scholarly journals The first move: A home for asylum seekers on the far side of paradise

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Thomas Strange
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Place ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Human Scale ◽  
Processing Centre ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Processing Facility

<p>Since the turn of the twenty-first century Australia and New Zealand have become an increasingly popular destination for asylum seekers and refugees in search of a better life. Many of these people do not reach this new life so easily, with thousands trapped both literally and metaphorically somewhere between their homeland and their future home, but belonging to neither. Nauru, an isolated island in the Central Pacific, is host to a prison-like Australian offshore processing centre that currently detains people in inhumane conditions. Amnesty International cites the Regional Processing Centre situation as: “...a toxic mix of uncertainty, unlawful detention and inhumane conditions...the facility totally inappropriate and ill-equipped, with 387 men cramped into 5 rows of leaking tents, suffering from physical and mental ailments.” This thesis is centred on the following research question: How can architecture be perceived as a temporary ‘home’ to asylum seekers from disparate backgrounds all brought together in one place for an unknown period of time? The aim of this design-led research is to critically consider how architecture can play a significant role in remediating the authoritarian, prison-like conditions of processing centres while assisting the transition for asylum seekers to their future home. This thesis proposes a sense of worth and belonging can be established through developing an architecture that is connected intrinsically to the landscape and cultural context in which it sits. The objectives of this thesis are to investigate how the architectural design of a large asylum seeker processing facility can: 1) provide a sense of place to a wide range of asylum seekers from differing ethnicities, cultures, and social backgrounds; 2) improve their sense of individuality, self-worth, belonging, and community; 3)prepare them for entering a new Western culture where they can more readily assimilate; 4) mitigate the appearance of power and authority in a large processing facility; 5) provide a sense of human-scale, order and orientation within a large processing facility; 6) and engage with, and contribute to, the local host indigenous community. This thesis also argues that through architecture, an asylum seeker’s temporary home can be symbolically interpreted as a gateway or threshold to their future home, providing a sense of place, belonging and hope.</p>

scholarly journals The first move: A home for asylum seekers on the far side of paradise

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Thomas Strange
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Place ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Central Pacific ◽  
Human Scale ◽  
Processing Centre ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Processing Facility

<p>Since the turn of the twenty-first century Australia and New Zealand have become an increasingly popular destination for asylum seekers and refugees in search of a better life. Many of these people do not reach this new life so easily, with thousands trapped both literally and metaphorically somewhere between their homeland and their future home, but belonging to neither. Nauru, an isolated island in the Central Pacific, is host to a prison-like Australian offshore processing centre that currently detains people in inhumane conditions. Amnesty International cites the Regional Processing Centre situation as: “...a toxic mix of uncertainty, unlawful detention and inhumane conditions...the facility totally inappropriate and ill-equipped, with 387 men cramped into 5 rows of leaking tents, suffering from physical and mental ailments.” This thesis is centred on the following research question: How can architecture be perceived as a temporary ‘home’ to asylum seekers from disparate backgrounds all brought together in one place for an unknown period of time? The aim of this design-led research is to critically consider how architecture can play a significant role in remediating the authoritarian, prison-like conditions of processing centres while assisting the transition for asylum seekers to their future home. This thesis proposes a sense of worth and belonging can be established through developing an architecture that is connected intrinsically to the landscape and cultural context in which it sits. The objectives of this thesis are to investigate how the architectural design of a large asylum seeker processing facility can: 1) provide a sense of place to a wide range of asylum seekers from differing ethnicities, cultures, and social backgrounds; 2) improve their sense of individuality, self-worth, belonging, and community; 3)prepare them for entering a new Western culture where they can more readily assimilate; 4) mitigate the appearance of power and authority in a large processing facility; 5) provide a sense of human-scale, order and orientation within a large processing facility; 6) and engage with, and contribute to, the local host indigenous community. This thesis also argues that through architecture, an asylum seeker’s temporary home can be symbolically interpreted as a gateway or threshold to their future home, providing a sense of place, belonging and hope.</p>

scholarly journals Contexts between mental health of fledged people and compassion competence in the care

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Steiner
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Clinical Context ◽  
Doctoral Thesis ◽  
Positive Sense ◽  
Screening Scale

Abstract The aim of this doctoral thesis is to investigate the extent to which the competence compassion has a positive influence on the mental health of refugees. The research question was raised in a first step by means of a questionnaire by Mohr & Müller, ‘Depression tendencies in the non-clinical context’. Eighty asylum seekers were questioned in a total of seventeen lodgings. In addition, a survey was conducted with employees and volunteers in refugee care. This survey included 102 people who were assessed using the standardized BOSS1 Burnout Screening Scale. With the help of the Santa Clara Briefing Scale, the differences in the population between people who are not volunteering and those who volunteer in refugee care are being investigated through an online survey. There were 818 people attending. The evaluation of the data showed that the competency compassion lowers the depressive tendencies among the refugees and they have a more positive sense of integration and hope for a better life. The competency of compassion reduces burnout factors and people who have committed themselves voluntarily have significantly higher values in compassion competency. Thus compassion can be confirmed as a valuable competence in refugee care, not only among the refugees, but also among employees and volunteers. Key messages The present study has shown that empathy skills reduce depressive tendencies in people who have escaped. Associations of compassion and low burnout factors confirmed by the study showed that persons with high compassion skills have low burnout scores.

Adopting SCAMPER`S Strategies to Incorporate the Sustainability Concepts Within Architectural Design Process

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farhan Ali ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Creative Thinking ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Functional Performance ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Existing Building ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Aesthetic

Thinking creatively, is a necessary condition of the Design process to transform ideas into novel solutions and break barriers to creativity. Although, there are many techniques and ways to stimulate creative thinking for designers, however, this research paper adopts SCAMPER; which is acronym of: Substitute- Combine-Adapt- Modify or Magnify-Put to another use-Eliminate-Reverse or Rearrange- to integrate the sustainability concepts within architectural design process. Many creative artifacts have been designed consciously or unconsciously adopting SCAMPER strategies such as rehabilitation and reuse projects to improve the functional performance or the aesthetic sense of an existing building for the better. SCAMPER is recognized as a divergent thinking tool are used during the initial ideation stage, aims to leave the usual way of thinking to generate a wide range of new ideas that will lead to new insights, original ideas, and creative solutions to problems. The research focuses on applying this method in the architectural design, which is rarely researched, through reviewing seven examples that have been designed consciously or unconsciously adopting SCAMPER mnemonic techniques. The paper aims to establish a starting point for further research to deepen it and study its potentials in solving architectural design problems.

scholarly journals Sustaining community-university partnerships

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Northmore ◽  
Angie Hart
Keyword(s):  
Research Question ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
The United States ◽  
University Partnerships ◽  
Reciprocal Relationships ◽  
Mutual Learning ◽  
Community Needs ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
University Partnership

In recent years there has been a huge growth in the academic literature on community-university partnership working. However, much of this is practice based and the issue of how such partnerships can be sustained over time is not adequately reflected in the literature. This introductory chapter lays the foundations for the subsequent thirteen articles by first discussing notions of sustainability, in part by providing a brief overview of the Community University Partnership Programme (Cupp) at the University of Brighton, UK. After a period of rapid growth, we are increasingly concerned with how to sustain the reciprocal relationships that underpin long-term engagement, a situation exacerbated by potential looming funding cuts. Paradoxically, however, this article suggests that while funding is an important element of sustainability, the current economic challenges may help to generate sustainability as community-university partnerships are forced to examine what other factors contribute to lasting relationships. It is these ‘other factors’ that the articles in this collection fruitfully explore. Coming from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, they examine the core research question that concerns us: how do we address the challenges of building sustainable community-university partnerships, especially with disadvantaged and excluded communities, at a time of diminishing resources? Despite the wide range of community needs and methodological diversity involved, the articles suggest that some common characteristics underpin sustainability. These include: genuine reciprocity; mutual learning; and a creative approach to partnership building that recognises the diverse purposes of partners. This introductory chapter concludes that there is a need to further refine our understanding of community-university partnerships through the development of more theoretical models of sustainability. Keywords: sustainability, partnerships, reciprocal relationships, mutual learning

scholarly journals Vulnerable Territories: The Perpetually Shifting Edge

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Joseph Wellwood
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Sense Of Place ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Coastal Hazards ◽  
Adaptive Planning ◽  
Coastal Community ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
Community Model ◽  
Rising Sea Levels ◽  
Imminent Threat

<p>New Zealand’s coastline is rapidly receding. The increased threat of rising sea levels continues to erode the shore line causing extensive and irreparable damage to thousands of coastal properties, often dismantling communities and the kiwi dream of living near the ocean. With global temperatures continuing to rise, all of our coastal communities are at risk. The current measure of response to this issue is through managed retreat, the removal and relocation of all ‘at risk’ buildings in coastal hazard zones. While this approach is successful in preserving the physical structures, it remains an undesirable solution that forces homeowners to abandon their community and the coastline for the safety of higher ground. The retreat is hampered among debate within the effected regions as the forced detachment of long standing communities often results in the loss of ‘sense of place’ that living within a coastal community enables.  This thesis proposes that Haumoana in Hawkes Bay offers the fitting location to introduce an alternative coastal community model that actively responds to the impending hazards whilst retaining the societal poetics. Situated just south of the nearby communities of Te Awanga and Haumoana, two of the most at-risk coastal regions in New Zealand that are currently facing the prospect of dismantlement. The site was specifically chosen due to the fact that erosion is predicted to diminish half its usable land over the next century, this thesis will investigate the potential risks to the respective coastline, the role that this would play in an adaptive community, and the possible design options that can respond and enhance a future sustainable landscape.  This thesis argues that a coastal community can be designed to actively adapt and respond to the threat of erosion rather than being dismantled through retreat; that by adopting design principles that protect the land on which they are placed, the coastal hazards of the region can be lessened; and that an adaptive community model can be achieved whilst retaining the ‘sense of place’ that coastal community’s exhibit.  The thesis proposes that this can be achieved by incorporating and reinforcing natural features of the coast into the architectural design at various scales; accommodating for, and adapting to the imminent threat of erosion; and by invoking principles of sustainable design in company with adaptive planning and resilient design, thereby pushing the standards of coastal planning beyond typical practice.</p>

scholarly journals "It Isn't All about You": The Management of ICT and Non-ICT Information Resources via Human Information Behaviour

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Paul Daniel Atkinson
Keyword(s):  
Activity Theory ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Information Use ◽  
Information Behaviour ◽  
Systems Model ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

<p>"Applications that gather dust... Technologies no one understands... Information that's ignored... [thus, there is still very much a need to] pay attention to Information behaviour" (Davenport, 1997, p.2). Human Information Behaviour is as important a concept today as it has ever been, as there are still millions of dollars going into improving information technology. While information seeking behaviour has been rigorously studied over the years, information use has not received the same attention. Neither has the IT artefact or choice of such technologies at the hands of users of information. This research paper aims to produce a taxonomy of the information use behaviours and ICT and non-ICT resource use of IT academics through a qualitative study involving both observation (incorporating thinking aloud) and structured face-to-face interview techniques. The research question asks "How do IT Academics manage the integration between various Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and non-ICT sources to support their information behaviours (IB) and, therefore, achieve their desired outcome? We observed and interviewed six IT academics carrying out their normal working activities, looking into actual information events as they occurred, information outcomes, information behaviours, and the technologies used by academics in their daily interactions with information. We developed a systems model, informed by activity theory, to frame the discussion. What was uncovered by the study was a tendency for academics to converge on a single technology - that of the laptop. This together with email was what academics tended to prefer to use, both at the office and in their homes; a surprising find as it was assumed that there would be a plethora of different ICTs in use. We found that technologies contributed to a blurring of the work/life equilibrium for many academics. Academics did exhibit a wide range of behaviours in their laptop and email use. Many of them were relatively unproductive, and involved moving information from one place, or one form to another, and finally ending in deletion rather than active use. Many of our interviewees reflected a need to use their time wisely through time management, and the impact of email on time management. These results also yielded the justification of Activity Theory which was used in the study, and of the systems framework which was constructed for the study. The study also confirmed the importance of environmental influences on academic's working lives, which tended to create a somewhat cyclic nature to their information events. Overall, it was not clear that patterns of use of ICTs contributed to effective information use behaviour by IT academics.</p>

scholarly journals Developing a conceptual model for the relationship between rituals and the city based on the Theory of Sense of Place: the case of the historical texture of Gorgan, Iran

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masoumeh Livani ◽  
Hamidreza Saremi ◽  
Mojtaba Rafieian
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Sense Of Place ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Data Coding ◽  
Library Research ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City ◽  
Oriented Approach

Abstract The aim of this study is to investigate how the city is influenced by the ritual of Muharram. The main research question is: what is the relationship between the city and the ritual of Muharram? To answer this question, we examined different intangible layers of this ritual heritage. This study is based on the three components of the sense of place. The research method is qualitative and a context-oriented approach is adopted. The context of the study is the historical texture of the city of Gorgan, Iran. The data were collected through library research and immediate observation. Next, content analysis and data coding were used to obtain a set of thematic categories. The results suggest that, as a kind of ritual-social behavior, the ritual of Muharram has had remarkable, enduring effects on the city over centuries. The non-urban-development dimension has thus allowed for the formation of sense of place in the relationship between people and the urban environment through a different process.

scholarly journals Online Life Writing

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-150
Author(s):  
Silvia Schultermandl
Keyword(s):  
Life Style ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Life Writing ◽  
The Political ◽  
Online Media ◽  
The Past ◽  
Everyday Lives ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Literary Market ◽  
Do So

In lieu of an abstract, here is the first paragraph of this contribution to this forum: The advent of Facebook in 2004, Twitter in 2006, Tumblr in 2007, Instagram and Pinterest in 2010, and Snapchat and Google+ in 2011 facilitated the emergence of “everyday” autobiographies out of keeping with memoir practices of the past.[1] These “quick media” enable constant, instantaneous, and seemingly organic expressions of everyday lives.[2] To read quick media as “autobiographical acts” allows us to analyze how people mobilize online media as representations of their lives and the lives of others.[3] They do so through a wide range of topics including YouTube testimonials posted by asylum seekers (Whitlock 2015) and the life-style oriented content on Pinterest.[4] To be sure, the political content of these different quick media life writing varies greatly. Nevertheless, in line with the feminist credo that the personal is political, these expressions of selfhood are indicative of specific societal and political contexts and thus contribute to the memoir boom long noticed on the literary market.[5]

scholarly journals Exploring the effectiveness of dextroamphetamine for the treatment of stimulant use disorder: a qualitative study with patients receiving injectable opioid agonist treatment

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Palis ◽  
Kirsten Marchand ◽  
Gerald “ Spike” Peachey ◽  
Jordan Westfall ◽  
Kurt Lock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Substitution Effect ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Opioid Agonist ◽  
Opioid Agonist Treatment ◽  
Stimulant Use ◽  
Practice Elements ◽  
Concurrent Use ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract Background A high proportion of people receiving both oral and injectable opioid agonist treatment report concurrent use of stimulants (i.e. cocaine and or amphetamines), which has been associated with higher rates of continued illicit opioid use and treatment dropout. A recent randomized controlled trial demonstrated the effectiveness of dextroamphetamine (a prescribed stimulant) at reducing craving for and use of cocaine among patients receiving injectable opioid agonist treatment. Following this evidence, dextroamphetamine has been prescribed to patients with stimulant use disorder at a clinic in Vancouver. This study investigates perceptions of the effectiveness of dextroamphetamine from the perspective of these patients. Methods Data were collected using small focus groups and one-on-one interviews with patients who were currently or formerly receiving dextroamphetamine (n = 20). Thematic analysis was conducted using an iterative approach, moving between data collection and analysis to search for patterns in the data across transcripts. This process led to the defining and naming of three central themes responding to the research question. Results Participants reported a range of stimulant use types, including cocaine (n = 8), methamphetamine (n = 8), or both (n = 4). Three central themes were identified as relating to participants’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the medication: 1) achieving a substitution effect (i.e. extent to which dextroamphetamine provided a substitution for the effect they received from use of illicit stimulants); 2) Reaching a preferred dose (i.e. speed of titration and effect of the dose received); and 3) Ease of medication access (i.e. preference for take home doses (i.e. carries) vs. medication integrated into care at the clinic). Conclusion In the context of continued investigation of pharmacological treatments for stimulant use disorder, the present study has highlighted how the study of clinical outcomes could be extended to account for factors that contribute to perceptions of effectiveness from the perspective of patients. In practice, elements of treatment delivery (e.g. dosing and dispensation protocols) can be adjusted to allow for various scenarios (e.g. on site vs. take home dosing) by which dextroamphetamine and other pharmacological stimulants could be implemented to provide “effective” treatment for people with a wide range of treatment goals and needs.

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