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My Photo, My Voice: Reducing Self-Stigma of Felons & Drug Addicts through the use of Storytelling and Photographs
Get PDFIn the United States, when we talk about addiction and incarceration, what are the stories that are usually told and from whose perspective? This project assembled a multi-method approach incorporating photovoice and a semi-participatory action research (PAR) methodology to establish community connections and facilitate healing through personal storytelling and listening. Working with Phoenix Rise House in Bellows Falls, VT, a transitional house for (12) men who are formerly incarcerated and/or recovering addicts, this research addresses the question: How can internalized stigma, of felons and addicts, be reduced with photo storytelling? Underpinning the semi-PAR methodological approach is a theoretical framework incorporating aspects from critical theory, radical humanism, and Freire’s praxis of critical consciousness, aiming to do the following: amplify the voices that tend to be ignored, encourage greater participation in the healing process, and address power-relations and active citizenship. This project primarily involved a grounded theory analysis to unearth key themes of that emerged through the research process using a focus group, group circle sessions, one-on-one interviews, a survey, and my personal reflective journals. The findings and conclusions of this study demonstrate the complexity of and around stigma and how it affects everyone from individuals to the larger community. Themes that emerged from the findings include systemic challenges, identity, healing, relationships, and humanizing. While the study focused on the reduction of internalized stigma, the data also offered insights into the connections between identity, relationships, and self-worth. I suggest that future research incorporate different demographics and include a final community exhibit to showcase participants’ work. All too often, addicts and felons are seen through a single lens, but in reality, they too are much more complicated. To truly understand their situations, one must look at them holistically.
Keywords: Addiction, incarceration, stigma, storytelling, circle processes, photovoice, healing, identit
Beyond the Buzzwords: A Framework of Inclusive Excellence for Leader Hiring and Training at The Experiment in International Living
Get PDF“Beyond the Buzzwords” examines practices in group leader hiring and training at The Experiment in International Living (The Experiment) through a lens of equity, diversity, and inclusion, focusing primarily on racial identity and whiteness. As members of the diverse Generation Z, Experiment students experience myriad manifestations of social identity, amplified by the context of their host countries. Their adult group leaders, who historically are majority white female, are the stewards of their educational experience, responsible for mitigating identity-related incidents while supporting all students’ learning and growth.
Drawing upon principles of experiential and transformative learning, social justice education, student identity development, white fragility, and the nuance of identity abroad, Beyond the Buzzwords comprises recommendations for The Experiment to implement throughout the entirety of group leaders’ experience with the organization. Striving for inclusive excellence as it pertains to leaders both at The Experiment and in the field of international education, the framework centers on three core areas of focus: access (diversity of the leader cohort), awareness (critical identity self-reflection), and action (equitable and inclusive practices)
Radical Empathy and Community Empowerment in Practice: International Student Retention at SUNY Plattsburgh
Get PDFThe purpose of this capstone project is to design a program that tends to sociocultural challenges of SUNY Plattsburgh international students and Plattsburgh area community members to improve campus and community relations in order to, ultimately, improve the retention of international students. U.S. higher education institutions depend on the recruitment and retention of international students due to lack of funding at the state and federal levels of government. However, amidst turbulent political times, international student numbers are decreasing in the United States at a startling rate. Through observations of the 2017-2018 academic year and interviewing SUNY Plattsburgh international students and Plattsburgh area community members, cross-cultural understanding and connection were revealed as their most pressing needs. Pragmatic approaches that utilize radical empathy and civic engagement to address these needs are the cornerstones of this service-learning program design.
Key words: international students, retention, community, empowerment, stereotypes, racism, cross-cultural understanding, radical empath
Youth’s Decent Employment in Guinea: Enabling Factors and a Holistic Approach
No full textIt is widely recognized that youth unemployment is a significant problem in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), one of the main drivers of young people’s desire to emigrate and go to Europe or the USA. While tremendous work has been done in the literature regarding the causes and consequences of the issue, little is known about the key factors allowing youth to gain decent employment. In this paper, I report on a mixed-methods single case research, which discovered that 1) aspiration for making a difference in one\u27s life or community, 2) making more than regular effort for education and for networking, and 3) developing strong personal character were the key factors that contributed to the employment success of a group of 43 youth in The Republic of Guinea. Recognizing, however, that even if all youth could become like these youth, decent employment rates would change slightly given the socio-economic context of Guinea, I combine the lessons learned from this study with the capability approach to entrepreneurship by Dejaeghere & Baxter (2013) in order to craft a new approach to improving youth decent employment in Guinea and in SSA in general
Reintegration of Women Perpetrators in Post-Genocide Rwanda
Get PDFWomen tend to be victims during times of violence. Due to this the breadth of research on women who perpetrate violence is limited. Due to stereotypes women are more often than not seen as peace makers and nurturers, which ignores the fact that women have just as much capability as men to inflict violence. During the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, average citizens, including women, became perpetrators of genocide. As this genocide only occurred in 1994 research on the reintegration of perpetrators is limited. This paper asks the question how are women perpetrators of Genocide being reintegrated into society? Further, how does the community’s perception of women perpetrators influence reintegration?
This study relies on ethnography and interviews. Prior to formally beginning research I spent three months in Rwanda observing the culture and studying the Genocide and peacebuilding process. I interviewed survivors and perpetrators to get their perspectives on reintegration. I also interviewed a member of a government organization to better understand how the Rwandan government is promoting on reintegration. Further research should be done on this topic in following years, as reintegration progresses
The House of the Fish: Collaborative Coral Reef Awareness Project on Nosy Be
Get PDFThe purpose of this project was to initiate a place-based coral reef education project, with the ultimate goal of improved localized conservation efforts in the face of growing global threats. Three principal groups that interact with coral reefs on Nosy Be were interviewed: fishers, tourist guides, and conservationists. Research was conducted on the biology of coral reefs, and on the most prominent threats facing coral reefs in the Indian Ocean and around Nosy Be. Information and direct quotes from interviews, and the results of research, were incorporated into a photographic journal entitled In the House of the Fish or An-tragno ny Laoko. The journal was written in English and translated into Malagasy and distributed to fishers and tourist guides on Nosy Be. The photo journal aimed to be collaborative, focusing on existing local stories and knowledge regarding coral reefs. The goal was to inspire conservation by reminding target groups of existing personal connections to, and efforts to protect, an ecosystem in danger
Z4, A Slow Puncture: An Autoethnographic Exploration of Language, Embodiment, and Meaning-Making
Get PDFIn my ISP, I explored language as it relates to the ways in which people living in Cato Manor make sense of HIV/AIDS in their community. With 7.1-7.2 million people living with HIV (PLWHIV) in South Africa, individuals across the country are either infected or affected by illness. KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), the province with the highest rate of HIV, is also the province that was surveyed with the disproportionately highest internal stigma rates for PLWHIV. High prevalence of HIV, particularly in KZN, calls for a constant contextualization of life in the presence of illness.
Throughout the world, metaphor and symbolism is used to help non-medical experts make sense of, and communicate about, illness. I sought to uncover the ways that HIV/AIDS is mediated and expressed through the language and symbols individuals use in their communities. In my research, I conducted interviews with eight Cato Manor residents. I spoke with each person about how they use language and symbols to talk about HIV/AIDS. I incorporated arts-based approaches to afford participants more ways of expressing themselves. Even given its relatively small sample size, and the fact that it may not be representative of Cato Manor, my study still offers a vast breadth of narratives that I believe provide a more nuanced communal understanding of illness. These lead me to conclude that illness is culturally configured, and that Cato Manor residents’ understandings do not derive solely from a biomedical paradigm.
Because my research was conducted in the form of an autoethnography, I reflected on my own understandings of the power of language and symbolism as a writer and detailed record-keeper throughout my life thus far. Where my initial question sought an answer about “meaning,” I discovered that questions of meaning were better responded to through abstract and indirect inquiries as my broad question of meaning yielded mainly biomedical responses. Some of these alternative questions included color association questions and questions where the participant was asked to create comparisons between HIV and something of their choosing. Other helpful questions were those that shed light on the ways in which individuals’ friends and family members discussed the topic of HIV/AIDS. These complementary inquiries informed and continue to inform me about the importance of signs and symbology, the body, the role of stigma via code, and the ways in which language is employed and deployed in the particular community of Cato Manor
Living with Bees: A Look into The Relationships Between People and Native Bees in Western Nepal
Get PDFNepal is home to four native species of bees and as many methods to produce and gather their honey. In recent decades, several domestic and international organizations and governments have researched bee populations and provided financial and technical support through subsidies, trainings, and materials in efforts to conserve biodiversity and develop beekeeping in Nepal. However, little attention has been given to human-bee connections, the factors that shape them, and how they can provide a lens for understanding human-environmental relationships. Thereby, this study aims to exploring a selection of people’s experience with beekeeping and perspective of bees in order to illuminate geographically specific human-environmental relationships. Three case studies each focused on a different form of honey production/collection, namely box-hive beekeeping, log-hive beekeeping, and honey hunting were conducted in three locations of Western Nepal. Implications manifest in the data posit that what connects humans and bees in Western Nepal varies between unique environmental settings, from which and in which social and cultural values both emerge and are enacted. Factors such as knowledge, care and control of bees, viability of honey production, and value of and reliance on honey and bees shape human-bee relationships. Connections between people and bees reflect the geographic specificity and dynamic fluidity of human-environment relationships that in turn demonstrate pushes and pulls of changing cultural tides in Western Nepal
The Guthi System of Nepal
Get PDFThe purpose of this research is to understand the role of the guthi system in Nepali society, the relationship of the guthi land tenure system with Newari guthi, and the effect of modern society and technology on the ability of the guthi system to maintain and preserve tangible and intangible cultural heritage in Nepal. This research took place in three different sections of Kathmandu. The methodology behind this research was a combination of historical analysis of the traditional role of the guthi system in Nepal along with three case studies of guthi organizations with different assigned functions. These case studies consisted of interviews with key informants and observations of social phenomena organized by each respective guthi. The outcomes and scope of this research is limited by the number of guthi organizations researched, language barriers, the amount of time spent in the field researching, and my limited understanding of this incredibly vast system. The literature review in this research will provide the historical analysis of the guthi system and contextualize the information provided in the findings. The research findings will consist of the three case studies of the three distinct guthi: the raj guthi of Pashupatinath Temple, the Seto and Rato Matsyendranath, and a funeral guthi. The analysis will combine the historical analysis and case studies to answer the research questions of this study. This research concludes that the guthi system has been modified due to a changing Nepali society and that its traditional role in cultural heritage maintenance is threatened
Improving Thorium-230 Determination in Marine Sediment
Get PDFOur oceans are intimately related to the climate of our planet. Paleoceanographic approaches aim to study oceans through geologic time to improve models of future climate. Radioisotopes provide us with chemical tracers that help us understand change through time. The uraniumseries decay chain contains thorium-230, a decay product of uranium-234. This isotope is useful to paleoceanographers in its disequilibrium to its parent isotope and in determining the flux of sediment falling to the ocean floor. In order to use 230Th to study oceans, we must be able to accurately measure the amount of thorium in sediment samples. Thorium is found in part per billion levels in marine sediment, but recent advances in analytical instrumentation, particularly ICP-MS has allowed paleoceanographers to measure the element.
Thorium measurement techniques are constantly improving. This study set forth to optimize procedures for thorium and uranium yield recoveries. By slightly amending the conventional extraction procedure by adding different combinations of extra steps, this experiment set out to determine the method that would provide maximum yield for the isotopes of interest. We did not find that any of our alternate methods resulted in higher yields. We believe that the effect of the sediment matrix is the principle driver of low recovery but this hypothesis requires further experimentation. This work sets the basis for future studies into improving thorium and uranium recovery, critical for paleoceanographic work