The experience of being a peer outreach volunteer: Benefits and challenges

Peer outreach is an emerging form of non-professional consumer-delivered service in the context of psychiatric rehabilitation. This study identified the benefits and challenges of outreach provision as identified by a group of volunteer outreach workers. One on one semi-structured interviews were carried out with twelve members trained as peer outreach volunteers. Interview transcripts were analysed using a consensual qualitative research approach. Outreach workers typically experienced peer outreach as a positive experience both for themselves and for the recipients. Most found the training and support provided to be appropriate and sufficient. Nonetheless, peer outreach workers did encounter difficulties and sometimes felt need for more training and support. The findings have implications for the development of future peer outreach programs. There is scope for enhanced training and/or supervision and a need for further research to investigate ways to optimise peer outreach.

Libraries enhance student learning : a guidebook of innovative library programs for youth /

Mode of access: Internet.

Problems and awareness of support services among University students

Although Australian universities have allocated significant resources toward the development of student support services, administrators have little systematic information about the problems undergraduate university students experience or students' knowledge about available support services. The author surveyed 441 students in an urban, nonresidential university to examine the prevalence of difficulties associated with learning, sexual harassment, discrimination, emotional distress, health problems, course and career concerns, financial difficulties, and difficulties with lecturers; he also assessed students' knowledge of support services in each of these areas. Course concerns were the most common problem, followed by emotional distress, worry about career choices, financial difficulties, and problems with lecturers. More than half of the students were unaware of the support services available to them to address a range of concerns from sexual harassment and discrimination to emotional distress. Approximately 20% of the students reported having used university counseling or career services. Implications for targeting specific areas for outreach programs are discussed.

Equally engaged : demystifying tertiary study in the creative arts to equity communities

The participation rate of students from low socio-economic (SES) backgrounds into Australian universities remains low. A nationwide initiative to raise participation rates aims to stimulate interest, highlight career possibilities and enhance understanding of university. The program also aims to improve retention and completion rates of those students. This paper provides a case study and preliminary evaluation of QUT’s Creative Industries Faculty’s (CIF) outreach programs to low SES school students, operating since 2012. Programs are conducted across the disciplines of Dance, Drama, Media, Digitalstorytelling, Music and Entertainment. Presenting the arts and creative industries as a viable study / career pathway is particularly challenging to low SES groups. However, the focus on the creative industries aims to broaden understanding of arts and creativity, emphasising the significance of digital technology in the transformation of the workforce, providing new career opportunities in the creative and non-creative sectors. CIF’s outreach programs have been delivered to hundreds of students and this paper presents a case study and evaluation of several programs.

Developing Strategic Marketing Plan

This publication is first in a series targeted for Coordinators and Managers within Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach Programs concerned with developing continuous quality improvement approaches. This early publication focuses on understanding strategies for market position, strategic planning and provides a tool for conducting an organizational self-assessment along with a stakeholder analysis

Conservation science in NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuaries: description and recent accomplishments

This report describes cases relating to the management of national marine sanctuaries in which certain scientific information was required so managers could make decisions that effectively protected trust resources. The cases presented represent only a fraction of difficult issues that marine sanctuary managers deal with daily. They include, among others, problems related to wildlife disturbance, vessel routing, marine reserve placement, watershed management, oil spill response, and habitat restoration. Scientific approaches to address these problems vary significantly, and include literature surveys, data mining, field studies (monitoring, mapping, observations, and measurement), geospatial and biogeographic analysis, and modeling. In most cases there is also an element of expert consultation and collaboration among multiple partners, agencies with resource protection responsibilities, and other users and stakeholders. The resulting management responses may involve direct intervention (e.g., for spill response or habitat restoration issues), proposal of boundary alternatives for marine sanctuaries or reserves, changes in agency policy or regulations, making recommendations to other agencies with resource protection responsibilities, proposing changes to international or domestic shipping rules, or development of new education or outreach programs. (PDF contains 37 pages.)

Local solutions to local problems: A stormwater education collaborative

Currently completing its fifth year, the Coastal Waccamaw Stormwater Education Consortium (CWSEC) helps northeastern South Carolina communities meet National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II permit requirements for Minimum Control Measure 1 - Public Education and Outreach - and Minimum Control Measure 2 - Public Involvement. Coordinated by Coastal Carolina University, six regional organizations serve as core education providers to eight coastal localities including six towns and cities and two large counties. CWSEC recently finished a needs assessment to begin the process of strategizing for the second NPDES Phase II 5-year permit cycle in order to continue to develop and implement effective, results-oriented stormwater education and outreach programs to meet federal requirements and satisfy local environmental and economic needs. From its conception in May 2004, CWSEC set out to fulfill new federal Clean Water Act requirements associated with the NPDES Phase II Stormwater Program. Six small municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) located within the Myrtle Beach Urbanized Area endorsed a coordinated approach to regional stormwater education, and participated in a needs assessment resulting in a Regional Stormwater Education Strategy and a Phased Education Work Plan. In 2005, CWSEC was formally established and the CWSEC’s Coordinator was hired. The Coordinator, who is also the Environmental Educator at Coastal Carolina University’s Waccamaw Watershed Academy, organizes six regional agencies who serve as core education providers for eight coastal communities. The six regional agencies working as core education providers to the member MS4s include Clemson Public Service and Carolina Clear Program, Coastal Carolina University’s Waccamaw Watershed Academy, Murrells Inlet 2020, North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve’s Coastal Training and Public Education Programs, South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, and Winyah Rivers Foundation’s Waccamaw Riverkeeper®. CWSEC’s organizational structure results in a synergy among the education providers, achieving greater productivity than if each provider worked separately. The member small MS4s include City of Conway, City of North Myrtle Beach, City of Myrtle Beach, Georgetown County, Horry County, Town of Atlantic Beach, Town of Briarcliffe Acres, and Town of Surfside Beach. Each MS4 contributes a modest annual fee toward the salary of the Coordinator and operational costs. (PDF contains 3 pages)

The development of the South Carolina Coastal Information Network and portal site: Bringing training opportunities and educational resources to coastal community officials and the public

The South Carolina Coastal Information Network (SCCIN) emerged as a result of a number of coastal outreach institutions working in partnership to enhance coordination of the coastal community outreach efforts in South Carolina. This organized effort, led by the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium and its Extension Program, includes partners from federal and state agencies, regional government agencies, and private organizations seeking to coordinate and/or jointly deliver outreach programs that target coastal community constituents. The Network was officially formed in 2006 with the original intention of fostering intra-and inter- agency communication, coordination, and cooperation. Network partners include the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control – Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management and Bureau of Water, S.C. Department of Natural Resources – ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve, North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service and Carolina Clear, Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments, Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments, Urban Land Institute of South Carolina, S.C. Department of Archives and History, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – Coastal Services Center and Hollings Marine Laboratory, Michaux Conservancy, Ashley-Cooper Stormwater Education Consortium, the Coastal Waccamaw Stormwater Education Consortium, the S.C. Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, and the Lowcountry Council of Governments. (PDF contains 3 pages)

La diffusion d'archives à l'aide des technologies du Web 2.0 : le cas du Musée McCord

Ce mémoire explore le concept de diffusion des archives à l’ère du Web 2.0. Dans le contexte nord-américain, la diffusion en archivistique englobe les aspects de promotion, de mise en valeur et de communication des archives. Le Web 2.0 offre un potentiel très intéressant pour la diffusion d’archives. Ce moyen de diffusion est défini comme étant un ensemble de principes et de technologies qui crée et facilite l’interaction entre plusieurs individus. Peu d’études ont été menées sur la diffusion des archives à l’ère du Web 2.0, c’est pourquoi notre recherche s’est intéressée à un milieu qui a intégré le Web 2.0 afin d’instaurer un dialogue avec ses usagers, connus et potentiels, pour exploiter ses archives et augmenter sa visibilité, soit le Musée McCord. Dans cette étude de cas simple certains membres du personnel du Musée McCord ont été rencontrés, afin de découvrir les motivations de l’institution à se lancer dans l’utilisation d’outils issus de ces technologies. De plus, l’étude a permis d’observer quels outils ont été choisis, comment et pourquoi. Ensuite, les avantages et les désavantages de cette nouvelle utilisation ont été mis en lumière. Enfin, les étapes de la mise en place d’outils du Web 2.0 sont exposées.

O olhar de um discente sobre seu futuro docente: uma trajetória auto formativa

The writings of this paper refer to several personal experiences as well as the various conflicts in the initial educational formation, where I'm reflecting about the formation intentions of this course. I do an analysis and a reflection of the pedagogical practices developed during graduation in institutional spaces, as well as the understanding of the complex context and teaching actions intrinsic to this, that are what constitute the structural dimensions which is where the formative process happens. This study is a narrative of initial formation as autobiographical. Memories and experiences are analyzed along with undergraduate education, exposing structural problems of course requiring a deeper analysis. In addition to analyse critically the institutional spaces of the (few) outreach programs, education and research that are the basis of the Brazilian University, the wellknown University quadripod. Under this perspective, the narrative brings the dichotomous design of the quadripod inside the University course, exposing the need to reflect on this fact, as it culminates in the formation of future teachers in physics. Nevertheless, the work seeks to raise awareness for the need for enhancement of teaching career at the University to address the teaching crisis which today proliferates in the educational institutions in Brazil, therefore it is necessary to the teachers to become aware of your profession and the vision as such. Only from this perspective one can discuss a proper teacher training, aiming at the integration of all activities, valuing all with the same importance

Public preferences of the Great Lakes Environment : a Lake Michigan pilot study

The Great Lakes watershed is home to over 40 million people, and the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem is vital to the overall economic, societal, and environmental health of the U.S. and Canada. However, environmental issues related to them are sometimes overlooked. Policymakers and the public face the challenges of balancing economic benefits with the need to conserve and/or replenish regional natural resources to ensure long term prosperity. From the literature review, nine critical stressors of ecological services were delineated, which include pollution and contamination, agricultural erosion, non-native species, degraded recreational resources, loss of wetlands habitat, climate change, risk of clean water shortage, vanishing sand dunes, and population overcrowding; this list was validated through a series of stakeholder discussions and focus groups in Grand Rapids. Focus groups were conducted in Grand Rapids to examine the awareness of, concern with, and willingness to expend resources on these stressors. Stressors that the respondents have direct contact with tend to be the most important. The focus group results show that concern related to pollution and contamination is much higher than for any of the other stressors. Low responses to climate change result in recommendations for outreach programs.

Hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus infections in injecting drug users in drug treatment centers in Vietnam

Background. Injecting drug users (IDUs) are at risk of infection with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Independently, each of these viruses is a serious threat to health, with HIV ravaging the body’s immune system, and HCV causing cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure. Co-infection with HIV/HCV weakens the response to antiretroviral therapy in HIV patients. IDUs with HIV/HCV co-infection are at a 20 times higher risk of having liver-related morbidity and mortality than IDUs with HIV alone. In Vietnam, studies to ascertain the prevalence of HIV have found high rates, but little is known about their HCV status. ^ Purpose. To measure the prevalence of HCV and HIV infection and identify factors associated with these viruses among IDUs at drug treatment centers in northern Vietnam. ^ Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2007 to February 2008 with 455 injecting drug users aged 18 to 39 years, admitted no more than two months earlier to one of four treatment centers in Northern Vietnam (Hatay Province) (response rate=95%). Participants, all of whom had completed detoxification and provided informed consent, completed a risk assessment questionnaire and had their blood drawn to test for the presence of antibody-HCV and antibody-HIV with enzyme immuno assays. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression models were utilized to explore the strength of association using HIV, HCV infections and HIV/HCV co-infection as outcomes and demographic characteristics, drug use and sexual behaviors as factors associated with these outcomes. Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. ^ Results. Among all IDU study participants, the prevalence of HCV alone was 76.9%, HIV alone was 19.8%. The prevalence of HIV/HCV co-infection was 92.2% of HIV-positive and 23.7% of HCV-positive respondents. No sexual risk behaviors for lifetime, six months or 30 days prior to admission were significantly associated with HCV or HIV infection among these IDUs. Only duration of injection drug use was independently associated with HCV and HIV infection, respectively. Longer duration was associated with higher prevalence. Nevertheless, while HCV infection among IDUs who reported being in their first year of injecting drugs were lower than longer time injectors, their rates were still substantial, 67.5%. ^ Compared with either HCV mono-infection or HIV/HCV non-infection, HIV/HCV co-infection was associated with the length of drug injection history but was not associated with sexual behaviors. Higher education was associated with a lower prevalence of HIV/HCV co-infection. When compared with HIV/HCV non-infection, current marriage was associated with a lower prevalence of HIV/HCV co-infection. ^ Conclusions. HCV was prevalent among IDUs from 18 to 39 years old at four drug treatment centers in northern Vietnam. Co-infection with HCV was predominant among HIV-positive IDUs. HCV and HIV co-infection were closely associated with the length of injection drug history. Further research regarding HCV/HIV co-infection should include non-injecting drug users to assess the magnitude of sexual risk behaviors on HIV and HCV infection. (At these treatment centers non-IDUs constituted 10-20% of the population.) High prevalence of HCV prevalence among IDUs, especially among HIV-infected IDUs, suggests that drug treatment centers serving IDUs should include not only HIV prevention education but they should also include the prevention of viral hepatitis. In addition, IDUs who are HIV-positive need to be tested for HCV to receive the best course of therapy and achieve the best response to HIV treatment. These data also suggest that because many IDUs get infected with HCV in the first year of their injection drug career, and because they also engaged in high risk sexual behaviors, outreach programs should focus on harm reduction, safer drug use and sexual practices to prevent infection among drug users who have not yet begun injecting drugs and to prevent further spread of HCV, HIV and co-infection. ^

Providing public services to remote users /

"June 1993."

Building a Successful (and Flexible) Partnership with UMD's Gymkana Troupe

Presented at the 2016 Library Research and Innovative Practice Forum, this poster provides an overview of a successful partnership between the University of Maryland Archives and UMD's Gymkana Troupe to publicize Gymkana's 70th anniversary and to digitize the troupe's holdings in the Archives. Gymkana is an exhibition gymnastics troupe founded on campus in 1946 which runs a variety of educational and healthy-living outreach programs. Various stages of the project are highlighted, including an exhibit in McKeldin Library, a LaunchUMD fundraising campaign, and the troupe's participation in metadata creation for digital objects. By maintaining an open and flexible dialogue throughout the project planning and execution, both the library and the troupe members ultimately benefited from this collaboration.

Predictors of feelings of depression among Asian American college students

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between various collegiate experiences including substance use, religiosity, campus climate, academic life, social life, self-concept, satisfaction with college, and perceived feelings of depression among Asian American college students compared to other racial groups. Employing Astin’s (1993) I-E-O model, the study utilized the 2008 Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) the Freshman Survey (TFS) and the follow up College Senior Survey (CSS) in 2012 with the final sample of 10,710 students including 951 Asian American students. Descriptive analysis, cross-tabulations, blocked hierarchical multiple regression analysis, the equality of the unstandardized beta coefficients from the regression analyses, and a one-way ANOVA were conducted for the data analysis. Asian American students who are female, from low SES backgrounds, academically less achieved, frequent substance users, less religiously involved, and less satisfied with overall college experiences showed higher levels of feeling depressed. For the rate of feeling depressed across racial groups, Asian American college students showed the highest rate of feeling depressed while White students reported the lowest rate of feeling depressed. For Asian American college students, feeling depressed in high school, hours spent per week on studying and homework, and self-confidence in intellectual ability were the most significant predictors of feelings of depression while drinking beer, drinking liquor, spirituality, failing to complete homework on time, hours spent per week on socializing, self rated self-confidence in social ability, and satisfaction with overall college experiences were significant predictors of feelings of depression. Asian American college students spent the longest hours on studying and homework, reported the highest GPA, but showed the lowest self-confidence on intellectual ability. For all four racial groups, feeling depressed in high school and self-confidence in intellectual ability were significant predictors of feelings of depression in common. Implications for practice and directions for future research emphasize the need for better understanding the unique cultural background and impact of academic life associated with feelings of depression among Asian American college students and developing customized psycho-educational and outreach programs to meet unique needs for psychological well-being for each racial group on campus.