Civic and Community Engagement Commons^™

The Right To Housing In Spain: Community Action And Alternative Housing Models, Georgia Sparks

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The right to housing is guaranteed by Spain's constitution, the principles of the European Union, and U.N. human rights treaties to which Spain is signatory, yet Spain scarcely provides affordable housing and leaves its citizens struggling with poverty and unable to find a place to live. Unlike much of the rest of Europe, Spain’s social rented sector represents less than 1% of its total housing stock. Through policies that favor homeownership, promote the real estate market, and privatize social housing, Spain has left its citizens reliant on the private market for their fundamental need for housing. Social movements and nonprofit …

Morocco’S Leadership: Assessing The Relationship Between The State And Non-Governmental Organizations Working On Migration Affairs, Adriana Nadyieli González Ortiz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The history of Moroccan Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) is almost as long as the country’s history with migration. After Morocco's record as a sending country, its unique location attracted an increasing flow of migrants from the rest of Africa to transit the territory in hopes of crossing over to Europe. More recently, tighter border securitization has resulted in notable numbers of migrants permanently settling in Morocco. Significant changes in migration policy have both prompted and resulted from this progression. And simultaneously, national NGOs have strengthened their role as protagonist advocates for migrants’ rights as well as foremost providers of target-diverse support …

El Otro Mundo Posible En El Horizonte: El Imaginario Político Y La Política Prefigurativa De Lxs Estudiantes De Las Protestas De Otoño 2019, Lorne Carter

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

October 2019, mass mobilizations erupted across Chile in a widespread rebellion against the neoliberal system of economic austerity and the current government. In such a powerful historical moment undoubtedly decisive for the direction of the country, this paper seeks to examine how student participants, an increasingly strong voice of radical dissidence in recent years of social movements, imagine a better Chile. Engaging with classic and contemporary theories of social movements, this paper analyzes the methods of organization and action utilized by the protesters and how they are influenced by institutional structures and the political opportunities available. Through interviews and the …

La Ciudad Versus El Campo: La Calidad De Vida De Los Adultos Mayores Aymara Entre Arica Y Putre, Clare Rogowski

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The elderly population in Chile is increasing rapidly. In indigenous villages in the interior of Chile, like Putre, the younger generation is leaving to pursue education and employment opportunities in cities, in this case Arica. In many cases no one stays to take care of the elders. As the elderly begin to grow older and require greater support, the younger generation seeks to move their family members to the city so that they can care for them. While this provides for greater connection to family and access to medical care for the elderly relatives, the elderly loses their connection to …

"Root Causes Not Symptoms": Sustainable Organizational Structures, Réseau De Lutte Contre La Faim: The Decision-Making Process In Combatting Systemic Issues, Ambar Deleon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper attempts to understand the basis for how an organization structures itself and their vision. This research draws its focus to the civil society sector in Cameroon, particularly looking at Reseau de Lutte Contre la Faim (RELUFA) and their organizational structure in the battling against systemic issues. The main research question for this study looked at how RELUFA reflects and monitors its performance to keep the organization sustainable in the long-term. For this research the methodology included interviews, observations and secondary resources along with tertiary resources that offered the context for the analytical part of this research. The interviews …

La Mujeres Y Su Derecho A La Cuidad: Una Evaluación Del Proyecto De Integración Urbana En Villa 31 Con Perspectiva De Género, Stephanie Fernandez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The urbanization project unfolding in Villa 31 in Buenos Aires is one of the largest and most well funded projects of its type. At its inception, the project sought to integrate Villa 31 with the rest of Buenos Aires. The project looked to incorporate Villa 31, a low-income neighborhood, in the city into the fabric of the bustling Buenos Aires. However, the integration project not only struggled to bring that dream to fruition, but it has largely left the needs of women in the neighborhood unmet. Specially, women are still being denied access to economic opportunity, security and justice despite …

Youth Empowerment Programs In Jordan: Access And Equality, Mingyang (Linda) Zhang

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The research question for this study is to investigate the role of youth empowerment programs in providing equitable access for students at public and private schools in Jordan. Given the differences in education cost, quality, and outcomes between public and private schools; students are exposed to different levels of engagement opportunities within school systems. At the same time, the youth population is the engine of Jordan’s future growth. Understanding the role of external youth empowerment program providers is important to further education quality and equity.

The research includes six interviews with program providers and survey results from University of Jordan. …

Memoirs Of A Mother: Life Between An Islamic Fantasy, Cultural Patriarchy, And The Startling Reality., Nicole Fauster

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Article 490 of the Moroccan Penal Code deems sexual relations outside of marriage illegal and punishable by one month to one-year prison time. But in a society where marriage is often delayed due to financial restrictions, premarital sex is common and pervasive. Though premarital sex is the norm amongst many, if a lady becomes pregnant, the tables turn she is labeled a “whore” or a “street woman”. If a man fathers a child out of wedlock; he can simply deny affiliation and walk out of the picture.The woman is marginalized, and the father of the child does not bear any …

Refugee Self-Reliance In Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda, Erik Svedberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

One of the key tenets of Ugandan refugee policy is the Self-Reliance Strategy (SRS), a policy that expects refugees to economically support themselves by utilizing a given plot of land to develop a livelihood based on subsistence agriculture. Although many have hailed this policy as being progressive and beneficial for the refugees, others have pointed out the flaws and deficiencies in the policy and in its implementation. The research utilizes a case-study of Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Western Uganda to assess the implementation and impacts of the SRS in Uganda. Semi-structured interviews with refugees, settlement officials, aid workers, and academics …

School Kitchen Gardens: Cultivating A Child’S Nutritional Habits, Environmental Knowledge, And Sustainability Practices, Jeffrey Meltzer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The school kitchen garden is an innovative curricular program based on school children planting a garden and then learning to cook with the foods they grow. The program teaches students many life skills, along with teaching them about nutrition, the environment, sustainability, and almost every school subject. Researchers have studied various aspects of school kitchen gardens, but few have focused on kitchen gardens’ influence on students’ nutritional habits, environmental knowledge, and sustainability practices in particular, like this study does. The popularity of the kitchen garden program in Australia is mostly due to the celebrity chef Stephanie Alexander, who started a …

The Institutional And Social Integration Of Child Asylum-Seekers In The Schools And Society Of The Canton Of Vaud, Switzerland, Sonja C. Brinker

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As an increasing number of asylum-seekers cross the border into Switzerland in search of protection, Switzerland faces the challenge of accommodating and integrating asylum populations into society while protecting all basic human rights. This study looks at the reception of child asylum-seekers in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland in terms of their integration in the education system and society. A series of interviews and a literature review were used to identify what services are available to child asylumseekers both at school and within the canton that may facilitate integration. The findings of this study indicate that child asylum-seekers are receiving …

La Implementación Del Programa De Intervención Para Hombres Que Ejercen Violencia Contra Sus Parejas, “Hombres Por Una Vida Sin Violencia,” En Arica, Chile, Meghna Nandi

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: Battery intervention programs are an important domestic violence intervention method to study because they focus on understanding the perpetrator’s side of domestic violence and can shed light on the cultural and social forces that maintain domestic violence within society. Objective: This study explores Chile’s newly initiated battery intervention program, “Hombres por una vida sin violencia,” or “Men for a life without violence,” by documenting its implementation in the city of Arica, Chile through an investigation of both the program’s functioning and the perception of domestic violence within the greater community. Methodology: Interviews were conducted with professionals who work in …

La Opinión Pública De La Leche Del Programa Nacional De Alimentación Complementaria En Chile, Jennifer Rosenthal

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research question: What is the public opinion of the free milk distributed by the Chilean Supplementary Feeding Program?

Objectives: The general objective is to reveal the public opinion of the milk distribution program in order to propose improvements. The specific objectives are to determine the advantages and disadvantages of the program, to become familiar with the perceptions of the milk according to various socioeconomic groups, and to investigate the level of awareness in order to propose strategies for development and education if necessary. Ultimately, this investigation identifies improvements to the program to satisfy the various needs of health …

A New Face In The Crowd: An Examination On The Social Integration Of Children With Disabilities, Christen Maguire

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Historically in India people with disabilities have been pushed to the side and have not been given the attention which they need and deserve. As a result this population has become extremely marginalized and has not been included in making decisions with the rest of society. The main reason why this has become such a marginalized group is because of a negative stigma which has been associated with mental disabilities. Slowly this stigma is beginning to change, but it still affects the way people view and act towards the disabled. The integration of people with disabilities into the rest of …

The Influence Of Local Government And Bid Initiatives On Cuca Che Guevara As A Center For Social Inclusion, Tessa Baizer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Fortaleza, Brazil, is a city known for its extreme levels of social inequality in between the center of the city and the periphery. Over time, these have led to high rates of social problems among youth living on the outer reaches of the city, including truancy and lack of employability. These problems have led many of the youth in the city to become excluded from general society, and more likely to engage in risky behaviors, including crime and early pregnancy. After abandoning these areas for many years, the local government decided to create a physical center to promote the employability …

La Operación Y Estructura De Salud Familiar Comunitaria Intercultural En El Caso De Achocalla, Dominic Strada

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta investigación se centra en la nueva política sanitaria del programa Salud Familiar Comunitaria Intercultural, su nueva administración y su aplicación en Bolivia. La Salud Familiar Comunitaria Intercultural es una política de salud social que décadas después del proceso de descentralización del poder ha puesto la responsabilidad sanitaria en manos de las comunidades. Este estudio se centra en las estructuras de Salud Familiar Comunitaria Intercultural desde el nivel municipal, hasta un total de ocho estructuras, en el municipio de Achocalla. Achocalla es un caso interesante ya que es a la vez una localidad urbana, por formar parte de los suburbios …

The Successes And Shortcomings Of Participatory Slum-Upgrading In Villa 31, Jacob Perten

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In Villa 31, an urban shantytown in the heart of Buenos Aires, a team of technical professionals and community members are working together on a slum-upgrading project. Through a participatory approach, in which community members are involved in all aspects of the upgrading process, this project seeks to better overall conditions through infrastructural and structural improvements. This study investigates the participatory process used in the upgrading of Villa 31, and using theoretical best practices as a basis of comparison, underscores key achievements and limitations of the current project. Based on chosen shortcomings, the final section makes recommendations to maximize participatory …

Una Desconstrucción Y Análisis De Centros Del Sename: Las Perspectivas Y Experiencias De Los Jóvenes, Gema Cardona

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este estudio de campo investiga y analiza las perspectivas y experiencias de diez jóvenes del centro semicerrado La Cisterna del SENAME en la región metropolitana de Santiago, Chile. Específicamente, ver si existen temas comunes en las experiencias dentro de estos centros y los colegios, para ver si estos temas explican las razones por las cuales jóvenes en la región metropolitana se salen o son expulsados del colegio y terminan en la delincuencia y crimen. En los resultados de esta investigación, se encontraron temas que puedan explicar esto, los cuales fueron: las similitudes entre centros cerrados y cárceles de mayores; las …

A Long Road Home: Housing Rights In South Africa’S Informal Settlement, Joe Slovo, Kaitlyn Bowles

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Most countries legally consider housing to be a necessary human right. But for
millions of individuals in this world, adequate housing is out of reach. Homelessness is evident in different manors throughout the world, but in South Africa, the problem of insufficient housing develops itself in the form of informal settlements. One such settlement, Joe Slovo1, is situated just outside of Cape Town, and is the primary focus of this paper. Recently, Joe Slovo has been a prominent feature in the local news because of its involvement in a Constitutional Court case. On March 30, 2011, 20,000 residents of Joe …

Employing Empowerment: Developing The Discourse For Women’S Empowerment In Uttarakhand, India, Harriet Napier

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The following research study was conducted between the dates of 12 April, 2011 and 6 May, 2011 in the district of Dehradun, Uttarakhand, and in surrounding rural villages. The investigation focuses on the empowerment of marginalized women through NGO and government programs, particularly through their employment in the field of public health within the role of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) and related Community Health Worker models developed by NGOs. The study will consider how empowerment through employment in the health sector works to decrease gender inequities by improving the status of the woman, increase the woman’s confidence, training her …

A Review Of Psychosocial Support And The Challenges Faced In Disclosing Hiv Positive Status To Children In Kibera, Katherine Lesyna

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The AIDS pandemic has become an increasingly global problem as well as an everyday reality for most people living in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2009, an estimation of the number of adults and children living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa totaled around 22.4 million.1 The people that have been affected most by the pandemic are women and children.
In Kenya, about 1.5 million people are infected with HIV, about 180,000 of them being children.2 While a lot has been done to reduce HIV infections and treat those who are infected, children have been left behind until recently. There is still much …

La Integración De Los Inmigrantes: Una Sociedad Que Acoge, Weddy Worjroh

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The first truth that I stumbled across upon arriving in Granada is that immigration has and continues to have a great impact on the society as a whole. I have always been intrigued by immigration because both of my parents were immigrants. Coming from a country that was built by the hands of immigrants, I get irritated when people say offensive things about the immigrants of today. Ever since I was a child my parents have told me many stories about the struggles and adversities they overcame in order to obtain a better life. For this reason, when I look …