If you don’t know, you can’t help: A practical guide for alcohol and other drug screening in psychological services

Alcohol is implicated in over 60 diseases and injuries and accounted for 6.2 per cent of all male deaths globally in 2004 (WHO, 2011). Alcohol and other drug (AOD) abuse causes significant individual, family and social harms at all age levels and across all socioeconomic groups. These may result from intoxication (e.g., overdose, vulnerability to physical injury/trauma or death, consequences of impulsive behaviour, aggression and driving under the influence) and longer-term consequences (e.g., alcohol or drug-related brain injury, cardiovascular and liver diseases, blood borne viruses e.g., Chikritzhs et al., 2003, Roxburgh et al., 2013). Mental health problems may be triggered or exacerbated, and family breakdown, poor self-esteem, legal issues and lack of community engagement may also be evident. Despite the prevalence of substance use disorders and evident consequences for the individual, family and wider community, it would seem that health professionals, including psychologists, are reluctant to ask about substance use.

Urban informatics beyond data: Media architecture, placemaking, and citizen action

Since 2006, we have been conducting urban informatics research that we define as “the study, design, and practice of urban experiences across different urban contexts that are created by new opportunities of real-time, ubiquitous technology and the augmentation that mediates the physical and digital layers of people networks and urban infrastructures” [1]. Various new research initiatives under the label “urban informatics” have been started since then by universities (e.g., NYU’s Center for Urban Science and Progress) and industry (e.g., Arup, McKinsey) worldwide. Yet, many of these new initiatives are limited to what Townsend calls, “data-driven approaches to urban improvement” [2]. One of the key challenges is that any quantity of aggregated data does not easily translate directly into quality insights to better understand cities. In this talk, I will raise questions about the purpose of urban informatics research beyond data, and show examples of media architecture, participatory city making, and citizen activism. I argue for (1) broadening the disciplinary foundations that urban science approaches draw on; (2) maintaining a hybrid perspective that considers both the bird’s eye view as well as the citizen’s view, and; (3) employing design research to not be limited to just understanding, but to bring about actionable knowledge that will drive change for good.

From users to citizens: Some thoughts on designing for polity and civics

This paper presents an essay aimed at prompting broad discussion crucial in keeping the interaction design discourse fresh, critical, and in motion. We trace the changing role of people who have advanced from consumers to producers, from stationary office workers to mobile urban nomads, from passive members of the plebs to active instigators of change. Yet, interaction designers often still refer to them only as ‘users.’ We follow some of the historic developments from the information superhighway to the smart city in order to provide the backdrop in front of which we critically analyse three core areas. First, the issue of echo chambers and filter bubbles in social media results in a political polarisation that jeopardises the formation of a functioning public sphere. Second, pretty lights and colourful façades in media architecture are increasingly making way for situated installations and interventions fostering community engagement. And third, civic activism is often reduced to forms of slacktivism. We synthesise our discussion to propose ‘citizen-ability’ as an alternative goal for interaction designers to aspire to in order to create new polities and civics for a better quality of life.

Situated interfaces for engaging citizens on the go

Insights Live screening and playfulness of the interactive space can be effective strategies for attracting the attention of passers-by and turn them into active participants. While urban screen interfaces increase participation by encouraging group interaction, privately-oriented tangible user interfaces give people a longer time to reflect upon their answers.

Spotlight on animating spaces: Evaluation of Artslink Queensland's Animating Spaces 2013 & 2014

Animating Spaces 2013-14 Interim Report Artslink Queensland’s Animating Spaces initiative is a three-year statewide project (2013-2015) that aims to revitalise and celebrate non-traditional, significant, and unusual spaces within fifteen regional Queensland communities. After the completion of two years of Animating Spaces this is the first public interim report highlighting outcomes to date. A final evaluation report will be collated in early 2016 that will capture the Animating Spaces project in its entirety. Developed by Queensland University of Technology evaluation team, Professor Helen Klaebe and Dr. Elizabeth Ellison with the extraordinary assistance of Artslink Queensland staff, in particular Kerryanne Farrer.

Perceptions of the prevalence of self-organising amongst Australian road safety stakeholders: A comparative perspective

The Australian road traffic fatality rate is slowing down at a much lower rate than that of comparable high income countries. This slow rate of reduction may be attributable to a wide range of causes such as deficits in coordination and low community engagement. However, it may also be due to the absence of understanding of systems thinking in road safety in Australia. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the perceptions of Australian stakeholders about the prevalence of a principle of the Dynamic Systems Theory, namely: self-organising. The results pointed to a need to decentralize the road traffic injury prevention efforts in Australia through a range of self-organising principles and the adoption of emergent rather than deliberate strategies.

“It puts a human face on the researched”: A qualitative evaluation of an Indigenous research governance model

Objective This study aimed to describe the Inala Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Jury for Health Research, and evaluate its usefulness as a model of Indigenous research governance within an urban Indigenous primary health care service from the perspectives of Jury members and researchers. Methods Informed by a phenomenological approach and using narrative inquiry, a focus group was conducted with Jury members and key informant interviews were undertaken with researchers who had presented to the Community Jury in its first year of operation. Results The Jury was a site of identity work for researchers and Jury members, providing an opportunity to observe and affirm community cultural protocols. Although researchers and Jury members had differing levels of research literacy, the Jury processes enabled respectful communication and relationships to form which positively influenced research practice, community aspirations and clinical care. Discussion The Jury processes facilitated transformative research practice among researchers, and resulted in transference of power from researchers to the Jury members to the mutual benefit of both. Conclusion Ethical Indigenous health research practice requires an engagement with Indigenous peoples and knowledges at the research governance level, not simply as subjects or objects of research.

Aging-in-place: Perspectives from the construction industry

Older adults report a desire to remain within the preferred environment for as long as possible. This desire is referred to as aging-in-place. Aging-in-place integrates housing and care options. Factors affecting the ability to remain within the preferred environment include current home designs, access to housing choices, social support networks, and community services, to name a few. Research supports physical and psychosocial benefits of aging-in-place for the individual. Home modifications have the potential to influence the quality of life in a number of positive directions that range from personal mobility to community engagement. Modifications range from minor to significant. Financial resources, contractor interest and expertise, consumer awareness and consumer opportunity affect the degree of change. Increasingly, construction professionals express an interest in learning more about aging-in place. Queries ranged from obtaining a greater understanding of the meaning of the concept, impact of demographic change on housing stock, and increased awareness of universal design features. This paper presents findings from a survey administered to current members of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association – Calgary Regional Office. Within this presentation, we report findings on members understanding of demographic change and the effect of this change on the current and future housing stock. We discuss perceived barriers and benefits of the development of business models to support aging-in-place. Finally, we conclude with discussion of educational support to enhance the understanding of aging-in-place.

Do stakeholders or social obligations drive corporate social and environmental responsibility reporting? Managerial views from a developing country

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore senior managers’ perception and motivations of corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSER) reporting in the context of a developing country, Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 senior managers of companies listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange. Publicly available annual reports of these companies were also analysed. Findings – The results indicate that senior managers perceive CSER reporting as a social obligation. The study finds that the managers focus mostly on child labour, human resources/rights, responsible products/services, health education, sports and community engagement activities as part of the social obligations. Interviewees identify a lack of a regulatory framework along with socio-cultural and religious factors as contributing to the low level of disclosures. These findings suggest that CSER reporting is not merely stakeholder-driven, but rather country-specific social and environmental issues play an important role in relation to CSER reporting practices. Research limitations/implications – This paper contributes to engagement-based studies by focussing on CSER reporting practices in developing countries and are useful for academics, practitioners and policymakers in understanding the reasons behind CSER reporting in developing countries. Originality/value – This paper addresses a literature “gap” in the empirical study of CSER reporting in a developing country, such as Bangladesh. This study fills a gap in the existing literature to understand managers’ motivations for CSER reporting in a developing country context. Managerial perceptions on CSER issues are largely unexplored in developing countries.

From the guest editors: Urban acupuncture

The term urban acupuncture refers to a concept where a localised intervention or treatment is used for the revitalisation and (re)creation of cities by targeting strategic points, poking or activating networks into action. These actions impart stimuli for further responses and opportunity through small projects rather than large developments. Urban Acupuncture activates dynamic transformative forces of the place and focuses on the maintenance of a healthy situation rather than on the cure of problems, and thus metaphorically resonates with the principles of the practice of acupuncture in traditional Chinese medicine...

Crossing literacy and informed learning boundaries with Manga

This research investigated high school students’ experiences of informed learning in a literacy development workshop. It was conducted in the library of an Australian high school with a low socio-economic population. Building upon students’ fascination with Manga fiction and artwork, the workshop was part of a larger university-community engagement project Crossing Boundaries with Reading which aimed to address widespread literacy challenges at the school. The paper first provides a brief literature review that introduces the concept of informed learning, or the experience of using information to learn. In practice, informed learning fosters simultaneous learning about using information and learning about a topic. Thus, information is a transformative force that extends beyond functional information literacy skills. Then, the paper outlines the phenomenographic methodology used in this study, the workshop context and the research participants. The findings reveal three different ways that students experienced the workshop: as an art lesson; as a life lesson; and as an informed learning lesson. The discussion highlights the power of informed learning as a holistic approach to information literacy education. The study’s findings are significant as students from low socio-economic backgrounds are often at risk of experiencing disadvantage throughout their lives if they do not develop a range of literacies including the ability to use information effectively. Responding to this problem, the paper provides an empirically-based example of informed learning to support further research and develop professional practice. While the research context is limited to one high school library, the findings are of potential value for teacher-librarians, educators and information professionals elsewhere.

The performance in context model: A 21st century tertiary dance teaching pedagogy

Despite tertiary institutions acknowledging that reflective practice is an essential component of undergraduate dance teacher training, there is often a disparity between the tertiary students’ reflective skills and the more sophisticated reflective ability needed to navigate the 21st century workforce (Silva 2008). This paper charts the evolution of a dance teaching reflective pedagogy within a suite of three units across a three-year undergraduate dance teacher-training course for school, community and studio dance teachers. This reflective pedagogy based on exploration, collaboration, critical questioning and connections with community forms the basis of a model of tertiary dance teacher- training; the Performance in Context Model (PCM). Over the past four years, through four cycles of action research, the PCM pedagogy, context and engagement with community has developed into a successful model integrating practical dance teaching skills, artistry and community engagement. The PCM represents a holistic collaborative approach to dance teacher education: the marrying of ‘teacher-as-artist’, ‘teacher-as-performer’ and ‘teacher-as-researcher’. More specifically, it emphasises the need for mature, reflective, receptive and flexible approaches in response to dance teaching and learning. These are enacted in a variety of contexts, with tertiary dance teaching students identifying as teaching artists, as well as researchers of their own practice.

The Instabooth

The InstaBooth is a portable demountable interactive installation for situated community engagement. Its aim is to give a voice to communities who can share their thoughts and ideas in an unstructured and playful way that combines digital technology with tangible materials. It is constructed from standard CNC-cut plywood stock and plans for its construction are available for others to download and use. Its modular design accommodates a range of bespoke interactive technologies, both analogue and digital, designed to facilitate the engagement process by providing means to present different materials and offer different ways to collect feedback. The appearance and interactions of the booth are designed to appeal to different demographics and foster an interactive discussion about a range of different topics such as change management, policy development, and urban planning.

DIY/DIWO media architecture: The InstaBooth

Building on previous discourse regarding the ability of media architecture to be more open and accessible for the purposes of community engagement (Caldwell & Foth, 2014), this chapter explores a particular case study that was designed, constructed and implemented with the intention of allowing city users to participate in the development and creation of media architecture, the InstaBooth. In this chapter, we first explore DIY (do it yourself) and DIWO (do it with others) phenomena to examine what motivates the DIY cultures, communities, and practices. Secondly, in this chapter, we define and discuss our implementation of a DIY / DIWO media architecture example, the InstaBooth. The InstaBooth project pro-vides an opportunity to question the effectiveness of a DIY driven media architec-ture artefact to see to what extent it impacts on the experience of its users and for what benefit.

Social Living Labs for Digital Participation: Designing with Regional and Rural Communities [workshop proceedings]

“Fostering digital participation through Living Labs in regional and rural Australian communities,” is a three year research project funded by the Australian Research Council. The project aims to identify the specific digital needs and practices of regional and rural residents in the context of the implementation of high speed internet. It seeks to identify new ways for enabling residents to develop their digital confidence and skills both at home and in the community. This two-day symposium will bring together researchers and practitioners from diverse backgrounds to discuss design practices in social living labs that aim to foster digital inclusion and participation. Day one will consist of practitioner and research reports, while day two will provide an opportunity for participants to imagine and design future digital participation strategies. Academic participants will also have an opportunity to contribute to a refereed edited volume by Chandos Publishing (an imprint of Elsevier).