Participation In Social Life Research Articles

Youth Policy in the Context of Smart Socialization

Youth policy can be defined as the entirety of systems and measures, aspiring for the most favourable terms for personal maturity of a young person and successful integration into society. The main principle and main tool for reaching goals in the field of youth policy is youth work. Youth work covers a broad scope of activities of a social, cultural, educational or political nature by, with, and for young people. Increasingly, such activities also include sport and services for young people. Youth work is based on non-formal and informal learning processes, and has a unique role as a provider of non-formal learning opportunities to all young people. Youth worker is a very important figure in youth work (youth worker in Lithuania is seen as a specialist who implements public policy rather than a representative of a certain profession). Youth worker is an adult who works with young people in their leisure time and encourages their personal and social development through work with individuals, groups or communities. Lithuania has developed a good institutional model of youth policy that creates space and good conditions for the formation of youth social competencies and successful integration into active public life as well as integration or reintegration into the educational system or the labor market. Youth work is well-developed too, but some challenges are still on the road. The proper infrastructure (open youth centers and spaces) has been developed and youth work is carried out by employees with the appropriate expertise. But at the same time it is identified that still not all Lithuanian regions have established youth centers and open spaces that can provide young people with quality education and self-expression. None of Lithuanian higher education institutions prepare youth workers; this fact is deepening the future problem that there will be no suitable professionals capable of providing those services. Municipalities are suggested to actively establish youth centers and open spaces in the missing areas. It is considered as an example that social workers, social pedagogues could be retrained to youth workers qualifications, thereby increasing their competencies and developing the ability to provide quality services to youth centers and open spaces. At the state level, it is necessary to ensure the dissemination of the youth work outcomes in order to form a positive image of the youth work system and show the results of what is accomplished through the youth work as a tool in the context of other policies, e.g. social policy and employment policy. Based on the analysis of young people involvement in youth programs and activities as well as monitoring the unemployment development trends and forecasts of young people (under 25 years), it is presumed that an active youth participation in social life, like youth work and youth organizations, has a positive influence on more successful integration of young people into the labor market. Keywords: youth policy, youth work, integration, social inclusion, smart socialization. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15823/su.2015.31

From Intermarriage to Conjugal Mixedness

Studies on intermarriage generally take for granted the better integration of migrants, who married outside their own group when settling into a host society. Intermarriage, however, is a more complicated process than that, however; calling it “conjugal mixedness” stresses its intersectional quality and takes marital norms, inequality between partners, and social disapproval into account. In this article, I give current trends in French statistics, showing how important it is to analyze separately men from women and migrants from immigrant descendants. Conjugal mixedness is also constructed in daily life within the family. Couples find ways to deal with their differences: some adjust to the majority or minority culture; others elaborate a “reciprocal intercultural exchange.” Integration is thus the result of participation in social life, but in modern multicultural societies, integration also produces different lifestyles.

Sharing human movement for well-being: Research on communication in infancy and applications in dance movement psychotherapy

This article outlines a theory of the social psychobiology of movement that recognises humans have a special, body-based talent for sharing in the imaginative creation of emotionally coloured life stories. Microanalysis of natural mother–infant play demonstrates an innate preparedness for whole-bodied, synchronous participation in social life. We discuss how an affective and relational sense of self develops before speech, how a young child’s motives regulate experience with rhythms of communicative musicality and how this inspires cultural learning. Trevarthen relates how vitality, from the deep integration of body and mind, grows through playful relationships into an imagination for acquired movements of language and the arts. We discuss how science that perceives infants as imaginative, motivated persons, eager to learn in affectionate attachments and in the inventive companionship of play has direct application in dance movement psychotherapy.

BARRIERS IN EDUCATION OF ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLCHILDREN IN THE USA

The urgen cy of the research is stipulated by the importance of the problem of education of alternative schoolchildren as having education by this category of citizens is one of the main and essential requirement of their successful socialization, comprehensive participation in social life, effective self-realization in different fields of professional and social life. The purpose of the research is to analyze modern conceptions of inclusive education in the USA to reveal valuable elements of foreign educational experience. The results of the research showed that the main problem fields of education of alternative schoolchildren in the USA include: complex terminology which is used concerning a child with alternative development, which is insufficient to characterize the educational status of a person; outside and individual barriers in education; the necessity of multicultural training of a future teacher; partnership of school and family. Practical implications of the results. The results of the research can serve as a guide for working out ways of including all the members of school staff and a child’s family in the process of education of alternative schoolchildren. The revealed requirements to the content of multicultural competence of a teacher can serve as the basis for evaluation of the activity and training of a modern teacher who works in a multicultural educational institution.

“It’s never too late to learn”–How does the Polish U3A change the quality of life for seniors?

ABSTRACTIn the face of the ageing of society, the concept of active ageing has become a key problem within European politics. (United Nations, 2002; European Commission, 2006). In recent years, the University of Third Age (U3A) movement has developed very quickly both within Poland and outside our country. In this article, we consider the educational activity of Polish seniors and the influence this has had on their quality of life in selected areas. A qualitative research study was conducted in May 2015 among U3A participants. A collective case study was undertaken (Stake, 2009) to capture the changes in the quality of life in different areas (adaptation to changes, participation in social life, obtaining and providing support, activity, and lifelong education). (Escuder Mollon & Gil, 2014) Despite the undeniably positive influence on the quality of life among seniors the U3A is still not accessible for the average senior because of their location, their material conditions, and their individual readiness to take part in such activities. In Poland there is also a very strong tradition of engaging seniors in the care of their grandchildren, and this in many cases makes it impossible for them to take part in any self-development or self-actualization programs.

Everyday Life in the Suburbs of Berlin: Consequences for the Social Participation of Aged Men and Women

Against the background of demographic change, mobility issues are becoming crucial. Especially for the elderly, daily outdoor activities are essential for participation in social life. This article addresses the question of what extent older people, especially women, are threatened by limited social participation in Berlin’s suburbia. The mobility of older women (70+) is characterized by the least number of trips, the shortest distances, and more than 50% walking trips. Besides, many older women are dissatisfied with their residential area. Given the lack of essential facilities, older women have to be considered as disadvantaged in terms of limited social participation.

‘Expression of Contempt’: Hegel’s Critique of Legal Freedom

In this paper, I argue for the existence of pathologies of juridicism. I attempt to show that the Western regime of right tends to colonize our intersubjective relations, resulting in the formation of affective and habitual dispositions that actually hinder participation in social life. Speaking of pathologies of juridicism is to claim that the legal form fundamentally contaminates the way in which we relate to ourselves, to others, and to the world, resulting in an ethically deformed, distorted or deficient form of (inter-) subjectivity. To support my thesis I consult a philosopher, whose work still provides a powerful analysis and critique of juridicism, namely, Hegel. Hegel provides an historic and a systematic theory of the pathologies of juridicism. His historical theory locates the origin of the abstract subjectivity of right in Roman antiquity. His systematic theory understands the negative effects of an absolutization of the legal domain as a persistent threat to social integration and an individual’s pursuit of the good life. I clarify these argumentative dimensions in two steps, beginning with Hegel’s historical analysis of right in his Lectures on the Philosophy of History. I then reconstruct Hegel’s critique of the subjectivity of right in the short chapter on the ‘Condition of Right’ in his Phenomenology of Spirit. In conclusion, I argue that, although Hegel’s diagnosis is correct, his prescribed therapy must fail: instead of radically altering abstract right in terms of content and form, it only recommends its complementation through other ethical spheres.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH IN TEXTILE DESIGN

Etymologically, ethnography comes from the Greek words ethnos (nation, people) and graphia (writing) and means therefore a written presentation of a people or a population and seeks to identify and interpret its universal traits. With its roots in cultural anthropology, ethnography focuses on small-scale societies and the original central concept remains within the meaning of culture. In anthropology, ethnography developed a way to explore the everyday realities of people living in small scale, non-western societies and to make understandings of those realities explicit and available to others. The approach relied on the ability of all humans to figure out what is going on through participation in social life. The techniques ethnographers use follow the routine of the everyday life. Thus the research techniques and strategies of ethnography developed and evolved over the years to provide ways for the ethnographer to “be present for the mundane, the exceptional, and the extraordinary events in people's lives. With the advent of postmodernism, ethnographic perspective became a valuable tool in the design of new technologies. This has presented a new set of challenges for designers as they design and built applications that leverage powerful, digital technologies for use by people of all societies and cultures. The field of design has been an adjunct to art and craft and in a postmodern context. With the transformation of design into an industrial discipline came responsibilities that the field of design studies has only recently begun to address methodologies. Design is now becoming a generalizable discipline that may as readily be applied to processes, interfaces. To understand design as a discipline that can function within any of these frames means developing a general theory of design. From methodological perspective there is no solid theoretical framework which can assist the craftsman or the novice textile designer to consciously integrate their culture in designing products. For this reason this paper challenges designers to gain a deeper understanding of the importance of ethnographic research in textile design and explain qualitative techniques that can be used in ethnographic researches for textile design, searching for meaning in socially constructed reality or a traditional context. Keywords: Ethnographic research, textile design, design science research

The Dependence Social Adaptation-Socialization

The difference between the social adaptation and the socialization is visible in the state of their complete form. The completed social adaptation is a balance between the social content of the individual and the social environment, while the completed (conceptually) socialization is the creation of a possibility (based on lessons learned) for an efficient participation in social life. Social adaptation and socialization are two separate social phenomena, yet they are complementary in the process of social validation of the individual. The common moments between the observed phenomena occur when they are in the process of their development. The process of socialization - entry into the social environment, adapting to it, performing certain roles and functions - is repeated by each individual, following their predecessors, for the entire history of their formation and development. Mixing in this definition the adaptation with the socialization is not a logical error, but a registration of the common characteristics in the process of development of these two phenomena. For the individual to be able to enter in equilibrium with the social community (to adapt to it), he needs to be filled with social content to the extent to be able to claim balance with society. In this sense, the process of socialization is also included, it becomes part of the process of social adaptation. Social adaptation as a process Social processes are defined as a series of social phenomena, as a series of changes. Social processes, understood as a series of changes, depending on the system in which they occur, are divided into the following types: - intra-personal processes flowing inside the individual; - processes flowing in the relationship between two individuals; - processes flowing in the relationship between the individual and the group; - processes changing the organization and internal structure of society; - processes changing the relations between two groups (communities); - processes, changing the organizational structure of the global society; - processes of mutual rapprochement between people or processes unifying people; - processes of alienation or processes dividing people.

Adolescence, Internet Use, Social Adjustment and Emotional Intelligence

Instead of merely focusing on the use of new media itself, attention should also be given to the users in terms of their ability to interact with other people. The effect of the internet could be an increased variance in social adjustment rather than an average improvement or deterioration. Adolescent internet users might be well adjusted, as they report higher levels of social activity and network involvement; however, internet use and social involvement tend to vary according to education, income and age. Therefore other variables need to be investigated in order to determine the extent to which social isolation and behaviour problems are a result of internet use, regardless of any inherently social disposition on the part of the user. It is not the aim of this article to investigate whether socially isolated adolescents were deficient in social skills even before taking up the internet. The purpose is to investigate the extent to which emotional and interpersonal skills are related to internet use. The main relevant argument is that the internet will cut adolescent users off from genuine social relationships and ultimately lead to impoverished participation in social life. Counter-arguments highlight the potential of new media to enhance adolescents’ social lives as it enables them to engage more easily in communication with their peer group. The importance of peers is one feature of adolescence. Adolescents spend a great deal of time with friends and place a high value on these relationships. In order to determine whether internet use does in fact have a negative impact on social adjustment, it is important to understand what emotions are, and what exactly constitutes emotional intelligence. When used responsibly, the internet can be a great place to interact socially. Consequently, this generation requires a unique brand of education that will enable them to realize their personal dreams and serve the society they are a part of. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n23p2327

Barriers and best practices for participation in urban life for people with disabilities: a qualitative photovoice study

BackgroundIn many parts of the world, people with disabilities do not have equal opportunities in access to health care, education, and participation in social life. We assessed main barriers and best practices for people with disabilities with respect to the accessibility of public services and participation in urban life. MethodsWe did this qualitative study in Ankara, Turkey. We included 42 people aged 18–35 years with physical or visual disabilities. We selected participants by snowball sampling through contacting non-governmental organisations working with people with disabilities. Participants were given cameras to take photographs of main barriers and good practices from their own perspective (photovoice). We then did facilitated group discussions, in which participants discussed their photographs, developing narratives for each photo, and recommending solutions to overcome barriers and disseminate good practices. FindingsThe main barriers were difficulties in access to public transport services, pedestrian roads, sidewalks, overbridges, parks, sports fields, and public institutions including health care and educational facilities, which decreased opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in urban life. Although fewer in number, several good practices were also identified, such as the use of lifts, wheelchair lifts, ramps, lowered curbs, tactile paving, audible signals, and Braille signs. InterpretationMunicipalities should deliver more evidence-based and needs-based services to improve urban environments for people with disabilities. Community participation in decision-making processes could help advocacy, and consequently the improvement of public policies and services. FundingHacettepe University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit.

Social capital, social participation and life satisfaction among Chilean older adults.

OBJECTIVE To examine factors associated with social participation and their relationship with self-perceived well-being in older adults.METHODS This study was based on data obtained from the National Socioeconomic Characterization (CASEN) Survey conducted in Chile, in 2011, on a probability sample of households. We examined information of 31,428 older adults living in these households. Descriptive and explanatory analyses were performed using linear and multivariate logistic regression models. We assessed the respondents’ participation in different types of associations: egotropic, sociotropic, and religious.RESULTS Social participation increased with advancing age and then declined after the age of 80. The main finding of this study was that family social capital is a major determinant of social participation of older adults. Their involvement was associated with high levels of self-perceived subjective well-being. We identified four settings as sources of social participation: home-based; rural community-based; social policy programs; and religious. Older adults were significantly more likely to participate when other members of the household were also involved in social activities evidencing an intergenerational transmission of social participation. Rural communities, especially territorial associations, were the most favorable setting for participation. There has been a steady increase in the rates of involvement of older adults in social groups in Chile, especially after retirement. Religiosity remains a major determinant of associativism. The proportion of participation was higher among older women than men but these proportions equaled after the age of 80.CONCLUSIONS Self-perceived subjective well-being is not only dependent upon objective factors such as health and income, but is also dependent upon active participation in social life, measured as participation in associations, though its effects are moderate.

Pessoas com deficiência e escola: principais mudanças na experiência italiana

O texto analisa a experiência italiana de inclusão escolar das pessoas com deficiência, destacando os dispositivos normativos que estabeleceram a transição para um sistema que tem a inclusão como a diretriz fundamental para toda a educação nacional desde os anos de 1970. Na análise, mostra-se a complexidade de instituição de uma política que contempla: a colaboração necessária entre os vários profissionais, a ligação família-escola, a construção de percursos personalizados integrados ao planejamento coletivo para a classe, a formação de professores, a orientação escolar e profissional. Considera-se a educação como parte de um plano de vida da pessoa com deficiência e a construção de seus modos de participar ativamente da vida social.

Treatment Guidelines for Patients with Schizophrenia or Psychotic Disorder who are Hospitalized in a Psychiatry Clinic

In schizophrenia, hospitalization is generally indicated for patients who pose a serious threat to themselves or others, those who are disorganized to the extent of not to being able to look after themselves or who are experiencing delusions/hallucinations. The steps to be taken during the time hospitalization of patients with schizophrenia and psychosis as determined by the Hospital Setting Expert Committee (HSEC), consisting of 19 psychiatrists from Europe, who are specialists in the acute management of schizophrenia patients, have been arranged under 7 topics in the form of algorithms (Algorithm 1- Assessing the acute psychotic episode; Algorithm 2-Defining treatment targets for inpatient treatment; Algorithm 3-Emergency management; Algorithm 4-Defining treatment targets during inpatient treatment; Algorithm 5-Pharmacological treatment at the time of hospitalization; Algorithm 6-Non-pharmacological treatment during inpatient treatment; Algorithm 7-Improvement of well-being. The Turkish version of this guideline, which was revised to meet the conditions in our country, was used and tested in eight psychiatry clinics. Following these algorithms for hospitalized schizophrenia patients may be helpful for doctors in managing the patients and facilitating their participation in social life.

The Role of Universities in Promoting Personal Development of the Participants, through Education Programs for Adults

Adult education is not only a temporary aspect of training, but has become a fundamental principle of active participation of the individual in society, throughout his/her life. The content of most programs for adults includes continuous vocational training, closely related to the dynamics of the economy, targeting the completion of professional training, achieving professional reorientation or adapting to activities using new technologies and calls for technical elements and creativity that have not been provided to the adult through initial training. However, universities should also focus on other specific aspects of adult education, which exceed the limits of professionalism, such as promoting personal development. Thus, training courses will not be limited to providing vocational training in line with the foundation provided by the initial education or increased performance at an occupational level, but will also answer to the needs and interests of different learners regarding personal development, ensuring an increased quality of the act of communication and their participation in social life in general, not only on a professional level.

Status społeczno-zawodowy niewidzących kobiet w wieku 50+

The situation of disabled people, and especially disabled women, was ambiguous over the centuries and highly diversified, both in the social attitudes towards them, as in the recognition for their active participation in social life, and the ability to achieve professional and personal self-fulfillment. Current times, despite the postulate of equal-rights for disabled people in every possible sphere of life and unrestricted access to knowledge, culture, education and employment, put disabled people, just because of the consequences of disability, in the position of lesser chances and limitations for realization of their individual plans, and achieving goals established by today’s society and themselves. Because of that the article undertakes an attempt to explain the existing minimal activity of visually impaired women in the light of their commitment to social and professional life.

Wartość dialogu pedagogicznego w „społeczeństwie informacyjnym”

Placing pedagogical dialogue in a personalistic context indicates the significance of upbringing in education. A concept of the ‘knowledge-based economy’ promoted by some politicians, in which ‘transmission of knowledge’ can lead to marginalization of upbringing itself. In this context, pedagogical dialogue embedding the issue of upbringing in education seems particularly important. The pedagogical dialogue in its essence brings about an agreement, meeting and cooperation between the teacher (the ‘fosterer’) and the student (the ‘fostered one’). It is essential inasmuch as it enables to re-construct the community of teachers and students, where school becomes the ground for meeting and participation in social life. Not only should it be beneficial for individuals but also for the society as a whole. In this perspective, pedagogical dialogue becomes essential in the process of attitude formation of responsibility for personal development of each individual and coherence creation of ‘school community’.

The tourist plot: Antarctica and the modernity of nature

The work explores contemporary Antarctic tourism practices through the lens of the dramaturgic concept of ‘plot’. Plot refers to a socially construed narrative structure that allows social actors to frame their participation in social life through socially held scenarios, stories and cosmologies. Drawing on fieldwork carried out in the Argentinian harbor town of Ushuaia, the authors demonstrate that Antarctic tourists, despite the variety of their experiences, existences and travel motifs, follow, to a very large degree, the same ‘plot’. This leads them through a dialectical journey, departing from a ‘modern’ life-world of home towards and beyond the presumed boundaries of ‘civilization’, to become immersed in a magical, weird, and wonderful ur-nature found in the White continent, and then back home. The authors argue that this plot, through its specific dramaturgic configuration and settings, pulls to the surface a wider ontological and cosmological order underlying modern tourism and social life at large.

ИНВАЛИДЫ И ОБЩЕСТВО

The modern world declares the equal rights and freedoms of citizens, despite specific features and distinctions. Due to barriers that prevent the visually impaired persons from active participation in social life, scientific discussions on how to help them to fulfill their rights keep going. The question of the accessible environment was raised after the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by the UN General Assembly in 2006. The article is targeted at examining the problems of the integration of the disabled persons into society. The empirical basis of the study is the data of the questionnaire survey conducted among the residents of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The study covered standards of life, employment, education, accessibility and quality of medical, social and rehabilitation services, and living conditions of the disabled. According to the results of the study, the social life of the disabled living in a remote region of Russia was described; a number of social policies were proposed

Platform of Design Method for Developing Mobility-preserving Products

Preserving the mobility of elderly people is becoming increasingly important, as other factors of quality of life, such as autonomy or participation in social life, are connected with mobility. Starting from an analysis of elderly people as users, combined with the analysis of mobility and mobility situations, a catalog of functions is presented in this paper, which provides the basis for a methods platform to develop user adapted modular mobility-supporting systems.