Archipelago: a journey across poetic islands of the self

 Paul Venzo's thesis is a poetic response to the author's relationship with Venice and the Veneto. It comprises a manuscript of poetry in English and Italian and an exegesis exploring aspects of the poet's creative practice, including translation, writing in place and intersections with literary history and form.

Weaving textual tapestries: weaving the 'Italian woman-writer' into the social fabric

A tapestry is a fabric in which multicoloured threads are interwoven to produce a pictorial design. The design of a tapestry often seems three-dimensional with layers of interwoven images of people and events from various times past and present. I use the tapastry as a motif or metaphor to describe the bordering and interweaving of my 'multiple lifeworlds' (Cope & Kalantzis 8) as an Italian Australian woman, academic, writer and social activist. Within and between each .of these worlds are points of tension and confluence, questions and emotions that motivate my own research and writing, and motivate my work with young people to articulate their own 'multiple lifeworlds' through writing
and art.

Adopting bilingual education : an Australian school community`s journey

This article describes a case study of an Australian deaf facility and its changes in language policy. The study documents the process of change in a school community as the researcher worked collaboratively with teachers and parents to investigate the place of Auslan and bilingual pedagogy in deaf education. Teachers’ dissatisfaction with educational outcomes and current practices propelled the discussion about language policy. Gaining the support of parents is a key feature of this study. Beliefs about language policy and practices are explored and the implications for change investigated. This is part of a larger study of deaf education and the politics of language practices (see Komesaroff, 1998).

Ethics-a lifelong journey

It is in the interests of society as a whole and lawyers as individuals that lawyers practise their profession ethically. But what exactly are "professional ethics"?

A possible journey to an Australian knowledge management framework

World wide there is a transition towards knowledge-based economies In order to foster them, many economies have built frameworks in conjunction with world forums that promote international cooperation. Our research focuses on Australia, an economy that has been named by the OECD as knowledge-based. Specifically, the paper appraises the transition towards knowledge economies in general. We then examine the Australian context through the implemented eEurope framework with the intent of providing suggestions to Australia in its transition towards building its knowledge management
framework.

Cultural diversity and mental health : the relationship between leisure experiences and wellbeing in an ageing Italian community in Australia

One of the population health implications for Australia’s ageing population is that a larger proportion of the Australian community will be retired and have more time for leisure pursuits. Meaningful leisure activities for this group are thought to be a factor in promoting positive mental health. However, a search of health literature revealed a paucity of research on how older adults make use of their leisure time, what meaning these pursuits have to them, and whether their chosen leisure activities are health enhancing and promote wellbeing. Australia’s population is diverse with many cultures represented. As the population ages, mental health workers will be called upon to provide culturally-appropriate mental health services to clients from a range of ethnic groups. Literature on how people of culturally diverse backgrounds understand leisure activities is also limited. This paper reports on a study carried out in an Italian community in a large regional centre. The participants were selected based on the following criteria; aged 65 years and over, born in Italy, independently living in the community, ambulant, and retired from paid workforce. This study explored how a well-elderly group from an ethnic community derived meaning from their leisure activities and how this impacted on their mental health. Establishing the relationship between leisure and mental health in an ageing ethnic community is important because it sheds light on potential intervention strategies that can be used to maintain the mental health of people living independently in the community. Participants were interviewed using semi-structured questions about their perceptions of leisure, the meanings they derived from these activities, and their perceived impact of these activities on their health. Participant observation was also used to add trustworthiness to the data. Themes arising from the interviews and participant observation will be related to the participants’ sense of health. Results also revealed how older Italians engaged in leisure activities. Implications of the research findings will be directed towards mental health practice with older ethnic clients in community settings. The promotion of healthy lifestyles and positive mental health for Australia’s ageing population will also be discussed.

Shake rattle and roll: a journey with Parkinson's

This is the journey of a man suffering from Parkinson's disease. Ross Collins tells of his past twelve years' experiences of living with Parkinson's. Before, he had a steady job with Victoria Police, with promising future prospects; and was happily married with two young children. The disease struck him at an early age, changing his life and setting him on a different course. His outlook on life has changed, and his decision-making influenced; as well, his relationships with his family affected. He feels normal only when he is shaking, rattling and rolling along on his Harley. His wish for a cure leads him to pin his hopes on faith healing by the 'miracle man', in Brazil. The first two visits did not seem to have done anything to improve his physical condition. Ross is returning to Brazil for the third time, hoping against hope that his condition could be improved by a miracle healing. This documentary gives an intimate look into the life of a Parkinson's disease sufferer and that of his family. Includes al.

The recovery journey : employment support for people with depression and other mental illnesses

This paper presents the qualitative findings of a larger mixed method study aimed to articulate factors that clients and staff of the Disability Employment Network (DEN) identify in relation to re-engagement into the workforce. The DEN is a supported job training and employment program funded by the Australian Federal Government, established to assist clients with health disabilities, including mental health diagnoses, to seek and retain employment. Two DEN sites participated in the study (one regional and one metropolitan). Semi structured interviews and focus groups were undertaken with seven employment counsellors and 16 clients until data saturation occurred. Analysis of the narrative data identified two overarching emergent concepts articulated by clients and employment counsellors: employment enablers and employment barriers. The notion of recovery and re-engagement in the workforce in the context of mental illness is complex. The qualitative results of this study highlight the essential nature of supporting clients’ mental health and vocational needs concurrently through such means as service collaboration, vocational peer support and, importantly, provision of employment support congruent with phase of recovery.