scholarly journals Foreigners in the town. Experience of voluntary immigrants living in a small town

2019 ◽  
Vol 68 ◽  
pp. 01003
Author(s):  
Daniel Markovic ◽  
Anna Zilova

The aim of the paper is to unveil the experiences of voluntary immigrants to Slovakia related to their life in a small Slovak town and to identify opportunities for intervention through social work, particularly experience in the field of interpersonal relations, employment or during studies, and in the economic field. In research, we are interested in voluntary migrants who chose small towns in Slovakia, which are culturally and linguistically homogeneous. We have chosen a qualitative research strategy. Research design is grounded theory. As a research tool, we chose an individual structured interview (In-Depth Interview). For qualitative analysis of data, we used the coding; we set descriptive and inductive codes, subcategories and categories. The subject of research is eight voluntary immigrants to Slovakia who live in small towns for at least one year at the time of research. Thus, they meet the long-term migration criterion. Participants were selected on a deliberate basis to cover the phenomenon of voluntary migration. Due to the chosen research design, theoretical sampling is the case.

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Markovič

Slovakia is not perceived as a destination country for forced or voluntary migrants in the European Union. Nevertheless, the number of foreigners living legally in Slovakia has increased more than fourfold since Slovakia joined the European Union in 2004. The aim of this paper is to recognize the views of voluntary immigrants on their own life in Slovakia. In our research, we are interested in migrants who chose small towns in Slovakia, which are culturally and linguistically homogeneous. We have chosen a qualitative research strategy. The research design is of a biographical design and a grounded theory. As a research tool, we chose an individual structured interview (in-depth interview). For qualitative data analysis, we used coding; we set descriptive and inductive codes, subcategories and categories. The subject of research is eight voluntary immigrants to Slovakia who have been living in Slovakia for at least one year at the time of the study. Thus, they meet the long-term migration criterion. Participants were selected on a deliberate basis to cover the phenomenon of voluntary migration. Due to the chosen research design, theoretical sampling was utilized. Our research confirmed the assumptions of voluntary migration described by Pierce (1999). Not only participants from developing countries, but also participants from countries with higher HDI than Slovakia praise the work and business opportunities in Slovakia. Participants identified the following areas of life benefits in Slovakia: employment, economic and social conditions, leisure, cultural and development activities, and environmental issues. Negative aspects of life include negative administrative experiences, lower living comfort, worse social conditions and the environment.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Yanu Endar Prasetyo

Walmart store closures, especially in rural areas, seem to be continuing since the company is moving forward in serving its urban customers and investing heavily in its digital features and markets. If this scenario happens, then many townspeople in a rural area will lose their only Walmart store, which has been part of the town for decades. There are many studies on the impact of Walmart's entry and presence in towns. However, investigating the effects of Walmart when they leave small towns is still rare. For this reason, this study is focused on addressing the impact of Walmart store closures in small towns in Missouri. The purpose of this study is to identify factors affecting the residents' perception of and response toward the impact of Walmart's store closure in Rural Areas. Our conceptual framework is designed to assess household vulnerability and incorporate food insecurity factors to capture how vulnerability and resilience in rural communities change because of the closure of a Walmart store. This approach may help us better understand the linkages between community vulnerability and community resilience. Using a mixed-method design, we explored the residents' perceptions, opinions, and experiences regarding the closing of Walmart. Data from both the qualitative phase (observation, semi-structured interview, group discussion, and document analysis) and quantitative phase (community-based drop-off and pick-up surveys) of this study then mixed in the final analysis to provide a more detailed and complete description of the effect of Walmart store closures in rural Missouri. We found that people were overwhelmingly disappointed and angry when Walmart closed in their area in 2017. Most residents said they felt disappointed (46 percent) and angry (41 percent) about Walmart's decision. There was a change in households' attitudes and shopping habits after Walmart left these towns, including a significant decline (54.9 percent) in shopping frequency among residents who often shop at Walmart. Not having Wal sense of losing pride in being part of the town. When Caruthersville and Piedmont still had Walmart in town, it became the center of community for the surrounding towns and the entire county. The number of households that fall into vulnerability categories (very lowvulnerable, low-vulnerable, vulnerable, and very vulnerable) is calculated and obtained from Categorical Principal Component Analysis (CATPCA). The data showed that most households fell into a vulnerable (39.8 percent) and low-vulnerable situation (34.6 percent) after Walmart left and were able to cope with this stressor. Households in the neighboring towns (Patterson, Williamsville, and Greenville) that were 10-15 miles from Piedmont also had a high percentage of vulnerable groups (47.6 percent) and very vulnerable households (6.5 percent). Based on this study, the Walmart store's closure in Piedmont had a bigger impact on both the households within the host town and their neighboring towns. Our findings also confirmed that many residents in these areas rely on government assistance programs, especially SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program), the most extensive federal nutrition program in the U.S. About 43.7 percent of households in Caruthersville, 25.5 percent of households in Piedmont, and 24.4 percent of households in the neighboring town are SNAP recipients. These findings further prove that SNAP recipients and community food bank/pantry users were more sensitive to Walmart's store closure. While SNAP benefits provided valuable support to many households, the retail mobility -- increased proximity to small retailers and decreased proximity to many large ones (Walmart) -- would negatively affect townspeople. This study suggests that Policymakers and public health experts need to work closely to ensure healthier and more equitable food systems since small retailers may provide limited access to fresh and healthy foods. Future research can also evaluate the impact of existing small retailers - that authorized for SNAPof the rural community.


2018 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
pp. 241-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elżbieta Gładysz ◽  
Ewa Wszendybył-Skulska

Purpose. The aim of the article is to present the annual Jan Kiepura Festival in Krynica Zdrój as a tourism product as well as to draw attention to the importance of taking care of the jointly valued creation by all stakeholders for the development and long-term success of all events of that kind. Method. The study is the result of using the critical method of analysing literature on the subject, the press, media industry reports, the case study method in the form of in-depth analysis of data and secondary materials by institutions dealing with: organization/co-organization, documentation of history and services of visitors to the Krynica Zdrój Festival and also qualitative, partly, structured interview methods with representatives of the Krynica Tourist Organization, Prezydent, Stefania, Czarny Groń hotel owners, President of the Krynica Board– Żegiestów SPA, Żegiestów Spa, employees of the Board Office of Krynica – Żegiestów SPA, The main Pump Room, Public Library and the mayor of the city of Krynica-Zdrój. Results. The analysis of data showed that the Jan Kiepura Festival meets all the conditions to be described as a tourism product. In addition, it was proved that the success of the oldest festival in Poland is conditioned by the care for joint-value creation by all stakeholders. Research and conclusions limitations. The author’s research presented in the study focuses on the value which the town of Krynica Zdrój gains from the organization of this festival. However, this does not include a wider group of stakeholders (i.e. artists, music-lovers and tourists). Practical implications. The results of research provide information on how the festival can become a valuable tourism product for all its stakeholders, while, at the same time, being the basis for formulating recommendations for the organizers of festivals of any kind, including opera-related ones. Originality. The article concerns an opera festival which has never before been described as a tourism product. In addition, it shows what value the Jan Kiepura Festival generates for the town of Krynica Zdrój. Type of work: Review article.


Author(s):  
Michele Davide Maria Lombardo ◽  
Andrea Foppiani ◽  
Giuseppe Michele Peretti ◽  
Laura Mangiavini ◽  
Alberto Battezzati ◽  
...  

Abstract Background As the coronavirus pandemic spreads, more and more people are infected with SARS-CoV-2. The short- and medium-term effects of the infection have been described, but the description of the long-term sequelae is lacking in the literature. Methods Patients healed from Covid-19 from February 2020 to May 2020 were considered for inclusion in this study, regardless of the severity of the disease during the acute phase. Eligible patients were consecutively contacted and a semi-structured interview was administered between February and March 2021 by trained medical staff. Results 303 patients were eligible and accepted to participate in the study and were enrolled. Most patients (81%) reported at least one symptom of those surveyed, and the most prevalent symptoms related to fatigue (52%), pain (48%) and sleep disorders (47%). Sensory alterations were present in 28% of surveyed patients, but in most of these cases (74% of those affected by sensory alterations or 20% of the overall sample) symptoms reported were either anosmia or dysgeusia. Higher prevalence was generally observed with increasing age, although the most relevant differences were observed when comparing young vs middle-aged adults. Conclusion At 12-months after acute infection, COVID-19 survivors were still suffering of symptoms identified at shorter follow-up including fatigue, pain and sleep disorders among the most frequent. A more severe impairment in the acute phase did not seem to predict more severe complications.


Author(s):  
Margo Paterson ◽  
Joy Higgs

This paper is targeted primarily at doctoral students and others considering hermeneutics as a research strategy. Research using hermeneutics was carried out with occupational therapy educators and clinicians in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK. A total of 53 participants engaged in focus groups and individual interviews over a one-year. The paper explores hermeneutics as a credible, rigorous and creative strategy to address aspects of professional practice that similarly need to be flexible, adaptable to particular needs, and justifiable in the contexts of evidence-based as well as client-centred practice. The hermeneutic study produced A Model of Professional Practice Judgment Artistry (Paterson, 2003) which is briefly described and the connections.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 234-236
Author(s):  
P Willems ◽  
J Hercun ◽  
C Vincent ◽  
F Alvarez

Abstract Background The natural history of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) in children seems to differ from PSC in adults. However, studies on this matter have been limited by short follow-up periods and inconsistent classification of patients with autoimmune cholangitis (AIC) (or overlap syndrome). Consequently, it remains unclear if long-term outcomes are affected by the clinical phenotype. Aims The aims of this is study are to describe the long-term evolution of PSC and AIC in a pediatric cohort with extension of follow-up into adulthood and to evaluate the influence of phenotype on clinical outcomes. Methods This is a retrospective study of patients with AIC or PSC followed at CHU-Sainte-Justine, a pediatric referral center in Montreal. All charts between January 1998 and December 2019 were reviewed. Patients were classified as either AIC (duct disease on cholangiography with histological features of autoimmune hepatitis) or PSC (large or small duct disease on cholangiography and/or histology). Extension of follow-up after the age of 18 was done for patients followed at the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal. Clinical features at diagnosis, response to treatment at one year and liver-related outcomes were compared. Results 40 patients (27 PSC and 13 AIC) were followed for a median time of 71 months (range 2 to 347), with 52.5% followed into adulthood. 70% (28/40) had associated inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (78% PSC vs 54% AIC; p=0.15). A similar proportion of patients had biopsy-proven significant fibrosis at diagnosis (45% PSC vs 67% AIC; p=0.23). Baseline liver tests were similar in both groups. At diagnosis, all patients were treated with ursodeoxycholic acid. Significantly more patients with AIC (77% AIC vs 30 % PSC; p=0.005) were initially treated with immunosuppressive drugs, without a significant difference in the use of Anti-TNF agents (0% AIC vs 15% PSC; p= 0.12). At one year, 55% (15/27) of patients in the PSC group had normal liver tests versus only 15% (2/13) in the AIC group (p=0.02). During follow-up, more liver-related events (cholangitis, liver transplant and cirrhosis) were reported in the AIC group (HR=3.7 (95% CI: 1.4–10), p=0.01). Abnormal liver tests at one year were a strong predictor of liver-related events during follow-up (HR=8.9(95% CI: 1.2–67.4), p=0.03), while having IBD was not (HR=0.48 (95% CI: 0.15–1.5), p=0.22). 5 patients required liver transplantation with no difference between both groups (8% CAI vs 15% CSP; p=0.53). Conclusions Pediatric patients with AIC and PSC show, at onset, similar stage of liver disease with comparable clinical and biochemical characteristics. However, patients with AIC receive more often immunosuppressive therapy and treatment response is less frequent. AIC is associated with more liver-related events and abnormal liver tests at one year are predictor of bad outcomes. Funding Agencies None


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 237802312110247
Author(s):  
Alexandrea J. Ravenelle ◽  
Abigail Newell ◽  
Ken Cai Kowalski

The authors explore media distrust among a sample of precarious and gig workers interviewed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although these left-leaning respondents initially increased their media consumption at the outset of the pandemic, they soon complained of media sensationalism and repurposed a readily available cultural tool: claims of “fake news.” As a result, these unsettled times have resulted in a “diffusion of distrust,” in which an elite conservative discourse of skepticism toward the media has also become a popular form of compensatory control among self-identified liberals. Perceiving “fake news” and media sensationalism as “not good” for their mental health, respondents also reported experiencing media burnout and withdrawing from media consumption. As the pandemic passes its one-year anniversary, this research has implications for long-term media coverage on COVID-19 and ongoing media trust and consumption.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document