’s perceptions, transference of knowledge and understanding, detection and correction of errors and generation of new ideas, and mental schemas and concepts. However, the role of dialogue and its overall effectiveness in designing democratic and collaborative working environments remains “curiously underexplored”. This article uses the power ideologies of Lukes and empirical data gathered in the form of interviews from the health care sector to understand the true purpose and agenda of dialogue in contemporary organizations.

  10. Achieving success through trust and engagement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peterson, S., E-mail: jsp@nei.org [Nuclear Energy Inst., Washington, DC (United States)

    2014-07-01

    'Full text:' Business must embrace a new mantra: move beyond earning the license to operate - the minimum required standard - toward earning a license to lead - in which business serves the needs of shareholders and broader stakeholders by being profitable and acting as a positive force in society. Business must change the way it engages stakeholders, according to the 2014 Edleman Trust Barometer, an annual assessment of communications trends and challenges. Given this era of public skepticism; people need to see or hear information three to five times in different places and from different sources before believing it. They learn equally from traditional and social channels. The traditional pyramid of authority, with elites driving communications top down to public audiences, is now joined by an inverted pyramid of community - employees, consumers and social activists - involved in real-time, horizontal, constant peer-to-peer dialogue resulting in a new formula of influence. What does this mean for the nuclear energy industry? It requires a new level of engagement by industry executives, employees and third-party advocates as well as transparency in how we communicate to our audiences. Traditional communications channels continue to be part of the strategy, but constantly evolving social media platforms are critical to communicating to generations that have completely different media habits than the generation that preceded them. (author)

  11. Achieving success through trust and engagement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peterson, S.

    2014-01-01

    'Full text:' Business must embrace a new mantra: move beyond earning the license to operate - the minimum required standard - toward earning a license to lead - in which business serves the needs of shareholders and broader stakeholders by being profitable and acting as a positive force in society. Business must change the way it engages stakeholders, according to the 2014 Edleman Trust Barometer, an annual assessment of communications trends and challenges. Given this era of public skepticism; people need to see or hear information three to five times in different places and from different sources before believing it. They learn equally from traditional and social channels. The traditional pyramid of authority, with elites driving communications top down to public audiences, is now joined by an inverted pyramid of community - employees, consumers and social activists - involved in real-time, horizontal, constant peer-to-peer dialogue resulting in a new formula of influence. What does this mean for the nuclear energy industry? It requires a new level of engagement by industry executives, employees and third-party advocates as well as transparency in how we communicate to our audiences. Traditional communications channels continue to be part of the strategy, but constantly evolving social media platforms are critical to communicating to generations that have completely different media habits than the generation that preceded them. (author)

  12. Commentary: Utilizing Community-Engaged Approaches to Investigate and Address Hmong Women’s Cancer Disparities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shannon M.A. Sparks

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Cancer is a growing concern for women in the Hmong community. Hmong women experience poor health outcomes for both cervical and breast cancer, largely due to low rates of screening and resultant late-stage at diagnosis. Both breast and cervical cancer screening are complicated by a multitude of social, cultural and environmental factors which influence health care decision-making and can otherwise serve to restrict access. We argue that community-engaged research, an orientation which prioritizes collaborative, equitable partnerships and community voice in identifying both problems and solutions, can be a valuable approach to helping address cancer health disparities for Hmong women. Using the Milwaukee-based “Healthy Hmong Women” project as a case example, we detail how the community-engaged approach implemented by the project partners was critical in identifying factors contributing to Hmong cancer disparities and appropriate interventions, as well as the overall acceptance and success of the project. Specifically, we discuss how this approach: (1 promoted community investment and ownership in the project; (2 facilitated the integration of local perspectives and experiences; (3 built capacity to address cancer screening disparities; (4 facilitated the creation of interventions targeting multiple ecological levels; and (5 framed the community as the foundation and driver of positive change.

  13. The Information Literacy of Survey Mark Hunting: A Dialogue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer Galas

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available In Brief: This article makes connections between the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and the activity of survey mark hunting. After a brief review of the literature related to geographic information systems (GIS, information literacy, and gamification of learning, the authors enter into a dialogue in which they discover and describe the various ways information literacy is both required by and developed through the recreational activity of survey mark hunting. Through their dialogue they found that the activity of survey mark hunting relies on the construction of both information and its authority in ways contextualized within the communities that participate; that survey mark hunting is a conversation that builds on the past, where lived experience counts as evidence; and, that survey mark hunting is both a metaphor and embodied enactment of information literacy.

  14. Engaging and Working in Solidarity with Local Communities in Preparing the Teachers of Their Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeichner, Ken; Bowman, Michael; Guillen, Lorena; Napolitan, Kate

    2016-01-01

    This article analyzes a programmatic effort in teacher education, "The Community Teaching Strand" (CTS), to engage local community members as mentors of teacher candidates (TCs) in two postgraduate teacher preparation programs in a large research university. Three different conceptions of the nature and purpose of…

  15. The danger of engagement: Behavioral observations of online community activity and service spending in the online gaming

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kaptein, M.C.; Parvinen, P.; Pöyri, E.

    2015-01-01

    Research indicates that customer engagement in online communities has positive effects on related businesses, and that, on an aggregated level, community activity and service spending are positively related. Therefore, marketing efforts tend to focus on promoting the community activity of customers.

  16. A Community-Engaged Art Program for Older People: Fostering Social Inclusion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moody, Elaine; Phinney, Alison

    2012-01-01

    Social inclusion is an important factor in promoting optimum health and wellness for older adults. Community-engaged arts (CEA) have been promoted as a means to support social inclusion for this population, but little empirical evidence has been reported. The objective of this study was to explore the role of a CEA program in the social inclusion…

  17. Case Study in Designing a Research Fundamentals Curriculum for Community Health Workers: A University - Community Clinic Collaborative

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dumbauld, Jill; Kalichman, Michael; Bell, Yvonne; Dagnino, Cynthia; Taras, Howard

    2014-01-01

    Introduction Community health workers are increasingly incorporated into research teams. Training them in research methodology and ethics, while relating these themes to a community’s characteristics, may help to better integrate these health promotion personnel into research teams. Approach and Strategies This pilot project involved the design and implementation of an interactive training course on research fundamentals for community health workers from clinics in a rural, predominately Latino setting. Curriculum development was guided by collaborative activities arising from a university - clinic partnership, a community member focus group, and the advice of community-based researchers. The resulting curriculum was interactive and stimulated dialogue between trainees and academic researchers. Discussion and Conclusions Collaboration between researchers and health agency professionals proved to be a practical method to develop curriculum for clinic staff. An interactive curriculum allowed trainees to incorporate community-specific themes into the discussion. This interaction educated course instructors from academia about the community as much as it educated course participants about research. The bidirectional engagement that occurs during the development and teaching of this course can potentially lead to research partnerships between community agencies and academia, better-informed members of the public, and research protocols that accommodate community characteristics. PMID:24121537

  18. Equity and resource allocation in health care: dialogue between Islam and Christianity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benn, Christoph; Hyder, Adnan A

    2002-01-01

    Inequities in health and health care are one of the greatest challenges facing the international community today. This problem raises serious questions for health care planners, politicians and ethicists alike. The major world religions can play an important role in this discussion. Therefore, interreligious dialogue on this topic between ethicists and health care professionals is of increasing relevance and urgency. This article gives an overview on the positions of Islam and Christianity on equity and the distribution of resources in health care. It has been written in close collaboration and constant dialogue between the two authors coming from the two religions. Although there is no specific concept for the modern term equity in either of the two religions, several areas of agreement have been identified: All human beings share the same values and status, which constitutes the basis for an equitable distribution of rights and benefits. Special provisions need to be made for the most needy and disadvantaged. The obligation to provide equitable health services extends beyond national and religious boundaries. Several areas require intensified research and further dialogue: the relationship between the individual and the community in terms of rights and responsibilities, how to operationalize the moral duty to decrease global inequalities in health, and the understanding and interpretation of human rights in regard to social services.

  19. Some contemporary aspects of Hindu-Christian dialogue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandru-Corneliu Arion

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The present paper deals with an important aspect of today’s interreligious dialogue, that between Christianity and the second largest religion of Asia, namely Hinduism. The concern is centering around not the ancient or traditional links between these two expressions of the Sacred, but rather of the contemporary ones. But that requires certain knowledge of what has already happened. The dialogue comes from the heart of the people, and is situated in the middle of life. Unfortunately, many present-day dialogues set the stage according to the terms of one of the parties alone. But in spite of misunderstandings and difficulties of the Hindu-Christian dialogue, it has an unavoidable effect: it changes our vision and interpretation of our own religion. The main tenets would be: the future of Hindu-Christian dialogue will largely depend on future mutual interest; Hindu-Christian dialogue may be linked to the future development of Hinduism and Christianity; the future of Hindu-Christian dialogue may be endangered by an institutional misunderstanding of its nature; Hindu-Christian dialogue may have to be placed into a larger “secular” context; Hindu-Christian dialogue is inevitable. It is an imperative and it must exhibit more continuity.

  20. Engaging Street Youth in an Evaluation of a Community-Based Arts Program

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robin Wright

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Data from the Edmonton Arts & Youth Feasibility Study (EAYFS was used to ascertain the feasibility of engaging street youth in a structured community-based arts program and an outcome-based evaluation. The study engaged 23 street youth in a ten-week multi-media arts program focused on developing prosocial communication, team-building, and problem-solving skills. Results have shown that street youth are highly interested in artistic endeavors; will participate to the best of their circumstances; and will provide reliable data. The youth and staff reported improved art skills, problem-solving capacity, and prosocial communication as well as a decrease in drug use, depression, loneliness, and a greater sense of enjoyment about life. Strengths of the program included the arts media, the non-judgmental environment, and the support from staff. The study suggests that community-based arts programs for street youth could be subjected to a rigorous outcome-based evaluation.

  1. Community-Engaged Strategies to Increase Diversity of Participants in Health Education Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khubchandani, Jagdish; Balls-Berry, Joyce; Price, James H; Webb, Fern J

    2016-05-01

    Minorities have historically been underrepresented in health-related research. Several strategies have been recommended to increase the participation of minorities in health-related research. However, most of the recommendations and guidelines apply to research in clinical or laboratory contexts. One of the more prominent methods to enhance minority participation in health-related research that has recently come to the fore is the use of community-engaged strategies. The purpose of this article is to summarize community-engaged outreach efforts that can be translated into useable strategies for health education research teams seeking to diversify the pool of research participants. Also, we provide a succinct overview of the various components of a research endeavor that may influence minority participation in health-related research. Finally, we analyze how health education specialists and SOPHE (Society of Public Health Education) can play a leading role in helping enhance minority participation in health-related research. © 2016 Society for Public Health Education.

  2. A Convergent Mixed-Methods Exploration of the Effects of Community-Engaged Coursework on Graduate Student Learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dinour, Lauren M; Szaro, Jacalyn; Blumberg, Renata; Bose, Mousumi

    2018-03-06

    To examine the impact of a community-engaged assignment on graduate student learning in the nutritional sciences. Convergent mixed-methods design with parallel data collection and terminal merging of data. Data were composed of grant proposals, reflection papers, and informal course evaluations from 2 semesters of the same course. Fall students wrote proposals on behalf of a community partner whereas spring students wrote fictitious grants to improve nutrition on their campus. A large public university in northeastern US. Students enrolled in the fall (n = 19) or spring (n = 14) semester of the same graduate nutrition course. Grant quality, student engagement, and collaboration with peers. Quantitative rubric-based rating of grant proposals, emergent and thematic qualitative coding of open-ended responses, and independent-samples t test of Likert-scale questions. Data were compared between semesters and reported in a contiguous narrative approach. Students across semesters experienced academic and personal gains from the assignment. Comparatively, fall students expressed enhanced engagement, improved group dynamics, more frequent application of the assignment to their lives, and a better aggregate grant score. Both experiential and community-engaged coursework can enhance learning outcomes at the graduate level and prepare students for careers in nutrition. Copyright © 2018 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Midwifery and dialogue in organizations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristiansen, Marianne; Block Poulsen, Jørgen

    is a dialogue between theory and praxis, too. It integrates research, action, and training as well as theories of interpersonal and organizational communication, Roger's humanistic psychology, Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics, and Buber's philosophy of dialogue. The empirical material consists...... transcripts and analyses of these live conversations. We hope to have a dialogue with graduate students and colleagues doing similar research and training. As well as with reflective practitioners working as organizational and process consultants, coaches, trainers, mediators, facilitators, etc....

  4. Teaching `community engagement' in engineering education for international development: Integration of an interdisciplinary social work curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilbert, Dorie J.; Lehman Held, Mary; Ellzey, Janet L.; Bailey, William T.; Young, Laurie B.

    2015-05-01

    This article reviews the literature on challenges faced by engineering faculty in educating their students on community-engaged, sustainable technical solutions in developing countries. We review a number of approaches to increasing teaching modules on social and community components of international development education, from adding capstone courses and educational track seminars to integrating content from other disciplines, particularly the social sciences. After summarising recent pedagogical strategies to increase content on community-focused development, we present a case study of how one engineering programme incorporates social work students and faculty to infuse strategies for community engagement in designing and implementing student-led global engineering development projects. We outline how this interdisciplinary pedagogical approach teaches students from the two disciplines to work together in addressing power balances, economic and social issues and overall sustainability of international development projects.

  5. Developing a theory of change for a community-based response to illegal wildlife trade.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biggs, Duan; Cooney, Rosie; Roe, Dilys; Dublin, Holly T; Allan, James R; Challender, Dan W S; Skinner, Diane

    2017-02-01

    The escalating illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is one of the most high-profile conservation challenges today. The crisis has attracted over US$350 million in donor and government funding in recent years, primarily directed at increased enforcement. There is growing recognition among practitioners and policy makers of the need to engage rural communities that neighbor or live with wildlife as key partners in tackling IWT. However, a framework to guide such community engagement is lacking. We developed a theory of change (ToC) to guide policy makers, donors, and practitioners in partnering with communities to combat IWT. We identified 4 pathways for community-level actions: strengthen disincentives for illegal behavior, increase incentives for wildlife stewardship, decrease costs of living with wildlife, and support livelihoods that are not related to wildlife. To succeed the pathways, all require strengthening of enabling conditions, including capacity building, and of governance. Our ToC serves to guide actions to tackle IWT and to inform the evaluation of policies. Moreover, it can be used to foster dialogue among IWT stakeholders, from local communities to governments and international donors, to develop a more effective, holistic, and sustainable community-based response to the IWT crisis. © 2016 The Authors. Conservation Biology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology.

  6. Proyecto MercadoFRESCO: a multi-level, community-engaged corner store intervention in East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortega, Alexander N; Albert, Stephanie L; Sharif, Mienah Z; Langellier, Brent A; Garcia, Rosa Elena; Glik, Deborah C; Brookmeyer, Ron; Chan-Golston, Alec M; Friedlander, Scott; Prelip, Michael L

    2015-04-01

    Urban food swamps are typically situated in low-income, minority communities and contribute to overweight and obesity. Changing the food landscape in low income and underserved communities is one strategy to combat the negative health consequences associated with the lack of access to healthy food resources and an abundance of unhealthy food venues. In this paper, we describe Proyecto MercadoFRESCO (Fresh Market Project), a corner store intervention project in East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights in California that used a multi-level approach with a broad range of community, business, and academic partners. These are two neighboring, predominantly Latino communities that have high rates of overweight and obesity. Located in these two communities are approximately 150 corner stores. The project used a community-engaged approach to select, recruit, and convert four corner stores, so that they could become healthy community assets in order to improve residents' access to and awareness of fresh and affordable fruits and vegetables in their immediate neighborhoods. We describe the study framework for the multi-level intervention, which includes having multiple stakeholders, expertise in corner store operations, community and youth engagement strategies, and social marketing campaigns. We also describe the evaluation and survey methodology to determine community and patron impact of the intervention. This paper provides a framework useful to a variety of public health stakeholders for implementing a community-engaged corner store conversion, particularly in an urban food swamp.

  7. Decolonizing Scoping Review Methodologies for Literature With, for, and by Indigenous Peoples and the African Diaspora: Dialoguing With the Tensions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chambers, Lori A; Jackson, Randy; Worthington, Catherine; Wilson, Ciann L; Tharao, Wangari; Greenspan, Nicole R; Masching, Renee; Pierre-Pierre, Valérie; Mbulaheni, Tola; Amirault, Marni; Brownlee, Patrick

    2018-01-01

    This article summarizes our deepened understanding of decolonizing research with, for, and by Indigenous peoples and peoples of African descent that emerged from conducting a scoping review of the methodological literature and reflecting on our review process. Although our review identified decolonizing methodologies as a promising approach, we questioned if our scoping review process engaged in decolonizing knowing. To unpack the epistemological tensions between decolonizing knowing and Western ways of doing scoping reviews, we engaged in individual and collective reflective processes- dialoguing with the tensions-moving from individual immersion in the literature to transformative dialogues among the team. In reflecting upon our tensions with the scoping review process, themes that emerged included (a) ontological/epistemological disjunctures, (b) tensions with concepts and language, and (c) relationships with the literature and beyond. This reflexive process provides valuable insight into ways in which review methods might be made a decolonizing research experience.

  8. Engaging Karen refugee students in science learning through a cross-cultural learning community

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harper, Susan G.

    2017-02-01

    This research explored how Karen (first-generation refugees from Burma) elementary students engaged with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) practice of constructing scientific explanations based on evidence within the context of a cross-cultural learning community. In this action research, the researcher and a Karen parent served as co-teachers for fourth- and fifth-grade Karen and non-Karen students in a science and culture after-school programme in a public elementary school in the rural southeastern United States. Photovoice provided a critical platform for students to create their own cultural discourses for the learning community. The theoretical framework of critical pedagogy of place provided a way for the learning community to decolonise and re-inhabit the learning spaces with knowledge they co-constructed. Narrative analysis of video transcripts of the after-school programme, ethnographic interviews, and focus group discussions from Photovoice revealed a pattern of emerging agency by Karen students in the scientific practice of constructing scientific explanations based on evidence and in Karen language lessons. This evidence suggests that science learning embedded within a cross-cultural learning community can empower refugee students to construct their own hybrid cultural knowledge and leverage that knowledge to engage in a meaningful way with the epistemology of science.

  9. The dialogue in the development of cultural-educational space of youth communities: philosophy of intercultural

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. M. Troitska

    2016-06-01

    It is defined the systemic mistakes in the cultural­educational practices of youth organizations, which is connected with the poor level of worldview culture and that presented as a peculiar break in the formation of intercultural: often revealing of emotional, impulsive state in contrast to balanced civil position; the interests of the community not always articulated correctly in authorized and other documents; in the real process of communication and dialogue appears conflict factors, conditioned by psychology of «a crowd», elements of ochlocracy, anarchy and stereotypic thinking; contextual «immaturity» of the process of consolidation, connected with specific incompleteness of consolidation of Ukrainian political nation and etc. It is pointed out some warnings on the subject of implementation of ideas in real cultural­educational practice: in particular, when it is about the integration of the culture, about multy­culture and etc. Constructivist approach in the research of mentioned process with the necessary requires making strategies and programmes of intercultural activity on the basis of intercultural universals and standards of cultural «code».

  10. Editorial. Dialogue, Communication and Collaboration: Aspects of Philosophy and Communication

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jovilė Barevičiūtė

    2016-03-01

    versus Antirealism in Science Education is a contribution by Seungbae Park, in which he attempts to define how the dialogue between teachers and students is possible, as he takes the position stating that the doctrine of scientific realism is much more effective than provided opportunities of scientific antirealism. And finally, Algis Mickūnas, in his article The Different Other and Dialogue, discusses the reasons why members of different communities find it difficult to establish dialogue-based relationships and why in some cases they remain imprisoned in the state of a monologue. This issue of the journal presents a truly wide field of investigations into opportunities and obstacles for communication, interaction and collaboration. It is pleasing to see that representatives of various humanities and social sciences joined the same dialogue. Looking forward to the productive insights in the future, the Editor would like to express her gratitude to the authors of this issue.

  11. Community Engagement for Big Epidemiology: Deliberative Democracy as a Tool

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rebekah E. McWhirter

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Public trust is critical in any project requiring significant public support, both in monetary terms and to encourage participation. The research community has widely recognized the centrality of public trust, garnered through community consultation, to the success of large-scale epidemiology. This paper examines the potential utility of the deliberative democracy methodology within the public health research setting. A deliberative democracy event was undertaken in Tasmania, Australia, as part of a wider program of community consultation regarding the potential development of a Tasmanian Biobank. Twenty-five Tasmanians of diverse backgrounds participated in two weekends of deliberation; involving elements of information gathering; discussion; identification of issues and formation of group resolutions. Participants demonstrated strong support for a Tasmanian Biobank and their deliberations resulted in specific proposals in relation to consent; privacy; return of results; governance; funding; and, commercialization and benefit sharing. They exhibited a high degree of satisfaction with the event, and confidence in the outcomes. Deliberative democracy methodology is a useful tool for community engagement that addresses some of the limitations of traditional consultation methods.

  12. Community Engagement for Big Epidemiology: Deliberative Democracy as a Tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    McWhirter, Rebekah E.; Critchley, Christine R.; Nicol, Dianne; Chalmers, Don; Whitton, Tess; Otlowski, Margaret; Burgess, Michael M.; Dickinson, Joanne L.

    2014-01-01

    Public trust is critical in any project requiring significant public support, both in monetary terms and to encourage participation. The research community has widely recognized the centrality of public trust, garnered through community consultation, to the success of large-scale epidemiology. This paper examines the potential utility of the deliberative democracy methodology within the public health research setting. A deliberative democracy event was undertaken in Tasmania, Australia, as part of a wider program of community consultation regarding the potential development of a Tasmanian Biobank. Twenty-five Tasmanians of diverse backgrounds participated in two weekends of deliberation; involving elements of information gathering; discussion; identification of issues and formation of group resolutions. Participants demonstrated strong support for a Tasmanian Biobank and their deliberations resulted in specific proposals in relation to consent; privacy; return of results; governance; funding; and, commercialization and benefit sharing. They exhibited a high degree of satisfaction with the event, and confidence in the outcomes. Deliberative democracy methodology is a useful tool for community engagement that addresses some of the limitations of traditional consultation methods. PMID:25563457

  13. Exhilarated Learning and the Scholarship of Engagement: From Here (the University) to the Horizon (the Community)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strean, William Ben

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, I explain the components of "exhilarated learning," a model for effective classroom environments, and show how this model can be applied to the broader context of community-university engagement. I describe the following three dimensions: human connection, whole body engagement, and linking content to context; and I…

  14. When legitimate claims collide: communities, media and dialogue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Klas Grinell

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses the exhibition Jerusalem at the Museum of World Culture (MoWC in Gothenburg, Sweden. The exhibition mixes photographs of LGBTQ (LesbianGayBiTransQueer persons in Jerusalem, with quotes from the three Abrahamitic Holy Scriptures condemning homosexual activities and behaviours. MoWC held dialogues with religious persons. Although no-one wanted to stop the exhibition, many were critical of the artist’s mixing of Holiness and Nudity/Sexuality. The Museum was criticized for bending to fundamentalist pressure, assuming that it had plans to stop the exhibition, and a media debate on censorship and freedom of speech followed. This paper analyzes the situatedness of MoWC, and its discursive belonging. How can a state governed institution deal with legitimate and opposing claims, and counter both heteronormativity and islamophobia? What discourses is the Museum institution inscribed in? What power relations follow from that? Is it, due to historic, bureaucratic, and cultural legacies, tied to certain positions and affiliations in the public space?

  15. Doing Well and Doing Good: Community Colleges and the Civic Engagement Movement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albert, Louis S.

    2004-01-01

    When college students find ways to combine education for productive work with education for responsible citizenship, the balance between workplace productivity and civic engagement provides both financial rewards and a deep sense of satisfaction associated with contributing to the vitality of the communities where they work and live. This is…

  16. Engaging black sub-Saharan African communities and their gatekeepers in HIV prevention programs: Challenges and strategies from England

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mathew Nyashanu

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective: HIV infection is a sensitive issue in black communities [Serrant-Green L. Black Caribbean men, sexual health decisions and silences. Doctoral thesis. Nottingham School of Nursing, University of Nottingham; 2004]. Statistics show black sub-Saharan African (BSSA communities disproportionately constitute two-thirds of people with HIV [Heath Protection Agency. Health protection report: latest infection reports-GOV.UK; 2013]. African communities constitute 30% of people accessing HIV treatment in the United Kingdom yet represent less than 1% of the population [Health Protection Agency. HIV in the United Kingdom: 2012 report; 2012], [Department of Health. DVD about FGM. 2012. Available from fgm@dh.gsi.gov.uk.]. This article explores the sociocultural challenges in engaging BSSA communities in HIV prevention programs in England and possible strategies to improve their involvement. Methods: Twelve focus group discussions and 24 semistructured interviews were conducted in a 2-year period with participants from the BSSA communities and sexual health services in the West Midlands, England. The research was supported by the Ubuntu scheme, a sexual health initiative working with African communities in Birmingham, England. Results: Ineffective engagement with African communities can hinder the effectiveness of HIV prevention programs. Skills and strategies sensitive to BSSA culture are important for successful implementation of prevention programs. HIV prevention programs face challenges including stigma, denial, and marginalized views within BSSA communities. Conclusion: Networking, coordination, and cultural sensitivity training for health professionals are key strategies for engaging BSSA communities in HIV prevention programs.

  17. Chinese student mobility, local engagement and transformation of Chinese communities in England: an empirical study

    OpenAIRE

    Wu, Bin

    2016-01-01

    Unprecedented growth and circulation of Chinese international students cannot be fully understood unless the roles of host societies including diaspora Chinese communities are taken into account. This chapter draws attention to a phenomenon of local engagement, a process of interconnections and interactions between Chinese students and local communities, leading to a co-development of both Chinese students and diaspora Chinese communities in host countries. The links and impacts of Chinese st...

  18. Strategic Conversation Quality and Engagement: Assessment of a New Measure

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Merwe, Louis; Chermack, Thomas J.; Kulikowich, Jonna; Yang, Baiyin

    2007-01-01

    When considering organization strategy-making and execution from a learning perspective, the role of conversation and engagement is of critical importance, yet little research has been conducted in this area. Recent publications have suggested an increasing role for conversation and dialogue in strategic planning processes. The present study…

  19. An Exploration of the Effect of Community Engagement in Research on Perceived Outcomes of Partnered Mental Health Services Projects*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khodyakov, Dmitry; Stockdale, Susan; Jones, Felica; Ohito, Elizabeth; Jones, Andrea; Lizaola, Elizabeth; Mango, Joseph

    2011-01-01

    Mental health research projects address sensitive issues for vulnerable populations and are implemented in complex environments. Community-Based Participatory Research approaches are recommended for health research on vulnerable populations, but little is known about how variation in participation affects outcomes of partnered research projects. We developed a conceptual model demonstrating the impact of community engagement in research on outcomes of partnered projects. We collected data on key constructs from community and academic leaders of 21 sampled partnered research projects in two cycles of an NIMH research center. We conducted empirical analyses to test the model. Our findings suggest that community engagement in research is positively associated with perceived professional development, as well as political and community impact. PMID:22582144

  20. Monologue à plusiers voix : Montaigne et le dialogue

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Toftgaard, Anders

    2010-01-01

    dissatisfaction with Plato's dialogues, he aspired to match Plato's style, not least in achieving a conversational tone. Three different elements of dialogue are analysed : the “Dialogue of One“ between the different parts of Montaigne's mind, the dialogue between the author and the writers quoted and paraphrased...

  1. Religiosity, Discrimination, and Community Engagement: Gendered Pathways of Muslim American Emerging Adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sirin, Selcuk R.; Katsiaficas, Dalal

    2011-01-01

    The attacks on September 11, 2001, changed the lives of all Americans. For many immigrant Muslims in the United States this meant dealing with an elevated amount of discrimination. This study investigated how perceived discrimination influenced levels of community engagement among Muslim American emerging adults and whether it varied by gender.…

  2. Engaging the underserved: a process model to mobilize rural community health coalitions as partners in translational research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Melinda M; Aromaa, Susan; McGinnis, Paul B; Ramsey, Katrina; Rollins, Nancy; Smith, Jamie; Beamer, Beth Ann; Buckley, David I; Stange, Kurt C; Fagnan, Lyle J

    2014-08-01

    Community engagement (CE) and community-engaged research (CEnR) are increasingly recognized as critical elements in research translation. Process models to develop CEnR partnerships in rural and underserved communities are needed. Academic partners transformed four established Community Health Improvement Partnerships (CHIPs) into Community Health Improvement and Research Partnerships (CHIRPs). The intervention consisted of three elements: an academic-community kickoff/orientation meeting, delivery of eight research training modules to CHIRP members, and local community-based participatory research (CBPR) pilot studies addressing childhood obesity. We conducted a mixed methods analysis of pre-/postsurveys, interviews, session evaluations, observational field notes, and attendance logs to evaluate intervention effectiveness and acceptability. Forty-nine community members participated; most (78.7%) attended five or more research training sessions. Session quality and usefulness was high. Community members reported significant increases in their confidence for participating in all phases of research (e.g., formulating research questions, selecting research methods, writing manuscripts). All CHIRP groups successfully conducted CBPR pilot studies. The CHIRP process builds on existing infrastructure in academic and community settings to foster CEnR. Brief research training and pilot studies around community-identified health needs can enhance individual and organizational capacity to address health disparities in rural and underserved communities. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. The danger of engagement : Behavioral observations of online community activity and service spending in the online gaming context

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kaptein, M.C.; Parvinen, Petri; Poyry, Essi

    2016-01-01

    Research indicates that customer engagement in online communities has positive effects on related businesses, and that, on an aggregated level, community activity and service spending are positively related. Therefore, marketing efforts tend to focus on promoting the community activity of customers.

  4. Reductionist versus holistic approaches to the study of river meandering: An ideal dialogue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seminara, G.; Pittaluga, M. Bolla

    2012-08-01

    We discuss some recent attempts to apply the theory of nonlinear dynamical systems to the interpretation of the long term morphodynamic evolution of meandering rivers. To make the discussion attractive for the reader, we employ the method of a Socratic dialogue between a member of the so called 'reductionist community', who is inclined to support only theories based on physical principles and who is skeptical about fashionable new paradigms, and a member of the 'holistic community', who supports the idea that new paradigms are needed because rivers are complex systems, whose response can only be interpreted using tools that analyze the system "as a whole". The dialogue focuses on a selection of recent contributions which assesses the progress in understanding of meander dynamics achieved by the use of the above new paradigms. The discussion suggests that some consensus has been reached on the fractal nature of meandering patterns, with the fractal dimension playing the role of a morphometric parameter. On the contrary, despite different early suggestions, recent thorough analysis has been unable to detect any clear evidence that the evolution of meanders displays the characters of either a chaotic or a self organized critical process. The dialogue is concluded with some consensus on the perspective that well founded cellular models may possibly help reconciling the reductionist and holistic viewpoints.

  5. Collective Referential Intentionality in the Semantics of Dialogue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacquette Dale

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The concept of a dialogue is considered in general terms from the standpoint of its referential presuppositions. The semantics of dialogue implies that dialogue participants must generally have a collective intentionality of agreed-upon references that is minimally sufficient for them to be able to disagree about other things, and ideally for outstanding disagreements to become clearer at successive stages of the dialogue. These points are detailed and illustrated in a fictional dialogue, in which precisely these kinds of referential confusions impede progress in shared understanding. It is only through a continuous exchange of question and answer in this dialogue case study that the meanings of key terms and anaphorical references are disambiguated, and a relevantly complete collective intentionality of shared meaning between dialogue participants is achieved. The importance of a minimally shared referential semantics for the terms entering into reasoning and argument in dialogue contexts broadly construed cannot be over-estimated. Where to draw the line between referential agreement and disagreement within any chosen dialogue, as participants work toward better mutual understanding in clearing up referential incongruities, is sometimes among the dialogue’s main points of dispute.

  6. Community Advisory Boards Guiding Engaged Research Efforts within a Clinical Translational Sciences Award: Key Contextual Factors Explored.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halladay, Jacqueline R; Donahue, Katrina E; Sleath, Betsy; Reuland, Dan; Black, Adina; Mitchell, C Madeline; Breland, Carol E; Coyne-Beasley, Tamera; Mottus, Kathleen; Watson, Sable Noelle; Lewis, Virginia; Wynn, Mysha; Corbie-Smith, Giselle

    2017-01-01

    Engaging stakeholders in research carries the promise of enhancing the research relevance, transparency, and speed of getting findings into practice. By describing the context and functional aspects of stakeholder groups, like those working as community advisory boards (CABs), others can learn from these experiences and operationalize their own CABs. Our objective is to describe our experiences with diverse CABs affiliated with our community engagement group within our institution's Clinical Translational Sciences Award (CTSA). We identify key contextual elements that are important to administering CABs. A group of investigators, staff, and community members engaged in a 6-month collaboration to describe their experiences of working with six research CABs. We identified the key contextual domains that illustrate how CABS are developed and sustained. Two lead authors, with experience with CABs and identifying contextual domains in other work, led a team of 13 through the process. Additionally, we devised a list of key tips to consider when devising CABs. The final domains include (1) aligned missions among stakeholders (2) resources/support, (3) defined operational processes/shared power, (4) well-described member roles, and (5) understanding and mitigating challenges. The tips are a set of actions that support the domains. Identifying key contextual domains was relatively easy, despite differences in the respective CAB's condition of focus, overall mission, or patient demographics represented. By contextualizing these five domains, other research and community partners can take an informed approach to move forward with CAB planning and engaged research.

  7. Introducing Spoken Dialogue Systems into Intelligent Environments

    CERN Document Server

    Heinroth, Tobias

    2013-01-01

    Introducing Spoken Dialogue Systems into Intelligent Environments outlines the formalisms of a novel knowledge-driven framework for spoken dialogue management and presents the implementation of a model-based Adaptive Spoken Dialogue Manager(ASDM) called OwlSpeak. The authors have identified three stakeholders that potentially influence the behavior of the ASDM: the user, the SDS, and a complex Intelligent Environment (IE) consisting of various devices, services, and task descriptions. The theoretical foundation of a working ontology-based spoken dialogue description framework, the prototype implementation of the ASDM, and the evaluation activities that are presented as part of this book contribute to the ongoing spoken dialogue research by establishing the fertile ground of model-based adaptive spoken dialogue management. This monograph is ideal for advanced undergraduate students, PhD students, and postdocs as well as academic and industrial researchers and developers in speech and multimodal interactive ...

  8. How Is Global Dialogue Possible?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Intercultural dialogue is often invoked in vague reference to a method that can build cross-cultural understanding and facilitate global policy-making. The 25 chapters of this book--written by leading specialists in the respective areas--clarify the theoretical foundations of intercultural dialogue...

  9. Teaching "Community Engagement" in Engineering Education for International Development: Integration of an Interdisciplinary Social Work Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilbert, Dorie J.; Held, Mary Lehman; Ellzey, Janet L.; Bailey, William T.; Young, Laurie B.

    2015-01-01

    This article reviews the literature on challenges faced by engineering faculty in educating their students on community-engaged, sustainable technical solutions in developing countries. We review a number of approaches to increasing teaching modules on social and community components of international development education, from adding capstone…

  10. The elephant in the room: Dialogues about race within cross-cultural supervisory relationships.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White-Davis, Tanya; Stein, Emma; Karasz, Alison

    2016-05-01

    For centuries, the concept of race, a uniquely pervasive social construct, has often complicated dialogue and interactions between groups of people. This study assessed perceptions and attitudes of faculty and trainees with varied racial backgrounds within graduate medical and psychology programs. Self-reported responses addressed potential barriers and facilitating factors required for meaningful conversations about race. A brief 18-question survey was developed and administered electronically to three professional and academic Listservs within a large metropolitan city in northeast United States. Quantitative and qualitative analysis were conducted using SPSS Statistical Software and Text analyzer. Results revealed that among participants (N = 57) a majority experienced cross-racial supervision, and more than half indicated engaging in conversations about race within supervision. Respondents endorsed lack of comfort and lack of opportunity/time as significant barriers to discussing race within supervision. When race-related dialogues occurred, a majority of supervisees and supervisors found it beneficial. Most Supervisors of Color(a) actively initiated these conversations in supervision, while White supervisees endorsed the least benefit from these conversations. Contrary to our expectations, few respondents endorsed limited training as a barrier. The current study revealed cross-racial dialogues about race may be occurring frequently in supervisory relationships. Supervisees of Color reported benefiting from these dialogues, in contrast to their White counterparts, who endorsed the least benefit. Lack of comfort in supervisory relationships appears to be a significant barrier to having these conversations. Therefore, it is important for supervisors to create supervisory relationships emphasizing safety and comfort. Directions for future research are discussed. © The Author(s) 2016.

  11. Interreligious Dialogue and the Problem of

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Moghri

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available   Interreligious dialogue has never been the subject of extensive debate as it is today. It looks like human has never experienced the importance of being different as profoundly and tangibly when facing with the everyday concept of "otherness" as he does these days. It leaves no wonder why the interreligious dialogue has become an inevitable task in the present era.   The formation and then the fruitfulness of interreligious dialogue are based more than everything else on the recognition of the "religious other. Dialogue entails devoting certain space for others and admitting others and when it comes to interreligious dialogue it requires providing special space for other religions and their adherents. The nature of religion, however, presupposes obligation and negation that is: obligation toward the religious doctrines and negation of other religions. Thus, considering this fact, is it possible for religions to admit "religious other" and welcome the interreligious dialogue?   The present study is based on this assumption that the contrast between interreligious dialogue and "religious other" from the viewpoint of theology is the result of theological interpretation that the followers of a religion would have of other religions. The three approaches of exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism, each of which requires specific theological interpretation toward other religions, make up the paradigms that have been formed within the theology of religions over time and have done their best to solve the problem of "religious other"   In this paper, at first the value judgment of the three paradigms referring to the theology of religions with regard to religious diversity will be analyzed, then using the Baumann's theory of " Grammars of Identity / Alterity " we will try to elaborate on the relationship between the interreligious dialogue and the problem of "religious other" from the perspective of the three mentioned theological patterns.   Based

  12. The Motivational Power of Game Communities - Engaged through Game Jamming

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Reng, Lars; Schoenau-Fog, Henrik; Kofoed, Lise B.

    2013-01-01

    to develop games and to meet new people. We believe that the community building as well as the motivation and engagement due to social aspects and the desire to learn more about game development among participants at such events might have beneficial ripple effects, which are valuable to investigate more......Game jams have become a rapid growing phenomenon. Every year brings new and larger game jams. In this study, we closely followed the world’s largest single location game jam in order to explore the engagement among participants. The authors joined the organizing group of the Nordic Game Jam 2013......, and gained a favorable opportunity to observe the 470 game developers efforts during the 48 hours of non-stop development. The paper presents the results of two surveys conducted just before and after the event as well as observations during the game jam. The main motivational factors among participants were...

  13. Towards an imaginal dialogue: archetypal symbols between Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Islam

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Qadir

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper explores the potential for a dialogue between religious traditions based on art, in order to complement the dominant channels that rely on conceptual meanings. Building on a theoretical framework of post-Jungian archetypal psychology – as developed by James Hillman and Henry Corbin – we propose that the utility of such a dialogue inheres in the notion of an imaginal realm, or mundus imaginalis. In the first part of the paper we highlight three key features of this notion: the distinction between the imaginal and the imaginary; the significance of a culturally differentiated collective unconscious; and a reflection of the imaginal in practice rather than conceptually. We emphasize the materiality of sacred symbols that emerge from the imaginal realm. In the second part, we illustrate the importance of two archetypal symbols: the fish and the chalice. The significance of these symbols in history and in the practices of communities of believers is discussed. Thirdly, we discuss specific features of the dialogue emerging from these ubiquitous archetypal symbols.

  14. Building A Drought Science Learning Community: Education and Engagement in an NSF CAREER Grant

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quiring, S. M.

    2011-12-01

    This paper describes the education and engagement plan of the NSF CAREER award that I received in 2011 (Role of Soil Moisture in Seasonal to Interannual Climate Variability in the U.S. Great Plains; NSF Award #1056796). A key component of this plan is the development of a Drought Science Learning Community. A learning community is a program of courses and activities, which may include social and academic activities outside the classroom, that form a single program of instruction. Learning communities serve to increase faculty-student and student-student interaction, improve active and collaborative learning, and develop curricular coherence. The goal of a learning community is to encourage integration of learning across courses and to involve students with one of the grand challenges facing society. Students will be recruited from a Freshman Year Seminar (FYS) that I teach every Fall. Students who belong to the learning community will participate in the Water Management and Hydrological Sciences Seminar Series, relevant field trips, and monthly brown bag lunch meetings where students and faculty will discuss their current research projects and recently published scientific articles. Students who participate in learning community activities will benefit from a common intellectual experience that will help them to develop linkages between courses, regular interactions with faculty mentors, and the opportunity to contribute to faculty research. All students will be encouraged to complete an undergraduate thesis as the capstone experience of their participation in the learning community. In addition to describing the organization of the education and engagement plan, I will also discuss expected outcomes, best practices and lessons learned.

  15. Natural Language Generation for dialogue: system survey

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Theune, Mariet

    Many natural language dialogue systems make use of `canned text' for output generation. This approach may be su±cient for dialogues in restricted domains where system utterances are short and simple and use fixed expressions (e.g., slot filling dialogues in the ticket reservation or travel

  16. Multimodal Dialogue Management - State of the art

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bui Huu Trung, B.H.T.

    This report is about the state of the art in dialogue management. We first introduce an overview of a multimodal dialogue system and its components. Second, four main approaches to dialogue management are described (finite-state and frame-based, information-state based and probabilistic, plan-based,

  17. Engaging Stakeholders in Curriculum Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Jo Nell

    2010-01-01

    This article investigates the importance of parent and community engagement in curriculum development, along with curriculum leadership, engaging stakeholders, and the importance of curriculum. Parent and community member engagement is examined in light of curriculum committee participation as reported by Missouri superintendents. Survey responses…

  18. Adoption of community engagement in the corporate culture of Australian forest plantation companies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gordon, M.; Lockwood, M.; Schirmer, Jacki; Vanclay, F.; Hanson, D.

    2013-01-01

    This paper provides practical insight into what can be done to improve the adoption of community engagement (CE) in the corporate culture of two Australian forest plantation companies. Previous research has identified that CE can be limited by corporate cultures that promote a narrow range of CE

  19. Working and Providing Care: Increasing Student Engagement for Part-Time Community College Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leingang, Daniel James

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among external time obligations of work and care giving by part-time students, their participation within structured group learning experiences, and student engagement. The Structured Group Learning Experiences (SGLEs) explored within this study include community college programming…

  20. Clarification of nuclear risk recognition scheme through dialogue forum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yagi, Ekou; Takahashi, Makoto; Kitamura, Masaharu

    2007-01-01

    The design framework and operational guidelines for conducting repetitive dialogue between public and nuclear engineers are described in this paper. An action research project named repetitive dialogue forum has been conducted in two municipalities where nuclear facilities were sited. The qualitative evaluation by public participants indicated that the public trust in the nuclear experts, known as the crucial factor for meaningful communication, was successfully established through the dialogue forum. In addition, the expert showed a marked psychological change from distrust to trust in public. Through a detailed analysis of the comments of the participants raised during the forums, the nuclear risk recognition scheme of the public was clarified. The constituents of the risk recognition scheme about nuclear facilities were identified as follows. The first is related to the technical risk recognition factor including purely technical risk, organizational elements and regulatory elements. The second is the social risk recognition factor including economical and mental elements. The last is the communication factor including the influence of mass media, difficulty in frank communication in local community etc. It became clear that the information provision activities conducted by the government and the nuclear industry were lack of in-depth understanding of actual information needs in the public. Provision of information contents consistent with our observations is recommended for reestablishment of public trust in expert and for more informative dialogical interactions. (author)

  1. Tutorial dialogues and gist explanations of genetic breast cancer risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Widmer, Colin L; Wolfe, Christopher R; Reyna, Valerie F; Cedillos-Whynott, Elizabeth M; Brust-Renck, Priscila G; Weil, Audrey M

    2015-09-01

    The intelligent tutoring system (ITS) BRCA Gist is a Web-based tutor developed using the Shareable Knowledge Objects (SKO) platform that uses latent semantic analysis to engage women in natural-language dialogues to teach about breast cancer risk. BRCA Gist appears to be the first ITS designed to assist patients' health decision making. Two studies provide fine-grained analyses of the verbal interactions between BRCA Gist and women responding to five questions pertaining to breast cancer and genetic risk. We examined how "gist explanations" generated by participants during natural-language dialogues related to outcomes. Using reliable rubrics, scripts of the participants' verbal interactions with BRCA Gist were rated for content and for the appropriateness of the tutor's responses. Human researchers' scores for the content covered by the participants were strongly correlated with the coverage scores generated by BRCA Gist, indicating that BRCA Gist accurately assesses the extent to which people respond appropriately. In Study 1, participants' performance during the dialogues was consistently associated with learning outcomes about breast cancer risk. Study 2 was a field study with a more diverse population. Participants with an undergraduate degree or less education who were randomly assigned to BRCA Gist scored higher on tests of knowledge than those assigned to the National Cancer Institute website or than a control group. We replicated findings that the more expected content that participants included in their gist explanations, the better they performed on outcome measures. As fuzzy-trace theory suggests, encouraging people to develop and elaborate upon gist explanations appears to improve learning, comprehension, and decision making.

  2. Historical Text Comprehension Reflective Tutorial Dialogue System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grigoriadou, Maria; Tsaganou, Grammatiki; Cavoura, Theodora

    2005-01-01

    The Reflective Tutorial Dialogue System (ReTuDiS) is a system for learner modelling historical text comprehension through reflective dialogue. The system infers learners' cognitive profiles and constructs their learner models. Based on the learner model the system plans the appropriate--personalized for learners--reflective tutorial dialogue in…

  3. Mobilisation for public engagement: Benchmarking the practices of research institutes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Entradas, Marta; Bauer, Martin M

    2017-10-01

    Studies on scientists' practices of public engagement have pointed to variations between disciplines. If variations at the individual level are reflected at the institutional level, then research institutes in Social Sciences (and Humanities) should perform higher in public engagement and be more involved in dialogue with the public. Using a nearly complete sample of research institutes in Portugal 2014 ( n = 234, 61% response rate), we investigate how public engagement varies in intensity, type of activities and target audiences across scientific areas. Three benchmark findings emerge. First, the Social Sciences and the Humanities profile differently in public engagement highlighting the importance of distinguishing between these two scientific areas often conflated in public engagement studies. Second, the Social Sciences overall perform more public engagement activities, but the Natural Sciences mobilise more effort for public engagement. Third, while the Social Sciences play a greater role in civic public engagement, the Natural Sciences are more likely to perform educational activities. Finally, this study shows that the overall size of research institutes, available public engagement funding and public engagement staffing make a difference in institutes' public engagement.

  4. On the Usability of Spoken Dialogue Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Lars Bo

     This work is centred on the methods and problems associated with defining and measuring the usability of Spoken Dialogue Systems (SDS). The starting point is the fact that speech based interfaces has several times during the last 20 years fallen short of the high expectations and predictions held...... by industry, researchers and analysts. Several studies in the literature of SDS indicate that this can be ascribed to a lack of attention from the speech technology community towards the usability of such systems. The experimental results presented in this work are based on a field trial with the OVID home...

  5. Improving access to mental health care in an Orthodox Jewish community: a critical reflection upon the accommodation of otherness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McEvoy, Phil; Williamson, Tracey; Kada, Raphael; Frazer, Debra; Dhliwayo, Chardworth; Gask, Linda

    2017-08-14

    The English National Health Service (NHS) has significantly extended the supply of evidence based psychological interventions in primary care for people experiencing common mental health problems. Yet despite the extra resources, the accessibility of services for 'under-served' ethnic and religious minority groups, is considerably short of the levels of access that may be necessary to offset the health inequalities created by their different exposure to services, resulting in negative health outcomes. This paper offers a critical reflection upon an initiative that sought to improve access to an NHS funded primary care mental health service to one 'under-served' population, an Orthodox Jewish community in the North West of England. A combination of qualitative and quantitative data were drawn upon including naturally occurring data, observational notes, e-mail correspondence, routinely collected demographic data and clinical outcomes measures, as well as written feedback and recorded discussions with 12 key informants. Improvements in access to mental health care for some people from the Orthodox Jewish community were achieved through the collaborative efforts of a distributed leadership team. The members of this leadership team were a self-selecting group of stakeholders which had a combination of local knowledge, cultural understanding, power to negotiate on behalf of their respective constituencies and expertise in mental health care. Through a process of dialogic engagement the team was able to work with the community to develop a bespoke service that accommodated its wish to maintain a distinct sense of cultural otherness. This critical reflection illustrates how dialogic engagement can further the mechanisms of candidacy, concordance and recursivity that are associated with improvements in access to care in under-served sections of the population, whilst simultaneously recognising the limits of constructive dialogue. Dialogue can change the dynamic of

  6. Community engagement for the rapid elimination of malaria: the case of Kayin State, Myanmar [version 1; referees: 2 approved

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ladda Kajeechiwa

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Background: Currently, malaria elimination efforts are ongoing in several locations across Southeast Asia,  including in Kayin State (also known as Karen State, Myanmar . This paper describes the community engagement efforts for a pilot malaria elimination project, the challenges encountered and lessons learnt. Methods: Between May 2013 and June 2015, a study on targeted malaria elimination (TME that included mass drug administration was conducted in four villages (TPN, TOT, KNH, and HKT of Kayin State. Community engagement efforts included workshops, meetings and house-to-house visits with community members.  Exhibitions related to malaria and fun activities were organized for children. In addition, we provided primary care, small individual incentives and village-level incentives. This paper is based on our analysis of data extracted from meeting minutes, field notes, feedback sessions among staff and with community members as well as our own reflections. Results: Average participation across three rounds of MDA were 84.4%, 57.4%, 88.6% and 59.3% for TPN, TOT, KNH and HKT, respectively. Community engagement was fraught with practical challenges such as seasonal tasks of the villagers. There were challenges in explaining difficult concepts like drug resistance and submicroscopic infection. Another was understanding and navigating the politics of these villages, which are located in politically contested areas.  Managing expectations of villagers was difficult as they assumed that the community team must know everything related to health. Conclusions: In the TME project, many different community engagement strategies were employed. We encountered many challenges which included logistical, scientific and political difficulties.  An approach that is tailored to the local population is key.

  7. Shaping the Public Dialogue on Climate Change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spitzer, W.; Anderson, J. C.

    2012-12-01

    engaging in conversations with visitors based on audience research, role playing, and reflective feedback on their practice. From our NSF Phase I CCEP project, we have learned that in-depth training can help interpreters increase their confidence, self-efficacy, and a sense of hope in their ability to effectively communicate about climate change. This sense of hope and optimism has a powerful "ripple effect" on colleagues at their own institution, as well as others in their social and professional networks. In the next phase of our work, we hope to expand our reach to provide professional development for interpretive staff from additional institutions, in collaboration with climate scientists and cognitive/social scientists. Regional leaders will participate in recruiting and in planning and leading additional workshops. For youth interpreters, we plan to develop and implement special training methods. For scientists, we will offer workshops on strategic framing and communication. We will conduct and incorporate new social science research into a widely disseminated e-Workshop. For the growing network of participants, we will facilitate ongoing dialogue and an online community. Ultimately, we envision informal science interpreters as "vectors" for effective science communication, ocean and climate scientists with enhanced communication skills, and increased public demand for explanation and dialogue about global issues.

  8. Creating dialogue: a workshop on "Uncertainty in Decision Making in a Changing Climate"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ewen, Tracy; Addor, Nans; Johnson, Leigh; Coltekin, Arzu; Derungs, Curdin; Muccione, Veruska

    2014-05-01

    Uncertainty is present in all fields of climate research, spanning from projections of future climate change, to assessing regional impacts and vulnerabilities, to adaptation policy and decision-making. In addition to uncertainties, managers and planners in many sectors are often confronted with large amounts of information from climate change research whose complex and interdisciplinary nature make it challenging to incorporate into the decision-making process. An overarching issue in tackling this problem is the lack of institutionalized dialogue between climate researchers, decision-makers and user groups. Forums that facilitate such dialogue would allow climate researchers to actively engage with end-users and researchers in different disciplines to better characterize uncertainties and ultimately understand which ones are critically considered and incorporated into decisions made. We propose that the introduction of students to these challenges at an early stage of their education and career is a first step towards improving future dialogue between climate researchers, decision-makers and user groups. To this end, we organized a workshop at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, entitled "Uncertainty in Decision Making in a Changing Climate". It brought together 50 participants, including Bachelor, Master and PhD students and academic staff, and nine selected speakers from academia, industry, government, and philanthropy. Speakers introduced participants to topics ranging from uncertainties in climate model scenarios to managing uncertainties in development and aid agencies. The workshop consisted of experts' presentations, a panel discussion and student group work on case studies. Pedagogical goals included i) providing participants with an overview of the current research on uncertainty and on how uncertainty is dealt with by decision-makers, ii) fostering exchange between practitioners, students, and scientists from different backgrounds, iii) exposing

  9. Synthesizing Marketing, Community Engagement, and Systems Science Approaches for Advancing Translational Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kneipp, Shawn M; Leeman, Jennifer; McCall, Pamela; Hassmiller-Lich, Kristen; Bobashev, Georgiy; Schwartz, Todd A; Gilmore, Robert; Riggan, Scott; Gil, Benjamin

    2015-01-01

    The adoption and implementation of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) are the goals of translational research; however, potential end-users' perceptions of an EBI value have contributed to low rates of adoption. In this article, we describe our application of emerging dissemination and implementation science theoretical perspectives, community engagement, and systems science principles to develop a novel EBI dissemination approach. Using consumer-driven, graphics-rich simulation, the approach demonstrates predicted implementation effects on health and employment outcomes for socioeconomically disadvantaged women at the local level and is designed to increase adoption interest of county program managers accountable for improving these outcomes in their communities.

  10. Community leaders' perspectives on engaging African Americans in biobanks and other human genetics initiatives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buseh, Aaron G; Stevens, Patricia E; Millon-Underwood, Sandra; Townsend, Leolia; Kelber, Sheryl T

    2013-10-01

    There is limited information about what African Americans think about biobanks and the ethical questions surrounding them. Likewise, there is a gap in capacity to successfully enroll African Americans as biobank donors. The purposes of this community-based participatory study were to: (a) explore African Americans' perspectives on genetics/genomic research, (b) understand facilitators and barriers to participation in such studies, and (c) enlist their ideas about how to attract and sustain engagement of African Americans in genetics initiatives. As the first phase in a mixed methods study, we conducted four focus groups with 21 African American community leaders in one US Midwest city. The sample consisted of executive directors of community organizations and prominent community activists. Data were analyzed thematically. Skepticism about biomedical research and lack of trust characterized discussions about biomedical research and biobanks. The Tuskegee Untreated Syphilis Study and the Henrietta Lacks case influenced their desire to protect their community from harm and exploitation. Connections between genetics and family history made genetics/genomics research personal, pitting intrusion into private affairs against solutions. Participants also expressed concerns about ethical issues involved in genomics research, calling attention to how research had previously been conducted in their community. Participants hoped personalized medicine might bring health benefits to their people and proposed African American communities have a "seat at the table." They called for basic respect, authentic collaboration, bidirectional education, transparency and prerogative, and meaningful benefits and remuneration. Key to building trust and overcoming African Americans' trepidation and resistance to participation in biobanks are early and persistent engagement with the community, partnerships with community stakeholders to map research priorities, ethical conduct of research, and

  11. Performing authenticity through interfaith dialogue

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Galal, Lise Paulsen

    this is performed and narrated by minority participants during dialogue events. In the paper, I will draw on two cases of interfaith dialogue. The first case is a public meeting with four women of different religious backgrounds (Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Brahma Kumaris), who each tell their story about...

  12. Engaging Karen Refugee Students in Science Learning through a Cross-Cultural Learning Community

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harper, Susan G.

    2017-01-01

    This research explored how Karen (first-generation refugees from Burma) elementary students engaged with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) practice of constructing scientific explanations based on evidence within the context of a cross-cultural learning community. In this action research, the researcher and a Karen parent served as…

  13. Fostering Community and Civic Engagement in Low-Income Multicultural Schools through Transformative Leadership

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bader, Barbara; Horman, Judith; Lapointe, Claire

    2010-01-01

    In this study, we examine how transformative leadership enables students from a low-income and multicultural neighbourhood to learn about democracy, responsible citizenship, and community engagement at school. As part of a graduate seminar on critical pedagogy and cultural studies in education, in-depth group interviews were conducted with…

  14. Education for peace through transformative dialogue: Perspectives from Kashmir

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Shweta

    2018-02-01

    Research has shown that there has been severe disruption in the educational sector in Kashmir post-1989 (the year Kashmiri unrest erupted). Inhibiting problems include the destruction of school buildings, parents' fear of sending their children to school, the recruitment of youth into armed groups, the economic decline of households, and forced displacement. This article examines the challenge posed by conditions of protracted conflict for young people and national education systems, based on a case study of Kashmir, India. The article has a twofold objective. First, it analyses how ongoing conflicts such as that in Kashmir impinge on both youth and education, and considers why it is necessary to engage substantively with national educational systems (through frameworks like Education for Peace) to promote transformative dialogue and sustainable peace. Second, it explores how contact-based, participatory models of education for peace (such as the Hum Kadam programme spearheaded by the non-governmental organisation Women in Security Conflict Management and Peace [WISCOMP] in Kashmir) can play a transformative role in divided societies, specifically in Kashmir and broadly in all situations of protracted religious and cultural conflict. Most importantly, it supports the rationale that spaces for dialogue in situations of protracted conflict are critical for making and maintaining peace.

  15. Business to business buying behaviour : An analysis and sales strategy for Aalund Customer Dialogue

    OpenAIRE

    Nurmi, Susanna

    2012-01-01

    Aalund is a Nordic market research institute that is interested in finding out more about industrial buying behaviour especially in relation to its new analyses product, Customer Dialogue. This online management tool is developed for companies that are interested in improving their business customer relations and service by measuring business customer satisfaction. Through the results of the analyses a company can discover issues that could be improven and in the end gain even more engaged bu...

  16. A qualitative assessment of health extension workers' relationships with the community and health sector in Ethiopia: opportunities for enhancing maternal health performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kok, Maryse C; Kea, Aschenaki Z; Datiko, Daniel G; Broerse, Jacqueline E W; Dieleman, Marjolein; Taegtmeyer, Miriam; Tulloch, Olivia

    2015-09-30

    Health extension workers (HEWs) in Ethiopia have a unique position, connecting communities to the health sector. This intermediary position requires strong interpersonal relationships with actors in both the community and health sector, in order to enhance HEW performance. This study aimed to understand how relationships between HEWs, the community and health sector were shaped, in order to inform policy on optimizing HEW performance in providing maternal health services. We conducted a qualitative study in six districts in the Sidama zone, which included focus group discussions (FGDs) with HEWs, women and men from the community and semi-structured interviews with HEWs; key informants working in programme management, health service delivery and supervision of HEWs; mothers; and traditional birth attendants. Respondents were asked about facilitators and barriers regarding HEWs' relationships with the community and health sector. Interviews and FGDs were recorded, transcribed, translated, coded and thematically analysed. HEWs were selected by their communities, which enhanced trust and engagement between them. Relationships were facilitated by programme design elements related to support, referral, supervision, training, monitoring and accountability. Trust, communication and dialogue and expectations influenced the strength of relationships. From the community side, the health development army supported HEWs in liaising with community members. From the health sector side, top-down supervision and inadequate training possibilities hampered relationships and demotivated HEWs. Health professionals, administrators, HEWs and communities occasionally met to monitor HEW and programme performance. Expectations from the community and health sector regarding HEWs' tasks sometimes differed, negatively affecting motivation and satisfaction of HEWs. HEWs' relationships with the community and health sector can be constrained as a result of inadequate support systems, lack of

  17. Staging and Performing Dialogue

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knox, Jeanette Bresson Ladegaard

    2015-01-01

    A Socratic Dialogue Group (SDG) harbors human drama in the stories and reflections of its participants.Through the use of a theater metaphor, I theoretically expand the method and practical action of SDG, whereby a distinctive approach is developed that emphasizes the art and craftsmanship involved...... in facilitating Socratic dialogue. It also allows me to bring forth the particular dramatic circumstances of the participants and the communal effort of each individual player in the ensemble. The micro cosmos of SDG incarnates the living, moving world that theater represents. It connects the drama...... of an individual life to the larger-scale human stories of moral tragedies and the empowering resilience that we see depicted in great plays. In 2012-2013, I conducted three SDGs in connection with a research project involving seventeen rehabilitating cancer patients. In this article, I use these dialogues...

  18. Exploring Student Engagement and Collaborative Learning in a Community-Based Module in Fine Art

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John McGarrigle

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available This article is based on masters research1 into student and civic engagement using a case study of an innovative Community Based Module in a Fine Art degree course (McGarrigle, 2009. 2 (Flyvbjerg, 2006 notes that contrary to some common misunderstandings around case study research, it is possible to use individual case study to test theory particularly in relation to falsification. The research presented here is based on student’s repsonses to Coates’ (2007 quantitative study of student engagement and attempts to test his engagement typology which identifies the terms passive, intense, independent or collaborative to apply to students’ approaches to online and general campus learning. In a participatory action research framework, low agreement was found between students (n=13 and lecturers (n=3 in assigning these terms to student postings to online discussion fora. This presents a challenge to the validity of such a narrow typology, and discussions with this student group suggested the addition of ‘adaptive’ as a valid student approach to the varied demands of third level learning. Further evidence from the case study found greater student collaboration in discussion fora when linked to practical course activity. Qualitative analysis of discussion threads using conversation analysis provided evidence for collaboration in deeper knowledge construction when supported by lecturers’ contributions. Collaborative approaches to learning may support learning within a social constructivist paradigm, though acknowledgement must be made of the context of an individualistic society where competition may present real or imagined barriers to student collaboration. An argument is made for Pedagogies for Community Engagement to promote these ways of learning to in order to develop active and engaged citizens of the future.

  19. Partnering with insiders: A review of peer models across community-engaged research, education and social care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaughn, Lisa M; Whetstone, Crystal; Boards, Alicia; Busch, Melida D; Magnusson, Maria; Määttä, Sylvia

    2018-03-07

    Within community-engaged research, education and social care, peer models that partner with local "insiders" are increasingly common. Peer models are composed of insider "lay" community members who often share similarities or background with a project's target population. Peers are not academically trained, but work alongside researchers and professionals to carry out specific tasks within a project, or in the truest sense of partnership, peers collaborate throughout the project from start to finish as an equal member of the team. Although peer models are used widely, the literature lacks consistency and clarity. This systematic review of literature used a qualitative thematic synthesis to examine and report how, where and why peer models have been used in research, education and social care. We examined the language and titles used to describe the peers, details of their involvement in community-engaged projects, the setting, content/topic of study, level of engagement and related benefits/outcomes of such models. Focusing on the last 10 years, we conducted a comprehensive literature search twice between September 2016 and June 2017. The search resulted in 814 articles which were assessed for eligibility. Overall, 251 articles met our inclusion criteria and were categorised into three categories: empirical (n = 115); process/descriptive (n = 93); and "about" peers (n = 43). Findings suggest that there is a wide variety of peers, titles and terminology associated with peer models. There is inconsistency in how these models are used and implemented in research studies and projects. The majority of articles used an employment peer model, while only a handful involved peers in all phases of the project. The results of this literature review contribute to understanding the use, development and evolution of peer models. We highlight potential benefits of peer models for peers, their communities and community-engaged work, and we offer recommendations for future

  20. Rules of engagement: perspectives on stakeholder engagement for genomic biobanking research in South Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Staunton, Ciara; Tindana, Paulina; Hendricks, Melany; Moodley, Keymanthri

    2018-02-27

    Genomic biobanking research is undergoing exponential growth in Africa raising a host of legal, ethical and social issues. Given the scientific complexity associated with genomics, there is a growing recognition globally of the importance of science translation and community engagement (CE) for this type of research, as it creates the potential to build relationships, increase trust, improve consent processes and empower local communities. Despite this level of recognition, there is a lack of empirical evidence of the practise and processes for effective CE in genomic biobanking in Africa. To begin to address this vacuum, 17 in-depth face to face interviews were conducted with South African experts in genomic biobanking research and CE to provide insight into the process, benefits and challenges of CE in South Africa. Emerging themes were analysed using a contextualised thematic approach. Several themes emerged concerning the conduct of CE in genomic biobanking research in Africa. Although the literature tends to focus on the local community in CE, respondents in this study described three different layers of stakeholder engagement: community level, peer level and high level. Community level engagement includes potential participants, community advisory boards (CAB) and field workers; peer level engagement includes researchers, biobankers and scientists, while high level engagement includes government officials, funders and policy makers. Although education of each stakeholder layer is important, education of the community layer can be most challenging, due to the complexity of the research and educational levels of stakeholders in this layer. CE is time-consuming and often requires an interdisciplinary research team approach. However careful planning of the engagement strategy, including an understanding of the differing layers of stakeholder engagement, and the specific educational needs at each layer, can help in the development of a relationship based on trust

  1. Contributions of Youth Engagement to the Development of Social Capital through Community Mapping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nathaniel, Keith C.; Kinsey, Sharon B.

    2013-01-01

    The Multi-State North Central Extension Research Activity (NCERA), Contributions of 4-H Participation to the Development of Social Capital, identified a strategy to pilot a research method that incorporates an inquiry-based approach to understanding community level impact of youth programs. This article focuses on how youth engagement educators…

  2. Promoting Family Literacy through the Five Pillars of Family and Community Engagement (FACE)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuo, Nai-Cheng

    2016-01-01

    Family literacy involves factors beyond what is done at home between parents and children. To help preservice teachers develop their understanding of the multiple dimensions of family literacy, this study uses the five pillars of family and community engagement (FACE)--early literacy, family involvement, access to books, expanded learning, and…

  3. Simple Machines Forum, a Solution for Dialogue Optimization between Physicians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura SÎNGIORZAN

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available We developed an instrument which can ensure a quick and easy dialogue between the physicians of the Oncology Institute and family physicians. The platform we chose was Simple Machines Forum (abbreviated as SMF, a free Internet forum (BBS - Bulletin Board System application. The purpose of this article is not to detail the software platform, but to emphasize the facilities and advantages of using this solution in the medical community.

  4. Food culture of faith communities and potential impact on childhood obesity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Opalinski, Andra S; Dyess, Susan M; Gropper, Sareen S

    2017-09-01

    To explore the food culture within faith communities (FC) in order to examine the consumption of away-from-home foods, and to provide an evidence base for the future development of healthy away-from-home meal initiatives though FCs. A qualitative descriptive design informed by an ethnographic method of free listing was utilized. A purposive sample of 34 FC leaders from seven distinct FCs participated in this study. The top five salience scores for five research questions are considered in detail. Of note, food is provided at multiple FC events including at worship time and Bible or group study, but also as part of school, youth programming, and special events. The purposes of serving food were reported to be not only for modes of entertainment and fellowship but also for promoting attendance and providing basic nutrition needs. Professionals practicing in public health, faith community nursing, or in community health nursing are apt to engage in focused dialogues regarding the multidimensional health problem of childhood obesity. This research study directs nurses to consider food culture as a dimension of importance, especially within FCs. Appreciating FC food culture is important because many families engage in the settings for years, decades, and possibly a life span. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Avoiding genetic genocide: understanding good intentions and eugenics in the complex dialogue between the medical and disability communities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Paul Steven; Levine, Rebecca Leah

    2013-02-01

    The relationship between the medical and disability communities is complex and is influenced by historical, social, and cultural factors. Although clinicians, health-care researchers, and people with disabilities all work from the standpoint of the best interest of disabled individuals, the notion of what actually is "best" is often understood quite differently among these constituencies. Eugenics campaigns, legal restrictions on reproductive and other freedoms, and prenatal testing recommendations predicated on the lesser worth of persons with disabilities have all contributed toward the historic trauma experienced by the disability community, particularly with respect to medical genetics. One premise of personalized medicine is that different individuals require different solutions. Disabled persons' experiences are a reminder that these solutions can be best realized by maintaining awareness and sensitivity in a complex ethical and moral terrain. Geneticists should recognize that their research may have implications for those with disabilities; they should recognize the impact of the historical trauma of the eugenics movement, and seek to involve people with disabilities in discussions about policies that affect them. Dialogue can be messy and uncomfortable, but it is the only way to avoid the mistakes of the past and to ensure a more equitable, and healthful, future.

  6. Transformed Science: Overcoming Barriers of Inequality and Mistrust to Pursue the Agenda of Underrepresented Communities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyons, Renee

    Educational programs created to provide opportunities for all, in reality often reflect social inequalities. Such is the case for Public Participation in Scientific Research (PPSR) Projects. PPSR projects have been proposed as an effective way to engage more diverse audiences in science, yet the demographics of PPSR participants do not correspond with the demographic makeup of the United States. The field of PPSR as a whole has struggled to recruit low SES and underrepresented populations to participate in project research efforts. This research study explores factors, which may be affecting an underrepresented community's willingness to engage in scientific research and provides advice from PPSR project leaders in the field, who have been able to engage underrepresented communities in scientific research, on how to overcome these barriers. Finally the study investigates the theoretical construct of a Third Space within a PPSR project. The research-based recommendations for PPSR projects desiring to initiate and sustain research partnerships with underrepresented communities well align with the theoretical construct of a Third Space. This study examines a specific scientific research partnership between an underrepresented community and scientific researchers to examine if and to what extent a Third Space was created. Using qualitative methods to understand interactions and processes involved in initiating and sustaining a scientific research partnership, this study provides advice on how PPSR research partnerships can engage underrepresented communities in scientific research. Study results show inequality and mistrust of powerful institutions stood as participation barriers for underrepresented community members. Despite these barriers PPSR project leaders recommend barriers can be confronted by open dialogue with communities about the abuse and alienation they have faced, by signaling respect for the community, and by entering the community through someone the

  7. Research on design of dialogue session concerning nuclear technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karikawa, Daisuke; Takahashi, Makoto; Yagi, Ekou; Toba, Tae; Kitamura, Masaharu

    2010-01-01

    Toward resolving nuclear conflict, deep dialogue sessions among stakeholders having different opinions concerning nuclear technology are strongly required. In order to realize a fair and constructive dialogue session, it is necessary to pay attention to the design of the dialogue session, e.g., participant selection, agenda setting, facilitation, and rules of dialogue. The basic requirements for a dialogue session have been proposed in this study based on theoretical and empirical analyses of previous dialogue sessions on nuclear issues. The theoretical analysis has been performed based on various aspects concerning defects in nuclear communication mentioned in science and technology studies. The empirical analysis has been performed by analyzing participants' responses and by systematizing practical findings of previous dialogues. The proposed requirements for a dialogue session were utilized for the design and operation of a preliminary attempt of a dialogue session named 'Open Forum for Nuclear Communication.' Through the analysis of data, such as minutes and recorded conversations collected after the session, it has been confirmed that the prespecified requirements have been satisfied. In addition, the participants' responses have shown a high acceptance for an open forum. According to these results, the basic validity and effectiveness of the proposed requirements in the design of a dialogue session have been successfully demonstrated. (author)

  8. Service-Learning Enriches Advertising Knowledge, Builds Students' Portfolios, and Promotes Community Engagement after Graduation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tucciarone, Krista

    2012-01-01

    This study investigated the influence of a service-learning component in an advertising course, specifically examining its ability to enrich advertising knowledge, build students' portfolios, and influence students' community engagement after graduation. The research revealed that service-learning positively affects students' understanding of…

  9. Implications of Community Activism among Urban Minority Young People for Education for Engaged and Critical Citizenship

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nam, Chaebong

    2012-01-01

    Citizenship is fundamentally defined by praxis--i.e., engagement in local and diverse forms of civic practices--rather than by a legal status tied to the nation-state (Tully, 2008). This study examined the participatory democracy practices of a community activist group that was organizing to resist gentrification in a Puerto Rican community in…

  10. Public health accreditation and metrics for ethics: a case study on environmental health and community engagement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernheim, Ruth Gaare; Stefanak, Matthew; Brandenburg, Terry; Pannone, Aaron; Melnick, Alan

    2013-01-01

    As public health departments around the country undergo accreditation using the Public Health Accreditation Board standards, the process provides a new opportunity to integrate ethics metrics into day-to-day public health practice. While the accreditation standards do not explicitly address ethics, ethical tools and considerations can enrich the accreditation process by helping health departments and their communities understand what ethical principles underlie the accreditation standards and how to use metrics based on these ethical principles to support decision making in public health practice. We provide a crosswalk between a public health essential service, Public Health Accreditation Board community engagement domain standards, and the relevant ethical principles in the Public Health Code of Ethics (Code). A case study illustrates how the accreditation standards and the ethical principles in the Code together can enhance the practice of engaging the community in decision making in the local health department.

  11. Engagement strategies that foster community self-determination in participatory research: Insider ownership through outsider championship.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salsberg, Jon; Macridis, Soultana; Garcia Bengoechea, Enrique; Macaulay, Ann C; Moore, Spencer

    2017-06-01

    In order to maximize the benefits of community-based participatory research, effective ownership over the research process must be at least equally in the hands of the community. A previous social network analysis documented that the participatory research process shifted ownership from academic to community partners, but did not show what actions and strategies fostered this shift. This study follows the trajectory of a community-academic partnership and asks, from the perspective of the project stakeholders, which actions and strategies over the lifespan of the research led to the observed shift in ownership and decision-making from the original external academics to the community stakeholders? Qualitative description using inductive thematic analysis. One academic and five community stakeholders identified as central in a previous social network analysis, participated in retrospective, semi-structured interviews. Actions deemed to have fostered the observed shift in ownership included: existence of a strong champion; stimulating 'outside' ideas; emergence of core people; alignment of project goals with stakeholders' professional roles; involving the right people; personal qualities of the champion; trust-building; and active use of participatory engagement strategies. Although communities must take ownership over the research process to assure sustained action and change, a strong, trusted and accepted outside champion who actively enacts participatory engagement strategies can facilitate the participatory process and provide community stakeholders the time and support they need to achieve meaningful and sustained leadership roles. These findings have implications for how partnership research is designed and implemented, both in community and in clinical organisational settings. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  12. Teachers’ dialogue in a learner centered professional development initiative In a us urban high school

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leticia Alvarez Gutiérrez

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Using paradigms emerging from Learner Centered Professional Development (LCPD, dialogic education and Transformative Pedagogical Practices (TPPs, this research study examined pedagogies that ignited a revitalization of shared values as a community of learners, challenged assumptions about learning while invigorating professional identities and cultivating possibilities for transforming praxis of a group of female teachers and female administrators in an urban high school. The LCPD initiative engaged teachers (13 and administrators (3 in dialogue, self-examination, and reflection, while also chipping away dearth perceptions of Latina/o student as learners and nourish possibilities for their successes. The data for this study is part of a larger corpus of data exploring teacher professional development initiatives in a large urban city in the southwestern region of Texas. Narrative analysis was the methodological tool used to code and analyze the data. The authors highlight the pedagogies that served to renew teachers and administrators’ sense of community, professional identities and modifications of teachers’ attitudes and pedagogies regarding themselves and Latina/o students. Our research findings underscore the urgency of educational reform to include on-going LCPD in order to transform and encourage professional enrichment, teacher agency and revive pedagogies that support all students’ academic and social successes.

  13. Imre Lakatos's Use of Dialogue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greig, Judith Maxwell

    This paper uses a book, "Proofs and Refutations: The Logic of Mathematical Discovery," as an example of Lakatos's use of dialogue. The book was originally adapted from his dissertation and influenced by Polya and Popper. His discussion of the Euler conjecture is summarized. Three purposes for choosing the dialogue form for the book were…

  14. Regional dialogue and multilateral arms control efforts today

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Graham, T. Jr.

    1994-01-01

    The significance of arms control and non-proliferation tasks is stressed emphasising what has been done, and-more important-what must still be done. Although tangible developments at the regional level may seem at times to be slow in coming, it is important to remember that the United States-Soviet transition from voluntary declarations to detailed arms control agreements with intrusive verification regimes spanned the entire length of cold war. Given the instabilities afflicting these regions, establishing a regional dialogue is itself a confidence-building measure. The experience of the United States and the former Soviet Union amply demonstrates that mere existence of regular dialogue can reduce tension by providing a platform for communication among military and Government participants even when political crisis prevents diplomatic contacts at senior levels. The international community should be encouraged by the progress that has been made to date to address regional instabilities. Such steps are an integral part of the international effort, carried out both at the United Nations and elsewhere, to adopt acceptable levels of conventional military forces and to eliminate weapons of mass destruction. Given the instabilities afflicting these regions, establishing a regional dialogue is itself a confidence-building measure. World changes, while potentially dangerous and certainly challenging, offer the hope of replacing antagonism with cooperation, creating a progressively more democratic global environment, preventing proliferation, and dampening regional conflicts. Continuing to make effective use of the entire mix of arms control and confidence-building tools will help to realize these hopes

  15. Gaps and gains from engaging districts stakeholders for community-based health professions education in Uganda: a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okello, Elialilia S; Nankumbi, Joyce; Ruzaaza, Gad Ndaruhutse; Bakengesa, Evelyn; Gumikiriza, Joy; Arubaku, Wilfred; Acio, Christine; Samantha, Mary; Matte, Michael

    2015-12-01

    Community-based education research and service (COBERS) is a brand of community-based education that has been adopted by the Medical Education and Service for All Ugandans consortium. The COBERS programme is aimed at equipping students in health professional education with the knowledge, attitudes and skills required to provide appropriate health care services. For sustainability purposes, the health professional training institutions have made efforts to involve various stakeholders in the implementation of the programme. However, the actual engagement process and outcome of such efforts have not been documented. This paper documents gaps and gains made in engaging district stakeholders for community-based education. Key informant interviews, focus group discussions and document review were used to collect data. Atlas.ti, computer software for qualitative data was used to aid analysis. The analysis revealed that the adopted engagement model has registered some gains including increased awareness among district leaders about potential opportunities offered by COBERS such as boosting of human resources at health facilities, opportunities for professional development for health care workers at health facilities, and establishment of linkages between prospective employees and employers. However, the engagement model left some gaps in terms of knowledge, awareness and ownership of the programme among some sections of stakeholders. The apparent information gap about the programme among district stakeholders, especially the political leadership, may hinder concerted partnership. The findings highlight the need for health professional education institutions to broaden the scope of actively engaged stakeholders with the district level.

  16. The Structured Assessment Dialogue

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dolin, Jens; Bruun, Jesper; Nielsen, Sanne Schnell

    2018-01-01

    The two key purposes of assessment, formative and summative, are often in a contradictory position if they are used concurrently. The summative assessment of learning will often prevent the formative assessment for learning to be realised (Butler, J Educ Psychol 79(4):474, 1987), meaning...... assessment method involving three distinct phases: A 5-min student-teacher dialogue, a 5-min peer feedback phase and finally 2–3-min of student self-reflection. We describe the rationales for the SAD and analyse results from classroom implementations in Denmark and Finland. First, using focus group interview...... that the learning potential of the assessment will often be minimal. It is therefore a central challenge to find ways to combine the dual use of assessment. The structured assessment dialogue (SAD) is a candidate for such a combination. This chapter introduces the structured assessment dialogue – a short ritualised...

  17. Ontological assumptions in techno-anthropological explorations of online dialogue through information systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Otrel-Cass, Kathrin; Andrule, Kristine

    2015-01-01

    With the widespread infusion of online technology there has been an increase in various studies investigating the practices in online communities including also philosophical perspectives. What those debates have in common is that they call for more critical thinking about the theory of online...... communication. Drawing on Techno-Anthropological research perspectives, our interest is placed on exploring and identifying human interactions and technology in intersectional spaces. This article explores information systems that allow for interchanges of different users. We discuss ontological assumptions...... that focus on understanding the kind of dialogue that can be captured between different expert groups when they utilize information systems. We present the notion of ‘dialogic’ by Mikhail Bakhtin and contextualize it through an analysis of online dialogue. Dialogic or ‘conversation and inquiry’ is discussed...

  18. Universities as spaces for engaging the other: A pedagogy of encounter for intercultural and interreligious education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gill, Scherto

    2016-08-01

    Internationalisation of Higher Education coupled with students' mobility across the globe in the 21st century has led to universities in many countries having to deal with an unprecedented flow of human diversity. Such diversity can become a potential source of conflict due to increased "otherness", but at the same time, it also presents an ideal lifelong learning opportunity for engaging the other through intercultural and interreligious education. This paper begins with a literature review, exploring the challenges of international higher education and the opportunities it offers in fostering intercultural and interreligious dialogue and deeper engagement across values, beliefs, world views, habits of mind and ways of being. The review highlights that on the one hand, rich diversity and otherness within universities can easily be built up in so-called educated individuals as givens and therefore be treated with insensitivity or indifference. On the other hand, diversity can evoke the possibility for the exchange of thoughts, values and world views, sharing experiences, engaging with each other's foreignness, and making the encounter a real enrichment and transformation. Next, using the narrative of a case study about conflicts within an international students' residence, the author illustrates the necessity of encounter and engagement with otherness as decisive avenues for intercultural learning and interreligious understanding. Through a further analysis of the case study, she establishes that pedagogical strategies formulated around encounter, dialogue and engagement should be integrated into the students' life at international universities so that they serve to bridge religions, cultures, world views and other differences, thus creating a sustainable culture of dialogue and peace. The paper concludes by suggesting a few key elements which seem useful for implementing a pedagogy of encounter in both formal and informal lifelong learning settings.

  19. Designing a Healthy Food Partnership: lessons from the Australian Food and Health Dialogue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandra Jones

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Poor diets are a leading cause of disease burden worldwide. In Australia, the Federal Government established the Food and Health Dialogue (the Dialogue in 2009 to address this issue, primarily through food reformulation. We evaluated the Dialogue’s performance over its 6 years of operation and used these findings to develop recommendations for the success of the new Healthy Food Partnership. Methods We used information from the Dialogue website, media releases, communiqués, e-newsletters, materials released under freedom-of-information, and Parliamentary Hansard to evaluate the Dialogue’s achievements from October 2013 to November 2015, using the RE-AIM (reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation and maintenance framework. We also engaged closely with two former Dialogue members. Our findings update a prior assessment done in October 2013. Results Little data is available to evaluate the Dialogue’s recent achievements, with no information about progress against milestones released since October 2013. In the last 2 years, only one additional set of sodium reduction targets (cheese was agreed and Quick Service Restaurant foods were added as an area for action. Some activity was identified in 12 of a possible 137 (9 % areas of action within the Dialogue’s mandate. Independent evaluation found targets were partially achieved in some food categories, with substantial variation in success between companies. No effects on the knowledge, behaviours or nutrient intake of the Australian population or evidence of impact on diet-related disease could be identified. Conclusions The new Healthy Food Partnership has similar goals to the Dialogue. While highly laudable and recognised globally as cost-effective, the mechanism for delivery in Australia has been woefully inadequate. Strong government leadership, adequate funding, clear targets and timelines, management of conflict of interest, comprehensive monitoring and evaluation

  20. The Elwha Science Education Project (ESEP): Engaging an Entire Community in Geoscience Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, R. S.; Kinner, F.

    2008-12-01

    Native Americans are poorly represented in all science, technology and engineering fields. This under- representation results from numerous cultural, economic, and historical factors. The Elwha Science Education Project (ESEP), initiated in 2007, strives to construct a culturally-integrated, geoscience education program for Native American young people through engagement of the entire tribal community. The ESEP has developed a unique approach to informal geoscience education, using environmental restoration as a centerpiece. Environmental restoration is an increasingly important goal for tribes. By integrating geoscience activities with community tradition and history, project stakeholders hope to show students the relevance of science to their day-to-day lives. The ESEP's strength lies in its participatory structure and unique network of partners, which include Olympic National Park; the non-profit, educational center Olympic Park Institute (OPI); a geologist providing oversight and technical expertise; and the Lower Elwha Tribe. Lower Elwha tribal elders and educators share in all phases of the project, from planning and implementation to recruitment of students and discipline. The project works collaboratively with tribal scientists and cultural educators, along with science educators to develop curriculum and best practices for this group of students. Use of hands-on, place-based outdoor activities engage students and connect them with the science outside their back doors. Preliminary results from this summer's middle school program indicate that most (75% or more) students were highly engaged approximately 90% of the time during science instruction. Recruitment of students has been particularly successful, due to a high degree of community involvement. Preliminary evaluations of the ESEP's outcomes indicate success in improving the outlook of the tribe's youth towards the geosciences and science, in general. Future evaluation will be likewise participatory

  1. Exploring the conditions of transformative dialogue

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Matthiesen, Noomi Christine Linde

    Over the past 40 years, the importance of dialogue as a medium of transformation, has been increasingly stressed. Since the so called “language turn” as described by Richard Rorty, the importance of communication in human being, human relating, and human action has been stressed. In a world...... diversity. By drawing on examples of an intervention program designed to enhance multicultural understanding and skills of teachers in Danish primary schools, this article investigates the conditions necessary for dialogue and questions the assumption that dialogue in and of itself in essence...

  2. A prison mental health in-reach model informed by assertive community treatment principles: evaluation of its impact on planning during the pre-release period, community mental health service engagement and reoffending.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKenna, Brian; Skipworth, Jeremy; Tapsell, Rees; Madell, Dominic; Pillai, Krishna; Simpson, Alexander; Cavney, James; Rouse, Paul

    2015-12-01

    It is well recognised that prisoners with serious mental illness (SMI) are at high risk of poor outcomes on return to the community. Early engagement with mental health services and other community agencies could provide the substrate for reducing risk. To evaluate the impact of implementing an assertive community treatment informed prison in-reach model of care (PMOC) on post-release engagement with community mental health services and on reoffending rates. One hundred and eighty prisoners with SMI released from four prisons in the year before implementation of the PMOC were compared with 170 such prisoners released the year after its implementation. The assertive prison model of care was associated with more pre-release contacts with community mental health services and contacts with some social care agencies in some prisons. There were significantly more post-release community mental health service engagements after implementation of this model (Z = -2.388, p = 0.02). There was a trend towards reduction in reoffending rates after release from some of the prisons (Z =1.82, p = 0.07). Assertive community treatment applied to prisoners with mental health problems was superior to 'treatment as usual', but more work is needed to ensure that agencies will engage prisoners in pre-release care. The fact that the model showed some benefits in the absence of any increase in resources suggests that it may be the model per se that is effective. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  3. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) in South Africa: engaging multiple constituents to shape the research question.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mosavel, Maghboeba; Simon, Christian; van Stade, Debbie; Buchbinder, Mara

    2005-12-01

    Community engagement is an on-going, arduous, and necessary process for developing effective health promotion programs. The challenges are amplified when the particular health issue or research question is not prominent in the consciousness of the targeted community. In this paper, we explore the community-based participatory research (CBPR) model as a means to negotiate a mutual agenda between communities and researchers. The paper is focused on the (perceived) need for cervical cancer screening in an under-resourced community in Cape Town, South Africa. Cervical cancer is a significant health problem in this community and elsewhere in South Africa. Unlike HIV-AIDS, however, many Black South Africans have not been educated about cervical cancer and the importance of obtaining screening. Many may not consider screening a priority in their lives. Our research included extensive consultations and informal interviews with diverse community and regional stakeholders. Following these, we conducted 27 focus groups and 106 demographic surveys with randomly selected youth, parents, local health care personnel, educators and school staff. Focus group data were summarized and analyzed cross-sectionally. Community stakeholders were involved throughout this research. Our consultations, interviews, and focus group data were key in identifying the concerns and priorities of the community. By engaging community stakeholders, we developed a research framework that incorporated the community's concerns and priorities, and stressed the intersecting roles of poverty, violence, and other cultural forces in shaping community members' health and wellbeing. Community members helped to refocus our research from cervical cancer to 'cervical health,' a concept that acknowledged the impact on women's bodies and lives of HIV-AIDS and STDs, sexual violence, poverty, and multiple social problems. We conclude that the research agenda and questions in community-based health research should not be

  4. The Communication, Awareness, Relationships and Empowerment (C.A.R.E. Model: An Effective Tool for Engaging Urban Communities in Community-Based Participatory Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joniqua Ceasar

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Little is known about recruitment methods for racial/ethnic minority populations from resource-limited areas for community-based health and needs assessments, particularly assessments that incorporate mobile health (mHealth technology for characterizing physical activity and dietary intake. We examined whether the Communication, Awareness, Relationships and Empowerment (C.A.R.E. model could reduce challenges recruiting and retaining participants from faith-based organizations in predominantly African American Washington, D.C. communities for a community-based assessment. Employing C.A.R.E. model elements, our diverse research team developed partnerships with churches, health organizations, academic institutions and governmental agencies. Through these partnerships, we cultivated a visible presence at community events, provided cardiovascular health education and remained accessible throughout the research process. Additionally, these relationships led to the creation of a community advisory board (CAB, which influenced the study’s design, implementation, and dissemination. Over thirteen months, 159 individuals were recruited for the study, 99 completed the initial assessment, and 81 used mHealth technology to self-monitor physical activity over 30 days. The culturally and historically sensitive C.A.R.E. model strategically engaged CAB members and study participants. It was essential for success in recruitment and retention of an at-risk, African American population and may be an effective model for researchers hoping to engage racial/ethnic minority populations living in urban communities.

  5. The Communication, Awareness, Relationships and Empowerment (C.A.R.E.) Model: An Effective Tool for Engaging Urban Communities in Community-Based Participatory Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ceasar, Joniqua; Peters-Lawrence, Marlene H; Mitchell, Valerie; Powell-Wiley, Tiffany M

    2017-11-21

    Little is known about recruitment methods for racial/ethnic minority populations from resource-limited areas for community-based health and needs assessments, particularly assessments that incorporate mobile health (mHealth) technology for characterizing physical activity and dietary intake. We examined whether the Communication, Awareness, Relationships and Empowerment (C.A.R.E.) model could reduce challenges recruiting and retaining participants from faith-based organizations in predominantly African American Washington, D.C. communities for a community-based assessment. Employing C.A.R.E. model elements, our diverse research team developed partnerships with churches, health organizations, academic institutions and governmental agencies. Through these partnerships, we cultivated a visible presence at community events, provided cardiovascular health education and remained accessible throughout the research process. Additionally, these relationships led to the creation of a community advisory board (CAB), which influenced the study's design, implementation, and dissemination. Over thirteen months, 159 individuals were recruited for the study, 99 completed the initial assessment, and 81 used mHealth technology to self-monitor physical activity over 30 days. The culturally and historically sensitive C.A.R.E. model strategically engaged CAB members and study participants. It was essential for success in recruitment and retention of an at-risk, African American population and may be an effective model for researchers hoping to engage racial/ethnic minority populations living in urban communities.

  6. Peer work in Open Dialogue: A discussion paper.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bellingham, Brett; Buus, Niels; McCloughen, Andrea; Dawson, Lisa; Schweizer, Richard; Mikes-Liu, Kristof; Peetz, Amy; Boydell, Katherine; River, Jo

    2018-03-25

    Open Dialogue is a resource-oriented approach to mental health care that originated in Finland. As Open Dialogue has been adopted across diverse international healthcare settings, it has been adapted according to contextual factors. One important development in Open Dialogue has been the incorporation of paid, formal peer work. Peer work draws on the knowledge and wisdom gained through lived experience of distress and hardship to establish mutual, reciprocal, and supportive relationships with service users. As Open Dialogue is now being implemented across mental health services in Australia, stakeholders are beginning to consider the role that peer workers might have in this model of care. Open Dialogue was not, initially, conceived to include a specific role for peers, and there is little available literature, and even less empirical research, in this area. This discussion paper aims to surface some of the current debates and ideas about peer work in Open Dialogue. Examples and models of peer work in Open Dialogue are examined, and the potential benefits and challenges of adopting this approach in health services are discussed. Peer work in Open Dialogue could potentially foster democracy and disrupt clinical hierarchies, but could also move peer work from reciprocal to a less symmetrical relationship of 'giver' and 'receiver' of care. Other models of care, such as lived experience practitioners in Open Dialogue, can be conceived. However, it remains uncertain whether the hierarchical structures in healthcare and current models of funding would support any such models. © 2018 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

  7. Champagne-Ardenne Climate-Air-Energy Plan + Synthesis + Wind energy regional plan + Report and conclusion of the consultation and dialogue organised from January 20 to March 20, 2012. Territorial Climate-Energy Plan Coeur d'Ardenne urban community, Sedan region community of communes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guillot, Michel; Bachy, Jean-Paul

    2012-05-01

    After a recall of stakes and challenges related to climate, air and energy, an introduction presents the Champagne-Ardenne Regional Climate Air Energy Plan (PCAER), recalls national and international commitments (struggle against greenhouse effect, improvement of air quality, development of renewable energies, energy demand management), describes the PCAER elaboration process, indicates its legal status and value, and its relationship with other schemes and plans. The next part proposes a situational analysis with a presentation of the territory (economy, geography, demography, organisation), an assessment of its final energy consumption, and an assessment of potential energy savings, energy efficiency improvements and energy demand management. It proposes an assessment of renewable and recovery energy production and of its potential development, an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions and of atmospheric pollutant emissions, an assessment of air quality, and a discussion of territory vulnerability to climate change. The next part is a more prospective one as it defines orientations for land and urban development, mobility, good transport, agriculture and viticulture, forest and wood valorisation, buildings, renewable and recovery energies, water, natural, technological and health risks, the tertiary sector, industry, communities, and governance for the PCAER implementation. A second document is a synthesis of this PCAER and proposes an overview of the situation and challenges, of objectives to be reached, and the definition of a roadmap, with a focus on the regional scheme for wind energy (SRE). This last one discusses the wind energy development (legal and regulatory framework, role in regional development, issues related to land development, dialogue, impacts), proposes an overview of the different types of constraints and servitudes (environmental, technical, heritage, landscape, and so on). The next document reports the consultation and dialogue process and

  8. A new dialogue

    CERN Multimedia

    2009-01-01

    This is the first of a series of messages that I, or a member of my management team, will be writing for every printed issue of the Bulletin throughout my mandate. Over the coming months and years, I’m hoping to cover many subjects related to the life of CERN, from the science of the LHC to equal opportunities. However, if I’m to cover these things effectively and open up a dialogue with you, then efficient, open and direct communication with the broad CERN community is going to be essential. Therefore, I’ve chosen communication as my first topic. We need to develop the culture of communication at CERN. The Bulletin should be the place that you turn to for authoritative, timely and accurate information about the Organization. In addition, important news to be conveyed quickly should arrive in your e-mail box, on the CERN web pages, and be displayed on screens around the site. And if you have something to say, there should be a forum where your voice can be heard...

  9. Conversational evidence in therapeutic dialogue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strong, Tom; Busch, Robbie; Couture, Shari

    2008-07-01

    Family therapists' participation in therapeutic dialogue with clients is typically informed by evidence of how such dialogue is developing. In this article, we propose that conversational evidence, the kind that can be empirically analyzed using discourse analyses, be considered a contribution to widening psychotherapy's evidence base. After some preliminaries about what we mean by conversational evidence, we provide a genealogy of evaluative practice in psychotherapy, and examine qualitative evaluation methods for their theoretical compatibilities with social constructionist approaches to family therapy. We then move on to examine the notion of accomplishment in therapeutic dialogue given how such accomplishments can be evaluated using conversation analysis. We conclude by considering a number of research and pedagogical implications we associate with conversational evidence.

  10. Situating Cogenerative Dialogue in a Cosmopolitan Ethic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher Emdin

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available In this article, we acknowledge the transformative nature of cogenerative dialogues and focus on the ethical dimension of the practice in order to move educational research, classrooms and schools beyond the current conceptions of what is ethical. Utilizing a fusion of the Belmont Report with nuanced notions of fourth generation evaluation procedures, we root cogenerative dialogues in a philosophical approach to cosmopolitanism that acknowledges the differences between multiple participants, multiple fields, and varying ways of knowing and being. Firstly, we consider how rooting the character of the truly ethical research act in a cosmopolitan ideal can attain participant beneficence. Secondly, we consider how to avoid the potential pitfalls of authenticity criteria in the practice of cogenerative dialogues by enacting practices that maximize tactical authenticity. Our approach to cogenerative dialogues serves as a method for critique and analysis that challenges our current practice and considers the ethics of cogenerative dialogues in inner city schools in a new light. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0602390

  11. Condom use peer norms and self-efficacy as mediators between community engagement and condom use among Chinese men who have sex with men

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haochu Li

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Community engagement strategies are often integrated in public health interventions designed to promote condom use among men who have sex with men (MSM, a key population for HIV prevention. However, the ways in which condom use peer norms and self-efficacy play a role in the association between community engagement and condom use is unclear. This study examines the potential mediating roles of peer norms and self-efficacy in this association. Methods A nationwide cross-sectional online survey was conducted among Chinese MSM in 2015. Recruitment criteria included being born biologically male, being older than 16 years, having had anal sex with a man at least once during their lifetime, and having had condomless anal or vaginal sex in the past three months. Mplus 6.11 was used to conduct confirmatory factor analysis and path modeling analysis to examine the structural relationships between HIV/sexual health community engagement (e.g., joining social media and community events related to HIV and sexual health services, condom use peer norms, condom use self-efficacy, and frequency of condom use. Results The study found that HIV/sexual health community engagement, condom use peer norms, condom use self-efficacy, and frequency of condom use were mutually correlated. A good data model was achieved with fit index: CFI = 0.988, TLI = 0.987, RMSEA = 0.032, 90% CI (0.028, 0.036. HIV/sexual health community engagement was associated with frequency of condom use, which was directly mediated by condom use peer norms and indirectly through self-efficacy. Conclusion The study suggests that condom use peer norms and self-efficacy may be mediators in the pathway between community engagement and condom use, and suggests the importance of peer-based interventions to improve condom use.

  12. Condom use peer norms and self-efficacy as mediators between community engagement and condom use among Chinese men who have sex with men.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Haochu; Xue, Li; Tucker, Joseph D; Wei, Chongyi; Durvasula, Maya; Hu, Wenqi; Kang, Dianming; Liao, Meizhen; Tang, Weiming; Ma, Wei

    2017-08-07

    Community engagement strategies are often integrated in public health interventions designed to promote condom use among men who have sex with men (MSM), a key population for HIV prevention. However, the ways in which condom use peer norms and self-efficacy play a role in the association between community engagement and condom use is unclear. This study examines the potential mediating roles of peer norms and self-efficacy in this association. A nationwide cross-sectional online survey was conducted among Chinese MSM in 2015. Recruitment criteria included being born biologically male, being older than 16 years, having had anal sex with a man at least once during their lifetime, and having had condomless anal or vaginal sex in the past three months. Mplus 6.11 was used to conduct confirmatory factor analysis and path modeling analysis to examine the structural relationships between HIV/sexual health community engagement (e.g., joining social media and community events related to HIV and sexual health services), condom use peer norms, condom use self-efficacy, and frequency of condom use. The study found that HIV/sexual health community engagement, condom use peer norms, condom use self-efficacy, and frequency of condom use were mutually correlated. A good data model was achieved with fit index: CFI = 0.988, TLI = 0.987, RMSEA = 0.032, 90% CI (0.028, 0.036). HIV/sexual health community engagement was associated with frequency of condom use, which was directly mediated by condom use peer norms and indirectly through self-efficacy. The study suggests that condom use peer norms and self-efficacy may be mediators in the pathway between community engagement and condom use, and suggests the importance of peer-based interventions to improve condom use.

  13. Social Media Engagement and the Critical Care Medicine Community.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnes, Sean S; Kaul, Viren; Kudchadkar, Sapna R

    2018-01-01

    Over the last decade, social media has transformed how we communicate in the medical community. Microblogging through platforms such as Twitter has made social media a vehicle for succinct, targeted, and innovative dissemination of content in critical care medicine. Common uses of social media in medicine include dissemination of information, knowledge acquisition, professional networking, and patient advocacy. Social media engagement at conferences represents all of these categories and is often the first time health-care providers are introduced to Twitter. Most of the major critical care medicine conferences, journals, and societies leverage social media for education, research, and advocacy, and social media users can tailor the inflow of content based on their own interests. From these interactions, networks and communities are built within critical care medicine and beyond, overcoming the barriers of physical proximity. In this review, we summarize the history and current status of health-care social media as it relates to critical care medicine and provide a primer for those new to health-care social media with a focus on Twitter, one of the most popular microblogging platforms.

  14. Cultures of engagement: The organizational foundations of advancing health in immigrant and low-income communities of color.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bloemraad, Irene; Terriquez, Veronica

    2016-09-01

    A rich civic infrastructure of community-based organizations (CBOs) can help generate, diffuse and maintain a culture of engagement and health that benefits marginalized populations most at risk for illness, disability, and poor health. Attention to CBOs advances "meso-level" frameworks for understanding health cultures and outcomes by going beyond attention to social networks and social identities. We focus on three mechanisms: CBOs can (1) empower individuals by developing civic capacity and personal efficacy; (2) foster solidarity by building networks, social identities and a shared commitment to collective well-being; and (3) mobilize people to have a voice in health-related policies and programming, thereby affecting community well-being. We draw on theory and research in sociology, political science and psychology, and we illustrate the utility of a CBO approach by examining survey and semi-structured interview data from participants in youth civic groups in 13 low-income, predominantly immigrant communities in California. Interview data illustrate the ways in which CBOs enhance members' civic capacities, provide a sense of empowerment and efficacy to engage in healthy behaviors, develop solidarity among diverse participants, and elaborate networks among those committed to community well-being. We also discuss CBO-led campaigns in which youth mobilized for change in policies and practices of local institutions to illustrate possible community-wide health consequences of CBO engagement. CBOs can thus generate individual-level well-being effects, and reduce structural barriers to good health through changes in the broader environment. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  15. DOD Strategic Religious Engagement: A Luxury or a Necessity?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-01

    scholarly interchange displaced centuries of “superstitious” theological education and transformed intellectual thinking across the Western World. Over...within the State Department, and even establishing a Civilization Dialogue Corps to directly engage with the theological and historical al-Qaeda...1994), 5. 37 16 Ibid. 17 Hans Küng, A Global Ethic for Global Politics and Economics (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), 121. 18

  16. The Routledge guidebook to Galileo's dialogue

    CERN Document Server

    Finocchiaro, Maurice A

    2013-01-01

    The publication in 1632 of Galileo's Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems, Ptolemaic and Copernican marked a crucial moment in the 'scientific revolution' and helped Galileo become the 'father of modern science'. The Dialogue contains Galileo's mature synthesis of astronomy, physics, and methodology, and a critical confirmation of Copernicus's hypothesis of the earth's motion. However, the book also led Galileo to stand trial with the Inquisition, in what became known as 'the greatest scandal in Christendom'. In The Routledge Guidebook to Galileo's Dialogue, Maurice A. Finocchiaro introduces and analyzes: the intellectual background and historical context of the Copernican controversy and Inquisition trial; the key arguments and critiques that Galileo presents on both sides of the 'dialogue'; the Dialogue's content and significance from three special points of view: science, methodology, and rhetoric; the enduring legacy of the Dialogue and the ongoing application of its approach to other areas. This...

  17. On confessional dialogue and collective subjects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsson, Ulf; Petersson, Kenneth; Krejsler, John B.

    2015-01-01

    The concept of dialogue as an ideal for face-to face relationships in education has a long history in Western societies. Dialogue, however, does not only opeate in face-to-face relationships but also between collective subjects such as national states. The focus of this chapter is to discuss...... the operation of dialogue as a governmental practice in the construction of the contemporary European Higher Educational Area (EHEA) as a transnational political space. In this context the Bologna Process, as an expression of the rationalities of Open Method of Coordination, operates as a goal directed...... machinery or, as we prefer to call it, as a dialogic dispositive for the governmentalisation of Europe as a transnational political space. Dialogue operates as a means to reaching a form of unity in diversity considered inevitable if the hope for a future Europe with smart, sustainable and inclusive growth...

  18. Whole Community Resilience: Engaging Multiple Sectors with the Coastal Community Resilience Index and the Climate and Resilience Community of Practice in the Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sempier, T.

    2017-12-01

    Communicating risk due to flooding, sea level rise, storm surge, and other natural hazards is a complex task when attempting to build resilience in coastal communities. There are a number of challenges related to preparing for, responding to, and recovering from coastal storms. Successful resilience planning must include a wide range of sectors including, but not limited to local government, business, non-profit, religious, academia, and healthcare. Years of experience working with communities in the Gulf of Mexico has helped create a process that is both inclusive and effective at bringing the right people to the table and gaining momentum towards resilience efforts. The Coastal Community Resilience Index (CRI), a self-assessment for community leaders, has been implemented in 54 Gulf communities with funding that provides small grant awards to help communities take action to address gaps and vulnerabilities identified in the assessment process. To maintain momentum with resilience actions, the Gulf Climate and Resilience Community of Practice (CoP) encourages local municipality participants to share lessons learned and best practices from their implementation projects in an annual symposium. Recently, both graduate and undergraduate students have been exposed to the CRI and CoP as avenues to work through solutions to complex problems at the local level. In addition, a new generation of high school students has been introduced to the CRI. Their engagement in the process is building a more informed citizenry that will take on the leadership and decision-making roles in the future. Investing in multiple age groups and sectors through the CRI and CoP is building capacity for whole community resilience in the Gulf of Mexico. This presentation will focus on methods that have been successful in the Gulf of Mexico for creating effective change in local municipalities towards resilience actions. Discussion will include decision support tools for engaging local

  19. The Written Text and Human Dialogue: Pedagogical Responses to the Age of Hypertext Media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehrhart, Donna J.; Boyd, Charley

    In June 1995, New York's Genesee Community College hosted "The Written Text and Human Dialogue," a 4-week faculty development seminar for 30 professors in the humanities and technical disciplines across the United States. The seminar sought to explore the history of human communication and writing, to expand participants' knowledge of writing…

  20. The Pros and Cons of Getting Engaged in an Online Social Community Embedded Within Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia: Survey Among Users.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coulson, Neil S; Smedley, Richard; Bostock, Sophie; Kyle, Simon D; Gollancz, Rosie; Luik, Annemarie I; Hames, Peter; Espie, Colin A

    2016-04-25

    Sleepio is a proven digital sleep improvement program based on cognitive behavioral therapy techniques. Users have the option to join an online community that includes weekly expert discussions, peer-to-peer discussion forums, and personal message walls. The aim of this study was to conduct an online survey to (1) explore the reasons for deciding to engage with the Sleepio online community, (2) explore the potential benefits arising from engagement with the online community, and (3) identify and describe any problematic issues related to use of the online community. We developed an online survey and posted an invitation to the community discussion forum inviting users to participate. In addition, we sent an email invitation to 970 individuals who had previously or were currently working through the Sleepio program to participate in this study. In total, 100 respondents (70/100, 70% female; mean age 51 years, range 26-82 years) completed the online survey. Most respondents had started Sleepio with chronic sleep problems (59/100, 59% up to 10 years; 35/100, 35% >10 years) and had actively engaged with the online community (85/100, 85%) had made a discussion or wall post). At the time of the survey, respondents had used Sleepio for a median of 12 weeks (range from 3 weeks to 2 years). We analyzed responses to the open-ended questions using thematic analysis. This analysis revealed 5 initial drivers for engagement: (1) the desire to connect with people facing similar issues, (2) seeking personalized advice, (3) curiosity, (4) being invited by other members, and (5) wanting to use all available sleep improvement tools. Advantages of engagement included access to continuous support, a reduced sense of isolation, being part of a nonjudgmental community, personalized advice, positive comparisons with others, encouragement to keep going, and altruism. We found 5 potential disadvantages: design and navigation issues, uncertain quality of user-generated content, negative

  1. A "Coach Approach" to Staff Engagement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Margaret Macmillan

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available The speed of change is challenging libraries to redevelop themselves in ways we have never seen before. Rising costs and changing customer expectations are forcing staff to continuously learn new skills, adapt to new technologies and work more closely in collaboration with others in response to this unpredictable environment. At the same time library leaders need to communicate regularly with staff and to motivate them to dialogue with each other about the value of the library service that they provide to the community. A creative approach to building flexibility, resilience and staff engagement has become essential for survival. Coaching is a creative, innovative and effective communications tool that is now considered to be one of the most important ways to encourage employees to continue to learn and develop. Its greatest impact is in building leadership and staff engagement. Communicating with “a coach approach” or coaching mindset is a powerful way for library leaders to connect with others where the flow and exchange is positive and there is a mutual benefit of contribution and collaboration, expanded knowledge and innovation. The basics of fostering “a coach approach” with library staff requires an understanding of the importance of “reframing” one’s personal attitudes and perspectives, appreciating the art of focused listening and the impact of positive acknowledgement, learning to ask the right questions and formulating action plans for continued success. It is a learned skill that requires a commitment to practice but is one that will ultimately demonstrate positive results.

  2. EDUCATION AND INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE OF KNOWLEDGE FOR PEACE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Bello Domínguez

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper is the result of research conducted over the past three years in the field of basic education in Mexico, on the growth of enrollment in urban schools for migratory reasons and discrimination, exclusion and marginalization against several people with characteristics ethnic, linguistic, religious, sexual or disabled character. Manifestations of violence in urban schools, impose qualitative changes between the school community and school dynamics therefore recover the Intercultural Education and Dialogue of Knowledge for Peace, as proposed otherness and attention to students, regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional and linguistic conditions.

  3. PALAR as a methodology for community engagement by faculties of education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lesley Wood

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Community engagement (CE is a core function of the university in South Africa. In the field of education, the imperative to pursue and promote CE provides an exciting opportunity for researchers to work with school communities to address the many challenges that threaten the quality of teaching and learning. Yet, relatively few researchers in education faculties have expertise in this emerging area of scholarship. There is therefore a need to develop among academics a capacity for community-based research and deep knowledge of how to approach it effectively. This conceptual article positions participatory action learning and action research (PALAR as a creative, innovative, collaborative and self-developed way to achieve this purpose. Findings from various PALAR projects, in which the authors have participated, provide evidence of PALAR's utility for disrupting traditional notions of partnership, power relations and knowledge creation. However, they also highlight the challenges this form of enquiry poses within academic environments geared for research that follows a more predetermined, researcher-controlled trajectory. Thesefindings are helpful for stimulating thinking about how such challenges can be addressed to ensure that the research, action, and knowledge we create through this process actually translate into practical community improvement.

  4. Dialogue is bliss

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giancarlo Sturloni

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available The practice of dialogue does not erase the conflicts that can be found upon solid diverging interests. But conflicts are not forcedly a trauma. More then an impossible abolition of diversity, it is important to promote a practice that helps everybody to express their own point of view looking for socially sustainable solution between the parts. But according to Sturloni, «Even in that case: not a dialogue meant to achieve a utopian unitary view able to level all divergences, but to allow the expression of different perspectives and of legitimate interests. The final aim should be to make a choice shared as much as possible within the legal system of a democratic country».

  5. Fertilizing a Patient Engagement Ecosystem to Innovate Healthcare: Toward the First Italian Consensus Conference on Patient Engagement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graffigna, Guendalina; Barello, Serena; Riva, Giuseppe; Savarese, Mariarosaria; Menichetti, Julia; Castelnuovo, Gianluca; Corbo, Massimo; Tzannis, Alessandra; Aglione, Antonio; Bettega, Donato; Bertoni, Anna; Bigi, Sarah; Bruttomesso, Daniela; Carzaniga, Claudia; Del Campo, Laura; Donato, Silvia; Gilardi, Silvia; Guglielmetti, Chiara; Gulizia, Michele; Lastretti, Mara; Mastrilli, Valeria; Mazzone, Antonino; Muttillo, Giovanni; Ostuzzi, Silvia; Perseghin, Gianluca; Piana, Natalia; Pitacco, Giuliana; Polvani, Gianluca; Pozzi, Massimo; Provenzi, Livio; Quaglini, Giulia; Rossi, Mariagrazia; Varese, Paola; Visalli, Natalia; Vegni, Elena; Ricciardi, Walter; Bosio, A Claudio

    2017-01-01

    Currently we observe a gap between theory and practices of patient engagement. If both scholars and health practitioners do agree on the urgency to realize patient engagement, no shared guidelines exist so far to orient clinical practice. Despite a supportive policy context, progress to achieve greater patient engagement is patchy and slow and often concentrated at the level of policy regulation without dialoguing with practitioners from the clinical field as well as patients and families. Though individual clinicians, care teams and health organizations may be interested and deeply committed to engage patients and family members in the medical course, they may lack clarity about how to achieve this goal. This contributes to a wide "system" inertia-really difficult to be overcome-and put at risk any form of innovation in this filed. As a result, patient engagement risk today to be a buzz words, rather than a real guidance for practice. To make the field clearer, we promoted an Italian Consensus Conference on Patient Engagement (ICCPE) in order to set the ground for drafting recommendations for the provision of effective patient engagement interventions. The ICCPE will conclude in June 2017. This document reports on the preliminary phases of this process. In the paper, we advise the importance of "fertilizing a patient engagement ecosystem": an oversimplifying approach to patient engagement promotion appears the result of a common illusion. Patient "disengagement" is a symptom that needs a more holistic and complex approach to solve its underlined causes. Preliminary principles to promote a patient engagement ecosystem are provided in the paper.

  6. Integrating Interview Methodology to Analyze Inter-Institutional Comparisons of Service-Learning within the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification Framework

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plante, Jarrad D.; Cox, Thomas D.

    2016-01-01

    Service-learning has a longstanding history in higher education in and includes three main tenets: academic learning, meaningful community service, and civic learning. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching created an elective classification system called the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification for higher education…

  7. Community Dialogue to Shift Social Norms and Enable Family Planning: An Evaluation of the Family Planning Results Initiative in Kenya

    Science.gov (United States)

    Creanga, Andreea A.; Galavotti, Christine; Wamalwa, Emmanuel

    2016-01-01

    Introduction Use of family planning (FP) is powerfully shaped by social and gender norms, including the perceived acceptability of FP and gender roles that limit women’s autonomy and restrict communication and decision-making between men and women. This study evaluated an intervention that catalyzed ongoing community dialogues about gender and FP in Siaya county, Nyanza Province, Kenya. Specifically, we explored the changes in perceived acceptability of FP, gender norms and use of FP. Methods We used a mixed-method approach. Information on married men and women’s socio-demographic characteristics, pregnancy intentions, gender-related beliefs, FP knowledge, attitudes, and use were collected during county-representative, cross-sectional household surveys at baseline (2009; n11 = 650 women; n12 = 305 men) and endline (2012; n21 = 617 women; n22 = 317 men); exposure to the intervention was measured at endline. We assessed changes in FP use at endline vs. baseline, and fitted multivariate logistic regression models for FP use to examine its association with intervention exposure and explore other predictors of use at endline. In-depth, qualitative interviews with 10 couples at endline further explored enablers and barriers to FP use. Results At baseline, 34.0% of women and 27.9% of men used a modern FP method compared to 51.2% and 52.2%, respectively, at endline (pwomen, but this association was not significant for men. Women’s use of modern FP was significantly associated with higher spousal communication, control over own cash earnings, and FP self-efficacy. Men who reported high approval of FP were significantly more likely to use modern FP if reporting high approval of FP and more equitable gender beliefs. FP dialogues addressed persistent myths and misconceptions, normalized FP discussions, and increased its acceptability. Public examples of couples making joint FP decisions legitimized communication and decision-making with spouses about FP especially for

  8. Complex realities : community engagement for a paediatric randomized controlled malaria vaccine trial in Kilifi, Kenya

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Angwenyi, Vibian; Kamuya, Dorcas; Mwachiro, Dorothy; Kalama, Betty; Marsh, Vicki; Njuguna, Patricia; Molyneux, Sassy

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Community engagement (CE) is increasingly promoted for biomedical research conducted in resource poor settings for both intrinsic and instrumental purposes. Given the potential importance of CE, but also complexities and possibility of unexpected negative outcomes, there is need for more

  9. Project H.O.P.E.: Effective University Engagement with Community Afterschool Programs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barbara C. Jentleson

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Implemented in 2002 by the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership, Project H.O.P.E. has improved the quantity and quality of afterschool programs for the youth of Durham, NC. Project H.O.P.E. provides tutoring programs, enrichment resources, and evaluation support to non-profit community partner organizations located in the low income Durham neighborhoods surrounding Duke University. Duke University undergraduates who provide tutoring services to the Durham youth in the afterschool programs gain from valuable reciprocal service learning experiences. Project H.O.P.E. is an effective model of the mutual benefits that can be gained from effective university and community engagement in the service of at-risk students.

  10. Cultural hegemony? Educators' perspectives on facilitating cross-cultural dialogue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaidi, Zareen; Verstegen, Daniëlle; Vyas, Rashmi; Hamed, Omayma; Dornan, Tim; Morahan, Page

    2016-01-01

    We live in an age when education is being internationalized. This can confront students with 'cultural hegemony' that can result from the unequal distribution of power and privilege in global society. The name that is given to awareness of social inequality is 'critical consciousness'. Cross-cultural dialogue provides an opportunity for learners to develop critical consciousness to counter cultural hegemony. The purpose of this research was to understand how learners engage with cross-cultural dialogue, so we can help them do so more effectively in the future. The setting for this research was an online discussion in an international health professions educator fellowship program. We introduced scenarios with cultural references to study the reaction of participants to cultural conversation cues. We used an inductive thematic analysis to explore power and hegemony issues. Participants reflected that personally they were more likely to take part in cross-cultural discussions if they recognized the context discussed or had prior exposure to educational settings with cultural diversity. They identified barriers as lack of skills in facilitating cross-cultural discussions and fear of offending others. They suggested deliberately introducing cultural issues throughout the curriculum. Our results indicate that developing critical consciousness and cross-cultural competency will require instructional design to identify longitudinal opportunities to bring up cross-cultural issues, and training facilitators to foster cross-cultural discussions by asking clarifying questions and navigating crucial/sensitive conversations.

  11. Engaging Preservice Teachers in Critical Dialogues on Race

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joanna E. Durham-Barnes

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Rarely do White, middle-class Americans, the population from which most teachers are drawn, have the opportunity to consider themselves as racialized beings. Although personal experience is usually the best teacher, our increasingly homogeneous teaching population oftentimes lacks experience with diversity, and schools of education often struggle to find appropriate and meaningful diverse field experiences for their teacher candidates. This study uses a documentary in an attempt to provoke thoughtful conversations about race and racism in the United States among the mostly White teacher candidates. The study identifies racial themes that emerge from the conversations, explores the ways the groups’ racial diversity alters conversations on race, and explores how the race of the group’s facilitator may affect the conversations. The study suggested that racially diverse groups are more likely to explore greater numbers of racial themes and engage each other more deeply through polite disagreement. Although racial diversity of any kind seemed to promote deeper conversations, participants reported greater satisfaction from the conversations when the students themselves were racially diverse rather than with the facilitator alone.

  12. Translating Public Policy: Enhancing the Applicability of Social Impact Techniques for Grassroots Community Groups

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melissa Edwards

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports on an exploratory action research study designed to understand how grassroots community organisations engage in the measurement and reporting of social impact and how they demonstrate their social impact to local government funders. Our findings suggest that the relationships between small non-profit organisations, the communities they serve or represent and their funders are increasingly driven from the top down formalised practices. Volunteer-run grassroots organisations can be marginalized in this process. Members may lack awareness of funders’ strategic approaches or the formalized auditing and control requirements of funders mean grassroots organisations lose capacity to define their programs and projects. We conclude that, to help counter this trend, tools and techniques which open up possibilities for dialogue between those holding power and those seeking support are essential.

  13. What Determines Faculty-Engaged Scholarship?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vogelgesang, Lori J.; Denson, Nida; Jayakumar, Uma M.

    2010-01-01

    This paper examines how faculty and institutional characteristics shape engaged scholarship. Controlling for faculty dispositions, disciplinary differences, and institutional characteristics, the authors examined the impact of perceived institutional support for community partnerships, community-based research, and teaching on faculty engagement.…

  14. The art of Dialogue in Coaching

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stelter, Reinhard

    Not alle conversations and types of dialogue are supportive and suitable for individuals looking for help in their professional or private life. It is important to understand the social and organizational context to be able to establish meaningfulness and a value base. Dialogues can be the basis ...

  15. Dialogue Journal: Exploring Its Use to Teach Writing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christianti Tri Hapsari

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available The main objective of this research is to analyze the use of dialogue journal to teach writing. This case study research was conducted at one of senior high school in Cianjur. The research purposively sampling twenty students of grade XI. In order to collect the data, I used three techniques of data collection namely interview, observation, and document analysis. The research findings revealed that: (1 The reasons behind the implementation of dialogue journal were because the teacher wanted to give students opportunity to fulfill the need of reflection and expressing ideas while the belief relied on the standpoint to give non-threatening atmosphere for students to freely express themselves and to give opportunities for teacher to observe students’ progress and their personal background. The procedure of dialogue journal was done five up to seven minutes which involved three parts, those were greeting/ salutation, body, and closing. While, the learning situation was positive in the case of interaction, attitude, and motivation. Students’ responses were classified into open-ended responses which displayed students’ positive thought, feeling, and reaction because they had experienced many advantages in doing dialogue journal as well as silence which indicated the moment when the students reduced interaction to only center their attention in writing dialogue journal; (2 Teacher’s difficulties in doing dialogue journal were managing time to handle with students’ dialogue journal overload and responding to super active students. Whereas, students’ difficulties in doing dialogue journal were writing in limited time, finding suitable vocabulary, using correct grammar, and responding as well as giving suggestions to the questions given by the teacher; and (3 To cope with such difficulties, the teacher should manage a schedule to be able to correct students’ work and respond to the students’ questions. Furthermore, students’ difficulties

  16. Stakeholder engagement: a model for tobacco policy planning in Oklahoma Tribal communities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blanchard, Jessica W; Petherick, J T; Basara, Heather

    2015-01-01

    Oklahoma law pre-empts local governments from enacting smoking restrictions inside public places that are stricter than state law, but the sovereign status of Oklahoma's 38 Tribal nations means they are uniquely positioned to stand apart as leaders in the area of tobacco policy. To provide recommendations for employing university-Tribal partnerships as an effective strategy for tobacco policy planning in tribal communities. Using a community-based participatory research approach, researchers facilitated a series of meetings with key Tribal stakeholders in order to develop a comprehensive tobacco policy plan. Ongoing engagement activities held between January 2011 and May 2012, including interdepartmental visits, facility site tours, interviews, and attendance at tribal activities, were critical for fostering constructive and trusting relationships between all partners involved in the policy planning process. The 17-month collaborative engagement produced a plan designed to regulate the use of commercial tobacco in all Tribally owned properties. The extended period of collaboration between the researchers and Tribal stakeholders facilitated: (1) levels of trust between partners; and (2) a steadfast commitment to the planning process, ensuring completion of the plan amid uncertain political climates and economic concerns about tobacco bans. Extended engagement produced an effective foundation for policy planning that promoted collaboration between otherwise dispersed Tribal departments, and facilitated communication of diverse stakeholder interests related to the goal of tobacco policies. The findings of this study provide useful strategies and best practices for those looking to employ Tribal-university partnerships as strategies for tobacco control planning and policy-based research. Copyright © 2015 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Dialogues on modern physics

    CERN Document Server

    Sachs, Mendel

    1998-01-01

    In this book, important conceptual developments of the two major revolutions of modern physics - the quantum and relativity theories - are presented in a nonmathematical, dialectical form of dialogue. The implications of conflicting philosophical attitudes of these revolutions in physics and applications to topics such as cosmology/astrophysics and high energy physics are emphasized. It is argued that for any substantial progress in our understanding of 21st century physics, it will be necessary to resolve these 20th century conflicts. These richly rewarding dialogues provide a starting point

  18. Strategies to Mitigate the Negative and Accentuate the Positive Impacts of International Service-Learning on Host Communities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shari Galiardi

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available International service-learning can have a transformative effect on student participants, but little research has been done on the impact of these experiences on host communities. The authors make the case that an emphasis on intentional personal, cultural, and group preparation is imperative to have the best possible impact on both the student and host community. Overarching strategies include: 1 preparing students for their experience prior to departure from both an individual and group development perspective; 2 designing reflection activities and discussions that include members of the host community; 3 facilitating open conversations about equitable relationships, international perspectives of Americans, and potential negative effects the group could have on the host community; 4 providing opportunities for post-travel dialogue and personal action plans for re-engaging with the local community upon return. The authors draw from both theoretical frameworks and many years of experience traveling abroad with students to underpin the strategies outlined in this article. KEYWORDSservice-learning; group development; international

  19. Making time for storytelling; the challenges of community building and activism in a rural locale

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah Copeland

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available The uneven projection of voices from or within a community can be addressed, in part, by methods such as digital storytelling in a technology and media-savvy society. Whilst the use of digital storytelling to facilitate constructive dialogue has proved successful for those who participate, instilling a sense of motivation to become involved at the outset can pose a challenge. Members of different types of community groups, whether geo-physical or practice-based, will not necessarily be drawn to involvement in social action through group workshops without prior personal engagement. This paper considers which other participatory media techniques can be employed to encourage involvement in community digital storytelling workshops to inspire activism, and examines barriers to participation, with emphasis on the necessity of mandate, for project success. To help answer these issues, one particular workshop in a case study in North Yorkshire, UK will be used to identify the importance of place and incorporation of methods when undertaking community digital storytelling.

  20. Combining Photovoice and focus groups: engaging Latina teens in community assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hannay, Jayme; Dudley, Robert; Milan, Stephanie; Leibovitz, Paula K

    2013-03-01

    Latino adolescents, especially girls, experience higher obesity rates and are more likely to be physically unfit than non-Latino white peers. Out-of-school programs to increase physical activity and fitness in older Latino teens are critical, but sustained engagement is challenging. This study combined a community-based participatory research methodology, Photovoice, with focus groups to engage Latina teens and their parents in identifying barriers to physical activity and initiating policy change actions to address them. The study investigates the effectiveness of applying Photovoice as both an evaluation tool and a leadership/advocacy intervention in a community-based obesity prevention program. Focus group data were collected between July 2009 and October 2010 and analyzed between November 2010 and July 2011. Five focus groups were held with adults (n = 41: 95% Latino) and four with teens (n = 36: 81% Latino, 10% non-Hispanic white, 9% African-American). All participants (19 teens, six adults) were Latino. Spanish-speaking staff of a community-based agency, program staff, high school guidance counselors, and a job development agency recruited participants. Teens aged 14-19 years enrolled in New Britain CT, high schools, and their parents were eligible. Data from Photovoice workshops (three with teens, two with parent-teen dyads) were collected and concurrently analyzed between July 2009 and August 2011. Teens criticized school-based physical exercise programs in favor of out-of-school exercise and career advice. Parental restrictions and work, transportation, and safety issues were cited as barriers to afterschool physical activity programs. Photovoice can empower teens and parents to address exercise barriers by promoting advocacy that leads to policy change (e.g., an out-of-school physical education option). Copyright © 2013 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Reducing Cancer Health Disparities through Community Engagement: Working with Faith-Based Organizations (Project CHURCH)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorna H. McNeill, PhD, MPH, is Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Health Disparities at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. McNeill's research is on the elimination of cancer-related health disparities in minority populations. Her research has particular emphasis on understanding the influence of social contextual determinants of cancer in minorities, with a special focus of the role of physical activity as a key preventive behavior and obesity as a major cancer determinant. Her research takes place in minority and underserved communities such as public housing developments, black churches, community-based clinics and low-income neighborhoods-communities with excess cancer death rates. She has been continuously funded, receiving grants from various funding agencies (i.e., National Institutes of Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, etc.), to better understand and design innovative solutions to address obesity in racial/ethnic minority communities. Dr. McNeill is PI of several community-based studies, primarily working with African American churches. One is a called Project CHURCH, an academic-faith-based partnership established to: 1) identify underlying reasons for health disparities in cancer and cancer risk factors (e.g., screening, diet) among AAs using a cohort study (N=2400), 2) engage AAs as partners in the research process, and 3) to ultimately eliminate disparities among AAs. In 2014 Dr. McNeill furthered her partnership through the Faith, Health, and Family (FHF) Collaborative. The goals of FHF are to enhance the Project CHURCH partnership to address family obesity in African Americans, strengthen the partnership by developing a larger coalition of organizations and stakeholders to address the problem, assess church and community interest in family obesity and develop an agenda to address obesity in faith settings. To date we have 50 churches as members. Dr. McNeill is also director of the Center for Community-Engaged

  2. Engaging rural preceptors in new longitudinal community clerkships during workforce shortage: a qualitative study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weston Kathryn M

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In keeping with its mission to produce doctors for rural and regional Australia, the University of Wollongong, Graduate School of Medicine has established an innovative model of clinical education. This includes a 12-month integrated community-based clerkship in a regional or rural setting, offering senior students longitudinal participation in a 'community of practice' with access to continuity of patient care experiences, continuity of supervision and curriculum, and individualised personal and professional development. This required developing new teaching sites, based on attracting preceptors and providing them with educational and physical infrastructure. A major challenge was severe health workforce shortages. Methods Before the new clerkship started, we interviewed 28 general practitioners to determine why they engaged as clerkship preceptors. Independent researchers conducted semi-structured interviews. Responses were transcribed for inductive qualitative content analysis. Results The new model motivated preceptors to engage because it enhanced their opportunities to contribute to authentic learning when compared with the perceived limitations of short-term attachments. Preceptors appreciated the significant recognition of the value of general practice teaching and the honour of major involvement in the university. They predicted that the initiative would have positive effects on general practitioner morale and improve the quality of their practice. Other themes included the doctors' commitment to their profession, 'handing on' to the next generation and helping their community to attract doctors in the future. Conclusions Supervisors perceive that new models of clinical education offer alternative solutions to health care education, delivery and workforce. The longitudinal relationship between preceptor, student and community was seen as offering reciprocal benefits. General practitioners are committed to refining

  3. Longitudinal Youth-At-Risk Study (LYRIKS): outreach strategies based on a community-engaged framework.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitter, Natasha; Nah, Guo Quan Ryan; Bong, Yioe Ling; Lee, Jimmy; Chong, Siow-Ann

    2014-08-01

    Schizophrenia and psychoses are debilitating disorders often leading to serious functional impairments. Early detection efforts have shifted focus to the prodromal phase and the emphasis is now on individuals at risk of developing psychosis. The Longitudinal Youth-At-Risk Study (LYRIKS) seeks to elucidate the biological markers of psychosis. This paper describes the application of a community-engaged framework to the outreach strategies of LYRIKS. It describes the outreach goals, strategies used and their impact, as well as the various challenges faced by the research team and community partners. The target population was defined. Community organizations having close ties with the target population were identified and approached for collaboration. These included educational and healthcare institutions, and government and welfare organizations. Strategies were categorized as active or passive. Active strategies included clinical screening and recruitment, workshops, roadshows and student internships. Passive strategies included utilizing print and social media. Three thousand three hundred twenty-one youth were approached and 401 called the hotline to find out more about the study. Three thousand five hundred one were pre-screened; 864 were further screened using the Comprehensive Assessment of At Risk Mental State. One hundred seventy-eight and 346 were eventually recruited as subjects and controls, respectively. Challenges encountered included differing priorities, maintaining collaborative relationships, stigmatization and inadequate understanding of the profile of at risk youth. Future community-engaged research should be conducted more comprehensively to generate maximum benefits. © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  4. Gay Men's Book Clubs versus Wisconsin's Public Libraries: Political Perceptions in the Absence of Dialogue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pruitt, John

    2010-01-01

    Because of an absence of dialogue, a tense relationship appears to exist between Wisconsin's gay men's book discussion groups and their local public libraries. Public library directors express interest in accommodating these groups if approached but face budget restrictions and local communities that may oppose these gatherings; gay men's book…

  5. The DIALOGUE project. Report from the Actors group

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-11-01

    The DIALOGUE project has been conducted by the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate (SKI) since 1990. The aim of the project was to stimulate a dialogue between different interest groups within Sweden. The purpose of this dialogue was to establish a licensing process, prior to a future licensing of a repository for spent nuclear waste, in which several of the parties involved are reasonably confident. The DIALOGUE project was carried out with the participation of other government agencies, municipalities and environmental groups and was headed by the former chairman of the National Licensing Board for Environmental Protection

  6. Achieving Health Equity Through Community Engagement in Translating Evidence to Policy: The San Francisco Health Improvement Partnership, 2010?2016

    OpenAIRE

    Grumbach, Kevin; Vargas, Roberto A.; Fleisher, Paula; Arag?n, Tom?s J.; Chung, Lisa; Chawla, Colleen; Yant, Abbie; Garcia, Estela R.; Santiago, Amor; Lang, Perry L.; Jones, Paula; Liu, Wylie; Schmidt, Laura A.

    2017-01-01

    Background The San Francisco Health Improvement Partnership (SFHIP) promotes health equity by using a novel collective impact model that blends community engagement with evidence-to-policy translational science. The model involves diverse stakeholders, including ethnic-based community health equity coalitions, the local public health department, hospitals and health systems, a health sciences university, a school district, the faith community, and others sectors. Community Context We report o...

  7. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Using Peer-Dialogue Assessment (PDA) for Improving Pre-Service Teachers' Perceived Confidence and Competence to Teach Physical Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eather, Narelle; Riley, Nick; Miller, Drew; Jones, Bradley

    2017-01-01

    Developing effective methods for improving student learning in higher education is a priority. Recent findings have shown that feedback on student work can effectively facilitate learning if students are engaged as active participants in the feedback cycle; where they seek, generate and use feedback in the form of dialogue. This novel study…

  8. Dialogues with social robots enablements, analyses, and evaluation

    CERN Document Server

    Wilcock, Graham

    2017-01-01

    This book explores novel aspects of social robotics, spoken dialogue systems, human-robot interaction, spoken language understanding, multimodal communication, and system evaluation. It offers a variety of perspectives on and solutions to the most important questions about advanced techniques for social robots and chat systems. Chapters by leading researchers address key research and development topics in the field of spoken dialogue systems, focusing in particular on three special themes: dialogue state tracking, evaluation of human-robot dialogue in social robotics, and socio-cognitive language processing. The book offers a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners in both academia and industry whose work involves advanced interaction technology and who are seeking an up-to-date overview of the key topics. It also provides supplementary educational material for courses on state-of-the-art dialogue system technologies, social robotics, and related research fields.

  9. Official and Public Dialogue in Lithuania-Russia Relationships: in Search of Communicative Solutions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nataliya A. Ivanova

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: Actual Lithuania-Russia relations are characterized as tension. The official rhetoric is strongly negative. The opportunities to maintain public dialogue are restricted, ideas to promote positive cooperation are being criticized by elites and government. Mass-media transmit the official standpoints of the government. Consequently, it works on even more amplification of the public break between the two societies, strengthening discredit, spreading stereotypes and myths about each other. That has been leading to estrangement between the societies of the both countries and also to increase of word outlook, emotional and mental break. In the historical perspective it might become the grand challenge for both states as neighboring countries. However, as in Russia so in Lithuania there are social communities that are interested in developing positive communication even in actual tense circumstances. Thereupon alternative communication platforms, belonging to “soft power” and public diplomacy, become special. The ones that nowadays maintain dialogue in Lithuania-Russia relationships are studied in this article. Besides, the obstacles to a constructive dialogue are revealed. Author gives recommendations on the most effective alternative platforms and “displays”

  10. Engagement processes in model programs for community reentry from prison for people with serious mental illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angell, Beth; Matthews, Elizabeth; Barrenger, Stacey; Watson, Amy C; Draine, Jeffrey

    2014-01-01

    Linking prisoners with mental illness with treatment following release is critical to preventing recidivism, but little research exists to inform efforts to engage them effectively. This presentation compares the engagement process in two model programs, each representing an evidence-based practice for mental health which has been adapted to the context of prison reentry. One model, Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT), emphasizes a long-term wrap-around approach that seeks to maximize continuity of care by concentrating all services within one interdisciplinary team; the other, Critical Time Intervention (CTI), is a time-limited intervention that promotes linkages to outside services and bolsters natural support systems. To compare engagement practices, we analyze data from two qualitative studies, each conducted in a newly developed treatment program serving prisoners with mental illness being discharged from prisons to urban communities. Findings show that the working relationship in reentry services exhibits unique features and is furthered in both programs by the use of practitioner strategies of engagement, including tangible assistance, methods of interacting with consumers, and encouragement of service use via third parties such as families and parole officers. Nevertheless, each program exhibited distinct cultures and rituals of reentry that were associated with fundamental differences in philosophy and differences in resources available to each program. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Perceived Need for Treatment and Engagement in Mental Health Services Among Community-Referred Racial/Ethnic Minority Adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, Jacqueline Horan; Lichvar, Emily; Hogue, Aaron; Dauber, Sarah

    2018-03-10

    This study examines clinical and family predictors of perceived need for treatment and engagement in mental health treatment services among community-referred racial/ethnic minority adolescents and their primary caregivers. Findings indicated that the majority of families perceived a need for treatment, but that perceived need was not associated with treatment engagement. Family factors (i.e., low cohesion and high conflict within the family) predicted perceived need for treatment among adolescents, whereas clinical factors (i.e., adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptomatology) predicted caregiver perceived need for adolescent treatment. Neither clinical nor family factors predicted treatment engagement.

  12. Deliberations of working group 4: is there a new dynamics of dialogue and decision making?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kotra, J.P.

    2000-01-01

    The context for the working group's discussions was set by two papers: 'Lessons Learnt from the DECI project on different processes for Public Participation and Transparency in Decision making' and 'A New Siting Process in France for a URL in Granite: Lessons Learnt from the recently undertaken Consultation Mission (January-June 2000). As further evidence of change affecting the way waste managers and regulators communicate with their stakeholders, the group heard two presentations of specific case studies of waste disposal programmes encountering and responding to a new dynamic. (Belgium's revised approach to siting a low- and intermediate-level waste facility). Key factors in the new approach adopted by the Belgian government were the clear separation of ethical and technical choices, and the pursuit of partnerships with local municipalities. Many members of the working group were clearly impressed with the extent of trust and reliance placed on the decisions of the participating communities. Next, the group chairperson, discussed recent attempts by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to encourage greater public involvement in the development of new regulations for the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain. This was followed by an active and lively discussion among all members of the working group. Frequently the 'new dynamics of dialogue and decision making' were characterised as a shift from the traditional 'decide, announce and defend' approach for which the focus was almost exclusively on technical content, to one of 'engage, interact and co-operate' for which both technical content and quality of process are of comparable import to a constructive outcome. The session culminated with the identification of several possible means through which the FSC (Forum on Stakeholder Confidence) might contribute to and support member programmes as they endeavour to rise to the challenges posed y the new dynamics of dialogue. (author)

  13. The Engaged Microbiologist: Bringing the Microbiological Sciences to the K-12 Community.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Westenberg, David J

    2016-03-01

    Exposing K-12 students to cutting edge science that impacts their daily lives can bring classroom lessons to life. Citizen-science projects are an excellent way to bring high-level science to the classroom and help satisfy one of the cornerstone concepts of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), "engaging in practices that scientists and engineers actually use." This can be a daunting task for teachers who may lack the background or resources to integrate these projects into the classroom. This is where scientific societies such as the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) can play a critical role. ASM encourages its members to engage with the K-12 community by providing networking opportunities and resources for ASM members and K-12 teachers to work together to bring microbiology into the classroom. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education.

  14. The Engaged Microbiologist: Bringing the Microbiological Sciences to the K–12 Community

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David J. Westenberg

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Exposing K–12 students to cutting edge science that impacts their daily lives can bring classroom lessons to life. Citizen-science projects are an excellent way to bring high-level science to the classroom and help satisfy one of the cornerstone concepts of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, “engaging in practices that scientists and engineers actually use.” This can be a daunting task for teachers who may lack the background or resources to integrate these projects into the classroom. This is where scientific societies such as the American Society for Microbiology (ASM can play a critical role. ASM encourages its members to engage with the K–12 community by providing networking opportunities and resources for ASM members and K–12 teachers to work together to bring microbiology into the classroom.

  15. U.S.-Turkey Strategic Dialogue

    OpenAIRE

    Center on Contemporary Conflict

    2012-01-01

    FY 2012-2013. Project Leads: Clement, Victoria and Gingeras, Ryan The primary objectives of this effort are twofold: to better understand and identify solutions to the current and potential challenges to U.S. national security interests in the Middle East, and to enhance understanding of and cooperation with Turkey through a Track II dialogue. The dialogue will provide policymakers with accessible intelligence, informed by on the ground discussions with relevant stakeholders in Turkey. NA

  16. PERARES: Public Engagement with Research and Research Engagement with Society

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Steinhaus, Norbert; Mulder, Henk A.J.

    2014-01-01

    PERARES is a four-year project funded by the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme which started in 2010. The acronym stands for "Public Engagement with Research and Research Engagement with Society”. The project brings together Science Shops, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and

  17. Community Engagement in a complex intervention to improve access to primary mental health care for hard-to-reach groups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamb, Jonathan; Dowrick, Christopher; Burroughs, Heather; Beatty, Susan; Edwards, Suzanne; Bristow, Kate; Clarke, Pam; Hammond, Jonathan; Waheed, Waquas; Gabbay, Mark; Gask, Linda

    2015-12-01

    Despite the availability of effective evidence-based treatments for depression and anxiety, many 'harder-to-reach' social and patient groups experience difficulties accessing treatment. We developed a complex intervention, the AMP (Improving Access to Mental Health in Primary Care) programme, which combined community engagement (CE), tailored (individual and group) psychosocial interventions and primary care involvement. To develop and evaluate a model for community engagement component of the complex intervention. This paper focuses on the development of relationships between stakeholders, their engagement with the issue of access to mental health and with the programme through the CE model. Our evaluation draws on process data, qualitative interviews and focus groups, brought together through framework analysis to evaluate the issues and challenges encountered. A case study of the South Asian community project carried out in Longsight in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. Complex problems require multiple local stakeholders to work in concert. Assets based approaches implicitly make demands on scarce time and resources. Community development approaches have many benefits, but perceptions of open-ended investment are a barrier. The time-limited nature of a CE intervention provides an impetus to 'do it now', allowing stakeholders to negotiate their investment over time and accommodating their wider commitments. Both tangible outcomes and recognition of process benefits were vital in maintaining involvement. CE interventions can play a key role in improving accessibility and acceptability by engaging patients, the public and practitioners in research and in the local service ecology. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. A Need for Dialogue to Develop Tolerance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Corina Yoris-Villasana

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The authoress claims that civic education must be grounded in a deep sense of belonging, which, in turn, involves values such as freedom, equality, civility, justice, pluralism and, above all, ensures the development of dialogue and tolerance in the individual, dialogue and tolerance which are essential attributes of a democratic attitude. Tolerance and dialogue are the pivots of citizenship in a society which is to function peacefully. She concludes that by developing these values individuals can better participate in the pursuit of social ideals.

  19. From Monologue to Dialogue: Natural Language Generation in OVIS

    OpenAIRE

    Theune, Mariet; Freedman, R.; Callaway, C.

    2003-01-01

    This paper describes how a language generation system that was originally designed for monologue generation, has been adapted for use in the OVIS spoken dialogue system. To meet the requirement that in a dialogue, the system’s utterances should make up a single, coherent dialogue turn, several modifications had to be made to the system. The paper also discusses the influence of dialogue context on information status, and its consequences for the generation of referring expressions and accentu...

  20. ‘YOUTH AMPLIFIED’: USING CRITICAL PEDAGOGY TO STIMULATE LEARNING THROUGH DIALOGUE AT A YOUTH RADIO SHOW

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adam Cooper

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available In this paper I describe and analyse how critical pedagogy, an approach to teaching and learning that encourages students to reflect on their socio-political contexts, may stimulate critical consciousness and dialogue at a youth radio show. The participants, who attended four diverse Cape Town high schools and predominantly lived in poor townships, named the show Youth Amplified. Youth Amplified dialogues were catalysed by a range of materials, including documentary films, newspapers and academic articles, which participants engaged with prior to the show. Participants then generated questions, which contributed to the dialogues that took place live on air. Two central themes emerged from the radio shows. First, the values and discourses of elite schools were transported to Youth Amplified and presented as incontestable truths that often denigrated marginalised learners. Second, participants used ‘race’ as a marker of social difference to make sense of peers and South African society. I argue that critical pedagogy interventions also need to work with educators to reflect on inequalities and socio-political contexts, if such interventions are to be successful. The show illuminated that young South Africans want to speak about racialised and class-based forms of historical oppression, but that these kinds of discussions require skilled facilitation.