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Removing invasive plant species from Highrock Park in Esquimalt, British Columbia: Helping preserve and restore unique ecosystems through community participation
No full textThis report examines the presence of exotic and invasive plant species in a small urban park in Esquimalt, British Columbia. Highrock Park is a remnant of unique associated ecosystems of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga meziesii) forest and Garry oak (Quercus garryana) meadowland of significant cultural, recreational, and ecological importance to southeastern Vancouver Island. Threatened like many urban greenspaces with ecosystem disturbances caused by human encroachment, the park faces a loss of biodiversity caused by the proliferation of invasive plant species. The focus of this project was to inventory the amount of invasive species present within the selected project area and to remove as many species as possible through volunteer-based community participation. Furthermore, the goal of removing invasive species was made in preparation for future native re-vegetation planned by the municipality for its annual ‘Earth Day’ event on April 24th, 2019. Large quantities of English ivy (Hedera helix), Himalayan blackberry (Rubus armeniacus), and Laurel-leaved daphne (Daphne laureola) along with several individuals of English holly (Ilex aquifolium), Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius), and English hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata) were identified in the project area using the Line Intercept Method in conjunction with terrestrial ecosystem mapping based on British Columbia’s Field Manual for Describing Terrestrial Ecosystems (2nd ed., 2010). A volunteer ‘weed pull’ event was organized for April 13th, 2019 that resulted in seven volunteers working a combined thirty volunteer hours to remove significant amounts of invasive plant species from the study area. Ultimately, the project succeeded in bringing together community members to prepare the project area for potential native re vegetation by municipal staff and grade school volunteers on April 24th, 2019
Writing History Among the Tombstones: Notes from Har Hasetim
No full textThis paper examines the collaborative project to preserve and interpret Har Hasetim, the Gladwyne Jewish Memorial Cemetery. In fall 2015, Villanova University professor Craig Bailey approached the Friends of the Cemetery, an organization affiliated with the local Beth David Reform Congregation, about jointly restoring Har Hasetim. The ensuing project, in which the authors participated as M.A. students, began by expanding the database of known interments in the cemetery, relying on local archives, Philadelphia death records, and census data. This initial work evolved into a range of public history projects such as scout and school lesson plans, informational booklets, academic research papers, and preservation plans. This paper reflects upon the lessons learned from the partnership between our public history class and the Friends. The authors of this paper detail their personal research projects as well as their classmates’ findings about the cemetery, the people buried there, and the neighborhood of Philadelphia— the historic Jewish Quarter—where the deceased once resided. The Har Hasetim project treated history as a civic initiative, helping a community organization to document its history, preserving a physical site, producing materials for site-specific education, and sharing historical discoveries with the public
LIFE MATTERS: ACKNOWLEDGING VICTIM RESISTANCE AND THE POWER OF SOCIAL RESPONSES
No full textWelcome to this special edition of the International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies. We are delighted to bring you this edition, which focuses on exploring interpersonal violence in its broader context. The situational and sociopolitical context of interpersonal violence includes an understanding of the importance of positive social responses for the victim. The term “social responses” refers to the things family, friends, and professionals do during and after disclosure: these responses can strengthen or undermine the well-being of the person who has experienced violence.These articles are based on certain assumptions about interpersonal violence. One important assumption is that victims — people who are targeted by violence — are not to blame. Victims of violence resist mistreatment, try to preserve their dignity, and enact responses that maximize their safety and the safety of others, even when there is very little room to maneuver. These articles were adapted from presentations at the Responses to Interpersonal Violence conference held at the University of Montreal in May 2016. This conference was accompanied by a meeting of the International Responses to Interpersonal Violence Network, headed by Margareta Hydén from the University of Linköping in Sweden
MANIFESTATIONS OF LIFEWORLD CRISIS AMONG SYRIAN MALE YOUTH IN JORDANIAN REFUGEE CAMPS
No full textThis study explores manifestations of lifeworld crisis among a sample of 362 Syrian refugee male youth in the Za’atari camp in Jordan. It fills a gap in research about the conditions of Syrian refugees in the camps. The findings reveal that the first-rank manifestation of the crisis was psychological stress: participants reported feeling fearful, distrustful, absent-minded, threatened, and worried, and having difficulty falling asleep. Second, the youth suffered a lack of gratification with regard to food, money, comfortable accommodation, water for drinking and cleaning, health care, and clothes. Third, they had a loss of meaning in their lives, including loss of interest in surrounding events, of hope about the future, of motivation to do things, of quality of life, of friendships, and of freedom. Fourth, they suffered from anomie, which implies loss of respect for moral rules, rights, and regulations, and the loss of physical security, social stability, and human dignity. Coping strategies used by participants to overcome these circumstances included religiosity, belief in returning home, accepting the situation as representing God’s will, regarding the camp as the best alternative, and controlling their feelings
