Types Of Community Engagement Research Articles

Community Service Initiatives: Promoting Education about Justice for Parents and Children

Community empowerment and justice education are just two of the many topics covered on this page concerning the work of Promoting Education about Justice for Parents and Children. Volunteer programs that teach children and their parents about social justice are crucial in creating communities where people experience a sense of agency, fairness, and social consciousness. These initiatives intend to educate both parents and children on the importance of justice in all parts of daily life, as well as on the rights and responsibilities that come with them. Researched in this article is the impact that community service programs that teach parents and children about justice have on individuals and their surrounding neighborhoods. Furthermore, it explores the various strategies and methods utilized by such programs, including but not limited to workshops, seminars, and various types of community engagement. The article also addresses challenges faced by community service organizations and offers recommendations on how they might be overcome to make their activities as successful as possible. This article examines the impact that community service has on teaching both parents and children about the importance of creating a just and equitable society through cooperation between communities, schools, and service providers. In particular, this study will examine how community work might help teach kids and their families about social justice.

Challenges and solutions: surveying researchers on what type of community engagement and involvement activities are feasible in low and middle income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

ObjectivesMeasures to limit the spread of infection during the COVID-19 global pandemic have made engaging and involving members of the community in global health research more challenging. This research aimed...

LAWCHA Pandemic Book Talks Gear Up for Post-pandemic Future

The pandemic forced us all to make many rapid changes, personally and professionally. With the canceling of events and the transition of others online, many of us were struggling to adapt. It became clear that we were going to need to create new ways to share our work as well as to keep abreast of new scholarship. With this in mind, Cindy Hahamovitch launched the LAWCHA Pandemic Book Talks to help support authors and to promote their newly published labor history books. These talks are free and open to the public. I was brought on board to help promote and host the monthly events.The series got off to a great start in May by hosting Jaquelyn Dowd Hall to discuss the award-winning Sisters and Rebels: A Struggle for the Soul of America. Well over one hundred people registered, and approximately seventy people attended. We were invigorated that there were attendees from across the country. Frank Stricker, discussing American Unemployment: Past, Present, and Future, followed in June. Verónica Martínez-Matsuda presented Migrant Citizenship: Race, Rights, and Reform in the Farm Labor Camp Program in July, followed by Michael Goldfield on his The Southern Key: Class, Race, and Radicalism in the 1930s and 1940s in August. In the early fall Hahamovitch turned over the booking and hosting of talks to me.By September many of us were back on campus, virtually or otherwise. That month we hosted Marjoleine Kars, who presented Blood on the River: A Chronicle of Mutiny and Freedom on the Wild Coast. Attendance was great, and we look forward to more discussions of Latin American labor history in the future. Touré F. Reed (Toward Freedom: The Case against Race Reductionism) and Robert Chase (We Are Not Slaves: State Violence, Coerced Labor, and Prisoners’ Rights in Postwar America) discussed their timely books in October and November, respectively. Jarod Roll's Poor Man's Fortune: White Working-Class Conservatism in American Metal Mining, 1850–1950 and Alexandra Finley's An Intimate Economy: Enslaved Women, Work, and America's Domestic Slave Trade got the winter off and running with their engaging discussions. The Q&A for Roll's talk was so packed with questions that in the interest of time I was required to shift away from the normal format of unmuting attendees to let them ask their questions directly; instead I read their questions for them. Finley's talk went so well that a sizable contingent of attendees remained on after the official Q&A ended, so it morphed to an informal social event. This is exactly the type of community engagement we hoped to foster. Toni Gilpin, Deborah Willis, Cristina Viviana Groeger, Walter Johnson, Ron Schatz, and Alice L. Baumgartner are all slated to carry us through the summer of 2021. Since not everyone can attend the events, the talks have been recorded and will be free to view on LAWCHA's soon-to-be-launched YouTube channel.The book talks have been such a success that we have decided to keep them going for the foreseeable future, though we do look forward to dropping Pandemic from the title. Although Covid has forced to us to make changes, there can be no returning to a normal of social inequality and environmental degradation. The online format of the book talks will allow us to reduce our carbon footprint while continuing to stay engaged with one another and discuss current scholarship. As with most things that are created on an emergency basis and then transition into permanency, we are restructuring how the talks are organized and run. A committee (Bryant Barnes, Eileen Boris, Alexandra Finley, Verónica Martinez-Matsuda, Adrienne Petty, and I) will choose the authors collectively and share the other responsibilities.

Community Participation in Integrated Solid Waste Management in Legetafo-Legedadi Town, Oromia, Ethiopia

The idea and practice of Municipal Solid Waste Management is multifaceted problems that cannot be solved when solutions focuses only on technical performance, but also treated in holistic manner. Hence, the status and types of community engagement in SWM at the study area was addressed in detail as an objective of the study. The study employed descriptive survey research design using quantitative and qualitative data. It applied convenience sampling procedure. The data have been collected through key informants interview, document review, field observation, FGD and questionnaire. The data was analyzed using ordinal regression. This study reveals the following findings. The contribution of the society in different perspectives like finance, material and labor ranging in low status of 61.1%., the formal organizational structure create low status of 65.3%. The capacity building and sensitization aspect accounts to 71.4% with low status in raising the society’s awareness’s and sensitization. Whereas, the FGD pertains that at least there were two waste campaigns at the town administration for awareness creation and cleansing. Most of the respondents accounts 217 (63.8%) do not know the laws, regulations and directives of solid waste; and also the status of community empowerment provides 67.5% low. The formal organizational structures system, roles, and responsibilities has very low and low (65.3%). As a result; LagaTafo LagaDadi town is characterized by poor management of solid waste and low community participation in the process. In consequence, poor SWM is becoming a major threat for health, environment and economic development of the town.

Community engagement and dementia risk: time-to-event analyses from a national cohort study

BackgroundThere is increasing interest in the potential health benefits of referring older adults to engage in community leisure activities (‘social prescribing’) to help promote healthy cognitive ageing. However, it remains...

Personal and community factors as predictors of different types of community engagement.

Citizen participation is an important element of local democracy because it increases residents' influence over local community issues. Using a sample of 494 Israeli participants, this paper examines, for the first time, the unique and combined contribution of personal factors (self-esteem and mastery) and community factors (years of activity, knowledge of local services, trust in leaders, community commitment, and community belonging) to the explanation of the variance in each of two types of community engagement: development and planning, and activism and advocacy. Data analysis included hierarchical regression that examined all variables and possible interactions among them. The results indicate that mastery and the community variables, except for years of activity, predict both types of engagement. Interestingly, knowledge of services negatively predicts both, while trust in leaders also predicts both types of engagement, but in opposite directions. In conclusion, the paper considers how these findings might inform community work interventions.

Creative tourism: catalysing artisan entrepreneur networks in rural Portugal

Purpose Given limited research about how artisans become integrated into tourism, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the emergence of artisan entrepreneur–mediators who link artisans to tourism in rural areas and small cities in Portugal. Using social embeddedness as a conceptual framework, this paper views artisan entrepreneur–mediators as existing within an entrepreneurial ecosystem. The paper investigates their role within this ecosystem and how social networks influence the artisan entrepreneur–mediators’ roles in connecting artisans to creative tourism. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on new (2017 and 2018) empirical evidence developed through two rounds of semi-structured interviews of five artisan entrepreneur–mediators. Findings This paper finds that artisan entrepreneur–mediators in rural areas or small cities take on multiple roles as networking agents who organize and offer creative tourism experiences, providing the missing link between artisans and tourists. An analysis of the nuances of the operations of these artisan entrepreneur–mediators suggests that high levels of social embeddedness within local rural communities are important in order for these neo-rural entrepreneurs to attain their goals. Originality/value Originality lies in the identification of a gap in artisan entrepreneurship literature in a rural context. It is the first time that a critical analysis of artisan entrepreneur–mediators who facilitate the link between artisans and tourism is carried out in terms of social embeddedness, their roles and connections to creative tourism, and types of community engagement.

Time, trust, and transparency: Lessons learned from collecting blood biospecimens for cancer research from the Asian American community.

Biospecimens from racially diverse groups are needed to advance cancer research. The Asian American Cancer Education Study was developed to increase the number and proportion of blood biospecimen donations from Asian Americans for cancer research. The authors' targeted approach included 2 types of community engagement, in-reach (within institution to Asian American patients with cancer) and outreach (external to institution to the general Asian American community). Participants received in-language biospecimen education followed by the opportunity to donate blood biospecimens. Outreach participants donated through our community biospecimen blood drives, and in-reach participants consented to donating an extra tube of blood during their routine blood draws as a patient. Donated blood biospecimens were spun down to serum and plasma to be stored in a biorepository or were sent to the laboratory to test for cancer-related risk factors. Three hundred eighty-eight Asian Americans donated 1127 blood biospecimens for cancer research. Four hundred twenty tubes of plasma and serum are currently being stored at the cancer center's biorepository, 39 tubes have been used for cancer genomic research, and 668 tubes were used to characterize cancer-related risk factors. Building upon the past decade of the National Cancer Institute-funded Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training's foundation of trust and service among Asian Americans, researchers were able to leverage relationships not only to introduce the idea of biospecimen contribution to the community but to also exceed expectations with regard to the quantity of blood biospecimens collected from Asian Americans. Cancer 2018;124:1614-21. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

Community engagement in practice in the UK: a systematic mapping review

Background The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK commissioned a mapping review of current and emerging UK community engagement practice to inform their updated guidance. Methods Given the difficulties of identifying studies via traditional electronic database searches we focused on: Specialised research registers and websites; search results and forwards and backwards citations from recent relevant systematic reviews; website searches of relevant organisations; and direct calls for evidence via networks of contacts with community practitioners and groups. Records were screened independently by more than one reviewer, and included if published after 2000, relevant to the UK and evaluated or described community engagement in public health. Included records were coded for type, level and extent of community engagement, indicators of disadvantage, health issues and outcomes. Results 316 articles (227 research/ evaluation studies) were included. Evidence was dominated by: qualitative and mixed methods studies; initiatives targeting health inequalities via socioeconomically deprived areas and groups, and via “hard to reach” groups. Community level outcomes (e.g. improved housing) and wellbeing outcomes (e.g. improved self-esteem) were most commonly addressed, and community mobilisation/ action and community partnerships/ coalitions were the types of community engagement most commonly employed. Community engagement initiatives for “hard to reach” populations were most likely to use targeted and/ or peer or volunteer approaches. Conclusions Community engagement initiatives in the UK include a substantial proportion who are at risk of health inequalities but who are not routinely fully represented in health equity profiles/ audits. Consideration should continue to be given to these “marginalised” groups, in terms of both initial engagement and measurement of impact. Key messages: Community engagement initiatives in the UK go beyond targeting the most obvious indicators of inequality and seek to engage some of the most marginalised, disadvantaged or excluded population groups Different approaches are used for different health issues and population groups e.g. peer involvement for individual behaviour change; community mobilisation for community level outcomes © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Community engagement among men who have sex with men living with HIV/AIDS in Taiwan

ABSTRACTCommunity engagement was developed as a global principle in the provision of HIV/AIDS services, yet evidence-based research of implementation of the principle is lacking in Taiwan. This short report aims to understand factors associated with engagement in two types of activities with varying levels of visibility: HIV-related community events and HIV-related community action, in Taiwanese men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV. A cross-sectional survey was distributed to a purposive sample of participants recruited from AIDS service organizations (ASOs). Among participants (n = 178), 63.6% were involved in HIV-related community events, while less than half (47.7%) were involved in HIV-related community action. In multivariable analysis, age, involvement in ASOs, and AIDS knowledge were positively associated with engagement in community events, and living in the north of Taiwan, years of infection, and self-stigma were negatively associated with this type of engagement. Few factors, with the exception of involvement in ASOs, were positively associated with engagement in HIV-related community action. To this end, ASOs appear to play a strong role in improving and organizing both types of community engagement in Taiwan. Future studies should evaluate tailored programs delivered through ASOs for strengthening community connectedness among younger, stigmatized, and longer diagnosed MSM living with HIV.

The effectiveness of community engagement in public health interventions for disadvantaged groups: a meta-analysis.

BackgroundInequalities in health are acknowledged in many developed countries, whereby disadvantaged groups systematically suffer from worse health outcomes such as lower life expectancy than non-disadvantaged groups. Engaging members of disadvantaged communities in public health initiatives has been suggested as a way to reduce health inequities. This systematic review was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of public health interventions that engage the community on a range of health outcomes across diverse health issues.MethodsWe searched the following sources for systematic reviews of public health interventions: Cochrane CDSR and CENTRAL, Campbell Library, DARE, NIHR HTA programme website, HTA database, and DoPHER. Through the identified reviews, we collated a database of primary studies that appeared to be relevant, and screened the full-text documents of those primary studies against our inclusion criteria. In parallel, we searched the NHS EED and TRoPHI databases for additional primary studies. For the purposes of these analyses, study design was limited to randomised and non-randomised controlled trials. Only interventions conducted in OECD countries and published since 1990 were included. We conducted a random effects meta-analysis of health behaviour, health consequences, self-efficacy, and social support outcomes, and a narrative summary of community outcomes. We tested a range of moderator variables, with a particular emphasis on the model of community engagement used as a potential moderator of intervention effectiveness.ResultsOf the 9,467 primary studies scanned, we identified 131 for inclusion in the meta-analysis. The overall effect size for health behaviour outcomes is d = .33 (95% CI .26, .40). The interventions were also effective in increasing health consequences (d = .16, 95% CI .06, .27); health behaviour self-efficacy (d = .41, 95% CI .16, .65) and perceived social support (d = .41, 95% CI .23, .65). Although the type of community engagement was not a significant moderator of effect, we identified some trends across studies.ConclusionsThere is solid evidence that community engagement interventions have a positive impact on a range of health outcomes across various conditions. There is insufficient evidence to determine whether one particular model of community engagement is more effective than any other.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1352-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Policy and system change and community coalitions: outcomes from allies against asthma.

Objectives. We assessed policy and system changes and health outcomes produced by the Allies Against Asthma program, a 5-year collaborative effort by 7 community coalitions to address childhood asthma. We also explored associations between community engagement and outcomes. Methods. We interviewed a sample of 1,477 parents of children with asthma in coalition target areas and comparison areas at baseline and 1 year to assess quality-of-life and symptom changes. An extensive tracking and documentation procedure and a survey of 284 participating individuals and organizations were used to ascertain policy and system changes and community engagement levels. Results. A total of 89 policy and system changes were achieved, ranging from changes in interinstitutional and intrainstitutional practices to statewide legislation. Allies children experienced fewer daytime (P = .008) and nighttime (P = .004) asthma symptoms than comparison children. In addition, Allies parents felt less helpless, frightened, and angry (P = .01) about their child's asthma. Type of community engagement was associated with number of policy and system changes. Conclusions. Community coalitions can successfully achieve asthma policy and system changes and improve health outcomes. Increased core and ongoing community stakeholder participation rather than a higher overall number of participants was associated with more change.

Crisis social policy and the resilience of the concept of community

This paper considers the continuing resilience of the notion of community in social policy making and wider political commentary in the contemporary UK. Focusing in particular on the ways in which community is negatively and positively invoked and mobilized in narratives of the ‘big’ and ‘broken’ societies, it considers why the notion of community, so popular with the previous New Labour government, continues to enchant the present UK Coalition government and has been given added resonance in the context of the economic crisis and of the ‘austerity’ measures currently being adopted. The paper argues that placing community at the heart of current welfare provision illuminates a number of tensions in the UK government’s policy-making agenda. Informed by a discussion of Liverpool – once one of the big society ‘laboratories’ – we highlight the contradictions between top-down, depoliticized understandings of community and the types of community engagement and participation that are to be found in poor, disadvantaged communities in particular. Such communities are also where the impact of UK government ‘austerity’ measures are being most keenly felt.

Cracking the nut of service-learning in nursing

CONTEXT AND SETTING Higher education institutions (HEI’s) worldwide are being held more accountable for both the effectiveness and relevance of their educational programmes and are being challenged to “reinsert the public good into higher education”. These reasons have contributed to the development of the service-learning movement globally. In South Africa service-learning became entrenched in HEI policy documents in less than a decade ago. Although there are national policy guidelines for community engagement and service-learning as a particular type of community engagement, the implementation of service-learning has occurred sporadically as HEIs struggling with the many changes at all societal levels. PURPOSE Whilst the school of nursing at University of the Western Cape is cognizant of this national policy imperative as stipulated in the guidelines of the Higher Education Quality Committee, how these statements will be operationalised within the undergraduate nursing programme has not been addressed. The question that therefore needs to be asked is what teaching staff perceive to be the enablers and challenges for institutionalising service-learning in the programme by exploring the perceptions of those involved in teaching on the programme. WHAT WAS DONE An exploratory, descriptive, contextual design was used. Participants who included academics (n= 18) and clinical supervisors (n= 18) employed at the school of nursing, completed a self- administered, structured questionnaire, adapted from Furco’s self-assessment rubric for the institutionalization of service-learning in Higher Education.. RESULTS OF RESULTS AND IMPACT The preliminary results reported here are part of a wider investigation into the implementation of service-learning in selected modules in the undergraduate nursing programme. The findings reveal that the school of nursing has to engage in critical mass building activities because none of the respondents were aware of the Higher Education Quality Committee’s assessment criteria for service-learning. Approximately 9% indicated awareness that the institution has an official definition of service-learning that is used consistently to operationalize most aspects of service-learning on campus. However, the majority (91%) reported on the absence of a campus-wide definition of service-learning; the inconsistent use of service-learning to describe a variety of experiential and service activities, or that they were unsure. Respondents indicated that institutional and departmental for and involvement in service-learning for academics, students and community participation was minimal. Although three respondents attended training sessions, all indicated that they would either like to receive information about the national service-learning policy guidelines, or attend training sessions on service-learning. CONCLUSION It can thus be concluded that the academics and clinical supervisors are willing to participate in activities to overcome the challenges identified. It is therefore recommended that a tailor-made training programme be designed to address the needs of the school of nursing in order to institutionalize service-learning in the undergraduate nursing programme

Policy and system change and community coalitions: outcomes from allies against asthma.

We assessed policy and system changes and health outcomes produced by the Allies Against Asthma program, a 5-year collaborative effort by 7 community coalitions to address childhood asthma. We also explored associations between community engagement and outcomes. We interviewed a sample of 1477 parents of children with asthma in coalition target areas and comparison areas at baseline and 1 year to assess quality-of-life and symptom changes. An extensive tracking and documentation procedure and a survey of 284 participating individuals and organizations were used to ascertain policy and system changes and community engagement levels. A total of 89 policy and system changes were achieved, ranging from changes in interinstitutional and intrainstitutional practices to statewide legislation. Allies children experienced fewer daytime (P = .008) and nighttime (P = .004) asthma symptoms than comparison children. In addition, Allies parents felt less helpless, frightened, and angry (P = .01) about their child's asthma. Type of community engagement was associated with number of policy and system changes. Community coalitions can successfully achieve asthma policy and system changes and improve health outcomes. Increased core and ongoing community stakeholder participation rather than a higher overall number of participants was associated with more change.