Rural youth education and support program: the Casterton experience

Young people's lives have been directly and indirectly affected by the dynamics of decline in rural Australia. In early 1999, the Casterton region experienced the suicides of two young people. These events led to the funding of a rural youth education and support program at the town's secondary college. The program adopts a multi-layered approach to reduce risk factors and strengthen the protective factors amongst students at the college through the enhancement of social connectedness, personal safety and freedom, and educational participation. The program provides interventions at the individual, school and community levels through case management, the delivery of group programs and opportunities for community participation. This approach recognises the importance of early intervention and a holistic approach to health and well-being in the student population. This paper provides an overview and preliminary evaluation of the program undertaken in 2002.

Using shopping mall attributes to revitalise Australian small town retailing

As has occurred in many smaller rural communities in America, Europe and Canada much of inland Australia has experienced population decline involving both a net loss of people a disproportionate ageing of the population and low average family incomes. Some Australian country towns have ceased to function as retail and administrative centres while other rural areas are faced with the prospect of losing critically important retail outlets and service providers. Australian rural towns are under threat from residents outshopping at nearby large regional centres leading to the loss of businesses and services in small service towns. This paper explores the possibility of how and why retailers and service providers in Australian country towns can and should emulate certain attributes of shopping malls in an attempt to stem the rise of outshopping. Using data collected in one small Australian rural community the paper comments on residents' perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of retailing and the provision of services in their local community and what respondents thought should be done to diminish retail leakage from their town. Based on their responses it is clear that to remain competitive, retailers in smaller rural towns need to learn from the experience of shopping malls with whom they must now compete to survive. In this paper, it is argued that in certain areas this is not only possible, but essential if retailing is to remain viable in Australian country towns.

Rural adolescent alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use: a comparison of students in Victoria, Australia, and Washington State, United States

Purpose: There are inconsistent research findings regarding the impact of rurality on adolescent alcohol, tobacco, and illicit substance use. Therefore, the current study reports on the effect of rurality on alcohol, tobacco, and illicit
drug use among adolescents in 2 state representative samples in 2 countries, Washington State (WA) in the United States and Victoria (VIC) in Australia.
Participants: The International Youth Development Study (IYDS) recruited representative samples of students from Grade 7 (aged 12 to 13 years) and Grade 9 (aged 14 to 15) in both states. A total of 3,729 students responded to questions about alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and other illicit substance use (n_VIC = 1,852; n_WA = 1,877). In each state, males and females were equally represented and ages ranged from 12 to 15 years.
Methods: Data were analyzed to compare lifetime and current (past 30 days) substance use for students located in census areas classified as urban, large or small town, and rural. Findings were adjusted for school clustering and
weighted to compare prevalence at median age 14 years.
Findings: Rates of lifetime and current alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use were significantly higher in rural compared to urban students in both states (odds ratio for current substance use = 1.31).
Conclusions: In both Washington State and Victoria, early adolescent rural students use substances more frequently than their urban counterparts. Future studies should examine factors that place rural adolescents at risk for alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use.

Toka boot/the big jam : making music in rural East Timor

This article discusses a community music project in rural East Timor. Australian musician Gillian Howell lived for three months in the isolated town of Lospalos as an Asialink artist-in-residence, where she worked with local community members and visiting Australian musicians to share music and ideas, and to communicate across cultures. Three activities are described in detail: a songwriting project, a large-scale community music event and a series of informal jam sessions, particularly with respect to the context, teaching and learning models used. An evaluation of the impact of the project on participants, other community members and visiting musicians, indicated that stakeholders valued the project highly for a range of different reasons. These included fun and enjoyment, maintenance of cultural heritage, creative expression, English language learning and cross-cultural exchange. Learnings and recommendations for future similar cross-cultural collaborations include the value of integrating local music traditions with new participatory arts approaches.

Rural-urban differences in reasons for living

 Objective: The suicide rate in Australia is cause for concern, especially the increase in attempted and completed suicides in rural and regional locations. The present study examined reasons for choosing not to commit suicide as a function of residential location. Method: The study involved 655 Victorian residents from four population-based strata; urban, regional city, regional town, and rural. Results: Results from the Reasons for Living Inventory revealed significant differences as a function of residential location. Overall, residents in rural locations reported having significantly more to live for than their urban counterparts. Further analysis of six reasons for living (child, family, moral, social, coping and death-related concerns) showed a pattern whereby residents in rural locations reported having the most to live for, followed by regional residents, and urban residents who reported having the least to live for. Conclusions: These findings are in contrast to increase of suicide rates in rural areas, and highlight the need for a greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying suicidal behaviour.

Quatro novos registros da fauna flebotomínica do gênero Lutzomyia França (Diptera: Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) do distrito rural de Brejo do Mutambal, Varzelândia, MG

During April and May 2006, experiments were carried out in Brejo do Mutambal, Varzelandia Town, Minas Gerais State, to evaluate the attractiveness of phlebotomine sandflies to CDC light traps, baited with kairomones. of the 19 species of Lutzomyia already registered for the region, L. lutziana (Costa Lima), L. longipennis (Barreto), L. goiana (Martins, Falcao & Silva) and L. brasiliensis (Costa Lima) were recorded for the first time, thus increasing the diversity of phlebotomine sandflies fauna in this area to 23 species. The new registered species and distribution are shown and discussed herein.

Agricultura familiar: uma perspectiva da qualidade de vida do produtor rural orgânico da Paraíba

Knowledge of quality of life is a very complex and rich in cultural and subjective dimensions, understood in a broad sense and multivariate theme. Considering the rural areas from agriculture, it is observed that the production standard defines significant changes in the environmental context and the quality of life of rural workers. To explain the relationship between quality of life and Family Organic Agriculture, we sought to analyze the quality of life of the organic family farmer, after change in agricultural management. The research, based on a procedure exploratory study supported the articulation theoretically constructed, showed their relevance and allowed to delimit with greater security, the central question of work. The WHOQOL - 100 treated the instrument of research on quality of life that directed the field study with organic farmers from the town of Lagoa Seca / PB. Farmers and family members are from rural regions Almeida, Alvinho, Lagoa de Barro, Lagoa Gravatá, Oiti and Pau Ferro. The average time is 39 years farming and organic family farm is 16 years. In the analysis work was found that the process of production of vegetables and fruits is divided into 08 steps and with respect to workloads observations showed the presence of: physical loads, mechanical stresses, psychological burden and ergonomic factors. Most farmers reported symptoms were fatigue and cramps in the legs . Regarding the quality of life was noticed that the Psychological Domain contributed positively to the quality of life with mean and standard deviation (17.83 ± 12.78) and Domain Environment negatively contributing to the quality of life of this group (9.00 ± 6.82). We conclude that the practice of Family Organic Agriculture should be seen as an effective strategy in promoting quality of life and social values in between, since it presents environmental sustainability with regard to life and socio-cultural diversity of populations

Molar incisor hypomineralisation: Possible aetiological factors in children from urban and rural areas

Aim: To analyse factors potentially associated with molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH) development. METHODS: A population-based study was carried out with 903 children aged from 6-12 years old, born and residing in rural and urban areas of the town of Botelhos, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Their mothers completed a structured medical history questionnaire, from pregnancy to the child's 3rd year of life. Two examiners evaluated children for MIH according to criteria suggested by the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry. Descriptive analyses of the data and odds ratios (OR) with 95% test-based confidence intervals (CI) were estimated. Chisquare test was used to evaluate the differences between groups. RESULTS: The prevalence of MIH in children from rural area (RA) was significantly higher than those from the urban area (UA) (24.9% versus 17.8%, p= 0.01). In urban children, neither significant associations with MIH nor medical problems were found. In rural children, however, MIH was significantly more common among those whose mothers had experienced medical problems during pregnancy (OR=2.11; 1.01-4.37 CI 95%; p=0.04), who had throat infections (OR=2.93; 1.47-5.87 CI 95%; p=0.01), who had high fever (OR=1.91; 1.07-3.39 CI 95%; p=0.02), and who had used amoxicillin associated with other antibiotics (OR=1.92; 1.02-3.62 CI 95%; p=0.04) during the first 3 years of life. CONCLUSION: This study suggests a link between MIH and health problems during pregnancy, as well as environmental factors.

O Canto da araponga: possibilidades de um turismo no espaço rural da microrregião de Viçosa - MG

Pós-graduação em Geografia - IGCE

As relações entre o pequeno município e o espaço rural: Cristais Paulistas (SP) - um estudo de caso

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Divisão social e definição dos grupos sociais no meio rural - campesinato, proletariado rural e agricultura familiar: o caso de Conchas-SP

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Cartografias da educação na Amazônia rural ribeirinha: estudo do currículo, imagens, saberes e identidade em uma escola do município de Breves/Pará

Esta dissertação resulta de uma pesquisa realizada em Breves, localizado ao sul da ilha de Marajó, no Estado do Pará - Brasil. Ela investiga o planejamento curricular da escola rural ribeirinha da vila de madeireira "Ivo Mainardi" da rede municipal de Breves/PA, na perspectiva das identidades e dos saberes da população ribeirinha marajoara de Breves. No percurso metodológico investigativo foi utilizado a análise documental, a entrevista semiestruturada e a fotografia, com a perspectiva de possibilitar ao leitor uma melhor compreensão sobre a Amazônia rural ribeirinha. A história de Breves tem início no Período Colonial, com a chegada dos portugueses ao local, sua população é constituída de ribeirinhos, muitos desses residem em pequenas comunidades, povoados e vilas de madeireiras. Muitos ribeirinhos são atraídos às vilas de madeireiras pela oferta do emprego na empresa madeireira e pela escola. Apesar do ribeirinho viver em um contexto em que a produção material está relacionada à exploração da madeira os currículos escolares não tratam desta questão, distanciando-se do que preconizam as Diretrizes Operacionais para a Educação Básica nas Escolas do Campo, que estabelece como princípio de qualidade do currículo a ecologia e a sustentabilidade. O planejamento curricular das escolas do meio rural é elaborado com a participaçã dos educadores rurais ribeirinhos, mas ainda não expressa os saberes, a cultura, e a identidade dos ribeirinhos marajoaras da Vila Mainardi. Assim, o desafio colocado aos gestores, os sujeitos sociais e os educadores é de vislumbrar o compromisso com uma educação que construa e cultive identidades, valores, memória coletiva e sinalize para a valorização e respeito dos povos que vivem na Amazônia marajoara, rural e ribeirinha de Breves.

Transformações no espaço rural a partir do turismo: um olhar sobre São Martinho (SC)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Quando mudar é condição para permanecer: a escola Casa Familiar Rural e as estratégias de reprodução social do campesinato na Transamazônica (Pará-Amazônia)

Neste trabalho são analisadas as relações entre escolarização (configurada na Casa Familiar Rural) e as estratégias de reprodução das organizações sociais representativas do campesinato em interface com as famílias de agricultores na Transamazônica, frente pioneira de colonização no Oeste do Pará, particularmente no município de Medicilândia. Esta escola, pensada por estes agentes sociais e coletivos em um cenário nacional e regional de publicização dos quadros que fragilizam a agricultura de base camponesa, a partir de meados da década de 1990, tem sido instrumento da luta social. As tensões no espaço social, lidas como ‘crise da base’ e ‘crise dos sistemas de produção’, teriam desenhado simultaneamente uma ‘crise de formação’ na qual as finalidades da escola foram sendo construídas por desafios sócio-econômico e políticos. Este cenário teria constituído os jovens agricultores como categoria social, investidos da expectativa coletiva de tornarem-se, sob a mediação da CFR, técnicos agrícolas e/ou dirigentes, a fim de dar continuidade ao grupo (seja dos atores, nos campos das organizações sociais/sindicais e comunitário-religiosas; seja das famílias, na sucessão agrícola e na manutenção de sua posição social). As repercussões da CFR na condição camponesa destes jovens são analisadas a partir de dados qualitativos e quantitativos, tomando-se como referência os interesses e investimentos dos agentes sociais, das famílias, bem como as inserções sócio-profissionais no campo e/ou na cidade destes jovens após a escolarização. Os resultados da CFR, considerando-se esta escola como estratégia coletiva organizada que visa transformar para conservar o campo de lutas enquanto sistema de relações objetivas do grupo social que a constitui, revelam que a mesma tem possibilitado a permanência dos jovens agricultores no campo sob diversos arranjos em que se imbricam as relações com o campesinato, com a cidade, com o conhecimento escolar/técnico, e com uma ética de trabalho e relação com a terra/natureza “ambientalizada”. No âmbito dos grupos domésticos e da coletividade camponesa (nas quais se incluem as organizações representativas do grupo estudado), a posição social destes jovens caracteriza-se por formas de distinção social visíveis nas práticas sócio-produtivas intercedidas pelo capital escolar, bem como na posição de mediadores dirigentes e técnicos.