Digital Commons Network^™

Perceptions Of Tourism And Quality Of Life: A Case Study In Savannah, Georgia, Marissa J. Renee

Honors College Theses

The World Travel and Tourism Council estimates that Travel and Tourism accounted for 10.3% of the world economy in 2019 and ¼ of all net new jobs over the past five years. Savannah, Georgia has experienced huge growth in the last decade due to tourism, with visitor spending on lodging alone increasing from $466 million in 2009 to $1 billion in 2019. The current study examined differences in perceived impact of tourism on quality of life using established predictors of tourism sentiments. An online community survey was conducted in Chatham County, Georgia (N = 94) using the Tourism Quality of …

Defining Dementia-Friendly Communities From The Perspective Of Those Affected, Iris Alexandra Wernher

Dissertations and Theses

More and more communities across the globe are pledging to become more "dementia friendly," yet many initiatives lack direction as to what this pledge might entail. The intent of this qualitative study, conducted in the metropolitan area of Portland and several other cities in Oregon, was to better understand how communities can increase their dementia friendliness – from the perspective of people living with dementia and their care partners. The study further aimed to clarify if and how age- and dementia-friendly efforts can be integrated.

Twenty-five community-dwelling individuals living with dementia and their 25 informal carers participated separately in semi-structured …

Unearthing Leadership: A Leadership Development Curriculum To Equip Individuals For The Flourishing Of Vulnerable Communities, Eric C. Basye

Doctor of Leadership

Through the research process, the identified NPO was that vulnerable communities have the opportunity to flourish when individuals experience healthy, holistic relationships. The critical insights gained from the research process were that healthy relationships are essential for any individual or community to flourish, there is a notable element of hope and whole-life transformation when individuals from vulnerable communities experience healthy relationships, and those who have suffered trauma can overcome challenging circumstances and thrive. For over twenty years, I have lived and worked in low-income neighborhoods as a neighbor, church planter, and nonprofit leader to seek the flourishing of the community …

Towards An Ecosystem Of Youth Leadership Development, Trisha Swed

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This study is aimed at understanding how youth leadership development programs can be more inclusive and promote a broader range of leadership values, qualities, and behaviors by focusing on young people who have been disaffected by leadership development programs. The study design was intended to provide a creative space for youth to engage in meaningful conversations about their evolving concepts and expectations of leadership. Using critical youth participatory action research to engage a group of youth, cohort members co-created a new youth leadership development program while addressing their identified challenges and needs. Findings from this study highlight the importance of …

A New Lens: Using The Policy, Systems, And Environmental Framework To Guide Community Development, Caroline Backman, Clea Rome, Laura Ryser, Rebecca Sero, Debra Hansen

The Journal of Extension

Extension is uniquely positioned to deliver data-driven solutions to complex community issues with University applied research, particularly through crises like COVID-19. Applying the Policy, Systems and Environmental (PSE) framework to community development is an effective, innovative approach in guiding Extension leaders to create, document, and share long-term transformative change on challenging issues with stakeholders. Beyond the public health sector, applying a PSE approach to community development provides leverage points for population-level benefits across sectors. This article describes current public health approaches, methodologies, and how the PSE framework translates to other programs with four examples of high-impact, systems level Extension projects.

Community Development Practitioner Methods To Support People With Disabilities, Allison E. Lourash

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There are numerous programs in the United States (US) that provide services and supports for people with disabilities with significant monetary costs and poor outcomes. Current research lacked information regarding how use of strengths-based approaches by community development practitioners supports people with disabilities and builds social capital. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore community development practitioners’ use of strengths-based approaches to support people with disabilities in their communities. The conceptual framework of social capital was used for the study. The research question involved how community development practitioners identify and provide methods to support people with …

An Examination Of Capacity Building For Sanitary And Phytosanitary Measures For Women In Sub-Saharan Africa: Empowerment Theory At The Individual, Organizational, And Community Levels, Lisa De Leon

Theses and Dissertations

Knowledge and application gaps exist for women farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa who are key agricultural players for economic growth and food security. This study examined capacity development for Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures and empowerment of women farmers considering Rappaport (1984) and Zimmerman’s (1995, 2000) lenses of empowerment theory. The central research question was, how does capacity development for sanitary and phytosanitary measures empower women at the individual, organizational, and community levels in Sub-Saharan Africa? The study employed an embedded mixed methods design collecting data via an electronic survey from 23 Sub-Saharan women farmers; 22 from Ghana and one from …

Gentrification, Amie Thurber, Amy Krings

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

Gentrification can be understood as the process through which geographical areas become increasingly exclusive, which disproportionately harms people living in poverty and people of color, as well as the elderly, families, and youth. As such, this article argues that macro social work practitioners should view gentrification as a key concern. Thus, to help guide macro interventions, the article begins by first defining gentrification and describing ways to measure it, while emphasizing its difference from revitalization. Second, the article explores causes of gentrification, including its relationship to systemic racism. Third, the article explores the consequences of gentrification on individuals’ and communities’ …

Perceptions Of Future Community And Individual Well-Being In Rural Nebraska, Amanda L. Kowalewski

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Populations of rural areas continue to decline, yet some communities are more vibrant than ever. While past research has studied current satisfaction or well-being, few have examined future well-being. Using an ordinal logistic regression and combining primary and secondary data sources, this study investigates the predictors of rural Nebraskan’s sense of future well-being, both at the community and individual levels. The model indicates that resilience may be more important in well-being than social capital. Additionally, certain satisfaction indicators are more important than others. Factor analysis was employed to re-index variables, and findings were similar. Social capital, resilience, and quality of …

Neoliberalism, Civic Identity, And Resistance: An Ethnographic Case Study Of A Community Development Organization, Erin Layne Elliott

Dissertations and Theses

Research on the marketization of the nonprofit sector and how it has come to operate in more business-like ways has been well documented in recent years. This research has largely focused on how marketization has pervaded the nonprofit sector, yet little research has been done on how business-like values and modes of acting are manifesting in nonprofits. Even less understood are the impacts marketization may have on foundational civic values in the nonprofit sector. As marketized discourses proliferate, concerns have been raised about threats to nonprofit autonomy and the sector's important civic role. This dissertation aims to fill this gap …

The People’S Planning Initiative Of Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation, Cassondra Y. White

Community Engagement Student Work

This program evaluation looks at the Community Planning and You workshop of the Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation in Boston, MA. The literature review explores the effects and responses to racialized housing policies, including the development of the community development field and its use of neighborhood organizing. The evaluation is grounded in the frameworks and theories of Arnstein’s (1969) Ladder of Citizen Participation, Putnam’s (1994) social capital, and Freire’s (2018) use of popular education to develop Critical Consciousness. There are three key evaluation questions: 1) if participants increase their knowledge of the Article 80 process; 2) if participation in community …

Community Development Financial Institutions (Cdfis): An Analysis Within The Political And Economic Context Of Neoliberalism, Tracie Victoria Wynand

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis explores Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) business models by examining the organizational structures, procedural operations, services, and geography. It aims to understand its overall behavior as a financial institution providing low-income communities financial services and ultimately the role it plays within the neoliberal context. The research identifies that CDFIs ultimately hold a mission that promotes economic prosperity from within the neoliberal project by expanding free-market capitalist beliefs and practices when servicing low-income communities. Additionally, the findings suggest that CDFIs take on the role of the neoliberal state by operating in tandem with the Nonprofit Industrial Complex (NPIC), which …

Impact Or Impasse: How To Measure University Student Effect On Community Organizations, Joel Mcreynolds

University Research Symposium

This applied research project examines the impact that student engagement has on the goals of a university’s community partners. A pilot study conducted in 2019 draws upon questionnaire and interview data gathered from administrators of seven community organizations that are longtime partners with Illinois State University. Key findings that emerge from descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of the data suggest that the positive impact students have on community organizations far outweighs any challenges the organizations may experience. The project concludes with recommendations on how to enhance the research tool for future evaluations and how to further improve the beneficial impacts …

What Are The Risk Factors Of Social Isolation And Loneliness, Sheridan Centre For Elder Research

What are the Risk Factors of Social Isolation and Loneliness

This educational PowerPoint presentation is intended to be used as a training resource and can be reviewed individually or as part of a group training session. It will allow you and your staff to review the risk factors that contribute to social isolation and loneliness, and learn about why/how immigration can be a risk factor for social isolation/loneliness. This training module will also encourage you to consider and discuss which risk factors might affect the older adults you work with and consider solutions.

This resource is included in the Social Isolation and Loneliness Toolkit, created by the Centre for Elder …

Tip Sheet - Staying Socially Connected (Gujarati), Sheridan Centre For Elder Research

Tip Sheet

This handout for older adults includes a list of research-informed tips that an older adult can use to engage socially in a variety of ways.

This document is available in the following languages: English, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu

This resource is included in the Social Isolation and Loneliness Toolkit, created by the Centre for Elder Research in Oakville ON, Canada. The Toolkit is part of a research project titled “Building Connected Communities: improving Community Supports to Reduce Loneliness and Social Isolation in Immigrants 65+”. The research focused on exploring strategies …

Coping With Loneliness - A Resource For Older Adults (Tagalog), Sheridan Centre For Elder Research

Coping with Loneliness – A Resource for Older Adults

Coping with Loneliness – A Resource for Older Adults is a reflection tool that includes prompts and activities to help a lonely older adult consider their feelings and come up with potential solutions by taking stock of their feelings, strengths and supports. This resource can be completed by an older adult individually, with the assistance of others, or in a group setting.

This document is available in the following languages: English, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu

This resource is included in the Social Isolation and Loneliness Toolkit, created by the Centre …

The Role Of Faith Communities In Improving Supports To Reduce Loneliness And Social Isolation In Immigrants 65+, Reshma Banu, Sirena Liladrie, Behije Noka

The Role of Faith Communities in Improving Supports to Reduce Loneliness and Social Isolation in Immigrants 65+

This report titled “The Role of Faith Communities in Improving Supports to Reduce Loneliness and Social Isolation in Immigrants 65+” connects survey findings with the importance of offering programs and services through faith groups and makes recommendations for creative collaborations with them in strengthening the community’s response to unmet needs of older immigrants.

Author Bios: Reshma Banu is a graduate from the Social Service Worker Program – Immigration and Settlement Stream at Sheridan College. Sirena Liladrie is a professor in the Social Service Worker Program at Sheridan College and Principle Investigator of the project. Behije Noka is a graduate of …

Tip Sheet - Staying Socially Connected (Punjabi), Sheridan Centre For Elder Research

Tip Sheet

This handout for older adults includes a list of research-informed tips that an older adult can use to engage socially in a variety of ways.

This document is available in the following languages: English, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu

This resource is included in the Social Isolation and Loneliness Toolkit, created by the Centre for Elder Research in Oakville ON, Canada. The Toolkit is part of a research project titled “Building Connected Communities: improving Community Supports to Reduce Loneliness and Social Isolation in Immigrants 65+”. The research focused on exploring strategies …

Tip Sheet - Staying Socially Connected (Polish), Sheridan Centre For Elder Research

Tip Sheet

This handout for older adults includes a list of research-informed tips that an older adult can use to engage socially in a variety of ways.

This document is available in the following languages: English, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu

This resource is included in the Social Isolation and Loneliness Toolkit, created by the Centre for Elder Research in Oakville ON, Canada. The Toolkit is part of a research project titled “Building Connected Communities: improving Community Supports to Reduce Loneliness and Social Isolation in Immigrants 65+”. The research focused on exploring strategies …

Tip Sheet - Staying Socially Connected (Arabic), Sheridan Centre For Elder Research

Tip Sheet

This handout for older adults includes a list of research-informed tips that an older adult can use to engage socially in a variety of ways.

This document is available in the following languages: English, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu

This resource is included in the Social Isolation and Loneliness Toolkit, created by the Centre for Elder Research in Oakville ON, Canada. The Toolkit is part of a research project titled “Building Connected Communities: improving Community Supports to Reduce Loneliness and Social Isolation in Immigrants 65+”. The research focused on exploring strategies …

Tip Sheet - Staying Socially Connected (Spanish), Sheridan Centre For Elder Research

Tip Sheet

This handout for older adults includes a list of research-informed tips that an older adult can use to engage socially in a variety of ways.

This document is available in the following languages: English, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu

This resource is included in the Social Isolation and Loneliness Toolkit, created by the Centre for Elder Research in Oakville ON, Canada. The Toolkit is part of a research project titled “Building Connected Communities: improving Community Supports to Reduce Loneliness and Social Isolation in Immigrants 65+”. The research focused on exploring strategies …

Tip Sheet - Staying Socially Connected (Traditional Chinese), Sheridan Centre For Elder Research

Tip Sheet

This handout for older adults includes a list of research-informed tips that an older adult can use to engage socially in a variety of ways.

This document is available in the following languages: English, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu

This resource is included in the Social Isolation and Loneliness Toolkit, created by the Centre for Elder Research in Oakville ON, Canada. The Toolkit is part of a research project titled “Building Connected Communities: improving Community Supports to Reduce Loneliness and Social Isolation in Immigrants 65+”. The research focused on exploring strategies …

Tip Sheet - Staying Socially Connected (Urdu), Sheridan Centre For Elder Research

Tip Sheet

This handout for older adults includes a list of research-informed tips that an older adult can use to engage socially in a variety of ways.

This document is available in the following languages: English, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu

This resource is included in the Social Isolation and Loneliness Toolkit, created by the Centre for Elder Research in Oakville ON, Canada. The Toolkit is part of a research project titled “Building Connected Communities: improving Community Supports to Reduce Loneliness and Social Isolation in Immigrants 65+”. The research focused on exploring strategies …

Tip Sheet - Staying Socially Connected (Simplified Chinese), Sheridan Centre For Elder Research

Tip Sheet

This handout for older adults includes a list of research-informed tips that an older adult can use to engage socially in a variety of ways.

This document is available in the following languages: English, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu

This resource is included in the Social Isolation and Loneliness Toolkit, created by the Centre for Elder Research in Oakville ON, Canada. The Toolkit is part of a research project titled “Building Connected Communities: improving Community Supports to Reduce Loneliness and Social Isolation in Immigrants 65+”. The research focused on exploring strategies …

Tip Sheet - Staying Socially Connected (Hindi), Sheridan Centre For Elder Research

Tip Sheet

This handout for older adults includes a list of research-informed tips that an older adult can use to engage socially in a variety of ways.

This document is available in the following languages: English, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu

This resource is included in the Social Isolation and Loneliness Toolkit, created by the Centre for Elder Research in Oakville ON, Canada. The Toolkit is part of a research project titled “Building Connected Communities: improving Community Supports to Reduce Loneliness and Social Isolation in Immigrants 65+”. The research focused on exploring strategies …

Tip Sheet - Staying Socially Connected (Italian), Sheridan Centre For Elder Research

Tip Sheet

This handout for older adults includes a list of research-informed tips that an older adult can use to engage socially in a variety of ways.

This document is available in the following languages: English, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu

This resource is included in the Social Isolation and Loneliness Toolkit, created by the Centre for Elder Research in Oakville ON, Canada. The Toolkit is part of a research project titled “Building Connected Communities: improving Community Supports to Reduce Loneliness and Social Isolation in Immigrants 65+”. The research focused on exploring strategies …

Coping With Loneliness - A Resource For Older Adults (Traditional Chinese), Sheridan Centre For Elder Research

Coping with Loneliness – A Resource for Older Adults

Coping with Loneliness – A Resource for Older Adults is a reflection tool that includes prompts and activities to help a lonely older adult consider their feelings and come up with potential solutions by taking stock of their feelings, strengths and supports. This resource can be completed by an older adult individually, with the assistance of others, or in a group setting.

This document is available in the following languages: English, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu

This resource is included in the Social Isolation and Loneliness Toolkit, created by the Centre …

Coping With Loneliness - A Resource For Older Adults (Spanish), Sheridan Centre For Elder Research

Coping with Loneliness – A Resource for Older Adults

Coping with Loneliness – A Resource for Older Adults is a reflection tool that includes prompts and activities to help a lonely older adult consider their feelings and come up with potential solutions by taking stock of their feelings, strengths and supports. This resource can be completed by an older adult individually, with the assistance of others, or in a group setting.

This document is available in the following languages: English, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu

This resource is included in the Social Isolation and Loneliness Toolkit, created by the Centre …

Coping With Loneliness - A Resource For Older Adults (Polish), Sheridan Centre For Elder Research

Coping with Loneliness – A Resource for Older Adults

Coping with Loneliness – A Resource for Older Adults is a reflection tool that includes prompts and activities to help a lonely older adult consider their feelings and come up with potential solutions by taking stock of their feelings, strengths and supports. This resource can be completed by an older adult individually, with the assistance of others, or in a group setting.

This document is available in the following languages: English, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu

This resource is included in the Social Isolation and Loneliness Toolkit, created by the Centre …

Social Isolation Detection Checklist, Sheridan Centre For Elder Research

Social Isolation Detection Checklist

The Social Isolation Detection Checklist is a preliminary screening tool that can help you determine if an older adult might be at risk of social isolation. This tool can be completed one on one with an older adult. Alternatively, if you have been working with an older adult for an extended period of time and are familiar with their case history you can use your insider knowledge, intake records and case notes to complete this tool and determine risk. A list of recommendations (referrals) that correspond directly with the various categories in the Detection Tool is also included.

This resource …