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Militarism in United States Territories: Combating Modern-Day Colonialism
No full textThe interconnectedness of military installations in isolated Pacific islands such as Guam, American Samoa, and the CNMI creates an intricate field of challenges for indigenous populations in these islands. Although some argue that the relationship with the U.S. is beneficial by increases in economy and protection, there are the issues of cultural desecration, environmental degradation, and a lack of independence. The question of sovereignty then comes into play with indigenous activists and scholars looking for a way out of this bind. By examining the histories of Guam and broader patterns of Trans-Pacific militarism and militourism, this research highlights how colonial legacies continue to shape governance, land use, education systems, and indigenous identity formation. Comparative cases, including U.S. territories in the Caribbean and Hawai’i, further illuminate the mechanisms of Americanization and decolonization efforts across different island contexts. Employing a feminist Indigenous methodological framework, this study draws on historical analysis, literature review, and qualitative data collection to center indigenous voices and critically reflect on the silences within research on militarized territories. The findings demonstrate that CHamoru (referring to both language and people) indigeneity, while resilient, is deeply impacted by Americanized educational structures, expanding militourism, and gendered dynamics within military infrastructures. This thesis concludes that understanding and addressing these layered impacts is crucial to advancing sovereignty movements and restoring indigenous self-determination in Guam and other militarized Pacific territories
Safer Documentation in the Peri-Anesthesia Microsystem: A Virtual Reality Initiative
No full textSetting: The pediatric perianesthesia unit (pre-operative and post-anesthesia care unit). Problem: Gaps in perianesthesia documentation contribute to poor handoff communication, leading to adverse events and increased hospital costs. Additionally, inconsistent documentation reduces clarity and consistency during handoffs. Context: Staff in the microsystem reported low confidence scores with required OP-Time documentation, inconsistent workflows, and I-PASS handoff expectations. These factors contribute to incomplete charting and a lack of standardization across providers. Interventions: A two-part educational intervention was conducted, consisting of eight sessions. The first component is a Virtual Reality (VR) simulation that demonstrates an accurate perianesthesia I-PASS handoff. The second component is a didactic education related to organizational OP-Time documentation policies and further I-PASS handoff elements. Methods: Pre- and post-intervention documentation audits were conducted to evaluate the accuracy and completeness of required OP-Time documentation elements and handoff components. Results: Documentation compliance increased from 85% to 89% post-intervention, indicating a 4% positive trend towards the target goal. Additionally, staff confidence improved 88% regarding hospital policies and 80% related to required documentation and handoff requirements after the intervention. Conclusion: The VR-based documentation module was an effective strategy to improve documentation accuracy and staff confidence. Although the project did not reach the intended 95% benchmark, the intervention produced meaningful improvements in documentation quality and nurse handoff consistency. Continued integration of education, consistent audits, and reinforcement are recommended to further enhance patient safety in the perianesthesia microsystem and increase compliance
A Curriculum For Teaching English-Speaking Fluency
No full textThis field project intends to apply theories of second language acquisition to practical implementations. The purpose of this project is to design a curriculum that teaches speaking fluency to low level English literacy English as a Second Language (ESL) learners. The theoretical frameworks it uses are Stephen Krashen’s Input Hypothesis Theory (Brown 2014, p.288), Barry McLaughlin’s Attention-Processing Model (Brown 2014, p.292), Lev Vigotsky’s Sociocultural Theory (Brown 2014, p.295). Fink’s (2003) Integrated Course Design model gives important insights when designing the curriculum. In the project, the author developed three themed units to teach speaking skills. In each unit, three modules are used to scaffold the process of learning. Speaking contexts are introduced in the beginning to help students understand the speaking situation, and then comprehensible inputs are given to the students to help them develop strategies to engage in an oral transaction. Finally the activities provided at the end of the unit give students the opportunity to practise speaking in real-life scenarios. The curriculum serves as a pedagogical tool to aid teachers in teaching English speaking fluency
Improving Efficiency in Volunteer Onboarding
No full textProject Access, a nonprofit organization serving residents of affordable housing communities, depends significantly on volunteers and student interns to deliver health, education, and employment programming. The current onboarding process lacks standardization, resulting in inconsistent training quality, delayed volunteer readiness, increased staff workload, and reduced engagement and retention. This quality improvement (QI) project aims to address these deficiencies by developing and implementing a standardized onboarding toolkit. The toolkit will include orientation modules, a learning agreement, defined deliverables, and digital resources to facilitate communication and clarify expectations. The project is guided by a PICOT question focused on efficiency and engagement, a structured literature review, and the Johns Hopkins Evidence Appraisal, which supports the use of standardized, theory-driven onboarding frameworks. Havelock’s Theory of Planned Change was selected to inform phased implementation, stakeholder engagement, and long-term sustainability. Ethical considerations include ensuring equitable access to onboarding resources, maintaining transparent communication, and protecting the confidentiality of volunteer data. By establishing consistent onboarding practices, the project aims to improve volunteer preparedness, increase retention, reduce coordinator workload, and strengthen Project Access’s capacity to deliver high-quality services to underserved communities
Improving Interdisciplinary Communication and Collaboration with the Standardization of Doula Care Through an Informatics Tool
No full textObjective: The 22-bed Labor and Delivery (L&D) unit lacks a standardized model to introduce doulas, clarify their scope of practice, or communicate the value of the services they provide. To address this gap, the team implemented a standardized doula awareness poster that included each doula’s name, photo, years of experience, and personal interests. Aim: The goal is to enhance visibility and promote integration of doula support to strengthen team collaboration and patient engagement. Methods: A pre- and post-implementation survey was distributed exclusively to the volunteer doulas. After the doula awareness poster was displayed for a month, a post-survey assessed these same domains to determine changes in visibility, role clarity, and team integration. Results: Post-intervention survey responses from the doulas showed increased feelings of visibility, improved perception that patients and staff understood their role, and strengthened a sense of integration within the L&D team. After intervention, the percentage of doulas who felt consistently supported doubled from 15.4% to 30%. Rarely feeling supported dropped to 0%. Conclusion: The implementation of a doula awareness poster improved visibility, role clarity, and integration of volunteer doulas within the L&D microsystem. Ongoing updates to the poster and continued staff education are recommended to sustain and further enhance collaboration between doulas and staff
Under Pressure: Targeted Nurse Education to Reduce the Incidence of Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries
No full textObjective: In 2024, the Trauma Medical-Surgical Unit at Hospital X identified nine hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs). The unit’s goal for 2025 was to decrease the number of HAPIs by 22%, from nine in 2024 to seven in 2025. As of September 2025, this unit has accumulated eight HAPIs. Out of 34 of 40 nurses who work on this unit, 43% of them highlighted that the Braden Scale, a tool to determine a patient’s risk of a pressure injury, can be subjective. Furthermore, 35% of nurses indicated a lack of knowledge, and therefore confidence, in utilizing the SKINS (Skin Assessment, Keep Turning, Incontinence Management, Nutrition, and Surfaces) Bundle to accurately treat a patient with a HAPI. Aim: This project aims to decrease the number of HAPIs on the Trauma Medical-Surgical Unit by 11%, from nine HAPIs to eight HAPIs, following implementation of nurse education on the proper use of the Braden Scale and the SKINS Bundle from October 6, 2025, to November 14, 2025. Methods: A two-week education in-service was conducted for the nurses on the unit, offered six days weekly across both day and night shifts. Education included how to properly score a patient’s risk for a pressure injury utilizing the Braden Scale and how to differentiate between the SKINS Bundle components. Pre- and post-intervention surveys assessed nurses’ knowledge, and therefore confidence, in accurately utilizing the Braden Scale and the SKINS Bundle. Results: Confidence in accurately utilizing the Braden Scale increased from 91% to 100%, and confidence in accurately utilizing the SKINS Bundle increased from 65% to 88%. Conclusion: The nurse education in-service increased nurses’ knowledge, and therefore confidence, in accurately utilizing the Braden Scale and SKINS Bundle to prevent or treat a HAPI. From September to November 2025, the unit has not identified a HAPI, thus remaining at eight for 2025, emphasizing a need for sustainable HAPI prevention practices
La Pasarela de Santiago 2.1-26: Buitres, Muertas y Otros «Varones de Fe»
No full textThe article proposes a theological-academic and creative-critical reading of James 2.1-26 through the metaphor of a fashion runway, integrating biblical exegesis, socio-historical analysis, and contextual theology. The study addresses the denunciation of favoritism toward the rich and the relationship between faith and works, engaging Paul in critical dialogue without positing doctrinal contradiction. Through a camp aesthetic register, the figures of Abraham and Rahab underscore an embodied faith expressed in concrete practices of justice, hospitality, and mercy. The study advances an explicit critique of capitalism, cis-heteropatriarchy, and the spiritualization of poverty, and proposes a coherent, contextually grounded Christian ethic
Introduction: Queering Human Rights Education: Research, Praxis and Liberation for LGBTQIA2S+
Get PDFFierce love and resistance: LGBTQIA2S+ youth thriving in the in-between spaces
Get PDFThis article presents the preliminary ruminations of an ongoing project to build critical inclusion for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning, intersex, asexual, two-spirit, and the countless affirmative ways in which people choose to self-identify (LGBTQIA2S+) youth. This article begins with a brief review of the current data on the LGBTQIA2S+ experience in preK-12 schools and pivots to the literature on hopeful practices, like gender and sexuality alliances (GSAs) and critical inclusivity, or the policies and processes that fully integrate the intersectional queer experience. This work is framed by the criticality of queering space by creating a nepantla, an in-between space, by shedding the past while living in the present with a keen eye on the future (Anzaldúa, 1999; 2002; Muñoz, 2009). To build the foundation for a queering nepantla, the authors used arts-based methods to build community with and among LGBTQIA2S+ youth and adults in a high school GSA living in a socially conservative area within a socially liberal Midwest state in the United States (U.S.). In conclusion, this article presents ways to re/imagine the future possibilities for LGBTQIA2S+ youth within educational institutions and beyond
SACRED SEEDS: THE TRANSMISSION OF KNOWLEDGE SEEN THROUGH AZTEC RELIGIONAND AGRICULTURE
Get PDFThe integration of religion and agriculture was a cornerstone of Aztec civilization, deeply influencing societal practices and knowledge systems. Scholars have long recognized the importance of religious rituals in ensuring agricultural success; however, the specific methods by which agricultural knowledge was transmitted within religious contexts—and how these methods may have contributed to knowledge gaps—remain underexplored. This thesis investigates the relationship between Aztec religious practices and the transmission of agricultural knowledge, focusing on how the methods of knowledge transmission influenced agricultural expertise and led to potential gaps. It does so by analyzing primary sources such as the Florentine Codex and the Mendoza Codex, examining archaeological findings, and reviewing the works of leading scholars in Mesoamerican studies. By exploring the channels through which agricultural knowledge was conveyed—oral traditions, religious rituals, and educational institutions—and assessing their effectiveness and vulnerabilities, this study reveals that the intertwining of religion and agriculture in knowledge transmission both reinforced cultural identity and inadvertently created susceptibilities to knowledge loss. The findings suggest that reliance on specialized religious intermediaries and esoteric practices contributed to a break in the knowledge linkage, particularly under the impact of the Spanish conquest. This research enhances our understanding of the complexities within Aztec knowledge systems and underscores the critical importance of resilient methods of knowledge transmission in preserving cultural and agricultural practices