Digital Commons Network^™

Mapping Collective Action Structures And Activities In A Rural Age-Friendly Communities Initiative, Althea R. Pestine-Stevens

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Age-Friendly Communities (AFC) initiatives convene stakeholders across sectors and service areas throughout a community to work together to improve the social and built environments for older persons living in the community. While the AFC movement has been active internationally for thirteen years, little is known about the mechanisms that drive this work and its successes. This study aims to uncover some of the key collective action processes and structures that comprise AFC work in a rural county in New York State, through a collaboration theory framework and a social network analysis design.

Exploring The Health Implications Of Mixed-Income Communities: Mariposa, Denver, Co, Emily Miller

Faculty Scholarship

This site profle is part of a series that spotlights mixed-income community transformations that emphasize health and wellness in their strategic interventions. The Mixed-Income Strategic Alliance produced these profles to better understand the health implications of creating thriving and inclusive communities with a socioeconomically and racially diverse population. This site profle, which focuses on Mariposa, was developed through interviews with local stakeholders as well as a review of publicly-available and internal documents.

Building Successful P-3 Initiatives: Foundations And Catalysts For Systems Change, Lindsey Brianna Patterson, Beth L. Green, Callie H. Lambarth, Mackenzie Burton, Diane Reid

Early Childhood

Across the United States, there is a growing recognition that early education and K-12 systems require transformative changes to address racial, ethnic, linguistic and economic disparities in school readiness and success.

Prenatal-through-Grade-3 (P-3) initiatives address these disparities by coordinating, strengthening and aligning fragmented support systems for families and children from birth through third grade.

These increasingly popular initiatives:

• Are based on accumulating evidence that standalone early childhood and school-based programs are not sufficient to sustain long-term success for children facing early childhood inequities
• Take a collective impact approach that brings families, early childhood providers, K-12 staff and other partners together …

A Community And University Collaborative: Responding To The Opioid Crisis, John Conahan, Chelsea Toth, Sheryl Mcklveen

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

One of the 12 Grand Challenges of Social Work, as identified by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (2018), is Ensuring Healthy Development for all Youth. This article explores the importance of community-wide prevention efforts in meeting this challenge by utilizing grassroots coalition action in concert with engaged universities. Through perspectives of the Communities that Care Model and an Engaged University Model, this case study examines one community’s response to reduce the prevalence of youth substance abuse behaviors. Recommendations include effective coalition building strategies.

Integrating Green Social Work And The U.S. Environmental Justice Movement: An Introduction To Community Benefits Agreements, Amy Krings, Hillary Thomas

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Global Interdependence And Its Effects On Social Work Education In The United States, Mioara Diaconu, Laura Racovita-Szilagyi, Samantha Graham

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social workers in the United States are confronted on a daily basis with challenges reflecting the imprint of globalization. Nevertheless, research shows that most of them are not trained to deal with the global realities of the 21st century, including how to use a rights-based sustainable development approach. This article proposes the use of a rights-based development model as opposed to a charity-based approach. It provides a rationale for implementing a global perspective in social work education that addresses sustainable development consistent with social work values and unique mission. Furthermore, it proposes that it is paramount to adhere to a …

Fair Housing And Inclusive Communities, Molly W. Metzger, Amy T. Khare

Center for Social Development Research

Residential segregation—by race and by income—is a fundamental driver of inequality in the United States. Segregated living patterns undergird many of the social problems faced by disadvantaged populations. Solutions to segregation include interventions that create housing opportunity in higher income areas, preserve affordability in gentrifying areas, and target investment to the areas most in need. The realization of fair housing and the creation of inclusive communities would be bolstered by innovation in community–academic partnerships.

Reflections On The Implementation Of Improved Outcomes For Children And Its Impact On The Capacity Of Child Welfare Workers To Deliver Services, Rita Sanchez-Torres

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The emergence of the New Public Management with its emphasis on performance measurements and managerial strategies such as accountability, efficiency, and cost effectiveness have encouraged nonprofit child welfare agencies in New York City to pursue the practice of the private sector. In the current environment, service delivery has become more entrepreneurial, strategic and outcome minded on the assumption that the market-oriented approach is more effective (Watson-Bishop, 2007). This study examines the relationship between policy and service delivery. Specifically, it investigates the impact of the initiative known as Improved Outcomes for Children on child welfare supervisors in a managerial environment.

The …

Social Workers’ Evidence-Based Practice Use And Challenges In Rural Environments: A Systematic Review, Mingun Lee

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Over the past decade, the demand for Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) in the social work field has increased. Previous studies indicate that EBP promotes clinical decision making based on current best evidence and decreases the use of ineffective interventions. However, social workers still face a variety of barriers to become evidence-based practitioners. Particularly, social workers practicing in rural areas face increased barriers to make use of evidence in practice. This study conducted a systematic review of current literature to find evidence related to social workers’ use of EBP and their barriers in rural settings. Reviews were limited to social work studies …

Working With Latinos In Rural Communities: “Nuts And Bolts”, Wilma Cordova, Aparecida De Fátima Cordeiro Dutra

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Latinos currently compromise 16% of the entire U.S. population and 9.3% live in rural areas ((U.S. Census, 2010). These current percentages indicate that most social workers will work with this population at least once during their careers. Therefore, it is important that social workers develop skills and knowledge to work effectively with Latinos. Working with Latinos in our current sociopolitical climate poses many challenges for social workers working in rural areas. However, if social workers adhere to the guidelines and standards initially established by the profession and implement best practices many of their efforts will be successful. This chapter aims …

Sustainable Tourism Study Through Solimar International, S Silongwengjia

Capstone Collection

This inquiry explores a pragmatic approach of sustainable tourism and its application as a transformative development instrument. It seeks a general understanding of the global tourism sector, looks specifically at an individual tourism enterprise, Solimar International, and examines rural tourism, and its proposed standards. It discusses the opportunities and threats to the culture, ecology, and livelihoods of the residents of destination tourism and the unique experience to geotravelers. It analyzes the theoretical development history of tourism and the integrated approach of Solimar International as a leading agency in the tourism industry sector. And it seeks to understand a new type …

Why Isn’T There A Garden At School? Assessing Five River Metro Parks’ Green Schoolyards Program, Kaleigh Jurcisek

Honors Theses

School gardens have been shown to have positive effects on children’s academic performance and personal lives. Five Rivers’ Metro Parks has a program in place to encourage and assist schools, within the Dayton region, to implement school gardens and/or habitats. This research examines the efficacy of the Green Schoolyards program through surveys and interviews with teachers and staff of 15 schools where the program has made at least one contact. This research will help inform the Five Rivers staff by identifying perceived benefits and constraints related to implementing school gardens, and may facilitate the expansion of the Green Schoolyards program. …

Policy Recommendations For Meeting The Grand Challenge To Close The Health Gap, Michael S. Spencer, Karina L. Walters, John D. Clapp

Center for Social Development Research

This brief was created forSocial Innovation for America’s Renewal, a policy conference organized by the Center for Social Development in collaboration with the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare, which is leading theGrand Challenges for Social Work initiative to champion social progress. The conference site includes links to speeches, presentations, and a full list of the policy briefs.

Working With Latinos In Rural Communities: “Nuts And Bolts”, Wilma Cordova, Aparecida De Fatima Cordeiro Dutra

Faculty Publications

Latinos currently compromise 16% of the entire U.S. population and 9.3% live in rural areas ((U.S. Census, 2010). These current percentages indicate that most social workers will work with this population at least once during their careers. Therefore, it is important that social workers develop skills and knowledge to work effectively with Latinos. Working with Latinos in our current sociopolitical climate poses many challenges for social workers working in rural areas. However, if social workers adhere to the guidelines and standards initially established by the profession and implement best practices many of their efforts will be successful. This chapter aims …

Going Beyond The Best Insufficient Option: An Exploration Of Social Entrepreneurship Initiatives Within Two Non-Profit Social Welfare Organizations In Ontario, Amy Joyce Shuttleworth

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Facing a backdrop of decreased government funds and an increasing need for services, social service non-profit organizations are struggling to survive and provide services to their communities. One proposed solution to this financial struggle is to generate revenue through social entrepreneurship and social enterprise. Two non-profit organizations in Ontario have engaged in social enterprise and they form the basis for this case study. Adopting a hybrid social enterprise model, Organization X and Housing Corporation A receive revenue from three main sources: government funding, private donations, and profits created through social enterprise activities.

These organizations have managed to broaden their service …

Sustainable Gender Equality Framework: A Justice Perspective, Bonita Bhattarai Sharma

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

The current study emphasizes gender equality discourse within the frame of overarching sustainable development goals and proposes a shift in attention to the sustainability of components of a larger holistic social system that is built on moral imperatives of intra and intergenerational justice. The continued and building importance of the holistic and transferability of a just and inclusive system is indicative of the new global policy shift in addressing the lessons learned from past developmental approaches and the urgent need to protect the earth system. There are three key related issues that stand out within the broad context of Our …

Book Review: Planning For Rural Resilience: Coping With Climate Change And Energy Futures, Kala Chakradhar

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Book Review: Planning for rural resilience: Coping with climate change and energy futures Wayne. J. Caldwell (Ed.) 2015 Winnipeg, Canada: University of Manitoba Press 165 pages Softcover: $31.95 US ISBN-13: 978-0-88755-780-4

From The Editor, Peggy Pittman-Munke Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Journal of Contemporary Rural Social Work

Volume 8, Number 2

2016

From the Editor: Peggy Pittman-Munke, Murray State University

Reinventing Social Work Education And Service Delivery In Rural Areas: An Interdisciplinary Model For Serving Vulnerable Populations, Wayne R. Moore, Fran Pearson, John C. Rife, K. Jay Poole, Lelia S. Moore, Antonia M. Reaves

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This article presents an interprofessional case study approach to serving the social service and health needs of vulnerable persons living rural communities. This project, the Congregational Social Work Education Initiative (CSWEI), is funded by a health care foundation. Persons in rural areas are often at risk for poverty, homelessness and lack of access to needed health and social services. The case study demonstrates the opportunities for collaboration between professional social work, religiously affiliated organizations (RAOs) and nursing in order to reduce health and mental health disparities among residents in rural areas.

Teaching Macro Practice Through The Use Of Experiential Instruction And Collaboration: A Formula To Create Sustainable Community Resources, Timothy O. Davis Ph.D., Kendal L. Carswell

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

While delivering an organizations and communities class to a cohort of students in an outlying rural area, a social work program explored ways to educate students effectively while simultaneously exploring and devising strategies to fill local gaps in community services. The project utilized evidence-based learning strategies focusing on experiential instruction and collaboration with local community agencies. Using aspects of the flipped classroom as well as service learning, the course was particularly interested in engaging with community stakeholders to identify issues arising from the realities of a rural service environment. Students identified a project, worked with community partners, and delivered recommendations …

In The Trenches: Traditional Healers' Understanding Of Health And Healing, Gus Hill

Lyle S. Hallman Social Work Faculty Publications

This study explored understandings of traditional healing from the perspectives of traditional healers and helpers. The sample of sixteen individuals was initially identified by key informants, and then the sample snowballed by word of mouth. Among the sample are healers from a variety of cultures, including Anishnaabe, Mohawk, Oneida, Seneca, Paiute, Inuit, Innu, and Potawatomi. Traditional Indigenous protocols were followed by the researcher during the course of the study. In-depth interviews were conducted with each participant. Interviews were audio-recorded and verbatim transcripts were analyzed qualitatively. These individuals shared their understanding of the work that they do, including ceremonies, use of …

Psychological And Economic Self-Sufficiency Among Low-Income Jobseekers With Physical Disability Barriers, Philip Young P. Hong, Hayley Sneiderman Stokar, Sangmi Choi

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

The purpose of this research is to investigate the process of psychological empowerment by way of examin- ing the effects of perceived employment barrier on employment hope, and employment hope on economic self-suffi- ciency. A structural equation modeling analysis was used with a sample of 517 participants in a job readiness program of a community-based social service organization in Chicago. Results indicate that employment hope mediates the path between perceived barriers and economic self-sufficiency. Findings provide preliminary evidence to support an em- powerment-based approach to rehabilitation, promoting self-sufficiency among people with physical disabilities using interventions that address employment barriers and …

Social Workers' Experiences Related To Online Dating : A Descriptive Study, Miriam B. Stevens

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This descriptive, mixed methods study was undertaken to explore social workers' experiences related to online dating. This study aimed to describe social workers' attitudes and approaches to online dating, determine the type and frequency of ethical and clinical issues that social workers may encounter in the course of online dating, learn how social workers are addressing these issues, and determine the extent to which there is a need for guidance and policies related to online dating as a social worker.

Using availability and snowball sampling, data was collected from 577 social workers and social work students using an online survey …

Santeria And Mental Health : Bridging The Gap Between The Social Work Profession And Orisha, Penelope Williams

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study was conducted with the purpose of exploring how Orisha priest and priestesses dealt with issues of mental health with in their Iles and/or community. This study was made possible by the participation of seven priests and priestess, by conducting semi-open ended narrative interviews. The findings indicated that issues of mental health were present and dealt with in a number of ways by elders in the community. The results show that collaborative measure need to be supported between elders in the Santeria community and the social work profession, in order to establish culturally competent and therapeutic results to …

Collective Action Dynamics In Urban Neighborhoods: A Study Of Urban Community Gardens, Nishesh Chalise

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Lessons from various policies and programs both in the United States and international development have led to a knowledge base concluding that an engaged community is a critical component for developing a thriving community. This is based on a premise that even in the modernized world community still has a role to play along with government and the market in their own development. Community’s role is further highlighted in areas such as low-income urban neighborhoods where both the government and the market may not be able to fulfill all the needs.Research has followed by trying to understand why people engage …

The Evolution Of International Volunteering, Benjamin J. Lough Phd

Center for Social Development Research

This historical review examines the evolution of large government-supported international volunteer cooperation organizations from the UN First Development Decade to the post-2015 sustainable development era.

Casa De Los Ningunos: Un Estudio De Caso Sobre La Re-Imaginando De “Sumak Qamaña” En Un Contexto Urbano Y Contemporáneo, Vanessa Voller

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Una simple búsqueda en Google de "crisis globales del siglo XXI" dará una larga lista de crisis políticas, sociales, económicas y ambientales que enfrenta el siglo XXI. Teniendo en cuenta estas crisis, se ha hecho evidente que la gente del siglo XXI tendrá que encontrar formas alternativas de vivir, que pondrá a prueba el paradigma occidental dominante de la sociedad; un paradigma plagado por el consumismo, el individualismo, la destrucción del medio ambiente, la mentalidad extractivista y las fuerzas homogeneizadoras de la globalización (Choquehuanca 2010; Huanacuni Mamani-2010). En todo el mundo muchos diversos proyectos e iniciativas están surgiendo para desafiar …

Intercountry Adoption And Child Sponsorship In Vietnam: A Practicum-Based Exploration Of A Complex Relationship, Rainah Umlauf

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For over a decade, Vietnam ranked in the top ten countries providing the most children for intercountry adoption (ICA), sending almost 11,000 children abroad since 2003 (U.S. State Department, 2015). It is likely that many of these children, however, were not orphans; evidence reveals that a lucrative baby-buying industry falsified information and trafficked children for years in order to meet the high international demand for healthy infants.

In this paper, I relate this history of ICA fraud to contemporary child sponsorship in Vietnam. I find that ICA and child sponsorship are intertwined in two contradictory ways. First, child sponsorship programs …

Longitudinal Description Of Developmental Youth Assets And Substance Use: A Cohort Study Of Rural Youth, Michael P. Vimont

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Rural communities seeking strategies to enhance the well-being of their youth must have local data for guidance. As a concept, developmental youth assets is increasingly used in measuring the psycho-social health of adolescents. This longitudinal study focuses on a cohort of over 200 youths residing in a rural community located in northeast Ohio. This five-year study observes trends of eight assets and the use of three substances. Results show that a decrease in asset scores took place between the sixth and eighth grade while the use of substances increased between the eighth and tenth grades. Additionally, outcomes show that youths …

A Community Schools Approach To Accessing Services And Improving Neighborhood Outcomes In Manchester, Nh, Justin R. Young

Carsey Publications

This brief uses data collected by the Manchester Health Department in 2013 and analyzed by the Carsey School of Public Policy in the Bakersville, Beech Street, and Gossler Park neighborhoods in Manchester, New Hampshire, to provide information about how barriers to various dimensions of well-being differ by place and also across race/ethnicity, foreign-born status, and age. Survey data and focus groups also gave residents a voice in the implementation of the Manchester Community Schools Project—a partnership between the Manchester Health Department, city elementary schools, philanthropists, neighborhood residents, and several nonprofit agencies—to improve and enhance educational achievement, economic well-being, access to …