Place Brand Co-Creation through Storytelling: Benefits, Risks and Preconditions

Co-creation in place branding is used as an umbrella term for the complex brand meaning emerging through stakeholders’ participation in place activities, their contribution, collaborations and interchange of ideas and resources. Co-creation is often an aspiration for places to create and promote their brands collectively. In this context, storytelling—an old technique used in corporate marketing to instigate brand stakeholders’ participation—serves as a method which facilitates place brand co-creation through shared place stories. With the rise of online interactions, the chances of place stakeholders’ participation in brand meaning creation increase, and place stories are effective in allowing diverse place meanings to emerge from various stakeholders. However, when storytelling emerges as a marketing tactic, mostly from a top-down campaign, the stories are not always accepted by all place stakeholders, and they create contrasting brand meanings. The paper aims to investigate the benefits and risks of participation in “Many Voices One Town” (2018), a top-down campaign from Luton, UK, which used storytelling to instigate place brand co-creation. The campaign was created by the Luton Council with an external advertising agency. The campaign attempted to tackle the town’s segregation issues and foster community cohesion through the promotion of seven selected Lutonians’ stories about their diverse and multicultural experiences of living in Luton. The study employs a qualitative methodology to analyse the MVOT case study. Interviews with the council and participants in the campaign and netnographic data from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram were used to gain an insight into residents’ participation in a top-down approach and examine the outcomes of co-creation. Residents’ participation in such a campaign shows numerous benefits but also risks for the place brand. The findings show that participation can sometimes intensify disputes about the town if people’s needs are not properly addressed. The study highlights the importance of open communication between all parties involved in the process, bringing into focus the need for careful coordination of top-down initiatives in line with stakeholders’ needs. It also demonstrates the ‘power of the people’ in the sense that stakeholder engagement with the shared stories led to negative outcomes that were not predicted by the Council.

Cardiac Interventions for Patients With Trisomy 13 and Trisomy 18: Experience, Ethical Issues, Communication, and the Case for Individualized Family-Centered Care

This report is informed by the themes of the session Trisomy 13/18, Exploring the Changing Landscape of Interventions at NeoHeart 2020—The Fifth International Conference of the Neonatal Heart Society. The faculty reviewed the present evidence in the management of patients and the support of families in the setting of trisomy 13 and trisomy 18 with congenital heart disease. Until recently medical professionals were taught that T13 and 18 were “lethal conditions” that were “incompatible with life” for which measures to prolong life are therefore ethically questionable and likely futile. While the medical literature painted one picture, family support groups shared stories of the long-term survival of children who displayed happiness and brought joy along with challenges to families. Data generated from such care shows that surgery can, in some cases, prolong survival and increase the likelihood of time at home. The authors caution against a change from never performing heart surgery to always—we suggest that the pendulum of intervention find a balanced position where all therapies including comfort care and surgery can be reviewed. Families and clinicians should typically be supported and empowered to define the best care for their children and patients. Key concepts in communication and case vignettes are reviewed including the importance of supportive relationships and the fact that palliative care may serve as an additional layer of support for decision-making and quality of life interventions. While cardiac surgery may be beneficial in some cases, surgery should not be the primary focus of initial family education and support.

Balancing Reproductive and Productive Responsibilities: Childcare Strategies Implemented by Migrant Mothers in the Thailand–Myanmar Border Region

Background: In Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, conflicts between ethnic minorities, the government, and the military have been ongoing for decades. Enduring unrest has caused thousands to flee to the region around Mae Sot, a city on Thailand’s western border. Women around the world assume a combination of reproductive and productive responsibilities, and during situations of armed conflict and displacement, conditions for women often worsen. This study investigated the parenting experiences of female migrants from Myanmar living in protracted refugee situations in Mae Sot. Methods: This research was part of a mixed-methods international comparative study on the experiences of parenting in adversity. In this analysis, 62 first-person qualitative narratives shared by migrant mothers in the Thailand–Myanmar border region were inductively analyzed using the Qualitative Analysis Guide of Leuven method. Results: The results highlight how migrant mothers undertake significant reproductive responsibilities, such as breastfeeding and child-rearing, as well as productive responsibilities, including paid labour in the agricultural, formal, and informal sectors. In order to care and provide for their families, female migrants in the Thailand–Myanmar border region utilized four childcare strategies: caring for children while working, caring for children instead of working, dispersing responsibilities amongst extended family members and children, and delegating reproductive responsibilities to formal and non-familial caretakers. Conclusions: Most mothers shared stories in which they or their immediate family members cared for their children, rather than depending on neighbours or formal childminders. Female migrants may face challenges locating desirable work that is compatible with childcare, rendering certain childcare arrangement strategies more prevalent than others. Further research could elucidate these challenges and how opportunities for gainful employment that are conducive to childcare can be generated for women living in protracted refugee situations.

The Voices of Tokelau Youth in New Zealand: Na mafialeo ona Tupulaga Tokelau i Nui Hila

<p><b>Tokelau is a minority group within New Zealand's larger Pacific community. New Zealand has a special relationship with the three small and very isolated atolls groups which make up Tokelau. The Tokelauan population in New Zealand is nearly five times that of the homelands. As a contribution to the global 'Youth Choices Youth Voices' study of youth acculturation, this research also contributes to the experiences of Pacific youth in New Zealand. The focus of this study is on Tokelauan youth and explores the perceptions of a group of Wellington based Tokelauan youth on their identity, sense of belonging, connectedness and hopes for the future. Also, the views of a group of Tokelauan elders are presented to set the background for the youth voices to be understood. The aim of this qualitative study was to capture the unheard voice of the Tokelauan youth, to explore their stories and experiences so that the information provided will inform policy and programme planning for Tokelauan youth, as well as Pacific and other minority groups in New Zealand.</b></p> <p>Using talanoa methodology, a combination of group maopoopoga and individual in depth interviews, valuable knowledge was shared giving insights into the experiences, needs and future aspirations of Tokelauan youth in New Zealand. Feelings of how Tokelauan youth construct their identity and sense of belonging in this new homeland were also explored. The findings were that while youth each have their own experiences, shaped by their own environment in New Zealand, all strongly identified themselves as Tokelauan revealing a strong physical, emotional and spiritual connection to the homeland. The shared stories of their families journeying to New Zealand in search of better life for their children and for Tokelau, strongly influence their sense of identity and belonging. Regarded by the elders as 'the lucky generation' and 'future of Tokelau' they felt a sense of responsibility to pass on the fakaTokelau to the next generation. The main agencies these youth connected with were the family (the core group), the Kaiga Tokelau Porirua (community group) and the Mafutaga Tupulaga (youth) sports groups, church and schooling. They expressed a real passion for cultural engagement, but raised questions about the lack of youth participation in decision making, and how this might influence future cultural security. Education was important to these youth andfor the future of Tokelau. Their lack of connection to schooling and education was of most concern to them and they strongly emphasised their desire and need for more family and community support in their education. Finally, all involved in the talanoa saw the need to engage in further studies.</p>

The Voices of Tokelau Youth in New Zealand: Na mafialeo ona Tupulaga Tokelau i Nui Hila

<p><b>Tokelau is a minority group within New Zealand's larger Pacific community. New Zealand has a special relationship with the three small and very isolated atolls groups which make up Tokelau. The Tokelauan population in New Zealand is nearly five times that of the homelands. As a contribution to the global 'Youth Choices Youth Voices' study of youth acculturation, this research also contributes to the experiences of Pacific youth in New Zealand. The focus of this study is on Tokelauan youth and explores the perceptions of a group of Wellington based Tokelauan youth on their identity, sense of belonging, connectedness and hopes for the future. Also, the views of a group of Tokelauan elders are presented to set the background for the youth voices to be understood. The aim of this qualitative study was to capture the unheard voice of the Tokelauan youth, to explore their stories and experiences so that the information provided will inform policy and programme planning for Tokelauan youth, as well as Pacific and other minority groups in New Zealand.</b></p> <p>Using talanoa methodology, a combination of group maopoopoga and individual in depth interviews, valuable knowledge was shared giving insights into the experiences, needs and future aspirations of Tokelauan youth in New Zealand. Feelings of how Tokelauan youth construct their identity and sense of belonging in this new homeland were also explored. The findings were that while youth each have their own experiences, shaped by their own environment in New Zealand, all strongly identified themselves as Tokelauan revealing a strong physical, emotional and spiritual connection to the homeland. The shared stories of their families journeying to New Zealand in search of better life for their children and for Tokelau, strongly influence their sense of identity and belonging. Regarded by the elders as 'the lucky generation' and 'future of Tokelau' they felt a sense of responsibility to pass on the fakaTokelau to the next generation. The main agencies these youth connected with were the family (the core group), the Kaiga Tokelau Porirua (community group) and the Mafutaga Tupulaga (youth) sports groups, church and schooling. They expressed a real passion for cultural engagement, but raised questions about the lack of youth participation in decision making, and how this might influence future cultural security. Education was important to these youth andfor the future of Tokelau. Their lack of connection to schooling and education was of most concern to them and they strongly emphasised their desire and need for more family and community support in their education. Finally, all involved in the talanoa saw the need to engage in further studies.</p>

The Late Middle Ages, 1350–1530

The period after the Black Death saw a dramatic demographic reversal and significant structural economic change, including the withdrawal of lords from direct farming. Vale and Chilterns remained distinctive, but in some links were strengthened and experiential differences were reduced. This chapter examines how perceptions of village space were affected by a steepening of village hierarchy and by increased geographical mobility. Great divergence between settlements is revealed in terms of forms and possibly strength of engagement and attachment. The character of social space in villages is examined in part through an innovative study of the reach of church bells, based on fieldwork carried out during the project. Field names are used to uncover shared stories and local traditions, which may have been cultivated and used especially by senior tenants.

Who Gets to Live the Good Life? Master Narratives, Identity, and Well-Being within a Marginalizing Society

The question of what constitutes “the good life” is incomplete without also addressing the question of who gets to live the good life. Implicit in many discussions of the good life, particularly in American and Western European contexts, is that it is equally available to all members of society, and attainable via malleable dispositions (e.g., changing attitudes, self-relevant beliefs). In this way, the good life is experienced through a highly agentic process of self-discovery and environmental mastery. What is generally lacking in this work is a serious reckoning of how structural factors constrain access to unbounded agency, particularly for those individuals who are marginalized in society due to race, gender, sexuality, and other factors. Moreover, “the good life” fundamentally indexes individuals’ well-being, and thus any claims to the good life will depend on how well-being is defined. Throughout psychology well-being is most commonly defined in terms of positive subjective states (e.g., hedonia, eudaimonia) that again remove any consideration of external criteria or demands. In this paper, we put the preceding together by outlining how a master narrative perspective—which examines the culturally shared stories that guide thoughts, beliefs, values, and behaviors—brings attention to the structural constraints on well-being among individuals in marginalized positions in society. We also propose an alternative conceptualization of the good life, which includes the importance of interpersonal connection between those who share the experience of marginalization.

‘I want to video it, so people will respect me’: Nauiyu community, digital platforms and trauma

The Edge of Sacred project was conducted with the Nauiyu community in northern Australia and investigated trauma and traditional healing practices. Study participants from the community identified negative social changes and an escalation in anti-social behaviour, such as higher rates of bullying, violence, risky sexual behaviour and children accessing pornography, when mobile phones and social networking sites were used inappropriately. The research utilised Dadirri, a place-based, performative healing praxis that engaged community members in a truth-telling journey. Shared stories revealed social impacts derived from accessing mobile technologies and the ensuing cultural colonisation affected all aspects of Nauiyu community life. We present the findings of mobile phone use behaviours in this remote context and the performance of negative, traumatised and harmful identities that occupy social media and are enabled through social networking sites. Despite the corrosive effects of colonisation, the community unanimously believed that empowerment through truth-telling exists within and belongs to Nauiyu. The traditional holistic healing practice of Dadirri reframes identities, reclaiming Indigenous Lore.

Elevating the Voices for All Learners through Shared Stories of Science Learning

This study examines the science learning experiences across the lifespan of two groups of college students: adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities in a post-secondary inclusive program, and adults in a preservice secondary education teacher candidate program. Data, in the form of personal narrativescience storieswere collected using a paired-interview approach in which students from each group interviewed one another about their science learning across their lifespans, and recorded responses using an online form. Across the stories, several clear themes emerged. Similarities and differences were found across and within the groups and are shared in a narrative format. Trends that emerged both across and within groups are shared,and recommendations are made for current and future teachers for best practices in teaching science to all students, including those with a variety of disabilities.

How an Interdisciplinary Approach to Narrative Can Support Policymaking on Migration and Integration at the City Level

Narrative change and strategic communications are attractive tools for city officials setting policy for integration and migration. These tools allow for the construction and development of shared stories of place-based identity and belonging. Stories about migration often focus on (border) control, the value of the contribution of migrants, and the need for compassion. However, these frames of compassion and control are often oppositional: they can alienate rather than persuade, and they can neglect constituents whose views do not align with the polarities. They also elide other narrative frames, which may appeal to broader groups, particularly those focused on integration and belonging. This article analyzes three cities’ attempts at narrative change strategies that complexify migration narratives with place-based narratives of inclusion. From these case studies, this article identifies practical implications for local policy-makers and sets an interdisciplinary agenda for future research.