8411 research outputs found
Sort by
How did cross-cultural dynamics impact decision-making during the revision, endorsement, and implementation of the United Nation’s International Search and Rescue Guidelines? And how was cross-cultural bias overcome?
Get PDFThe International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) Guidelines are an internationally accepted document that provides guidance to countries affected by sudden-onset disasters causing large-scale structural collapse, as well as international Urban Search and Rescue teams responding in the affected countries. This structure provides a process for preparedness, cooperation and coordination of the national and international participants. The purpose of my research is to examine how cross-cultural dynamics impacted decision-making during the revision, endorsement, and implementation of the United Nation’s International Search and Rescue Guidelines and how cultural bias was overcome. I spent six months working directly with INSARAG helping with the revision and editing of the guidelines and I interviewed two members of the INSARAG Secretariat. My analysis (formed in conjunction with personal observation and theories from Anne Rød and Fredholm and Göransson) show that while there is variance in cross-cultural dynamics, it can be mitigated by a process of trust building and by creating a culture within a group that is accepting of cultural differences. The newly revised guidelines were endorsed at the INSARAG Steering Group meeting in February 2015 and implemented into the field. They were then used in April 2015 during the earthquake response in Nepal
Diversity Training Workshop Series: How to Learn and Interact within a Diverse Community
Get PDFThis capstone focuses on a diversity initiative designed for higher education institutions in the United States and it targets students of all levels and degrees. The theme selected for this capstone is: “Diversity Training Workshop Series: How to Learn and Interact within a Diverse Community” and it will be a co-curricular program that follows the interests promoted by Affirmative Action. Due to the wide range of intersectionalities and the abstract definition of Diversity, in this paper, diversity is defined solely as the “composition of the student body”.
The trainings outline the needs for students to recognize and acknowledge non-visible identity characteristics and the contextual factors that shapes it that includes but it is not limited to: ethnicity and race, age, learning ability, social class, cultural heritage, military status, athlete status, student with children, sexual orientation, inmate and others. The goal of this capstone is to foster understanding, social interaction, and integration while promoting inclusiveness and active collaboration among the student community.
Online research, inquiries, and literature review concentrate on identity groups and their social interactions, the pros and cons of transmitting specific values and information for a single identity group, and the social identity development of the student throughout emerging adulthood. This three part workshop series is designed for an interactive self-identity exploration including social class, class culture, and advocacy along with inter-group assignments for integration and collaboration. The program planning and the curriculum is based on Social Identity Theories and interactive training methodology by David Kolb (1984) and Paulo Freire (1998)
Motives and Methods of Social Mobilization in Rural Senegal
Get PDFSenegal, a predominantly Muslim West African country, has demonstrated political stability, sustained a constitutional democracy, and maintained a pluralistic society since independence in 1960. Amidst this, there are several small groups of social organizers who are engaging in effective social change. Tostan, a regional INGO focusing on community empowerment through nonformal education, has been working in Senegal for more than 25 years and has reached more than three million people in West Africa. After completing Tostan’s Community Empowerment Program (CEP), the social organizers have decided to travel from village to village educating and sensitizing others on what they have learned. Outside of West Africa, the rich experience of social mobilization and community organization in Senegal is hardly known among academics and social movement theorists.
This research explores how and why Tostan’s Social Mobilization Agents (SMA) do their work in rural Senegal. Using a grounded theory approach rooted in feminist epistemology, I participated in field observations and conducted several in-depth interviews with six SMAs, two men and four women. By creating individual portraits of their lives, we see them as whole persons made up of unique experiences. After having a close up look at their lives, we take a step back to look at the larger picture and see several reoccurring themes. From this research, academics, practitioners, and a larger global audience will better understand the motives and methods of social mobilizers in rural Senegal today. With these findings, one can continue the quest for more knowledge and/or attempt to replicate the methods of social mobilization elsewhere
Economy and Decision: How Economic Factors Influence the Journeys and Destinations of Trans-Saharan Migrants in Oujda, Morocco
Get PDFThis paper discusses how economic factors impact the journeys and destinations of irregular trans-Saharan migrants who enter Morocco through Oujda. Though many may choose either to return home or settle in Morocco and eventually receive status, migration policies continue to view virtually all immigration into Morocco through the lens of transit migration—it assumes that all migrants in Morocco are en route to Europe. The reality, however, is that the majority of trans-Saharan immigrants into Morocco will never have the means to reach Europe. Thus, this paper aims to fill the gaps in our understanding of immigration to Morocco—not simply as a stage on the journey to Europe, but as an experience being lived by individual migrants. Migrants who enter Morocco are faced with difficult decisions regarding where to go next. Through conducting eight unstructured and semi-structured interviews, both with migrants from three distinct social groups, and with the organizations, individuals, and associations that work with these migrants, I have discovered that the journeys and aspirations of individual migrants are largely impacted by economic factors, such as migrant access to money, or the ability to find a job. As a result, the experiences of Arab refugees from the Middle East, Francophone immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa, and Anglophone Immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa differ greatly. These differences, which affect socio-economic status in Morocco, are the main factors that help migrants determine their trajectories and final destinations. All in all, this study serves as a reminder that migration experiences in Morocco are complicated by outside factors, which are not accounted for in the overly simplified statistics and depictions of migration routes. Rather, understanding key issues, such as the affects of migration policies, predicting the routes of migrants, and building infrastructure to aid migrants in Morocco, is tantamount to understanding the experiences of individuals based on a more nuanced grasp of their experiences with socio-economic status
Got Inclusion? How Inclusive is your Organization? Assessing Inclusion through the iCAT: Inclusion Capacity Assessment Tool for Organizational Capacity
Get PDFInclusion is a popular buzzword in development, but how can organizations evaluate and learn from their internal practices to better meet the needs of a more diverse population? In order for organizations to assess their strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for growth, organizational development and capacity tools, if conducted in a participatory way, are essential for revealing this information through the process of evaluation and learning. In this course-linked Capstone, social inclusion and capacity assessments are thematic focuses. The paper will begin by briefly tracing the origins and context of social inclusion and then establish the definitions, reasoning and practice behind organizational assessment tools. Proposing a new organizational development tool, the iCAT (Inclusion Capacity Assessment Tool), the paper will highlight the creation of this tool, the approach and design, capacity areas, and unique considerations for using capacity assessment tools. Finally, reflecting on the learning process and transformation of an idea into a product, this paper suggests opportunities for the evolution of the iCAT and its relevance in today\u27s sustainable development field
Wildlife Underpasses: Frequency of use by neotropic mammals in Parque Natural Metropolitano, Panamá City, Panamá
Get PDFIn a world of ever increasing globalization and urbanization, roads present wildlife with a number of challenges. They fragment habitats, disrupt animal movements, impact reproductive success and the fitness of individuals and populations, alter population dynamics, and cause unnatural levels of mortality. Fortunately, the numerous detrimental effects of roads can be alleviated by the proper implementation of mitigation structures, such as underpasses, sky bridges and vegetated overpasses. These mitigation structures are an important source of genetic connectivity, especially in a peri-urban reserve setting. This study seeks to understand what species of mammal utilize the wildlife underpasses below Via La Amistad, a road that divides Parque Natural Metropolitano from Camino de Cruces, and how frequently they do so. Mud traps were implemented within the tunnels and at two control locations. A species composition list was created, along with frequency and relative abundance index values for species by site, overall species, and overall sites. Seven species of mammals were detected at the study sites, six of which were present at the tunnel sites. Number of individuals observed per day at the study locations showed a significant difference between the sites. Relative abundance index values and frequency calculations did not yield significant results. D. punctata (Central American Agouti) and D. marsupialis (Common Opossum) had the two highest relative abundance and frequency values at the tunnel sites, while P. semispinosus (Tomes’ Spiny Rat) and D. novemcinctus (Nine-banded Armadillo) were equally present at the controls. The baseline results of this study imply that wildlife underpasses have some success at providing genetic connectivity between fragmented habitats. Additional studies should be conducted to further expand upon and confirm the results from this study. If more extensive road ecology research is conducted and road mitigation structures are implemented, both around Parque Natural Metropolitano and in the Neotropics, the negative impacts of roads on wildlife can be decreased
Chemical and Physical Characteristics of Rivers Above and Below Four Hydroelectric Power Facilities in the Chiriquí Viejo and Chico Watersheds of Chiriquí, Panama
Get PDFThe advance of anthropogenic climate change and human energy use has sparked unprecedented international interest and investment in fossil fuel free energy sources such as hydroelectric power. Extensive construction of hydroelectric power facilities has occurred in Panama in recent years, particularly in the westernmost Chiriquí province. Hydroelectric power, especially that generated by relatively small facilities, is generally thought to be a “clean” alternative energy source with few negative environmental consequences. Some evidence suggests, however, that even small facilities can have significant ecological impacts on rivers. This study investigated river properties above and below four small hydroelectric facilities on the Chiriquí Viejo, Piedra, Macho Monte, and Piedra/Chico Rivers in Chiriquí, Panama, as well as at 4 sites along the 50 km stretch of the Chiriquí Viejo below one of these facilities. Significant changes in water temperature, pH, concentration of dissolved oxygen, and conductivity were found between sites above and below the Paso Ancho Facility water release on the Chiriquí Viejo River, and significant changes in water temperature and concentration of dissolved oxygen were found above and below the Pedregalito Facility water intake point on the Piedra/Chico River (p\u3c0.05). Decreases in water discharge were found below 3 of the 4 hydroelectric facilities studied, with the most extreme example being a 94.99% reduction in water discharge below the Paso Ancho facility’s water intake. All of the changes found downstream of the facilities studied can potentially have ecological consequences on these rivers, and this study thus raises concerns regarding the environmental sustainability of continued hydroelectric development in Chiriquí. Abstracto El avance de cambio climático y el uso humano de energía ha desatado interés e inversión internacional sin precedentes en fuentes de energía sin combustible fósil como la energía hidroeléctrica. Construcción extensiva de plantas hidroeléctricas ha ocurrido recientemente en Panamá, particularmente en la provincia de Chiriquí. Energía hidroeléctrica, especialmente esa generada por plantas pequeñas, es generalmente considerada como una fuente de energía renovable ambiental con relativamente pocas consecuencias ambientales negativas. Sin embargo, alguna evidencia sugiere que hasta plantas pequeñas pueden tener consecuencias ecológicas significativas en ríos. Este estudio investigó propiedades de ríos antes y después de cuatro plantas hidroeléctricas pequeñas en los Ríos Chiriquí Viejo, Piedra, Macho Monte, y Piedra/Chico en Chiriquí, Panamá, además de en cuatro sitios en el 50 km tramo del Río Chiriquí Viejo después de uno de estas plantas. Cambios significativos en temperatura, pH, concentración de oxígeno disuelto, y conductividad fueron encontrados entre sitios antes y después de la liberación de agua de la Planta Paso Ancho en el Río Chiriquí Viejo, y cambios significativos en temperatura y concentración de oxígeno disuelto fueron encontrados antes y después de la Pedregalito toma de agua en el Río Chiriquí Viejo (p\u3c0.05). Reducciones en la descarga de agua fueron encontrados después de 3 de las 4 plantas estudiadas, con el ejemplo más extremo una reducción de 94.99% en la descarga de agua después de la toma de agua de Paso Ancho. Todo los cambios encontrados después de las plantas estudiadas pueden tener consecuencias ecológicas en estos ríos, y esta investigación por consiguiente ocasiona preocupaciones sobre la sostenibilidad ambiental de la continuación del desarrollo hidroeléctrico en Chiriquí
A Dollar a Day: Child Sponsorship and the Marketization of Human Development
Get PDFChild sponsorship as a method of international development offers child sponsors a personal connection to the process of alleviating poverty in the global South. As a form of human development, child sponsorship is constituted by neoliberal principles of marketization and social entrepreneurship. How does child sponsorship, in this context, require us to rethink the ethics of international development in light of ongoing debates about neoliberalism? In this research, I argue that child sponsorship reifies the binary of the “developed” and “undeveloped” worlds. Through undertaking a content analysis of three organizations (Compassion International, World Vision, and UNICEF) and applying post-structural critique to their marketing materials, clear distinctions can be made between multilateral approaches to human development and the strategies employed by non-profit child sponsorship agencies. A noticeable divergence can be found in the presence of a co-development framework in UNICEF programs which coincides with emerging critiques of conventional notions of humanitarian ethics and may complement potential alternatives to these established norms
The Influence of Social Media in Egypt during The Arab Spring
Get PDFIn the past 10 years social media has become a way of communicating, following the news, posting pictures, and marketing for brands. The platforms including Facebook and Twitter continue to grow, making them an ideal way of communication all across the world. It has been argued that what happened in the Arab Spring in 2010 was shaped and influenced by more people having access to the internet, and therefore having signed up for social media sights. The act of one man sent a region swirling into turmoil, political overthrow, and in some cases, such as Egypt, creating a revolution.
In this paper I researched the influence that social media had in Egypt during the Arab Spring. I examined the events that led to the Arab Spring and how they were shaped by social media as well as the Egyptian Revolution, that some claim to be a Facebook Revolution.
The research was conducted based on an online Facebook survey. I found that though social media was used to schedule protests and demonstration, the primary was creating awareness for people outside the country
The Refugee Mentoring Network: Program Design
No full textThis Capstone provides an overview of the American Refugee Resettlement process and its shortcomings. The United States resettles thousands of refugees annually. During this resettlement process refugees participate in a number of resettlement services offered through the Department of State. These services are offered with the goal of assisting the refugee population with assimilation into American society. Refugees at times struggle to assimilate and develop in English language learning. This paper outlines a program designed to alleviate these struggles through a refugee mentoring program with a focus on English language acquisition. The Refugee Mentoring network will be an experiential learning relationship where American citizens who were formally resettled refugees will mentor newly resettled refugees currently going through the resettlement process. This program is designed for Bridge Refugee, a refugee resettlement nonprofit based in Knoxville, Tennessee