Members Of Marginalized Communities Research Articles

Addressing health inequities through social inclusion: The role of community organizations

Health inequities between groups result from the unequal distribution of economic and social resources, including power and prestige. Social processes where unequal power relationships exist lead to the social exclusion of individuals or groups. Social inclusion strategies are well suited to contribute to addressing health inequities. Community organizations can enhance marginalized community members’ inclusion in decision-making structures that affect their lives. In this paper, we discuss the role of community organizations in contributing to action on health inequities through social inclusion. We consider the social determinants of health and of inequities. We provide an overview of the impact of social exclusion on health inequities and on community capacity to address them. We explore the theoretical basis of addressing health inequities through social inclusion, both in collective action and in research strategies. We link theory to practice with examples from our experiences and describe the challenges of involving members of vulnerable populations. We conclude by offering suggestions as to how community organizations can foster social inclusion and some directions for future research.

Time banking service exchange systems: A review of the research and policy and practice implications in support of youth in transition

article i nfo Youth and families in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems reside in high poverty communities and often have multiple, interlocking needs that require community support long after youth age out of care or are free from mandated service requirements. Time banking is a unique transaction based system for mutual aid and assistance that fosters economic opportunities, social inclusion, community self-help and enhances civic engagement among often marginalized community members. This article reviews the literature on time banking service exchange systems and its impact on youth in transition. This research reveals the poten- tial of youth participation in time banking service exchanges as assisting in engagement and active participa- tion in services as well as in helping youth achieve the developmental assets they need to be successful upon discharge from formal systems. Policy and practice recommendations for incorporating time banking to help vulnerable youth are also included.

May the Circle Be Unbroken

This study was conducted by university and Aboriginal coresearchers in Canada, utilizing a participatory action research (PAR) approach akin to a decolonizing methodology. The purpose was to empower nine Aboriginal coresearchers to share their recommendations for meaningful research practice, grounded in their cultural perspectives and lived experiences. Data were collected through conversational interviews. The overarching intent was to (a) challenge the Eurocentric research paradigms that are prevalent within the sport sciences by bringing forward Indigenous voices; and (b) delineate applied strategies for research aimed at social transformation within other marginalized communities. The project provides one example of how participatory action research can be put into action so that positive relations may be restored between academics and marginalized community members and social justice may be achieved.

Towards Customary Legal Empowerment

This paper discusses the new donor engagement with customary legal systems and their attempts to overcome a number of negative aspects of such systems so that they function better for marginalized groups in the communities they govern, safeguard human rights, and become more suited to modern day economic structures. Donors display two general approaches for facilitating improvements in customary justice systems: institutional approaches, stimulating linkages between customary and state justice systems, and community-based activities directed at citizens governed by customary justice systems. Institutional approaches struggle to find a careful balance between retaining the informal character, local accessibility and legitimacy of the customary justice system, while at the same time making sufficient change to reform its operation. Community-based activities are less prone to upset this balance as they are unlikely to fundamentally alter the set-up of the customary justice system. Instead, they change its functioning by involving state norms and institutions or by inducing change from within the customary system itself. The distribution of power plays a vital role in improving the functioning of customary justice in both approaches. Bottom-up legal development approaches stress the importance of dealing with the fact that law and power are intrinsically linked, expressing this most clearly through the concept of ‘legal empowerment’. Addressing problems in customary justice systems requires a particular kind of legal empowerment - ‘Customary Legal Empowerment’ - defined as processes that (1) enhance the operation of customary justice systems by improving the representation and participation of marginalized community members and integrating safeguards aimed at protecting the rights and security of marginalized community members and/or (2) improve the ability of marginalized community members to make use of customary justice systems to uphold their rights and obtain outcomes that are fair and equitable.