scholarly journals ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’: What do science and faith have to do with youth ministry?

2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shantelle Weber ◽  
Brandon Weber
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Justice ◽  
Youth Ministry ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Faith Communities ◽  
Faith Formation ◽  
Creation Story ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Conservative Evangelical ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Science And Faith

Dating back to medieval times, and some would contend even ancient biblical times, scholars of the faith have made significant contributions to scientific discovery. Theology was considered foundational to the understanding of our natural world, and possibly the motivation for scientific enquiry. No tension existed between observation and study of the natural world and faith. In modern times the rift between science and faith, from a conservative evangelical perspective, has been ever-widening with both sides viewing the other with growing suspicion. This article reflected on the impact that this approach to science and faith has had on the faith formation of youth raised within evangelical faith communities. It investigated how conservative evangelical teachings concerning the creation story has hindered the faith formation of youth in this context. We connected this tension between science and faith as we considered connections to environmental justice as it related to youth in marginalised communities in South Africa. This article served as an introductory exploration of why we believe young people are not engaging with environmental issues.Contribution: As part of the special edition on youth, faith and climate change, this article reflects on the impact that the conflicted evangelical approaches to science and faith have on the faith formation of youth raised within evangelical faith communities. It investigates how fundamentalistic evangelical teachings concerning the creation story has hindered the faith formation of youth in this context. Within the context of environmental justice and inequality, this article highlights the need for church engagement on issues related to these conflicted approaches, its effect on how youth engage on issues affecting their environments, and youth ministry practice within evangelical churches.

scholarly journals Youth ministry as an agency of youth development for the vulnerable youth of the Cape Flats

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Garth Aziz
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Youth Ministry ◽  
Chemical Substance ◽  
Faith Formation ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Vulnerable Youth ◽  
Meaningful Relationship ◽  
The Impact

Religiosity has a profound role and influence on youth development within a community. Religiosity promotes risk reduction and positive moral characteristics and thus remains an avenue of opportunity for transformation in considering the lived experiences of vulnerable young people living on the Cape Flats in the Western Cape, South Africa. The Cape Flats is an area that is overwhelmed with unemployment, poverty, gang violence, chemical substance abuse and a general societal abandonment of young people. It is out of dire hopelessness that a meaningful relationship with God can be experienced by youth. The Cape Flats is, therefore, a fertile space for an intervention of religiosity. This article will research how the agency of youth ministry as a positive youth development can assist in youth development within a community in tension like that of the Cape Flats. While youth development is a broad category for consideration and research, this article will primarily focus on identity formation of young people, in particular, the vulnerable youth living on the Cape Flats.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The agency of youth ministry, in an evangelical epistemology, should seek to address the influencers on adolescent identity formation, as one’s identity has a direct bearing on faith formation. The potential outcome of the article would allow the youth ministry to take serious the impact of the lived realities of youth and adjust their programmatic designs and outcomes, in relation to youth faith formation.

American Nature Writing

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Elder
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Environmental Justice ◽  
New England ◽  
Nature Writing ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Literary Form ◽  
Environmental Literature ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
The Impact

Nature has, like love, been an essential topic for authors in every language and every literary form. The first thing to acknowledge about the term nature writing is that it conventionally refers to a distinctive category of nonfiction, not to the entire spectrum of literature about the natural world. The present survey is further restricted to American nature writing, though the genre has also developed in many other countries. The American lineage of nature writing has been especially influenced by the work of Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862), who combined journal-based descriptions of the New England landscape and knowledgeable appreciation of science with lyrical prose, receptiveness to nature’s human and transcendent meanings, and a highly personal voice. Thoreau’s own orientation to solitude, wildness, and the music of nature has also been complemented, however, and in some cases forcefully challenged, by subsequent writers focusing on urban landscapes; environmental justice; the impact of gender, class, and race on our visions of nature; environmental justice; food and agriculture; and material culture. Many literary scholars also now prefer to consider nature writing under the multi-genre and international rubric of “environmental literature.” Nevertheless, this particular form remains a vital model for integrating imaginative literature with close observation of natural phenomena. Today’s writers continue to find, with Thoreau, that books “with earth adhering to their roots” may blossom in the human spirit, revitalizing individual lives even as they also address the urgent environmental and cultural challenges we now confront.

Trading faces: Complete AI face doubles avoid the uncanny valley

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Welker ◽  
David France ◽  
Alice Henty ◽  
Thalia Wheatley
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Uncanny Valley ◽  
Torture Survivors ◽  
The Uncanny ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Full Face ◽  
The Impact

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) enable the creation of videos in which a person appears to say or do things they did not. The impact of these so-called “deepfakes” hinges on their perceived realness. Here we tested different versions of deepfake faces for Welcome to Chechnya, a documentary that used face swaps to protect the privacy of Chechen torture survivors who were persecuted because of their sexual orientation. AI face swaps that replace an entire face with another were perceived as more human-like and less unsettling compared to partial face swaps that left the survivors’ original eyes unaltered. The full-face swap was deemed the least unsettling even in comparison to the original (unaltered) face. When rendered in full, AI face swaps can appear human and avoid aversive responses in the viewer associated with the uncanny valley.

Automated system for creating training programs for mass professional users

2020 ◽  
pp. 21-27
Author(s):  
V.K. Grigoriev ◽  
A.A. Biryukova ◽  
A. Yu. Volk ◽  
A.S. Ilyushechkin
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Verification ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Automated System ◽  
Software Product ◽  
Learning Programs ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The Impact

The article discusses the automation of the creation and use of e-learning programs. The impact of automating the learning of a large number of users on the effectiveness of the introduction of a new software product is analyzed. The methods and algorithms that increase the efficiency of creating electronic training programs on example of the author’s automated system “Tutor Builder” are described. The results of experimental verification of the automated system are provided.

Data and visual displays in the Journal of Ecology 1996–2016

2020 ◽  
pp. 147387162098012
Author(s):  
Alon Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Data Type ◽  
Reliability Test ◽  
Visual Displays ◽  
Domain Type ◽  
Academic Publications ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The Impact

Scholars in scientific disciplines face unique challenges in the creation of visualizations, especially in publications that require insights derived from analyses to be visually displayed. The literature on visualizations describes different techniques and best practices for the creation of graphs. However, these techniques have not been used to evaluate the impact of visualizations in academic publications. In the field of ecology, as in other scientific fields, graphs are an essential part of journal articles. Little is known about the connections between the kind of data presented and domain in which the researchers conducted their study that together produces the visual graphics. This study focused on articles published in the Journal of Ecology between 1996 and 2016 to explore possible connections between data type, domain, and visualization type. Specifically, this study asked three questions: How many of the graphics published between 1996 and 2016 follow a particular set of recommendations for best practices? What can Pearson correlations reveal about the relationships between type of data, domain of study, and visual displays? Can the findings be examined through an inter-reliability test lens? Out of the 20,080 visualizations assessed, 54% included unnecessary graphical elements in the early part of the study (1996–2010). The most common type of data was univariate (35%) and it was often displayed using line graphs. Twenty-one percent of the articles in the period studied could be categorized under the domain type “single species.” Pearson correlation analysis showed that data type and domain type was positively correlated ( r = 0.08; p ≤ 0.05). Cohen’s kappa for the reliability test was 0.86, suggesting good agreement between the two categories. This study provides evidence that data type and domain types are equally important in determining the type of visualizations found in scientific journals.

scholarly journals An evaluation of the Victorian Salt Reduction Partnership’s advocacy strategy for policy change

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emalie Rosewarne ◽  
Michael Moore ◽  
Wai-Kwan Chislett ◽  
Alexandra Jones ◽  
Kathy Trieu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Policy Change ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Evaluation Framework ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Health Advocacy ◽  
Salt Reduction ◽  
Public Health Advocacy ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Public health advocacy strategies facilitate policy change by bringing key health issues to the forefront of public and political discourse, influencing decision-makers and public opinion, and increasing policy demand. The Victorian Salt Reduction Partnership (VSRP) was established in 2014 in response to inadequate government action to improve population diets in Australia. This study aimed to evaluate the success of the VSRP’s advocacy strategy in achieving policy change. Methods Documentation of VSRP activities and outputs were collected, and semi-structured interviews conducted as part of a comprehensive process evaluation. For this study, the Kotter Plus 10-step public health advocacy evaluation framework was used to guide data extraction, analysis, and synthesis. Results A sense of urgency for salt reduction was generated by producing evidence and outlining the potential impact of a state-based salt reduction programme. This enabled the creation of a coalition with diverse skills and expertise, which facilitated the development of an innovative and collaborative advocacy action plan. A clear change vision was established, but communication of the vision to decision-makers was lacking, which reduced the impact of the programme as decision-makers were not provided with a clear incentive for policy change. As a result, while programme outputs were achieved, these did not translate to achieving broader strategic goals during a limited-term intervention in a political climate unconcerned with salt. Conclusions The Kotter Plus 10-step framework was a useful tool for evaluating the success of the VSRP advocacy strategy. The framework enabled the identification of key strengths, including the creation of the guiding coalition, and areas where efforts could be improved in future similar strategies, such as effective communication within partnerships and to decision-makers, to better influence policy and improve public health impact.

scholarly journals “We Make Our Community”: Youth Forging Environmental Identities in Urban Landscapes

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7736
Author(s):  
Erin Gallay ◽  
Alisa Pykett ◽  
Constance Flanagan
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Youth Of Color ◽  
School Students ◽  
Environmental Leadership ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact

Insofar as race, class, and gender have profound effects on people’s environmental experiences, and consequently their activism, the environmental field needs more work on the environmental experiences and insights of groups whose voices have been missing, including youth of color who live in urban areas in the U.S. In this paper, we focus on African American and Latinx students engaged in environmental projects in their urban communities and the impact of such projects on promoting pro-environmental leadership, agency, and behavior. We draw from written reflections and focus group interviews of several hundred 4th–12th graders (majority middle- and high-school students) who participated in place-based civic science projects. Thematic analyses of student responses found that students engaged in work on local environmental issues cultivated an appreciation for the natural world and an understanding of human-nature interdependence and the ties between the local environment and their communities’ health. Through taking action with others in their communities, students viewed themselves as contributors to their communities and started to form environmental identities in ways that are not traditionally measured. Findings point to the need for forms of environmental education that are contextually grounded and centered on environmental justice in urban areas.

scholarly journals The Impact of Business Incubator Facilities on Investment Promotion in Jordan: A Case of King Hussein Business Park

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Alshamaileh ◽  
Fouad Sheikh Salem
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Occupancy Rate ◽  
Business Climate ◽  
Business Incubator ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Investment Promotion ◽  
Investment Law ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The Impact

This study aims to measure the impact of facilities provided by King Hussein Business Park on investment promotion. King Hussein Business Park has reached 100% occupancy rate, with a crucial plan for expansion to over 1.4 million m2 of land. The problem of the study lies on how King Hussein Business Park will attract additional investments to occupy the spaces targeted for expansion. Results of the study reveal a significant positive impact of the facilities on investment promotion. The robust infrastructure, complementary services, and investment law benefits influence the creation of attractive business environment for investments. These findings show that countries with scarce resources face many challenges in promoting investment either locally or internationally, and they must improve their business climate for investment promotion. Governments also have the means to make conducting the businesses and projects easier for people.

scholarly journals Disruption, destruction and the creation of ‘the inner cities’: the impact of urban renewal on industry, 1945–1980

Urban History ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 492-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALISTAIR KEFFORD
Keyword(s):  
Inner City ◽  
Urban Renewal ◽  
Economic Activity ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Industrial Activities ◽  
Inner Cities ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Post War ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT:This article examines the impact of post-war urban renewal on industry and economic activity in Manchester and Leeds. It demonstrates that local redevelopment plans contained important economic underpinnings which have been largely overlooked in the literature, and particularly highlights expansive plans for industrial reorganization and relocation. The article also shows that, in practice, urban renewal had a destabilizing and destructive impact on established industrial activities and exacerbated the inner-city problems of unemployment and disinvestment which preoccupied policy-makers by the 1970s. The article argues that post-war planning practices need to be integrated into wider histories of deindustrialization in British cities.

Beyond Interactive Evolution: Expressing Intentions Through Fitness Functions

Leonardo ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Penousal Machado ◽  
Tiago Martins ◽  
Hugo Amaro ◽  
Pedro H. Abreu
Keyword(s):  
Fitness Function ◽  
Interactive Art ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Generative Art ◽  
Fitness Functions ◽  
Meta Level ◽  
Evolutionary Art ◽  
Creativity Support ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The Impact

Photogrowth is a creativity support tool for the creation of nonphotorealistic renderings of images. The authors discuss its evolution from a generative art application to an interactive evolutionary art tool and finally into a meta-level interactive art system in which users express their artistic intentions through the design of a fitness function. The authors explore the impact of these changes on the sense of authorship, highlighting the range of imagery that can be produced by the system.

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