Outreach Practices Research Articles

Current Outreach Practices at Foreign Mission Libraries and Information Centers in Delhi: A Study

Current Outreach Practices at Foreign Mission Libraries and Information Centers in Delhi: A Study

Tatemae and honne: Interpreting the theory versus practice of international student development and outreach.

Tatemae and honne: Interpreting the theory versus practice of international student development and outreach.

Outreach social work: from managing access to practices of accessibility

ABSTRACTA recurring feature of outreach work is that outreach tries to reach people who are left without care and not effectively reached by existing services. In this article, we discuss the importance of outreach practices in the context of changes in society. We suggest that the pressure on the managing of access to social services is increasing along with the demand to avoid an unnecessary inflow, and make a distinction between a residual and structural approach to social work and social service delivery. In a residual approach, outreach social work can be seen as a strategy to manage access or as a strategy to link clients with appropriate services. In this sense, they ensure that people meet predefined criteria of social services. From a structural approach, however, the focus lies on how practices possibly contribute to the realization of human dignity in social interactions and might lead to a socio-political analysis of those situations in which social work intervenes. On a conceptual level, outreach practices thus appear as practices of accessibility. From this perspective, existing problem constructions and dynamics of inclusion and exclusion in social services but also more broadly in society might be questioned and ultimately changed.

One Size Does Not Fit All: Effective Community-Engaged Outreach Practices with Immigrant Communities

Generic outreach approaches are commonly used to target as many individuals as possible in a cultural community to achieve a greater response rate. However, this one-size-fits-all tactic is rarely effective. Community-engaged outreach practices have been successful with immigrant communities in Minnesota's Twin Cities. When practitioners, clinicians, and scholars engage in these practices, they not only build trusting relationships with cultural communities over time but also achieve mutual benefit, reciprocity, and the leveraging of institutional resources.

Subsidies to target specialist outreach services into more remote locations: a national cross-sectional study.

Objective Targeting rural outreach services to areas of highest relative need is challenging because of the higher costs it imposes on health workers to travel longer distances. This paper studied whether subsidies have the potential to support the provision of specialist outreach services into more remote locations. Methods National data about subsidies for medical specialist outreach providers as part of the Wave 7 Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) Survey in 2014. Results Nearly half received subsidies: 19% (n=110) from a formal policy, namely the Australian Government Rural Health Outreach Fund (RHOF), and 27% (n=154) from other sources. Subsidised specialists travelled for longer and visited more remote locations relative to the non-subsidised group. In addition, compared with non-subsidised specialists, RHOF-subsidised specialists worked in priority areas and provided equally regular services they intended to continue, despite visiting more remote locations. Conclusion This suggests the RHOF, although limited to one in five specialist outreach providers, is important to increase targeted and stable outreach services in areas of highest relative need. Other subsidies also play a role in facilitating remote service distribution, but may need to be more structured to promote regular, sustained outreach practice. What is known about this topic? There are no studies describing subsidies for specialist doctors to undertake rural outreach work and whether subsidies, including formal and structured subsidies via the Australian Government RHOF, support targeted outreach services compared with no financial support. What does this paper add? Using national data from Australia, we describe subsidisation among specialist outreach providers and show that specialists subsidised via the RHOF or another source are more likely to provide remote outreach services. What are the implications for practitioners? Subsidised specialist outreach providers are more likely to provide remote outreach services. The RHOF, as a formally structured comprehensive subsidy, further targets the provision of priority services into such locations on a regular, ongoing basis.

Best Practices for Outreach and Engagement to Latino Audiences Using Community-Based Programs

The Latino community continues to grow at an increasing rate. Latinos have become the “majority-minority,” and by 2043, minorities will be the majority in the United States with Latinos as the largest ethnic minority group. The lack of targeted programming to ethnically diverse audiences is a growing concern for many organizations. This article describes research-based strategies and best practices for providing culturally appropriate Extension programs to the Latino community through community-based programs. This is illustrated through examples incorporated into three community-based programs offered in Southwest Idaho, Southeast Oregon, and Southwest Washington. The objective is to discuss the value of each key component when providing services to the Latino community; describe what the research indicates; and offer practical applications for educators, staff, and other professionals to expand outreach and engagement efforts to the Latino population. Implications for professionals working with the Latino community are discussed.

World Fitness: US Army Family Humanism and the Positive Science of Persistent War

This article theorizes ongoing US-led global warfare as a “positive science” based in communal, familial, and humanistic values manifest in outreach practices conducted by the US Army. Analyzing the history of recruitment and recently developed resilience training and civil-military recreational programs, the article explores new concepts of humanism and global order being produced and disseminated as a praxis of persistent war.

Student veterans and the academic library

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate whether student veterans have specific library-related needs and how librarians can best meet them. Design/methodology/approach – Researchers developed a survey which was administered both online and in paper copies. The survey results indicated need for further investigation; six face-to-face interviews with volunteers were conducted. Findings – Principle findings were that while student veterans do resemble nontraditional students in their needs and characteristics, important distinctions from that population could be noted. In addition, dedicated student veteran centers and/or offices provide librarians with the best possible means of communications with this particular population. Research limitations/implications – This case study demonstrates that individual institutions are well-served to investigate the specific characteristics of their own student veteran population. Librarians can utilize outreach to student veterans through their institution’s veteran center (if available), and may wish to employ the specific outreach practices detailed in the study. Originality/value – Virtually no other qualitative or quantitative research regarding the specific needs and characteristics of this academic population exists in the literature of the library sciences, and the academic literature that does address the population, coming from the student services arena, does not include mention of academic libraries.

Articulating an Indian diaspora in South Africa: The Consulate General of India, diaspora associations and practices of collaboration

Engagements between sending states and their diasporas have come under increasing critical scrutiny. Whilst political geographers have driven critical analysis of national level policies, debates have largely overlooked the broader range of actors, transactions and practices involved in implementing national policies in a geohistorically diverse array of diasporic contexts and settings. Over the last decade, the Indian government has invested significant resources in overseas diplomatic missions, consulates and high commissions to administer its diaspora outreach strategies. This paper examines the role of the Consulate General of India (CGI) in Durban, South Africa, focusing in particular on the networks of agents, associations, groups and political actors involved in collaborating with the CGI Durban in diaspora outreach practices. This paper draws on two periods of fieldwork in Durban between 2004 and 2005 and was supplemented by ongoing visual and textual analysis of news articles, promotional material, reports and websites. Using the concept of articulation, the paper highlights the discursive and performative practices involved in bringing together the agendas of the GOI with those of South African Indian diaspora associations through the outreach practices of the CGI in Durban. It argues that articulatory practices are essential to resolving some of the subjective and embodied dilemmas and contestations of belonging inherent in South African Indians’ participation in diaspora outreach initiatives. Investigating how articulation contributes to drawing diverse and even competing agendas together makes room for further understanding the ways in which diaspora outreach practices can travel across a wide network, and the diverse agencies that can become catalysed in the process.

Multicultural Museum Education in and beyond Exhibit: Local and Transnational Synergies from Canada’s Oldest Chinatown

In 2013, as part of ‘A Chinatown Celebration,’ a month-long festival celebrating Canada’s oldest Chinatown, the Royal BC Museum (RBCM) mounted a temporary exhibition Tradition in Felicities: Celebrating 155 Years of Victoria’s Chinatown TiF) (Figure 1). The exhibit also celebrated the Chinese Freemasons’ 150 anniversary in Canada. TiF featured a unique centerpiece: a handcrafted lantern created in the 1930s by Victoria’s Chinese Freemasons, one of the oldest Chinese organizations in Canada (Figure 2). It is the oldest-known such lantern in North America and Southeast Asia. ‘Objects,’ as scholars of material culture point out, ‘help [people] to know, understand, and situate [them]selves within the world, both externally and internally’(Clouse 2008: 6). The connections of objects to lived experiences render them historically and culturally meaningful. In tracing the history of the lantern, we consulted both members of the Chinese Freemasons, including elder Jon Joe who helped to identify the names listed on the lantern, and Chinatown’s former residents and descendants, in accordance with the RBCM’s practice of multicultural community outreach and participation.

Parents' experiences of teacher outreach in the early years of schooling

Parent involvement in family–school partnerships is widely acknowledged as supporting children's schooling outcomes. This involvement, however, reduces as children move through the school grades, and can be lower in families from disadvantaged backgrounds. Teacher facilitation of parent involvement, or teacher outreach, is strongly linked to the establishment and maintenance of parental involvement in these partnerships. An understanding of teacher outreach is therefore necessary to inform the development of effective outreach practice in schools. Drawing on longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample, this research investigated parents' experiences of teacher outreach in the early years of formal schooling. Overall, perceived teacher outreach declined between Year 1 and Year 3. Families from low socio-economic backgrounds reported similar experiences of teacher outreach as families from other backgrounds. Families from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds experienced lower levels of teacher outreach in both Year 1 and Year 3, and a greater reduction than other families between these years. Families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds experienced lower levels of outreach in Year 1, but a similar level to parents from other backgrounds in Year 3. The implications of these findings for family–school partnership practice, professional learning and further research are considered.

Developing Key Skills as a Science Communicator: Case Studies of Two Scientist-Led Outreach Programmes

Outreach by scientific researchers in school classrooms often results in widespread benefit for learners, classroom teachers and researchers. This paper presents a consideration of these benefits using two case studies in the Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES). In each case, different school classroom-based activities were designed by scientists, but were improved by input from educational professionals, which helped to maximize the mutual learning experiences and to ensure the quality of the content and its delivery. Each case study suggests an improvement in scientist’s working knowledge of best practices for classroom-based outreach activities, which can translate to improved practices for University-level teaching, among other tangible career-relevant benefits. Despite these benefits, these projects highlight the well-established need for improved training for researchers in effective outreach practices, increased value on programme evaluation, and the growing need for meaningful professional recognition for researchers involved in these important, and ever-growing, outreach activities.

Mental Health Outreach Practice in Japan and Health Sociology

Mental Health Outreach Practice in Japan and Health Sociology

Usage of E-resources: Virtual Value of Demographics

The focus of this study was to identify: 1) usage of library e-resources by faculty and staff affiliation and status to identify research and teaching needs; 2) usage of library e-resources by student major, status, gender, registered disability and registered veteran to establish best outreach practices and areas that need service improvement and collection development in support of student learning; and 3) the correlation between use of library e-resources and student attainment as defined by grade point average (GPA). Demographic data was collected for these users based on their university NetID logins. The findings in this study conclusively document that students and faculty use library e-resources to a statistically significant extent and that a statistical relationship exists between student GPA and their use of e-resources. This information confirms the value of library resources to institutional teaching and research needs and can be used to document library value to the institutional mission.

Advocates Urge More Cooperation Among MH Organizations

Back to table of contents Previous article Professional NewsFull AccessAdvocates Urge More Cooperation Among MH OrganizationsVabren WattsVabren WattsSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:14 Apr 2014https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2014.4b7AbstractMultiple benefits accrue to patients with psychiatric disorders when the many organizations in the mental health field pool their advocacy efforts to improve care and insurance coverage.The African proverb “it takes a village to raise a child” may apply in the context of treating people with mental illness. Debbie Plotnick, M.S.S., M.L.S.P., discussed the importance of caring for those with mental illness outside of mental health care facilities.On February 28, Debbie Plotnick, M.S.S, M.L.S.P., senior director of state policy at the advocacy organization Mental Health America, spoke at the 2014 Intensive Winter Institute sponsored by the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the APA Minority Fellowship Program to discuss the importance of caring for those with mental illness in the community and collaboration among mental health care organizations.Mental health professionals are often located in the facilities in which people are being treated for their mental illness, Plotnick said, but “we should often go into the community to ensure that there are resources available concerning mental illness, so that people will know how to obtain help if they or a loved one is struggling with mental illness.”Plotnick emphasized that the community-based outreach concept can also be applied to help individuals recover from mental illness. “As we explore what we need [to improve] quality, we should consider more than clinical quality,” Plotnick said, explaining that mental health facilities often see patients when they are seriously ill and do not see those patients when they are well. “We need to know how they are doing . . . whether they’re back to a fulfilling life with a safe place to live and with meaningful work.”In an interview with Psychiatric News, Plotnick said that she has had personal experiences with the integration of mental health treatment and community outreach practices. “My daughter struggled with serious mental illness as an adolescent, and she was able to find community resources to keep her in school and help her take control of her illness. She is now a successful young woman who is a nurse.”In light of the multiple recent changes reshaping the health care system, Plotnick emphasized that it is especially important to advocate for both public and private insurance plans that will guarantee coverage of prevention efforts, peer-counseling services, and wellness programs, in addition to community inclusion services—that is, intervention services that guide those with psychiatric disabilities back into society to live a functional life. Plotnick said that this goal will be achieved only through a collaborative advocacy effort from all mental health organizations. She added that by making the needs of patients the primary focus of interdisciplinary meetings by organizations in the mental health field, mental health professionals will become more effective—benefitting patients in all stages of treatment and recovery.Annelle Primm, M.D., said that, “When mental health care organizations work collaboratively, it can only mean great things for the field of mental health.”Annelle Primm, M.D., M.P.H., APA deputy medical director and director of the Division of Diversity and Health Equity, agreed. “I think it is important for mental health care professionals to learn about the great benefits of team-based care, particularly in the context of the Affordable Care Act, which values interdisciplinary work,” she said.Primm noted that this is the first year that that APA and the ANA have co-sponsored the Intensive Winter Institute—usually it is hosted solely by the ANA. “Hopefully, there will be some sustained contact and opportunity for research and joint policy work,” said Primm. “When mental health care organizations work collaboratively, it can only mean great things for the field of mental health and for mental health care delivery. People are now equipped with the knowledge that they need to be on top of cutting-edge issues in today’s changing health care environment.” ■ ISSUES NewArchived

Welfare accessibility for elderly Zainichi Koreans : Outreach practice by a Community General Support Center to students at night school

Welfare accessibility for elderly Zainichi Koreans : Outreach practice by a Community General Support Center to students at night school

Outreach surgical consulting services in North East Victoria

There is a paucity of data regarding the provision of consultative outreach specialist surgical services to rural areas. This paper aims to describe a model of outreach consultative practice to deliver specialist surgical services to rural communities. Analysis of prospectively collected data for consultations in a three month period for two surgeons based in Wangaratta. Two surgeons in regional Victoria based in Wangaratta, North East Victoria, conducting outreach consultations to Beechworth, Benalla, Bright and Mansfield. All patients seen in consultations over a 3-month period. Patient workload, casemix of presenting complaint, consultation outcome including plan for surgical procedure. Outreach surgical consulting was associated with a higher proportion of new consultations, and there was trend towards being more likely to result in a surgical procedure than consultations in the base rural centre. Outreach surgical consulting provides surgeons with a larger referral base and provides communities with better access to local specialists. Outreach practice should be encouraged for surgeons in regional centres.

Outreach approaches in the private domain: an international study

The aim of this article is to present the results of an international study on outreach approaches in the private domain in social work with a focus on moral dilemmas. The reason to start the study was to investigate if a trend in Dutch social work toward outreach approaches can be recognized in other European countries and what can be learned from other outreach practices. First, a definition of outreach approaches in the private domain was discussed. Next, data were collected by interviews with social workers in four different countries, executed by social work students and researchers. Although no evidence was found that outreach approaches in other countries than the Netherlands are increasing, many similarities were found in social workers' interpretation of their outreach work. All the interviewees emphasized that outreach approaches are intended for excluded people who are at risk or a risk and who are not in contact with social services. All workers stress the importance of gaining trust and staying in touch. A dilemma is that workers often find themselves between two fires. They tend to give priority to the relation with the client and accept that this can contradict rules of organizations or society.

Mind the gap: academic library outreach and EOP

PurposeThis article aims to describe the many ways academic library outreach practices are evolving through online formats. It underscores the implications of moving communications and resources online for educational opportunity program (EOP) students when considering these students' specific technology usage patterns and the need for face‐to‐face mentoring. The article seeks to make recommendations for libraries that intend to develop successful programming and interactions with transitional students online; and to bring to light the need for future research concerning the creation and usage of online educational support structures that specifically serve the EOP community.Design/methodology/approachA literature review discusses technology and academic library outreach programming as well as the historic and current digital divide and learning styles of EOP transitional students. Recommendations are made for how to best meet EOP student needs online to support the traditional in‐person programming in which these students succeed.FindingsIdentifying successful learning structures and potential technology usage patterns of EOP students provided the foundation for this article. Developing library outreach and programming within the online platforms EOP students access and utilize is necessary to support continued face‐to‐face interactions in an academic setting. More research is necessary in order to support transitional students in a digital format.Originality/valueThis article describes digital outreach efforts targeting non‐campus and campus communities, in particular within EOP transitional programming. It inquires about how to best meet transitional students in a digital format when they have historically succeeded in face‐to‐face educational interactions and settings.

Divulgación de información sostenible: ¿se adapta a las expectativas de la sociedad?

The aim of this paper is to analyze the consistency between the values of society, identified by the cultural dimensions proposed by Hofstede, and outreach practices in corporate social responsibility that municipalities show on their websites. The analysis is motivated because in recent years there has been a significant growth of public interest in relation to the transparency of public bodies in sustainability.To achieve this objective, in this paper a content analysis of 25municipalities websites Brazilian, Colombian, Mexican, Portuguese and Spanish. The application of various statistical and graphical techniques has allowed us to analyze the relationship between the information practices of these government and the expectations of society.The results showed that there are several differences between countries in thematic preferences disclosures, all of the justified by the society cultural values relating to collectivism, feminity, tolerance and equity.