"Got Milk": Bridging the Town-Gown Divide with Evaluation Research in African-American Communities

2005 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 4-8
Author(s):  
Ruth Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Evaluation Research ◽  
Intervention Development ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Cancer Society ◽  
Educational Mission ◽  
Collection Data ◽  
Emic Perspective

In 2000, I was asked by the American Cancer Society to evaluate We Care About Kids, a newly funded 18-month community-based pilot project to address cancer prevention needs in urban low-income minority populations. We Care About Kids (WCAK) peaked my interest for several reasons: First, as an applied medical anthropologist working in an academic setting, I seek opportunities to bridge the university's educational mission with service to the surrounding communities. Secondly, service in local community organizations provides opportunities for graduate students to understand how anthropology and anthropologists impact the lives of everyday citizens. Thirdly, this project would involve anthropology at its inception: thus I could incorporate an emic perspective into project activities from the beginning, increasing opportunities for community members' input in data collection, data analysis, and intervention development and implementation.

Around the Corner to Better Health: A Milwaukee Corner Store Initiative

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 1353-1356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Staci Young ◽  
Melissa DeNomie ◽  
JoAnne Sabir ◽  
Eric Gass ◽  
Jessie Tobin
Keyword(s):  
Fresh Produce ◽  
Evaluation Research ◽  
Community Outreach ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Food Justice ◽  
Food Storage ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Corner Store ◽  
Corner Stores

Purpose: To discuss successes and challenges of a collaborative pilot project to increase healthy food availability in corner stores in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Lindsay Heights Healthy Corner Store Initiative aimed to help corner stores sell high-quality produce by increasing supply of healthy foods and funding minor store upgrades to facilitate change. Design: Evaluation research. Setting: Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Participants: Corner stores; youth and adult community members. Intervention: (1) Supporting businesses in purchasing equipment to stock fresh produce, (2) connecting stores with produce sources, and (3) community outreach and marketing. Measures: Partnership capacity, youth engagement in food justice, and community members’ usage of corner stores. Analysis: Qualitative analysis; descriptive statistics. Results: Storeowners reported more sold produce items per week and increased noticeable fresh produce upon entrance into the store. There was increased or improved store redesign, fresh produce signage, in-store cooking demonstrations, and small business development resources. Conclusion: Youth learned about new vegetables, increased kitchen skills and proper food storage, and the effects of obesity on overall health. Similar interventions must address infrastructure costs, cooperation with property owners, and local policies and regulations affecting business practices.

BREAKING STUDENTS’ COMFORT ZONE: LEARNING FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS, A STRATEGY WITHIN THE AEC EDUCATION

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Vinicio Villacis Tapia ◽  
India Luxton ◽  
Rodolfo Valdes Vasquez ◽  
Mehmet Egemen Ozbek ◽  
Cynthia Ayarza
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Comfort Zone ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Colorado State University ◽  
Neighboring Building ◽  
New Perspective

In order to address pressing issues such as climate change, energy crises, and economic disparity, it is pertinent to include local community members within AEC education. In this paper, we explore how breaking the comfort zone of students can facilitate a broader perspective on sustainability. This new perspective can cultivate innovative and creative solutions to 21st century problems. This paper documents the experience and impacts of student participation in an education abroad program focused on sustainable buildings and infrastructure. The program took place in January 2019 in Costa Rica with the collaboration of Colorado State University (USA) and EARTH University (Costa Rica). In this program, students directly communicate with low-income community members who worked with a local developer during the construction of a new neighboring building. Qualitative interviews with students, as well as ethnographic observations of class discussions, illustrates that this partnership helped students see a new perspective on how to deal with the life cycle of construction projects. The preliminary results indicate that the collaboration between the community members and the developer was a key component of expanding students’ perspectives. This research illustrates the importance of building community collaborations that are mutually beneficial in the classroom and beyond. In particular, the results suggest that educational experiences which integrate community concerns into solutions are key to expanding students’ worldviews.

scholarly journals Participatory Processes in Planning for Self-Help Housing Provision in South Africa: Policies and Challenges

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-36
Author(s):  
Sithembiso Lindelihle Myeni ◽  
Bongekile YC Mvuyana
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Housing Development ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Self Help ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Planning Phase ◽  
Participatory Processes

In contemporary post-apartheid a number of housing policies have been made since the 1994 democratic dispensation in an attempt to solve housing problems especially for poor and low-income population in South Africa. The most recent policy has been the Comprehensive Housing Plan for the Development of Integrated Sustainable Human Settlements commonly known as the Breaking New Ground (BNG) housing plan of 2004. The aims of this paper are to present an overview and empirical analysis on research and emerging legitimisation of the participation of informal institutions in planning phase for housing development in rural areas. This paper analyses public participatory processes in the planning phase of rural housing project(s) in Jozini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. Since the establishment of a fully-fledged local government institutions and the promulgation of the BNG in 2004, inhabitants have experienced materialisation of new housing opportunities for community members. These opportunities created during the planning phase which results to community members benefiting in housing development excludes the poor in the process of self-help subsidy administration and housing allocation. Grounded on the works of Foucauldian scholars especially the ‘discourse of power’ in participation, the paper argues that the local community members not only embody the local knowledge to be accessed, but their participation presents an important entry point to the political decision-making needed for collecting differing viewpoints and interests but also for initiating the negotiations needed that would lead to coordination, if not cooperation for housing development. We propose that participatory processes that are beneficiary to the poor are best understood when traced over time as a dynamic response to a constantly unfolding-project related intervention.

PAR Method

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Billies
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Critical Consciousness ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Context Analysis ◽  
Gender Nonconforming ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Gender

The work of the Welfare Warriors Research Collaborative (WWRC), a participatory action research (PAR) project that looks at how low income lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender nonconforming (LG-BTGNC) people survive and resist violence and discrimination in New York City, raises the question of what it means to make conscientization, or critical consciousness, a core feature of PAR. Guishard's (2009) reconceptualization of conscientization as “moments of consciousness” provides a new way of looking at what seemed to be missing from WWRC's process and analysis. According to Guishard, rather than a singular awakening, critical consciousness emerges continually through interactions with others and the social context. Analysis of the WWRC's process demonstrates that PAR researchers doing “PAR deep” (Fine, 2008)—research in which community members share in all aspects of design, method, analysis and product development—should have an agenda for developing critical consciousness, just as they would have agendas for participation, for action, and for research.

DIFFUSION AND ADOPTION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN SOUTH AFRICAN TELECENTRES: SELECTED TELECENTRES IN KWAZULU-NATAL

Mousaion ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blessing Mbatha
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Diffusion Of Innovations ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Information And Communications Technologies ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Ict Tools ◽  
The Government ◽  
Types Of Information

This study investigated the usage and types of information and communications technologies (ICTs) accessible to community members in four selected Thusong Service Centres (TSCs or telecentres) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The telecentres that participated in the study were: Nhlazuka, Mbazwane, Dududu and Malangeni. The study was informed by Rogers’ (1995) Diffusion of Innovations (DoI) theory. Through a survey, four TSCs were purposively selected. A questionnaire was used to collect data from community members in the four telecentres involved. The data collected was tabulated under the various headings and presented using tables, frequencies, percentiles and generalisations with the help of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results indicated that a variety of ICT tools have been adopted in the TSCs to provide the local community with the much-needed access to information and improved communication. The government should ensure that adequate varieties and levels of ICT competence are offered to all the citizens. In conclusion, there is a need for sufficient and coherent government policies regulating the training of the local community to use these ICTs effectively.

The Three-Legged Stool of Voter Engagement

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-56
Author(s):  
Adelaide K. Sandler ◽  
Mary E. Hylton ◽  
Jason Ostrander ◽  
Tanya R. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Voter Turnout ◽  
Political Power ◽  
Voter Registration ◽  
Elected Officials ◽  
Allocation Of Resources ◽  
Community Members ◽  
The Past ◽  
Voting Decisions

Disparities in voter turnout have increased significantly over the past four decades. Members of historically oppressed groups, those who are low-income, and or who have lower levels of education vote at significantly lower rates than white, wealthy and or more educated community members. These disparities correlate directly to political power and the eventual allocation of resources by elected officials. Therefore, eliminating these disparities through targeted voter engagement with client groups is particularly important for the profession of social work. This article describes the conceptualization of voter engagement as a three-legged stool, consisting of voter registration, regular voting, and basing voting decisions on self-interest.Without attention to all three legs, the potential for generating political power collapses, resulting in minimal influence on elected officials.

scholarly journals Intrinsic Value and Perceived Essentialism of Culture Heritage Sites as Tools for Planning Interventions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5078
Author(s):  
Magdalena Roszczynska-Kurasinska ◽  
Anna Domaradzka ◽  
Anna Wnuk ◽  
Tomasz Oleksy
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Heritage Sites ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Culture Heritage ◽  
Response To Change

In order to remain alive and relevant, cultural heritage sites have to react and adapt to changing context in a coherent manner, i.e., in a way that is in line with the memory and identity of the place. The incoherent changes, i.e., the transformations that according to the local community do not agree with a character of a place, can be destructive for the long-term vitality of urban cultural heritage. In this study, we test which factors influence social acceptance of different alternations within the context of urban historical gardens that might, in turn, ensure the resilience of the place. Our study focuses on the intangible qualities of the place measured by intrinsic value, perceived essentialism and anti-essentialism as important predictors shaping the response to change. The correlational study was conducted using an online questionnaire designed to empirically grasp intangible qualities of cultural heritage sites. Five hundred twenty-nine responses were included in the analysis. The study shows that perceived historic value, inherent value (uniqueness and importance of the place) and (anti-)essentialist character of a place capture the differences between parks well and enables the finding of interventions that are coherent with a site’s genius loci. Measuring intangible qualities of urban gardens can help to design changes that find higher approval among local community members and users of the site. We discuss how the analysis of an intrinsic value and essentialism allows for planning better spatial interventions that align with the human-centered approach to urban development.

scholarly journals 3543 Translating the complex medical jargon of opioid use disorder and medication assisted treatment into locally relevant messages in rural Colorado using Boot Camp Translation

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (s1) ◽  
pp. 97-98
Author(s):  
Mary Fisher ◽  
Donald E. Nease ◽  
Linda Zittleman ◽  
Jack Westfall ◽  
Jennifer Ancona
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Boot Camp ◽  
Opioid Use Disorder ◽  
Research Network ◽  
High Plains ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Medication Assisted Treatment ◽  
South Central

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a national epidemic and identified as a top priority by the practices and communities in rural Colorado. Until recently, few resources existed to address OUD in rural communities. In addition to training primary care and behavioral health practice teams in medication assisted treatment (MAT), Implementing Technology and Medication Assisted Treatment and Team Training and in Rural Colorado (IT MATTTRs Colorado) engaged local community members to alter the community conversation around OUD and treatment. For IT MATTTRs, the High Plains Research Network and the Colorado Research Network engaged community members in a 8-10 month process known as Boot Camp Translations (BCT) to translate medical information and jargon around OUD and MAT into concepts, messages, and materials that are meaningful and actionable to community members. The resulting community interventions are reported here. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: IT MATTTRs conducted separate BCTs in Eastern Colorado and the south central San Luis Valley. Community partners included non-health professionals with diverse backgrounds, public health and primary care professionals, law enforcement, and others. The BCT process includes a comprehensive education on OUD and MAT and facilitated meetings and calls to develop messages and dissemination strategies. Each BCT lasted around 8-10 months. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The BCT process elicited unique contextual ideas and constructs for messages, materials, and dissemination strategies. Themes common to both BCTs include the prevalence of OUD and that help is available in the local primary care office. Community-tailored messages are distributed through posters and flyer inserts, drink coasters, newspaper articles, letters to local judges, restaurant placemats, and websites. Examples of the materials and messages will be presented. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Local community members are eager to help address the OUD crisis. Built on community-based participatory research principles, BCT can be used to translate complex information and guidelines around OUD and MAT into messages and materials that reflect local culture and community needs.

scholarly journals Birth companionship in a government health system: a pilot study in Kigoma, Tanzania

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Chaote ◽  
Nguke Mwakatundu ◽  
Sunday Dominico ◽  
Alex Mputa ◽  
Agnes Mbanza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Respectful Maternity Care ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Government Health ◽  
Project Data ◽  
Birth Companion

Abstract Background Having a companion of choice throughout childbirth is an important component of good quality and respectful maternity care for women and has become standard in many countries. However, there are only a few examples of birth companionship being implemented in government health systems in low-income countries. To learn if birth companionship was feasible, acceptable and led to improved quality of care in these settings, we implemented a pilot project using 9 intervention and 6 comparison sites (all government health facilities) in a rural region of Tanzania. Methods The pilot was developed and implemented in Kigoma, Tanzania between July 2016 and December 2018. Women delivering at intervention sites were given the choice of having a birth companion with them during childbirth. We evaluated the pilot with: (a) project data; (b) focus group discussions; (c) structured and semi-structured interviews; and (d) service statistics. Results More than 80% of women delivering at intervention sites had a birth companion who provided support during childbirth, including comforting women and staying by their side. Most women interviewed at intervention sites were very satisfied with having a companion during childbirth (96–99%). Most women at the intervention sites also reported that the presence of a companion improved their labor, delivery and postpartum experience (82–97%). Health providers also found companions very helpful because they assisted with their workload, alerted the provider about changes in the woman’s status, and provided emotional support to the woman. When comparing intervention and comparison sites, providers at intervention sites were significantly more likely to: respond to women who called for help (p = 0.003), interact in a friendly way (p < 0.001), greet women respectfully (p < 0.001), and try to make them more comfortable (p = 0.003). Higher proportions of women who gave birth at intervention sites reported being “very satisfied” with the care they received (p < 0.001), and that the staff were “very kind” (p < 0.001) and “very encouraging” (p < 0.001). Conclusion Birth companionship was feasible and well accepted by health providers, government officials and most importantly, women who delivered at intervention facilities. The introduction of birth companionship improved women’s experience of birth and the maternity ward environment overall.

scholarly journals ‘You withhold what you are feeling so you can have a family’: Latinas’ perceptions on community values and postpartum depression

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. e000504
Author(s):  
McClain Sampson ◽  
Miao Yu ◽  
Rebecca Mauldin ◽  
Angelina Mayorga ◽  
Lorena G Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Postpartum Depression ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Family Services ◽  
Community Values ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Community Acceptance ◽  
Values And Beliefs

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to explore the postpartum depression (PPD) beliefs and experiences of mothers who access local community faith-based organisations providing family services to low-income, predominantly immigrant Latino populations.DesignUsing a qualitative research design, we conducted 18 focus groups with Latina mothers to inquire about their community values and beliefs of PPD. All groups were conducted in Spanish.SettingAn academic research team located in Houston, Texas, USA, partnered with six faith-based organisations in five cities to recruit and host focus groups at the site of the organisation.ParticipantsOne hundred and thirty-three women participated in the focus groups across all sites. Thirty-seven of them (27.8%) had given birth to a child in less than 1 year. Inclusion criteria included mothers 18 years and older and Latino ethnicity.ResultsA six-step process was used to apply thematic analysis to sort data into the themes. All mothers had heard of depression after childbirth, some had experienced it and most remarked that the personal experience and community acceptance of it vary by family. The main findings suggest that mothers take pride in parenting by instilling values to support family and the value of relying on family for emotional support. Findings reveal that many mothers suffer and sacrifice for their children, they feel judged and feel they must hide their emotions. Factors such as birth and postpartum customs from a native country, gender roles and beliefs of what a good mother shape their beliefs and messages about PPD.ConclusionOur findings indicate that programme developers should consider family and community focused education and intervention efforts to help decrease stigma and increase understanding of PPD.

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