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Food Systems: Community-Shared Agriculture, A Means Of Empowerment And Social Vitality, Godwin Samuel Ashiabi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In this thesis I focused on the Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) as an alternative form of farming to industrialized agriculture. CSA connects the growers of food directly with the people who eat it, in a way where everyone shares the benefits and risks involved in agriculture. The Huron Community Garden in Goderich is the setting that was selected for this study because of its five-year history as a form of CSA. A naturalistic participant-observation mode of enquiry was employed. As a participant-observer, I was involved in all activities of the Garden—weeding, tilling of the ground, transplanting of seedlings, watering of …

A Process Evaluation Of A Participant-Centred Approach To Opportunities Planning And Its Potential For Empowerment, Barbara Dian Chrysler

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

A process evaluation of an "Opportunities Planning" pilot project was conducted. Stakeholder participation was utilized to help determine the evaluation focus. mainly qualitative methods were used. The evaluation utilized field notes, program documents, focus groups, and structured interviews. Over 40 meetings were attended and recorded, and 27 one-on-one structured interviews were conducted, as well as two focus groups where eight individuals were interviewed. These interviews were conducted with a variety of key stakeholders, including: participants (social assistance recipients), program participants (individuals receiving the service), staff, service providers, and ministry representatives.

The research results are arranged in four parts: (a) the …

Social Identity And Integrative Complexity: The Effects Of Silent Group Membership On Reasoning About Social Issues, Stephen Leonard Friedman

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The works of self-categorization theorists (e.g., Conover, 1988, 1984; Turner et al., 1987) suggests that presenting individuals with social issues central to the interests of their social group, and individual differences in group identification, can accentuate the salience of one’s group membership. Further, they suggest that social group salience may affect individuals’ viewpoints on group central social issues, resulting in more extreme, black-and-white thinking. The present study was designed in order to investigate the extent to which social group salience and/or individual differences in group identification affect the complexity with which gender group members think about a gender-central social issue. …

Coping With The Transition To University: The Impact Of A Social Support-Based Intervention, Daniel Jeff Lamothe

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The transition to university can be a particularly stressful time for incoming students, as indicated by high first-year attrition rates (Levitz & Noel, 1989). This stress may be produced in part by a reduction in social support that many students experience when they begin their university studies (Albert, 1988; Kenny, 1987). The present study examined an intervention program based on social support, and its impact on students' adjustment to university. Fifty-five first-year university students completed pretest questionnaires in August aimed at assessing levels of social support, as well as self-esteem, depression, stress, and integrative complexity of reasoning about university issues. …

A Community-Based Needs And Resource Assessment On Youth Mental Health: Bay Of Islands/Pasadena, Newfoundland, Joanne A. Mills

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In this research project, I undertook a community-based needs and resource assessment on youth mental health within a western Newfoundland community to assist a mental health planning team, the Community Mental Health Initiative (CMHI). CMHI is a stakeholder-based committee dedicated to addressing mental health concerns for all citizens in a geographical area in western Newfoundland, encompassing the city of Corner Brook, the communities along the north and south shore of the Bay of Islands, and the community of Pasadena. The mandate of CMHI includes identifying mental health needs and promoting the general well being of all persons of all ages …

Resources For The Church In The Prevention Of Suicide, Robert Ian Cuthbertson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This paper is an analysis of the history and signifcance of suicide in relation to the church and its mission to be "the salt of the earth". It will be an analysis of the types of suicide and its frequency in Canada. The paper will also review the resources, both literary and community, which are available for the minister. Interviews were conducted with ministers of various denominations, primarily in the Hamilton Region to determine the extent of their contact with suicidal situations. Possible reasons for the lack of interest on the part of the church in this issue are discussed. …

The Chorus In Elizabeth Cary's 'Tragedy Of Mariam', Viona Falk

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis examines Elizabeth Cary’s use of the Chorus in The Tragedy of Mariam (pub. 1613). Imitating classical dramatists, Cary portrays the Chorus as a specific cultural group. Mariam’s Chorus consists of “a company of Jews” whose commentary on the play’s events is informed by its participations in patriarchal culture. The Chorus’s prescriptions for wifely virtue and judgements of Mariam’s moral standing frequently contain contradictions. Comparing the contradictions in the Chorus’s statements with similar contradictions in early modern domestic conduct guides, I argue that Cary uses the Chorus to interrogate patriarchal ideology. I consider Cary’s employment of the Chorus in …

The Gospel Of Denys: The Central Character In 'Jesus De Montreal' (Denys Arcand, Québec), Laurence William Broadhurst

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Denys Arcand's 1989 film, Jesus de Montreal, retells the story of the New Testament Jesus in an imaginative fashion. Arcand uses a historical Jesus in a passion play to present the outline of his Jesus character and completes the portrait with the presentation of the modern actor, Daniel, playing the part. Together, these two components depict Arcand's version of Jesus. After explaining the scholars' treatments of the character of the New Testament Jesuses, I turned my attention to this central character, attempting to understand who and what Arcand's Jesus is. At the same time, I searched for the biblical sources …

Resolving Community Conflicts With Public Participation: A Case Study Of A Southwestern Ontario Community, Rosalba Stocco

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This qualitative case study of a southern Ontario urban fringe community demonstrates that unresolved community conflict continues to be played out in the political arena by different actors in on-going disputes. A macro, meta and micro level of analysis reveals that negative patterns of interaction have contributed to a fatalistic attitude to community problem solving. Furthermore, the study confirms that the traditional processes did not address the needs and fears of the residents, thus contributing to the entrenchment and impasses the community faced.

Eramosa Township was chosen for its highly conflictual nature and its extensive public participation practices. Participants from …

Safe Families: A Model Of Child Protection Intervention Based On Parental Voice And Wisdom, Sharon Patricia Mccallum

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study aimed to hear and understand parental voice and experience in regard to a statutory child protection system and to use this experience in the development of a model of intervention. The study was undertaken in the Kitchener-Waterloo area of Ontario and participants are, or have been, clients of Family and Children’s Services of the Waterloo Region. The study utilised grounded theory, a form of qualitative research, and data were collected via a number of in-depth interviews with each of the ten participants. The participants, both men and women, included people who had abused their children and non-offending partners. …

Women's Experience Of Cappe Review Committees: Lions' Den Or Circle Dance, Elizabeth Jean Bower

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In the past few decades women have been educated by the Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education (CAPPE) in increasing numbers. This research looked at women's experience of the CAPPE Review Committee. Nine women who had experienced Review Committees at the Regional and/or National levels of CAPPE were interviewed. Inductive content analysis of the data indicated that women experienced Committees as generally competitive or collegial in their style of functioning. Although women were resourceful in responding to competitive Committees, they thrived both personally and professionally with collegial Committees. The implications for CAPPE are to examine the standards and criteria …

Social Work Education From A Lesbian Standpoint, Robin Hjordis Stevenson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study looks at social work education from the standpoint of lesbian students and faculty. The literature indicates that many social workers manifest signs of homophobia, and that this affects the provision of services to gay and lesbian clients. The purpose of this study is to explore how issues of same-gender sexual orientation are addressed in schools of social work and to make recommendations for change. My approach is based on the view that “knowledge” is reflective of the values and experience of those who create it and that education serves to perpetuate and reinforce dominant social values. Looking at …

All In The Family Home: The Biological Children Of Parents Who Foster, Judith Heidburrt

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Foster families are intended to provide children at risk with a secure environment. But how secure is this environment for the biological children of the foster family? While foster parents may feel drained by the needs of the foster children in their homes, the biological children may feel neglected by their parents. How do these children respond to—and perceive—the reality of foster children in their home? To address these questions, nine children were interviewed individually. Five of these children were still living at home, four were adult children reflecting back on their experiences growing up. The results from these interviews …

The Process Of Changed Meanings: A Study Of The Canadian Experience Of Somali Women In The Kitchener-Waterloo Area In Regard To Female Circumcision (Ontario), A. La Ferne Clarke

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis tracks the process of changed meanings. My research tells the fictitious story of a Somali woman named mary. She has been in Canada for less than five years, and she moved to the Kitchener-Waterloo area, almost immediately. The narrative tells of her transition and the issues she had to handle. Female circumcision is the central issue in the story. mary's thought process as she moves from a country that supports female circumcision to a country that calls this practice female genital mutilation has to change if she decides not to circumcise her daughter. This Canadian story should guide …

The Discontinuation Of Life-Prolonging Medical Treatment From Infants In The Nicu: The Parental Perspective, Carolyn Daniels

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Discontinuation of intensive care treatment is a factor in most infant deaths occurring in the neonatal intensive care unit. Parents participate in and are affected by decisions to discontinue intensive care. Yet, few studies have been reported which examine parental views and experience. The purpose of this study was to explore parental involvement in the discontinuation of intensive care treatment from critically-ill infants. Using a qualitative methodology, decision-making in 28 sets of parents, 27 mothers and 17 fathers, was examined. The key themes reported by parents were personal process—individual feelings, thoughts, and reactions; the marital partnership—parents’ experiences and relationships with …