scholarly journals Aboriginal Family Services Agencies in High Poverty Urban Neighborhoods: Challenges Experienced by Local Staff

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-27
Author(s):  
Jason Brown ◽  
Cheryl Fraehlich
Keyword(s):  
Urban Neighborhoods ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
Family Services ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Local Staff ◽  
Culturally Based ◽  
Local Quality ◽  
Canadian City ◽  
Family Service Agencies

The purpose of the study was to describe the challenges of working in the community from the perspective of staff hired locally by culturally-based Aboriginal organizations in high-poverty urban neighborhoods. Locally staffed and culturally based Aboriginal family service agencies operating communities with high levels of poverty have emerged in large cities. Efforts of these agencies are consistent with community economic development practice aiming to improve local quality of life and skill development and promote economic capacity. There has been little research to date exploring the challenges faced by staff working in these organizations. Participants were residents of the local geographic community and staff of one of three Aboriginal family services agencies in a large Canadian city. They were asked “What are the challenges of working in your own community?” and their responses were analyzed using concept mapping methodology. Twelve concepts emerged from the analysis including: lack of privacy, being personally affected outside of work, keeping healthy boundaries, and knowing how to help. In addition participants described the high local need and meeting the range of needs given limited funding and influence of government on operations. As well, participants identified dealing with broader structural issues, such as substance abuse and gang problems. The results indicate that staff in Aboriginal family services agencies in high poverty communities experience living in the same community as service recipients, management of personal relationships with them, diversity of need within their service area, as well as potential for traumatic experiences as particularly challenging. Staff preparation, training and support for these issues are important for funders and administrators to attend to.

Patterns of Social Inclusion and Exclusion Among Youth Living in Stigmatized Neighborhoods

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabiana Espíndola Ferrer
Keyword(s):  
Social Integration ◽  
Residential Segregation ◽  
Neighborhood Effects ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Urban Neighborhoods ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
Ethnographic Case Study ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
The Social

This chapter is an ethnographic case study of the social integration trajectories of youth living in two stigmatized and poor neighborhoods in Montevideo. It explains the linkages between residential segregation and social inclusion and exclusion patterns in unequal urban neighborhoods. Most empirical neighborhood research on the effects of residential segregation in contexts of high poverty and extreme stigmatization have focused on its negative effects. However, the real mechanisms and mediations influencing the so-called neighborhood effects of residential segregation are still not well understood. Scholars have yet to isolate specific neighborhood effects and their contribution to processes of social inclusion and exclusion. Focusing on the biographical experiences of youth in marginalized neighborhoods, this ethnography demonstrates the relevance of social mediations that modulate both positive and negative residential segregation effects.

Commentary in Search of the Grassroots-Why Implementing Residents' Wishes is Harder Than it Seems

2003 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill Lackey
Keyword(s):  
Urban Neighborhoods ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Racial Groups ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Grassroots Groups ◽  
Tax Exempt ◽  
Us Census ◽  
Residents Attitudes

On the surface, the skills of practicing anthropologists and the needs of urban neighborhoods seem to be an ideal match-especially in a city like Milwaukee, WI. According to the latest US Census report, Milwaukee is the most segregated of the large cities in the nation. Cultural groups abound here yet interact minimally. Local grant funds are often available for tax-exempt organizations to design programs that will help residents of various ethnic/ "racial" groups and social classes build community for the health of neighborhoods. Historically, anthropologists have demonstrated an activist commitment to the interests of grassroots groups; and are schooled in cultural competency, cross-cultural knowledge, and understanding the dynamics of ethnic and class boundaries. In addition, anthropologists are skilled in research methods that can reliably assess residents' attitudes, wishes, needs, and openness to options. It makes sense to believe that practicing anthropologists would be successful at the form of cultural brokering funding sources seek, as long as it is done in collaboration with the neighborhood leaders and draws on the consensus of residents. But who are these neighborhood leaders? And can anthropologists and others transform resident consensus into actual programming? Somewhere between the useful skills of anthropologists and implementing resident wishes are layers of constraints.

scholarly journals The imprint of trauma on family relationships: an enquiry into what may trouble a ‘troubled family’ and its implications for whole-family services

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 463-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry Tew
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
National Study ◽  
Family Services ◽  
Recovery Capital ◽  
Relational Systems ◽  
The Impact

For some families facing complex difficulties, an underlying issue can be the impact of traumatic experiences, such as child abuse or domestic violence. While the impact of trauma on individuals is relatively well understood, its impact on the functioning of family or relational systems is less well theorised. This article takes forward the development of an original theoretical framework by which to understand both the impact of trauma at a collective level and the resources that people may need in order for them to overcome its legacy ‐ building principally building on concepts of family schema and recovery capital. This discussion is grounded in the practice context of whole-family support and decision-making services, and is explored through an analysis of narrative data obtained as part of a wider national study into whole-family approaches.

scholarly journals Gentrification and Academic Achievement: A Review of Recent Research

2018 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis A. Pearman
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Neighborhood Effects ◽  
Interdisciplinary Research ◽  
Final Section ◽  
Central City ◽  
Urban Neighborhoods ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
The Social ◽  
Induced Changes

Research in the neighborhood effects tradition has primarily concerned itself with understanding the consequences of growing up in high-poverty neighborhoods. In recent years, however, the in-migration of relatively affluent households into disinvested central city neighborhoods—commonly referred to as gentrification—has markedly risen, transforming the racial, socioeconomic, and institutional composition of many urban neighborhoods. This article examines what existing literature reveals about what these changes mean for children’s academic achievement, with particular attention paid to the impacts of gentrification-induced changes to the social ecology, institutional composition, residential stability, and environmental conditions of urban neighborhoods. The final section proposes a rigorous interdisciplinary research agenda for advancing this budding field of education research.

Mining Smart Card Data from an Urban Transit Network

2011 ◽  
pp. 1292-1302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Agard
Keyword(s):  
Data Mining ◽  
Smart Card ◽  
Travel Demand ◽  
Customer Behavior ◽  
Transit Network ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Transit Networks ◽  
Canadian City ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Transit Use

In large urban areas, smooth running public transit networks are key to viable development. Currently, economic and environmental issues are fueling the need for these networks to adequately serve travel demand, thereby increasing their competitiveness and their market share. Better balance between transit supply and demand will also help reduce and control operating costs. The fact is, however, that transit operators are finding it extremely difficult to adjust the service to meet the demand, because this demand changes continuously with the time or day of travel (period of the day, day of the week, season or holiday) and other factors like weather and service breakdown. In order to enhance their service, operators need to better understand the travel demand (customer behaviors and the variability of the demand in space and time). This can be achieved only by continuously monitoring the day-to-day activities of users throughout the transit network. Some large cities around the world take advantage of smart card capabilities to manage their transit networks by using Smart Card Automated Fare Collection Systems (SCAFCS). An SCAFCS gives travelers greater flexibility, since a single card may be used by one user at various times and on different parts of the transit network, and may support various fare possibilities (by travel, line, zone, period, etc.). For transit operators, these systems not only validate and collect fares, but also represent a rich source of continuous data regarding the use of their network. Actually, this continuous dataset (developed for fare collection) has the potential to provide new knowledge about transit use. Following the application of various pretreatments which make it possible to extract real-time activity, data mining techniques can reveal interesting patterns. These techniques are aimed at precisely describing customer behavior, identifying sets of customers with similar behaviors, and measuring the spatial and temporal variability of transit use. Patterns are extracted and analyzed to document various issues, such as identifying transit use cycles or homogeneous days and weeks of travel for various periods of the year. This information is required for a better understanding and modeling of customer behavior, and consequently better adjustment of the service to the demand. These adjustments may, for instance, lead to the restructuring of the transit network, to the adaptation of route scheduling or to the definition of new and different subscription options (fares). Below, results from various experiments conducted with a real dataset are provided. They show the potential of data mining to provide useful and novel information about user behavior on a transit network. The data processed in the study are extracted from a system operating in a Canadian city (Gatineau, Quebec).

Do Neighborhood Demographics Modify Walking Group Intervention Effectiveness in Urban Neighborhoods?

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy J. Schulz ◽  
Graciela B. Mentz ◽  
Jamila Kwarteng ◽  
Barbara A. Israel ◽  
Cindy Gamboa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Group Intervention ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Urban Neighborhoods ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
Neighborhood Poverty ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Walking Group

Objectives. We assessed the effects of neighborhood composition on effectiveness of the Walk Your Heart to Health (WYHH) intervention in promoting physical activity and reducing cardiovascular risk (CVR) in low-to-moderate–income, predominantly non-Latino Black (NLB) and Latino communities. Method. Multilevel models assessed modifying effects of neighborhood composition on (1) WYHH adherence/participation at 8 weeks and 32 weeks, (2) associations between participation and steps, and (3) associations between steps and CVR. Results. Approximately 90% of participants were women. Neither neighborhood poverty nor racial composition modified intervention participation at 8 weeks. At 32 weeks, residents of high percentage–NLB neighborhoods that also had high poverty rates had reduced participation. Neighborhood composition did not modify associations between participation and steps or between steps and CVR. Neighborhood percentage poverty and NLB were positively associated with CVR. Conclusion. Positive associations between participation in the WYHH program and physical activity, and CVR did not differ by neighborhood composition. Efforts to address challenges to long-term participation are warranted for residents of racially segregated, high-poverty neighborhoods. Residents of racially segregated neighborhoods with high concentrations of poverty experience disproportionately high risk for cardiovascular disease and can benefit from interventions such as WYHH that increase physical activity and reduce CVR.

scholarly journals Contributions of Neighborhood Parks to Physical Activity in High-Poverty Urban Neighborhoods

2018 ◽  
Vol 95 (6) ◽  
pp. 881-887 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sujeong Park ◽  
Bing Han ◽  
Deborah A. Cohen ◽  
Kathryn P. Derose
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Urban Neighborhoods ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
Neighborhood Parks

Factorial Structure of the SCAS and Its Relationship With the SDQ

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Di Riso ◽  
Daphne Chessa ◽  
Andrea Bobbio ◽  
Adriana Lis
Keyword(s):  
Age Differences ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Factorial Structure ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Culturally Based ◽  
Positive Correlations ◽  
Italian Children

The factorial structure of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS; Spence, 1997 ) was examined in a community sample of 1,397 Italian children from 8 to 10 years old. Sex and age differences as regards anxiety symptoms were also analyzed. The convergent validity of the SCAS was explored through correlations with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997 ). The use of confirmatory factor analysis supported the six correlated factor model of the SCAS with only minor differences compared to the original work by Spence (1997 ), and it was therefore named SCAS-it. Modifications to the original SCAS were supported by methodologically, theoretically, and culturally based arguments. The internal consistency of the SCAS-it was acceptable. Females displayed significantly higher levels of anxiety symptoms than males, while age differences were nonsignificant. Positive correlations were found between the SCAS-it and selected subscales of the SDQ. The results support the SCAS model, with few exceptions that do not threaten the utility of Spence’s tool.

Traumatic experiences and associated symptomatology in Asian American middle school students.

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-223
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Davies-Mercier ◽  
Michelle W. Woodbridge ◽  
W. Carl Sumi ◽  
S. Patrick Thornton ◽  
Katrina D. Roundfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Asian American ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
School Students
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