Agents Of Social Change Research Articles

Certainty of Health Students to Receive Covid-19 Vaccination in Jayapura City in 2022

Background: Covid-19 vaccination among health students is an example of a social change agent or role model. Health students must be certain and able to use their knowledge. As a result, it is vital to investigate the likelihood of health students receiving Covid-19 immunization as a form of government support for the health program from the Republic of Indonesia. Objectives: To find out the certainty of health students to receive the Covid-19 vaccination in Jayapura City in 2022. Methods: A descriptive survey was carried out to perform quantitative research at Cenderawasih University in Jayapura City in August 2022. A total of 270 samples were collected using the probability sampling method. The instrument utilized was a questionnaire containing questions concerning health students' opinions about adopting the Covid-19 immunization, which was delivered via Google form. The data was edited, coded, entered, and tabulated before being presented in tabular form and narrated. SPSS was used to perform a univariate analysis of the data. Results: There were 190 respondents (70.4%) who were confident in receiving the Covid-19 vaccination, whereas there were 80 respondents (29.6%) who were unsure. Fear of adverse effects such as fever and pain was the most common reason for being unsure about the Covid-19 vaccine, cited by 56 respondents (97.5%), while comorbidity was cited by only two respondents (2.5%). Conclusions: There are still health students who are not sure about the Covid-19 vaccination. Health students need KIE (communication, information, and education) among health students regarding the necessity of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Museum Activists as Agents of Social Change in War

The author highlights the importance of museum activism as institutions become agents of social change in war. The article provides an understanding of how local stakeholders in conflict scenarios such as the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 can become empowered and develop effective strategies to preserve their values and rebuild their careers. In addition, the author presents examples of international solidarity which have supported Ukrainian museums and their workers. The research findings support the potential of museum activism in sustaining cultural heritage in times of conflict.

The university system, social change and sustainable development in Nigeria

The educational system of any nation all over the world remains a strong determinant of the development of such nations. The secret of the high level of development witnessed in many developed nations in the world could be attributed to the success of their educational system, especially their University system. Among the various tertiary institutions, the effectiveness of the University system is essential in achieving national goals and objectives. The major functions of the university are to inculcate sound and practicable knowledge, undertake research and involve in community development. The achievement of these seems to remain a tedious task in Nigeria. The study seeks to examine the role or place of the university system in Nigeria as an agent of social change and sustainable development. The study adopts the system theory as its theoretical framework. The research is a descriptive-analytical one and it draws qualitative data derived from secondary sources. The content analysis was used as a tool for data analysis. Findings from the study reveal that the universities in Nigeria are still lagging, compared to other world-class universities in the world and it has not played the expected role of being a catalyst of social change and sustainable development due to many challenges bedevilling the sector. This includes among others, inadequate funding, inadequate qualified academic staff, and inadequate and dilapidated infrastructure. The paper recommends among others synergy between the university system and other sectors of the economy, including the private sector, merit should be the basis for recruitment, promotion of staff, and appointment of the management staff of the university, a special funding mechanism through taxation of telecoms companies to fund the university. With this, Nigeria will achieve the desired development.

Children's evaluations of and reactions to racial discrimination.

Despite the potential benefits of children's confrontations of other children's racial biases-especially for targets of bias-little is known about how young children react upon observing instances of racial discrimination. In the present research, child participants completed a novel measure designed to test their reactions to another child's racially discriminatory behavior. The measure presented scenarios in which a protagonist who matched the participant's race (Asian, Latinx, or White) repeatedly excluded Black children from different social activities. Participants evaluated the protagonist's behavior and had an opportunity to confront the protagonist. Both a pilot study and a full preregistered study revealed that the novel measure had high reliability within participants and substantial variability across participants (pilot study: N = 54 U.S. White 5-7-year-olds, 27 girls, 27 boys, median household income range of $125,001-$150,000; full study: N = 126 U.S. 4-10-year-olds, 33.33% Asian, 33.33% Latinx, 33.33% White, 56 girls, 70 boys, median household income: $120,001-$125,000). In the full study, older children and children whose parents reported more racial socialization rated the protagonist's behavior more negatively; older children were also more likely to confront the protagonist. Neither participants' own race nor their prior exposure to racial diversity impacted their evaluations or confrontations of discrimination. The results have implications for understanding children's potential to serve as agents of social change by regulating other children's racial biases and behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Sosialisasi Spirit Perdamaian: Potensi Kampanye Pesan Toleransi dalam Film

This research aims to explore and analyze the potential of a tolerance message campaign through the medium of film as a tool to disseminate the spirit of peace. Involves analysis of films that carry the theme of tolerance and the messages conveyed to stimulate critical thinking and imbibe the values of tolerance in society. This research method includes literature study, using existing literature to collect data comprehensively. The research results show that films have great potential to be agents of social change by facilitating a deeper understanding of diversity and encouraging inclusive attitudes towards differences. Films not only function as entertainment, but also as an effective instrument in shaping people's views on tolerance issues. This in-depth analysis contributes to the literature on social media and tolerance, revealing that tolerance message campaigns in films are not only relevant, but also crucial in facing complex challenges in the contemporary era.

Cultural Practices of Ukrainian Youth at the Time of the Russo-Ukrainian War (based on data of the UCF Online Survey)

The article examines the peculiarities of cultural practices among Ukrainian youth in the conditions of a full-scale war. The research identified the most popular cultural practices among Ukrainian youth. It revealed the obstacles that prevent young people from attending cultural events more frequently. Special attention was given to identifying the most desired cultural services. Based on the respondents' answers, a matrix of cultural needs satisfaction was formed, which established a zone of cultural needs deficit. This zone represents those needs that have the highest demand among young people but remain unsatisfied. It includes festivals, cultural-historical excursions, comedy concerts, evenings, art exhibitions, and public lectures. The study also revealed the specifics of consuming cultural online products among young people and the level of demand for cultural events of this format. It was also found that almost every fifth young Ukrainian is currently involved in volunteer projects in the cultural sphere. However, nearly half of the surveyed youth do not participate in such events but express a desire to get involved. This indicates that young people have a demand for participation in volunteer cultural projects, and therefore, it is important to involve youth in various initiatives for the reconstruction and development of Ukrainian culture as a significant agent of social change.

‘Sitting there and listening was one of the most important lessons I had to learn’: critical capacity building in youth participatory action research

ABSTRACT This work builds upon critical youth studies’ concern with capacity building in engaging young people as active agents for social change. This article analyses critical capacity building processes among young women engaged in youth participatory action research (YPAR) that sought to co-design a community sport programme in Melbourne, Australia. Participants included the first author, four young women (second to the fifth author), and a critical friend (sixth author). The experience of engaging young women in YPAR foregrounded significant capacity building such as: (a) learning to genuinely listen to young people in order to plan for change; (b) finding creative and flexible ways to build relationships; (c) learning to negotiate the messiness and uncertainty in the research process; and (d) improving problem-solving skills in order to listen and respond to young people in their community. This paper concludes by articulating how YPAR can potentialise the development of critical capacity building in youth studies, nurturing skills and knowledge linked with social justice, activism, and democracy, instead of instrumentalist and technocratic capacity-building models that focus on training and predefined practical skills.

Planting the Seeds of Culturally Responsive, Equity-Centered, and Trauma-Informed Attitudes Among Urban Educators

This qualitative study explored the influence of implementing a virtual culturally responsive and equity-centered trauma-informed professional development series with seven urban educators in the U.S. The study's findings suggest that a culturally responsive, equity-centered trauma-informed professional development series can enrich educators’ knowledge and awareness regarding racial trauma. Furthermore, the series has the potential to improve interpersonal interactions between teachers and students and increase student engagement. Lastly, the professional development series can help prepare educators to become confident and assertive social change agents advocating for racial equity in schools. Implications are provided for practice, research, and policy.

Sex Workers’ Online Humor as Evidence of Resilience

Sex workers’ humor has received comparatively little attention in the literature to date, and work that does consider this phenomenon focuses on humor in face-to-face contexts. Increasingly, elements of sex workers’ labor and community building take place online. This article examines the emergence of sex work humor in online spaces, considering how this humor provides evidence of resilience within this community. The article uses a critical discourse analysis approach blended with a cultural studies lens to examine 171 discrete texts drawn from sex work communities in Australia and New Zealand. These include social media postings from peer-led organizations and correspondence between sex workers and their clients, which was profiled in news media during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The humor evident within these texts falls into three major categories: humor about clients; humor as a mechanism of discussing stigma and discrimination; and humor as an agent of activism and social change. The findings indicate that humor can be evidence of resilience among sex-working communities, that it is politically productive and effective from a communications perspective, and present the possibility that it may also contribute to resilience. The presence of humor in online sex work spaces of sociality further highlights the importance of these spaces for community building, and draws attention to additional harms created by deplatforming.

What Would Peace look Like in Acapulco? The Views of Local Practitioners and Stakeholders

This article critically explores what peace means for 39 practitioners and stakeholders in the city of Acapulco, Mexico in 2021. Working in non-formal education, community development, the arts, and culturally based activities across the city, their responses provide unique insight into what peace might look like in a city with high levels of inequality, drug-related violence, and crime. Facilitating their vision of peace and getting participants to articulate what peace would look like for them, this article provides insights into practitioners’ views, changing the narrative from them being victims of violence to agents of positive social change. Peacebuilding literature frames the discussion, and the article concludes with lessons derived from the detailed analysis of participant views which might offer a pathway for others living and working in similar contexts.

Linking global citizenship education and critical pedagogy: Women’s leadership and power

Global citizenship education (GCE) as a global social justice practice centres on a pedagogy that is responsive to the needs of learners and provides for the reimagining of an educator’s role, and the learner/educator relationship. While the literature on GCE emerged from a western perspective and tended to ignore gender, through gendered GCE, the intersectionality of race, ethnicity, social class and gender reveals the complexity of the influence of these factors and a need for action. This article presents critical pedagogy (CP) as an approach for learner-centred education that activates a GCE process for learners to be co-designers of their learning experience. The defining principles of CP, along with the qualities of an educator within a critical pedagogical practice will feature the tandem relationship of educator and learner. The results are an emerging process of dynamic self-awareness, cultivating a questioning mind and empowering praxis. Disrupting the understanding of leadership, agency and power allows for the emergence of an empowering approach to one’s identity as a leader and social change agent. This provides a new perspective for positioning women’s leadership and power within GCE. This case study reveals that when students connect to a palpable sense of agency, they become learners that know too much to revert to passive receptacles of information. New opportunities await in the development of leadership, social change and GCE when learners bear witness to lived experiences through a critical lens.

Industrial Action in South Africa (2000-2020): Reading Strike Statistics Qualitatively

This article analyses strike statistics over the last twenty years (2000–2020) in South Africa to have a concrete understanding of the state of labour (organised and unorganised). The article makes a new contribution by showing how one can use Lenin’s quantitative method as a framework which I develop to assist in reading the qualitative aspects of worker mobilisation, an aspect which is markedly absent from contemporary analyses of labour. By utilising the quantitative method, the article shows whether the labour movement as an agent of social change is withering away, and who the leading sections (per industrial sector) of the labour movement are; it also indicates the qualitative shifts over time. The trends over the last twenty years indicate that there have been demonstrable qualitative shifts in strike dynamics in South Africa. KEYWORDS: South Africa; strike statistics; industrial action; Lenin

Agents of Social Change: Cultural Work, Institutions, and the (De)securitisation of Minorities

This paper combines anthropological and other critical security studies with research on cultural work to better understand the impact cultural institutions may have on the (de)securitisation of minority groups. Today minority issues represent a recurrent theme in various national and European contexts. Often perceived as a threat to social cohesion and linked to multiple successive crises, minorities and migrants have been the focus of security measures at different times. This paper focuses on the EU-funded project ‘Agents of Change: Mediating Minorities’ and explores how cultural work aimed at diversity and inclusion interacts with the dynamics of securitisation. Zooming in and out between the project goals and definitions, mundane local practices, institutional work and the broader (trans)national contexts, this paper discusses its intervening effects while also acknowledging numerous contradictions that make any straightforward narrative of minority desecuritisation difficult. With the help of empirical examples, this paper demonstrates a way to widen research beyond typical securitising and securitised actors and it contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the contexts of securitisation. Although the countermoves initiated by cultural work are never guaranteed to succeed, studying them opens new pathways to reflect upon the ambiguity of (de)securitisation as an open-ended process involving different actors, power relations and operating at multiple interdependent scales. These countermoves also indicate the shifts taking place in the current ways of thinking about and approaching minorities, challenging dominant constructions driving securitisation.

Consumer worldviews and perspectives on environmental sustainability initiatives in the South African supermarket sector

The major South African supermarket chains are important players in the retail sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, which represents one of the fastest growing consumer markets globally. These companies are critical in promoting environmental sustainability initiatives in supply chains, as a means of enhancing the sustainability of production and consumption. However, there is a significant research gap on the visibility and acceptability of environmental sustainability initiatives among consumers in the retail sector in Sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study is to elicit the perspectives of South African consumers on environmental sustainability initiatives in the supermarket sector, and understand how their environmental worldviews could influence the perceptions of these activities and ultimately purchasing decisions. Data was collected from consumer surveys in major supermarket chains in South Africa, and the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale was used to elicit respondents’ environmental worldviews. Findings show that respondents are aware and supportive of a variety of environmental sustainability strategies in their preferred supermarket stores. Recycling activities were the most observed strategy and decreased packaging activities the least. Although most respondents exhibit pro-ecological worldviews, this is not always translated into better visibility of these initiatives or sustainable purchasing behaviour. We suggest that supermarkets should be nudged to become more active agents of social and environmental change. For this it would be necessary to better understand and influence consumer environmental worldviews, as a means of enhancing the visibility and performance of their environmental sustainability initiatives. Our findings can assist researchers and sustainability managers in better understanding consumer perspectives in emerging economies, and their responses to green initiatives in supermarkets, and the retail sector more broadly.

Anatomy of an urban mobilization network

How can urban mobilizations move their cities towards democratic and sustainable governance structures? This question has been under discussion in theoretical urban studies since the 1980s. According to these studies, networks of successful urban mobilizations consist of (1) densely connected specialized groups of urban organizations and (2) bridging ties between these local groups. The bridging ties are essential for the emergence of place-based collective identities and pushing urban organizations beyond the confines of their local agendas to become agents of meaningful social change at a larger scale. In this study we test and advance these arguments empirically using theoretical and methodological tools from the field of network science. We use a novel urban protest event data set based on police records and local newspapers from Ankara, Turkey. Our analyses show that the observed network consists of specialized urban groups that are densely connected with each other but the number of bridging ties between these groups are insufficient. Using network regression, we illustrate that most organizations in the network tend to form ties with organizations that have similar characteristics to themselves. Further analysis of the urban mobilization network reveals that the limited number of organizations that facilitate the bridging ties between specialized sub-groups are mostly professional organizations (e.g., the Chamber of Architects). We explain the distinctive attributes of these organizations based on the political context of their historical origins and the characteristics of their membership base. Our paper concludes with some policy recommendations emphasizing the necessity of networked approaches when evaluating urban organizations' capacity for social change.

Is the Implementation of Sustainable Development at the Heart of the National Education Policy 2020 Vision?

Young people are the future of society and agents of social change. Therefore, it is essential to give them an education that equips them with information and skills and alters their attitudes and behavior toward sustainable development. In the future years, the national education policy envisions an ideal societal transformation through sustainable living and development. This study aims to investigate answers to the question: Is the implementation of sustainable development at the heart of the National Education Policy 2020 vision? This research is a content analysis of the new national education policy for the year 2020. It focuses on sustainable development and its derivatives to promote a way of life that does not negatively impact the planet's environment, economy, or society. The content analysis discovered ten direct and indirect references to discuss the idea of sustainable development and its derivatives. In addition, the National Education Policy of 2020 includes precise indicators for its three pillars: environmental sustainability with seven references, economic development with 21 mentions, and social change with 15 citations. Based on this evidence data, the researcher concluded that the newly proposed education policy possesses an ideal vision of implementing sustainable development in education.

Sostenibilidad en la dinámica de Responsabilidad Social Empresarial en una perspectiva de estándares Gri en el contexto universitario en Colombia

Objective: To evaluate the use of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standard and its ability to address social responsibility problems in the university context, determining the adaptation of internal management processes to changes in modern organizations and verifying corporate social responsibility. Methodology: A case study was carried out in a higher education institution through documentary review and qualitative research with an exploratory-descriptive design, using bibliometric consultation as the main technique. Findings and discussion: Some Colombian universities, both public and private, have adopted GRI standards to report on their performance in social, environmental and economic responsibility. However, only two universities in Colombia have fully implemented these standards. It was noted that instead of full GRI reports, some universities generate reports related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which may confuse readers about true accountability. Conclusions: There is a commitment to transparency and accountability, but the methods and standards adopted vary. Although compliant sustainability reports have been developed, not all follow specific GRI guidelines. The lack of widespread adoption of GRI standards in most Colombian universities limits their potential as agents of social and environmental change, and contributes to less clear and effective accountability processes.

The Role of Translation in Disseminating Feminist Thought in Telugu Context

This paper studies the role of intermediary agencies in translating global feminist knowledge into the Telugu1 context. Identifying translators, organisations, publishing houses and magazines as such agencies, it offers an analysis of the function of this feminist thought. The study discusses the ideologies of agents in using translation as a political instrument to construct feminist discourse in the Telugu context. While demonstrating how translation was used as a transmitter for the circulation of feminist ideas, it gauges the influence of global feminist thinking on Telugu feminist translators, writers and activists. It also throws light on the opposition met in translating feminist ideas into Telugu, intellectual efforts and the resistance provided by the feminist translators, writers, activists and publishers as agents of social change to make feminist translation work relevant in the Telugu context.

An exploration of a third participatory museology approach in the interaction with local business and tradition at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area art museums

PurposeThis paper aims to summarize the conditions under which participatory art museums and local commercial traditions can have positive and sustained interactions.Design/methodology/approachThe methods include studying the quantity and content of exhibitions in the four cities of the Bay Area, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Shunde, to compare their academic positioning and influence on local commercial production. Through interviewing curators, artists and university scholars who are active in the Bay Area and are invited by the museums on a regular basis, it will let us understand the attitudes from the government, public and capital towards the regional art museums and how these attitudes influence the choice of theme in the participatory art museum practice.FindingsTo summarize the findings, the author concludes that a participatory art gallery with commercial production in the Bay Area requires the following: a long tradition of local business and wealth accumulation; a local area is of a size where the community of acquaintances can interact on a regular basis; continued interest of a diverse local elite, including a mix of businessmen and gentry, government officials and various sectors of the public; and museums serving as intermediaries to coordinate the effective integration of the commercial and traditional resources.Originality/valueParticipatory approaches and their impacts are a shared area of interest across urban planning, heritage studies and the creative arts. Crucially, solely relying on either the Latin bottom-up community-oriented approach (Barnes, 2003) or the British top-down policy-oriented approach (Heijnen, 2010) did not maximize benefits, though these distinctive two approaches were convinced that museums should play a larger role in becoming agents of contemporary social change. By contrast, in focusing on Chinese Art Museums, this study will explore participatory practice in the Asian context. In doing so, it will not only diversify the emerging literature on the social and economic impacts of arts and heritage organizations but also challenge the Western lens through which participatory approaches are viewed in the interdisciplinary literature. As Lefebvre acknowledged his lack of non-Western regions in his research, this study will offer new perspectives on museology and its contributions to the Production of Space.

Research-informed teacher education, teacher autonomy and teacher agency: the example of Finland

Finnish education has received worldwide attention due to the country’s performances in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Research investigating Finland’s positive outcomes in the assessment has highlighted not only the strength of teachers, but also the rigour of Finnish teacher education. Finnish student teachers must undertake research-based teacher education culminating in a master’s degree. The study of educational science, underpinned by empirical research, creates teacher-researchers. A Nordic/Continental view of educational governance allows for input control in terms of a national core curriculum in Finland, without surveillance of outcomes. The structure of the Finnish education system, characterised by decentralisation and the national core curriculum, entrusts teachers to make their own pedagogical decisions. This leads to autonomous and agentic teachers in terms of decision-making on the classroom, school, and professional levels, both individually and collectively. Finnish education, underpinned by social democratic values, views education as an agent of social change. Therefore, teachers enact social transformation through the agency enabled by research-informed teacher education. Finland’s political consensus regarding education and societal trust in teachers further reinforces teacher autonomy and agency. This article argues that the rigorous research focus of Finnish teacher education cultivates autonomous and agentic teachers.