Civic and Community Engagement Commons^™

Endangered Whales Still Get Tangled In Fishing Gear: Let’S Change The Way We Approach The Problem, Tora Johnson

Maine Policy Review

The Gulf of Maine lobster industry has been roiled by conflict over whale entanglement for decades. With fewer than 350 North Atlantic right whales remaining, federal regulators are again seeking to implement new measures to protect them from tangling in fishing gear, while the lobster industry faces myriad challenges. My 2005 book Entanglements examined the complex and fraught debate between whale advocates and fishermen. Each side believed the other was inherently evil, greedy, and unduly powerful. Of course, the truth lay somewhere between. Between them were the brave souls who went to sea to wrestle fishing gear off of entangled …

Understanding Occupational Injury And Substance Use Issues Among Workers In The Shellfish And Lobster Industries, Tora Johnson, Katherine Weatherford Darling, Debra Kantor, Joseph Spiller, Oliver G. Jones, Lois-Ann Kuntz, Tara Casimir, Amy Dowley, Greyson Kurtz, Lauren Sachs, Linda Silka, Bridie Mcgreavy

Maine Policy Review

In 2022, American lobster (Homarus americanus) and softshell clam (Mya arenaria) harvests contributed $283 million to Downeast Maine’s economy, employing thousands of harvesters. Harvesting is grueling work. Pain from work-related injuries precedes most opioid deaths, and workers in fisheries are disproportionately at risk. Harvesters are typically self-employed and often uninsured or underinsured, complicating access to care. Prior studies have focused on injury risk or drug use among harvesters without revealing how injury, pain and substance use intertwine with cultural, social and regulatory factors. This study examined the socio-ecologically embedded injury/ pain/ substance use process with surveys of harvesters (n=106) and …

Harnessing The Power Of Storytelling And Storylistening: Fostering Challenging Conversations In Coastal Communities, Holly E. Parker Phd

Maine Policy Review

As sustainability practitioners we often spend our time in vibrant echo chambers. We’re invigorated by debates about how to support just and sustainable communities and environments. But what happens outside that echo chamber? What happens when we meet a neighbor, a colleague or a decisionmaker who doesn’t share our urgency for action? Do we go it alone as we seek to make change? Or do we need to build new, unexpected partnerships? In a time when technology and political and social divisiveness make it easy to dismiss the other, it is vital that we build pathways to understanding opposing points …

Climate Care: Pathways For Coastal Community Resilience, Jessica Reilly-Moman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate change increasingly impacts coasts worldwide. The ability of coastal ecosystems and the human communities who are part of them to absorb disturbance and maintain function or transform, or resilience, is of critical importance to managing these impacts. However, to date, climate resilience largely has focused on biophysical impacts and technocratic solutions, while issues of social and environmental justice and human well-being become more acute and entrenched. Consequently, I ask: How can coastal communities cope with climate change? To answer this question, I leverage traditional, emergent, and novel social research methods in Mexico, Central America, and Maine. Using ethnography, interviews, …

Supporting Older Workers And Caregivers Who Volunteer: Examples From The Field, Jennifer Crittenden, Abbie Hartford, Rachel Coleman

Maine Center on Aging Research and Evaluation

In the spring of 2018 a multi-phase study, funded by the AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors (formerly Corporation for National and Community Service and Senior Corps), was launched to examine: 1. the relationship between holding multiple roles (such as caregiving, working for pay, and informal volunteering) and older adult volunteering outcomes; 2. the benefits that older adults gain from volunteering; and 3. the strategies used by both volunteers and volunteer programs to help older adults juggle increasingly “full plates” of activities. Using a national sample drawn from the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), the study yielded valuable information about how …

An Analysis Of Citizenship Education In Maine Middle Schools, Tom Adams

Honors College

An essential responsibility of public schooling is to cultivate civic awareness in students and prepare them to participate in a democratic society. Schools have, however, broadly failed this task, a trend the Maine Department of Education has attempted to reverse through policy. The 2019 edition of the MDoE’s Maine Learning Results (“MLR”) standards mandates that middle school social studies teachers implement civic action and service-learning projects (a.k.a. “citizenship education”) to address community needs and foster students’ civic identity. Existing literature suggests that citizenship education improves students’ civic awareness, community engagement, and future voting behavior, but the effectiveness of this new …

Identifying The Advocate In Me: An Undergraduate Autoethnography Exploring The Personal Identity Of Activist Versus Advocate, Aiden Ciaffaglione

Honors College

“Identifying the Advocate in ME: An Undergraduate Autoethnography Exploring the Personal Identity of Activist Versus Advocate” explores and redefines the social definition of “activists” and “advocates” through an autoethnographic lens of personal growth and identity formation. Stemming from my previous research into the University of Maine 1974 Gay Symposium,I reflect on my undergraduate academic ecology composed of leadership roles, course work, and extracurricular involvement in order to understand my identity development as a queer advocate. I incorporate previous scholarship around social movements, emotion work, and the role of activists in social change to develop a “Social Movement Identification” typology that …

Juggling Multiple Roles: An Examination Of Role Conflict And Its Brief Report: Relationship To Older Adult Volunteer Satisfaction And Retention, Jennifer Crittenden, Sandy Butler, Nicholas Silver, Abbie Hartford, Rachel Coleman

Maine Center on Aging Research and Evaluation

No abstract provided.

Juggling Multiple Roles: An Examination Of Role Conflict Phase Ii: Rsvp Program Survey Report, Jennifer Crittenden, Sandy Butler

Maine Center on Aging Research and Evaluation

For many nonprofits, older adult volunteers are the bedrock of the volunteer workforce. However, older adults are increasingly leaving their volunteer work to pursue paid employment and family caregiving. To explore how the volunteer sector has responded to this reality, a survey was distributed to 55 Retired and Senior Volunteer Programs (RSVPs) across the U.S. Twenty-one programs responded identifying a range of strategies including: flexible scheduling, integrating care recipients into volunteer assignments, offering resource referral to caregivers, and expanded office hours for older workers. Findings provide strategies that can be replicated across program sectors to retain older adult volunteers.

Partnership Of Nh-Me Lend And New Mainers Public Health Initiative To Offer Training Experiences With Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Populations, Susan Russell, Betsy Humphreys

Poster Presentations

Over the past two decades, the geographic area served by the NH-ME LEND Program has experienced rapid growth of racially, ethnically and linguistically diverse populations, as has the U.S. in general. While the NH-ME LEND clinical and leadership placements provide opportunities for frequent contact with underserved populations, Maine trainees, in particular, have had few opportunities for training or fieldwork with culturally and linguistically diverse populations. With funding support from a 2018 Focused Assistance to Support Training Project (FAST) grant, the NH-ME LEND partnered with New Mainers Public Health Initiative (NMPHI) in Lewiston, Maine, to build the LEND’s capacity to offer …

Organizational And Older Adult Volunteer Perspectives On Role Conflict Management Strategies, Jennifer Crittenden, Sandy Butler

Maine Center on Aging Research and Evaluation

Poster presentation at the Gerontological Society of America Conference

Presentation Date: November 13, 2019

Presentation Location: Austin, TX

Older adults are increasingly occupying multiple life roles, including working, caregiving, and volunteering, creating the opportunity for role conflict. Such conflict occurs when stress and strain created by the demands of multiple life roles outstrips an individual’s resources to successfully manage such demands.

A two-phase research study was completed with 1,697 Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) volunteers (ages 55+) drawn from 55 RSVP program sites across the country (Phase I) with a follow-up survey of RSVP programs conducted with 17 sites …

Getting The Most Out Of Your Volunteer Experience: Tips For Older Workers, Jennifer Crittenden

Maine Center on Aging Research and Evaluation

This tipsheet provides helpful hints and tips for older workers who are either currently volunteering or wish to become involved in volunteer activities. Tips focus on strategies for juggling multiple responsibilities and reaping the benefits of volunteering.

Vying For Time: How Programs Engage And Support A Busy Cadre Of Baby Boomer And Older Adult Volunteers, Jennifer Crittenden, Sandy Butler

Maine Center on Aging Research and Evaluation

For many nonprofits, older adult volunteers are the bedrock of the volunteer workforce. However, older adults are increasingly leaving their volunteer work to pursue paid employment and family caregiving. To explore how the volunteer sector has responded to this reality, a survey was distributed to 55 Retired and Senior Volunteer Programs (RSVPs) across the U.S. Twenty-one programs responded identifying a range of strategies including: flexible scheduling, integrating care recipients into volunteer assignments, offering resource referral to caregivers, and expanded office hours for older workers. Findings provide strategies that can be replicated across program sectors to retain older adult volunteers.

Identifying Salient Training And Support Needs Within A Statewide Lifelong Communities Network, Jennifer Crittenden, Patricia Oh, Laura Lee, Brandy Lachance

Maine Center on Aging Research and Evaluation

Poster presentation from the Gerontological Society of America Conference. Presentation date: November 14, 2019

Presentation Location: Austin, TX

As the older adult population grows in the United States, the need for community planning approaches that respond to the needs of older adults is of increasing importance. As a result, lifelong community movements, encompassing models such as Age-Friendly Communities, Livable Communities, and “Aging-in-Place” initiatives are proliferating. Maine, the oldest state by median age, currently hosts the largest number of AARP designated Age-Friendly Communities efforts (currently at 69 communities). At the core of these efforts is a resource-intensive planning process that is …

Getting The Most Out Of Your Volunteer Experience: Tips For Caregivers, Jennifer Crittenden

Maine Center on Aging Research and Evaluation

This tipsheet provides helpful hints and tips for older adult caregivers who are either currently volunteering or wish to become involved in volunteer activities. Tips focus on strategies for juggling multiple responsibilities and reaping the benefits of volunteering.

Supporting Older Workers And Caregivers: Tips For Volunteer Managers, Jennifer Crittenden

Maine Center on Aging Research and Evaluation

Volunteering has been linked to a number of positive outcomes for older adults such as good health and mental health, social connections, and a sense of purpose. However, older adults are increasingly giving their time to paid work, caregiving, and other important endeavors. For many older adults, especially those who are employed and those who are caring for loved ones, finding the time to volunteer can be a challenge. Volunteer programs can encourage older adults to volunteer by offering flexible and appealing program options for these two groups.

This tipsheet provides helpful hints and tips for volunteer managers for helping …

Role Enhancement For Older Volunteers: How Does Formal Volunteering Complement Other Life Roles?, Jennifer Crittenden, Sandy Butler

Maine Center on Aging Research and Evaluation

This poster presentation reviews findings from a recent national survey of older adult RSVP volunteers that examined role conflict and role enhancement among active older adult volunteers. Survey findings are presented along with implications for volunteer program administrators for how they can best engage with volunteers who are juggling additional life role responsibilities (paid work, caregiving, and informal helping/volunteering) in addition to their formal volunteer role.

The phase I survey for this project was implemented across 55 RSVP program sites nationally engaging a total of 1,697 older adult volunteer who returned surveys (response rate = 25%). These surveys yielded 1,229 …

Our Neighborhood Club Papers, 1908-2007, Special Collections, Raymond H. Fogler Library, University Of Maine

Finding Aids

Our Neighborhood Club of Old Town, Maine, was organized in 1893 and federated in the Maine Federation of Women's Clubs in 1901. The group sought out the collective betterment of each member and the community by doing charity work. They often donated gifts, money, and time to hospitals, veterans organizations, and cancer research.

The Our Neighborhood Club papers collection consists of club program booklets, scrapbooks, photographs, as well as club meeting minutes and attendance. The collection does have papers that span between 1908 to 2007, however, the collection primarily focuses on club materials during the 1960s through the 1990s.

Window Inserts And The People Adopting Them: Building Sustainable Communities In Maine, Daniel Sean Mistro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Residents of Maine face a large monetary expense to heat their homes in the winter. In Maine it takes 540 gallons of heating oil each year to heat a typical home [1]. Interior window inserts may be a practical solution to improve comfort, save money, and consume less environmentally harmful fossil fuels during cold winter months. The window inserts discussed in this paper are custom measured to fit into a window and consist of a wooden frame that is wrapped in two layers of polyolefin film and weather stripped for a snug fit. Commercial inserts cost $20-$36/square foot, or approximately …

Grassroots Diplomacy And Vernacular Law: The Discourse Of Food Sovereignty In Maine, John Welton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis studies the discourse of food sovereignty in Maine, a coalition of small-scale farmers, consumers, and citizens building an alternative food system based on a distributed form of production, processing, selling, purchasing, and consumption. This distribution occurs at the municipal level through the enactment of ordinances. Using critical-rhetorical field methods, I argue that the discourse of food sovereignty in Maine develops a ‘constitutive’ rhetoric that composes rural society through affective relationships. Advocates engage the industrial food system to both expose its systemic bias against small-scale farming and construct their own discourse of belonging. Based upon agrarian values such as …

Muse Youth Curriculum, University Of Maine Center On Aging

Maine Center on Aging Education and Training

Music Uniting Students and Elders is a program of the University of Maine Center on Aging and the Bangor Symphony Orchestra that uses music education to connect elders and students. The following curriculum is recommended for children 5 years of age and older or children in 1st – 5th grade. The purpose of the curriculum is to act as a catalyst for discussing aging, to dispel the myths of aging, to provide an opportunity to connect generations, and for youth to share with others their experiences, ancestry and family traditions. Furthermore, this curriculum allows for youth to connect with elders …

Redefining Transitional Justice In The North American Context? The Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth And Reconciliation Commission, Evan P. Centala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis argues that a transformative justice discourse needs to be adopted by the current field of transitional justice in order to account for the many developments in the field. Using the case of the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission, it presents the innovative approaches and unique context the Commission operates in, following a transformative methodology to affect fundamental social change through the political, economic, and social structures that allowed the violence and harm in question to pass. Distinguishing itself from a transitional context where regime change exists with an objective to establish democracy, this thesis suggests …

Never Too Old To Lead: Activating Leadership Among Maine's Older Adults, Jennifer A. Crittenden, Lelia Deandrade

Maine Policy Review

As Maine’s population ages, there will be a growing need to mobilize older Mainers to effect change in their local communities. There are few models available nationally that illustrate how to effectively train and engage baby boomers and older adults as leaders within community contexts. This article examines what is known about leadership development generally and highlights how one program in Maine is training and supporting older leaders who are using volunteer work to improve the health and well-being of their local communities.

"What Kind Of Place Do We Want To Live In?" Place, The Humanities, And Public Policy In Maine, Carol Norstrom Toner

Maine Policy Review

Carol Toner explores the intersection of the humanities, public policy making, and quality of place. In 2014, a local protest against the site of a potential new landfill in rural Maine demonstrates how citizens can draw from their history and culture when considering public policy and quality of place. In this case, the humanities informed the making of public policy to benefit the greater good. Maine enjoys a participatory public policy process that depends on informed public input. The humanities, especially history, literature, and philosophy, help prepare citizens for this important role by teaching critical thinking, imagination, and compassion. Maine …

The Power Of Language In Changing A Community's Story, Linda Cross Godfrey

Maine Policy Review

To revive the community and reverse negative images of the town, community leaders in Eastport, Maine relied on the power of language. This article illustrates their efforts to inspire change by using words from well known leaders and replacing DE-words such as depressed and decline with RE-words such as rebound and renew.

The Fabulous Promise And Practical Need For The Humanities In The Twenty-First Century, Liam Riordan

Maine Policy Review

Guest editor Liam Riordan in this overview article explores the relationship between the humanities and policy in general terms, identifying the recurring themes in the other articles in this special issue of Maine Policy Review. He contends that the humanities offer fabulous promise to enrich the quality of civic life in Maine and that this promise is firmly rooted in how the humanities address our practical need for meaningful human experiences.

Interdisciplinarity And Actionable Science: Exploring The Generative Potential In Difference, Bridie Mcgreavy, Linda Silka, Laura Lindenfeld

Publications

Community practice and actionable science share a commitment to solving complex problems to promote sustainability. Collective abilities to address these types of problems rely on interdisciplinary collaborations that also offer unique challenges. In this case study of a statewide interdisciplinary setting, we focus on key methodological differences related to problem identification, stakeholder involvement, competing research paradigms, and orientations towards communication. We argue the generative potential in interdisciplinarity is enhanced through sustained effort and attention to difference; acceptance of the ethical responsibility to reflect critically on power in shared decision making spaces; and strategic interventions to continually promote and improve learning.

Using Refugee Voices To Improve Cross Cultural Conversations: Research With New Mainers, Jane E. Haskell, Ashley Storrow

Business & Community

Since 1990 Maine, like most areas of the United States, has seen an increase in primary and secondary refugees locating in our communities. According to Welcoming America, this decade’s number of immigrants to the U.S. is unmatched since the early 1900’s. Catholic Charities Maine reports that every year more than 250 primary refugees, 200 asylum seekers, and other immigrant groups arrive in Maine from war torn counties. Immigrants arrive with aspirations to be self sufficient and active members of the community; however, many factors including cultural differences contribute to a climate that is ripe for misunderstanding. This white paper presents …

Moving Beyond The Single Disciplines: Building A Scholarship Of Engagement That Permeates Higher Education., Linda Silka, Robert W. Glover Editor, Karen Hutchins, Laura Lindenfeld, Amy Blackstone, Catherine Elliott, Melissa Ladenheim, Claire Sullivan

Publications

Communities face complex problems that are best addressed by integrating the perspectives of multiple disciplines, yet many forms of engaged scholarship remain disciplinarily specific. Universities struggle to bring together highly disparate disciplines linking knowledge with action to address community problems. Sustainability is an important example of a complex, urgent problem that is best addressed by integrating multiple disciplines. In the United States, a unique multi-year initiative, Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative (SSI), addresses sustainability problems by working across disciplines on engaged research. Scholars, representing multiple disciplines and most of the higher education institutions in the state, working with their community partners, …

Choice, Power And Perspective: The Neglected Question Of Who Initiates Engaged Campus-Community Partnerships, Robert W. Glover Editor, Linda Silka

Publications

To address society’s complex challenges, campus-community partnerships are increasingly being undertaken by academia. As a result, questions of how to ensure that these partnerships succeed have taken on a new urgency. This urgency has led to an emphasis on the creation of ‘how to’ guides focused on the mechanics of building effective partnerships. This article argues that this focus is premature and attention instead needs to be directed to the neglected but ultimately more fundamental question of who is ‘allowed’ to initiate the partnerships. It is argued here that the seemingly simple and straightforward issue of who initiates the partnership …