Don't Fear The Nobodies: A Critical Youth Study Of The Columbiner Instagram Community, Brianna L. Wright

Theses and Dissertations

This research sheds light on how one particular group of young people, Columbiners, use social media to build and maintain a sense of community. Through a content analysis of 200 Instagram posts containing a school shooting fandom hashtag, or #Columbiner, and drawing on both Critical Youth Studies and Sense of Community Theory, this research demonstrates how Columbiners use their hashtag to create a sense of community on Instagram, to explore what it means to be young and cool, and to make sense of the problems that shape their social world, including school shootings. Exploring how this particular group of young …

Exploring United Methodist Adults’ Racial Attitudes And Beliefs From A Critical Race Framework To Inform Outreach Efforts With Low-Income, Black Youth In Mississippi, Brittany Radford

Theses and Dissertations

Extensive literature has documented The United Methodist Church’s’ (UMC) commitment to social justice. A current focus in the church is working with economically marginalized populations, including the 231,170 Black children and youth in Mississippi. To better understand adults that serve this population, I conducted an exploratory study to gather baseline data about UMC adults’ contemporary attitudes and beliefs about race, racism, and discrimination. A cross-sectional survey was administered at the 2017 Mississippi Annual Conference of The UMC. Using a critical race lens, I found that most of the attendees espoused moderate color-blind racial attitudes and beliefs about the frequency that …

Obesity In Monterey County, Ruth Gamino

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Obesity has become a concerning health issue within the United States. In Monterey County, obesity is becoming an epidemic among children. In Monterey County in 2015, 48 percent of 7th graders were obese in comparison with 38.7 percent in California overall (Kids Data, 2015). Youth Fit 4 Life (YF4L) is a research-tested intervention program that shares a passion for improving the health of children by promoting healthy habits. The purpose of the program is to address childhood obesity and the psychological issues linked to it. After realizing the obstacles that staff were facing, it was important to create a website …

A Child’S Perspective Of The Foster Care System, Cynthia Valdez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Family and Children’s Services of Monterey County Department of Social Services is an agency that serves families in the Monterey County who have an open case. In the Family Reunification Unit they work on reunifying families back together. Youth in the foster care system are uninformed about their dependency case. Unlike parents, they do not receive a class that teaches them all about their case. Some of the reasons for this is that social workers have very large caseloads, People/Youth have lack of knowledge of court systems and CASA has a long waiting list. The consequences of not informing youth …

Outreach And Education On Traffic Safety, Jaclyn Caraveo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Distracted driving is a growing issue in Santa Cruz County. A media poster campaign was designed to raise awareness around distracted driving and empower youth as passengers to reduce distractions in their community. The campaign was designed for Branciforte Middle School students, faculty and staff, parents, and the surrounding community. The Friday Night Live staff and youth created posters that were placed around their campus and handed out to parents. They also planned and implemented 4 lunchtime events. To measure the results, staff and youth participated in a Roadwatch activity to measure the short term and long term behavior changes …

Serving Youth In Santa Cruz County, Lorena Torres-Alvarez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Community Action Board (CAB) of Santa Cruz County is an agency that serves low-income under-resourced community members in the county. Through their Youth Homeless Response Team (YHRT) Program, they serve youth ages 15-24 who are currently at-risk or facing homelessness. Too many unaccompanied youths in Santa Cruz County are suffering from homelessness and are in need to accessing services. The lack of motivational and support system, along with the unemployment increasing at alarming rates. Illustrating a dark and unsafe future. Some of the consequences include pushing youth to live on the street or inside cars and being in a …

Reconciling Hyphenated Identities: Muslim American Youth Reflect On College Life In The Midst Of Islamophobia, Diba Ataie

Doctoral Dissertations

Muslims make up more than 1.8 billion people of the world population and have been displaced globally in waves due to the political tension in their homeland. The tragedy of 9/11 forever changed the landscape of this nation for Muslim Americans and created hostility and fear. Islamophobia has been on the rise after the post 9/11 era, but due to the 2016 election cycle Muslim Americans have been placed under direct scrutiny. Muslim Americans were targeted and threatened with a Muslim registry and implemented a Muslim Ban to further ostracise them. The post 9/11 generation of Muslim American youth were …

Prevalence And Treatment For Eating Disorders In Young Athletes, Tessa Solberg

Counselor Education Capstones

No abstract provided.

Suicide, Associated Factors, And Treatment Recommendations For Youth Who Identify As Lgtbq, Natalie Jech

Counselor Education Capstones

No abstract provided.

Mini-Actors, Mega-Stages: Examining The Use Of Theatre Among Children And Youth In U.S. Evangelical Megachurches, Carla Elisha Lahey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

How do children and youth first encounter the performing arts? While schools may stand out as an obvious answer, a recent study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education shows that the percentage of public schools offering theatre classes dropped at both the primary and secondary level from 2000-2010 (Brenchley). Yet, even as arts offerings experience a decline in some public schools, many students are being introduced to performance through another venue – the evangelical megachurch.

Since the birth of the church growth movement in the 1970s, megachurches (defined as Protestant congregations that average at least 2,000 weekly attendees) have …

From Cast-Out To Community: Identifying Barriers In Design That Keep Lgbtq+ Youth From Accessing Homeless Shelters, Leah Przybylski

Theses

There is a gap in homeless youth services in the United States. A vulnerable population, LGBTQ+ individuals comprise nearly 40% of all homeless youth and are particularly susceptible to repeated victimization, trauma, and violence from their community. Current shelters re-traumatize and fail to address the needs of this unique population triggering an extreme aversion to the institutional design aesthetic that many of these services inhabit. LGBTQ+ youth enter a cycle of homelessness and disengagement that perpetuates into adulthood as a result. Why do existing shelters fail to meet the needs of LBGTQ+ homeless youth?

Utilizing a series of diverse theories …

Interdisciplinary Collaboration In Exemplary Counseling-Enriched High School Programs: Integrating College & Career Readiness And Mental Health Wellness For Students With Emotional Disturbance, Amira S. Mostafa

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods multiple-case study was to describe how interdisciplinary collaborative teams support the college and career readiness and the mental health wellness of adolescents with emotional disturbance. A secondary purpose was to explore how team members describe and rate the importance of their interdisciplinary collaboration using the four essential elements (reflection, flexibility, newly created roles, and interdependence) based on the model established by Mellin (Mellin et al., 2010). Lastly, this study sought recommendations from team members on improved practices supporting adolescents with emotional disturbance.

Methodology: An explanatory sequential mixed methods multiple-case study design explored the …

Seeking The Global Generation:A Comparative Case Study Of Youth From Canada, Georgia, And Saudi, Eva Jaberi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study explores how contemporary youth understand their lives under today’s context of globalization. It examines and compares perceptions and practice of high school age (15-18 years old) students from Canada, Georgia, and Saudi; how they think about the world and their place in it, and how they take up their roles as citizens of their local, national, and global communities. The study investigates if there are bases to collectively address these youth as a ‘Global Generation.’ By illuminating the core features of this generation it expounds on the implications of the existence of the Global Generation in relation to …

Cultivating Civic Engagement At The Intersection Of Community College And Asian American Pacific Islanders: Understanding And Supporting Aapi Students’ Civic Learning At The Two-Year Institutions, Hyon Chu Chu Yi-Baker

Dissertations

Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) students are considered the fastest growing segment of college participants in the United States. AAPI students represent the majority racial demographic population in the California Community College campuses (Chang et al., 2007). Studies on youth and civic learning points to the benefits of early engagement as it can lead to greater participation in future civic activity well beyond their college years. However, literature on AAPI community college students and civic engagement is mostly absent. This single institutional study examined AAPI student’s civic engagement experience and investigated the factors that both support and hinder their motivation …

The Impact Of Relationships On Youth Developmental Outcomes In A Sport-Based Setting, Khalil Griffith

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

A Strengths-Based Approach To Minority Youth Development: Examining Spirituality And Critical Consciousness As Predictors Of Positive Youth Development And Contribution In Youth Of Color, Emily Nicole Winburn

All Dissertations

Spirituality and critical consciousness have been linked to positive outcomes in the lives of youth of color. Spirituality is connection to a higher power or sense of profound meaning beyond everyday life (transcendence), devotion to their morals and beliefs (fidelity), and awareness of others needs and feelings (contribution) (King et al., 2017). Spirituality can support positive outcomes in youth such as contribution to their community and increased levels of positive youth development (PYD) (Furrow, King, & White, 2004). Critical consciousness is the ability to reflect and take action on inequalities and injustices in society and can provide marginalized and/or oppressed …

Rosa: Interactive Active Graphic Narrative As A Tool For Teaching About Human Trafficking, Jennifer Jackson

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Rosa is a Choose Your Own Adventure graphic novel-style story on the topic of human trafficking for young adults to interact with on the web. I chose to create this project in an attempt to help fill the gap in youth education in the area of human trafficking.

Validating The Construct Of Resiliency In The Health Literacy And Resiliency Scale (Hlrs-Y) With The Child And Youth Resiliency Measure (Cyrm-28), Mercedes N. Cambric

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chronic health conditions in youth have increased over the last several decades. It is estimated that within the United States there are between 15% to 18% of youth who are living with a chronic health condition (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2010). The CDC defines a chronic health condition as an illness that lasts for three months or longer that can be managed, but not cured (CDC, 2010). Although there is some research on youth living with chronic illnesses, there are minimal studies that assess the constructs of health literacy, resiliency, and support/advocacy within this population. The current …

What Will You Do Here? Dignified Work And The Politics Of Mobility In Serbia, Dana N. Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations

Serbia is said to have one of the highest rates of brain drain in the world. For the generation glossed as the “children of the 1990s,” stances toward mobility and migration have shifted along with geopolitics. Following nearly two decades of wartime entrapment, in 2009 the conditions of possibility for mobility fundamentally changed for Serbian citizens. Of both symbolic and material consequence, the country’s return to respectable geopolitical standing also marked a shift toward more nuanced stancetaking in relation to mobility and migration. Namely, by the time of my research, the expectations of youth—not only of “normal mobility” but of …

Demographic Predictors And Reasons For Chronic Absenteeism Amongst Secondary Students With Disabilities, Cashea Holyfield

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many students in secondary schools are increasingly impacted by chronic absenteeism. Researchers have consistently concluded that students who are chronically absent are likely to experience negative outcomes such as difficulties in academic achievement, learning, sociability, and mental health (London, Sanchez, & Castrechini, 2016). However, despite the implications of chronic absenteeism, research studies that primarily focus on assessing students with disabilities’ (SWDs) reasons for chronic absenteeism are relatively limited. Although there is some existing research that suggests that SWDs are frequently absent due to health-related reasons, transportation issues, and their perceptions of poor school climate (Erbstein, 2014; Humm-Brundage, Castillo, & Batsche, …

Municipal Government: Social Media And Youth Engagement, Jordyn D. J. Bailey

Major Papers

Social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube allow for the development of an online community for individuals to communicate and connect with others throughout the world. For this paper, social media outlets are understood to offer a solution to the ongoing issue of political disengagement found among youth between the ages of 18 and 34. Municipalities commonly experience low voter turnout during elections, causing a shift in candidates’ focus from traditional forms of campaigning towards the use of social media. The political disengagement among youth has been attributed to a lack of knowledge on politics and a lack …

Character, Leadership, And Community: A Case Study Of A New Orleans Youth Program, Candace Colbert

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Youth outreach programs use innovative and community-based activities to fill in gaps of education, provide creative outlets, create access to opportunities, and empower youth.¹ This research investigates, records, and compares the ways in which staff and youth participants perceive the experience at a New Orleans youth program. The purpose of the research is to provide insight towards potential program improvement. The participants of this study are from Compassion Outreach of America’s summer program Project Reach NOLA in the Upper Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana. There are twenty-nine participants, between the ages of fourteen and fifty years old. The …

Cariño In The Clase: Understanding How Teachers And Staff In San José Navigate Caring, Protecting, And Empowering Undocumented Latinx High School Students In The Trump Era, Nancy Haro

Master's Theses

Latinx students in low-income public schools face structural oppression that limits their educational and career opportunities. Those opportunities are further limited when we consider how many of those students might be undocumented. The current political climate is replete with anti-immigrant sentiment and has already created further difficulty for undocumented students with the recession of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Public high school teachers and staff play an important role in the lives of these students, for they interact in a space in which preparation for adulthood is the goal. However, these spaces do not exist in a vacuum but …

Digital Music Making: Developing A Method For Using Technology In Music Psychotherapy, Sangeetha Kavety

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The use of technology, specifically digital songwriting and music making, in the context of psychotherapy is a subject that is not yet as well researched or practiced in the field of music therapy. The majority of the existing literature acknowledges the assistive function that technology such as tablets, smartphones, and computers can play in treatment of populations with cognitive and motor difficulties. However, there is little regarding the use of technology as the main means of creating music, and even less in the context of treatment of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents in family settings. For this capstone project, …

A Nature- Informed Expressive Arts Therapy Method And Group Participation In Youths, Ella E. Huzdovich

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

The purpose of this research study was to implement the elements of nature inside a group therapy room in an adolescent partial hospitalization program. This was a comparative study where two groups were led before environment was changed, and two groups were led after environment was changed. The group therapy room was redesigned after the first two groups were conducted. Added to the group therapy room was a 100 x 144 inch forest mural that covered one entire wall, a diffuser that released a forest scent, two large indoor plants, and playing in the background were birds chirping synchronous …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Peer Engagement And Knowledge (Peak): A Community-Based Group Intervention For Youth In Hawai‘I, Jennifer T. T. Ho

Doctoral Dissertations

This study is a program evaluation with a mixed methods design that evaluated the effectiveness of Peer Engagement and Knowledge (PEAK), a six-week community-based group intervention that incorporates mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) to address multiple health behaviors for multiracial youth in Hilo, Hawai‘i. A total of 51 youth, ages 12-23 years old, participated in this study which included pre-/posttest analyses of health risk factors such as substance use and depression and health promoting factors such as resilience, self-esteem, and mindfulness. Responses from two subsets of participants, who engaged in a focus group (n = 11) and composed gratitude letters ( …

The Effects Of Post-Exercise Nutrient Intake On Hydration Status And Muscle Soreness Ratings In Youth Cyclists, Allison Cadematori

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

PURPOSE:Muscle soreness levels and hydration status are important indicators of recovery from high intensity endurance exercise, and can be influenced by post-exercise nutrient intake. Chocolate milk has been reported to be an effective recovery beverage in adults, as it contains carbohydrate, protein, and water/electrolytes at levels that are appropriate for refueling, muscle repair, and rehydration. However, few studies have tested the efficacy of chocolate milk for post-exercise recovery in adolescents. METHODS:Eight competitive teenage cyclists (5 male, 3 female; 16.1 ±1.1 y; 174.0 ±10.7 cm; 138.4 ±5.6 lbs; 61.8 ±8.2 ml/kg/min) completed three experimental trials, in randomly counterbalanced order. …

God, I Hope This Part Of My Life Is Over: A Focused Ethnography Of A Correctional Youth Facility’S Therapeutic Climate, Eric Meyer

Theses & Dissertations

Although all prisons have the same goal of isolating offenders from society, the precise strategies used vary from one jurisdiction to the next. Some prisons use means of punishment to gain inmate compliance. Other prisons concentrate their limited resources on rehabilitation. Contained within the following pages are details of a focused ethnography that was completed in a state correctional youth facility that housed males between the ages of 15 and 21 years, all of whom were convicted of violent crimes. This study had the objective of exploring the climate of therapy in this correctional youth facility where rehabilitative programs were …

Internal Versus External Predictors Of Physical Activity In Youth, Paige Marie Ryan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Physical activity (PA) participation has been linked to broad health benefits including reduced risk of chronic diseases (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2008). PA participation is important for youth as it sets the precedent for continued engagement and improved long-term health. Nonetheless, adolescents have some of the lowest rates of physical activity, and subsequently obesity rates in youth have exponentially increased in the past few decades (CDC, 2013). Therefore, determining predictors of PA for adolescents is of vital importance. Many studies focus on barriers to PA in youth, but few include both facilitating and inhibiting factors of youth PA participation. …

Defining Success: Reconsidering A Successful Transition Into Adulthood For Ethnic Minority Former Foster Youth, Benjamin T. Bencomo

Doctor of Social Work Banded Dissertations

The following banded dissertation is comprised of three separate products that together provide a complete exploration of the dominant markers of success for former foster youth as they transition into adulthood. This banded dissertation reveals how those markers may not be adequate when applied to ethnically diverse members of this vulnerable population. The first product is a conceptual manuscript that provides an overall theoretical and contextual orientation from which to examine these concerns, namely a sociocultural and situational framework. The second product details findings from a thematic analysis of eight semi-structured individual interviews with youth who had recently emancipated from …