People with sight impairment in the world of visual arts: does it make any sense?

Abstract

The article describes an educational and artistic project in Poland where individuals with sight impairments could learn more about visual arts through guided city tours around their greatest monuments, appreciation of art pieces and meetings with artists. During workshops, they could test their own artistic skills by creating tactile drawings, pottery sculptures, photographs and tactile picture book. The effects of their attempts were presented in a temporary exhibition in the contemporary art gallery (with an associated educational program). The exhibition was a significant experience both for the artists with visual impairments and the visitors. Through analysis of the structure and content of the artworks, the gallery visitors could understand more about the situation of people with sight impairments as they struggle with everyday tasks and how creative they are.     

Program Evaluation of “Young at Heart”

Abstract

We conducted a program evaluation study of “Young at Heart,” a Texas (United States) program that places elderly volunteers in childcare settings. The main constructs evaluated in this research-based article are Erikson's generativity (a motivation to guide younger generations) and life satisfaction. We compared four groups of elderly persons on these constructs: Young at Heart volunteers, Meals on Wheels volunteers (who deliver food to other elderly persons and thus gain volunteer experience, but not with children), non-volunteers drawn from the general population of one Texas community, and individuals in the same community who volunteered in a variety of activities (“miscellaneous volunteers”). Our guiding assumption was that volunteering with children would appear to be a clear expression of generativity; we thus hypothesized that YAH volunteers would score highest in it. Contrary to prediction, the miscellaneous volunteers averaged the highest generativity, followed by YAH volunteers. Philosophical and conceptual issues are identified with regard to research on generativity and intergenerational programming.     

A Population-Wide Screening and Tailored Intervention Platform for Eating Disorders on College Campuses: The Healthy Body Image Program

Abstract

Objectives: This article presents a new approach to intervention for eating disorders and body image concerns on college campuses, using a model of integrated eating disorder screening and intervention. Formative data on implementation feasibility are presented. Participants: College students enrolled at 2 universities between 2011 and 2012. Methods: The Healthy Body Image program is an evidence-based screening and intervention platform, enacted via community and online resources. An online screen was used to identify students at varying levels of risk or eating disorder symptom status; responses were used to direct students to universal or targeted online interventions or further evaluation. Universal prevention programs to improve healthy weight regulation and body image culture were offered to all students. Results: Formative data from 1,551 students illustrates the application of this model. Conclusions: The Healthy Body Image program is feasible to deliver and provides a comprehensive system of screening, evidence-based intervention, and community culture change.     

Chapter 6: University of Arizona Life & Work Connections

SUMMARY

The concept of integration has emerged in recent years as a strategy considered by providers of employee assistance, wellness and work-life services to meet the changing needs of the organizations they serve. There continues to be much discussion, however, about what exactly integration is, and how to do it. Beginning with a definition of integration, this article seeks to contribute to the discussion by describing the University of Arizona (UA) Life & Work Connections, a program that was conceived from its development to be an integrated service model. The theoretical and philosophical backgrounds of the program are presented and translated into the UA Life & Work Connections model. Advantages of the model and challenges to integration are discussed, and a detailed case study of a critical incident response is presented.     

Providing Employment Assistance to Students: The Role of Social Work Education

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a national survey of 130 graduate and undergraduate social work programs that was designed to learn what schools are doing to help students locate and secure employment after graduation. Less than half (43%) of the responding schools indicated that they have a formal program of employment assistance services. Size of student enrollment and size of faculty were the only factors that differentiated schools that offer employment assistance services from those that do not. The study's implications for social work education are discussed, and an employment assistance program model is presented.     

School-Based Intergenerational Programs

Abstract

This paper focuses on experiences learned from being involved in the development of a sustainable school-based intergenerational program that simultaneously incorporated lifespan education into a Grade 2-3-4 curriculum. The program operated in an Australian primary school. A model was developed through this initiative that involved a tripartite collaborative partnership between school, university educators, and the primary school community (in particular its older adults). Older adult volunteers from the school's community were invited to teach students. Program monitoring consisted of contextual and observational analysis ensuring the program was sensitive to school culture and took account of participants' experiences. This monitoring process occurred throughout the planning, development, and implementation stages. Although school educators were always pressed for time, all participants actively contributed to the program. All of the educators saw purpose and worth in having the program. Ongoing support from teachers, the principal, and university personnel plus the provision of additional resources contributed to high student involvement and the overall success of the initiative. Having a school-based coordinator was found to be necessary, yet, for school educators, problematic because of constraints on their time. The findings from this project indicate that the older adult volunteers were enriched by their involvement in the program and able to provide meaningful learning experiences for students. As well, the study suggests that educators would be better prepared for implementing this area of learning opportunities if lifespan education were provided in their undergraduate and post-graduate courses as well as in professional development initiatives.     

An Overview and Critique of the Experience Corps for Independent Living Initiative

Abstract

This article presents findings of the evaluation of the Experience Corps for Independent Living (ECIL) initiative. The ECIL initiative was a two-year demonstration program designed to test innovative ways to use the experience, time, and resources of volunteers over 55 to expand significantly the size and scope of volunteer efforts on behalf of independent living services for frail older people and their caregivers in specific communities. Six demonstration projects were selected to participate in this initiative. The intensive volunteers, the critical component of the program, were more highly skilled than typical volunteers from existing senior volunteer programs. ECIL volunteers collaborated with agency partners to develop new programs, supervise direct service activities, and enhance the performance of the agencies being served. Although the projects addressed many of the goals of the initiative, they did not fully accomplish all of their objectives. The ECIL initiative was particularly successful in providing independent living services to frail elders and their families in the communities served. It was less successful in developing and maintaining the team and corps concept, in attracting and retaining the anticipated numbers of volunteers during the study period, and in becoming self-sufficient by the end of Year Three.     

Social Work Field Education as Social Development

SUMMARY

This article will discuss social development models and their application to the establishment of social work field education in Lithuania. A model of field education as social development is presented and discussed, with reference to promoting core social work knowledge, values and skills, establishing relationships between educational and social welfare institutions, and identifying the impact of field education programs on community well-being. Examples from the authors' experience in educational program development and implementation are presented, along with implications for international social work education.     

“Compassion,pleasantry, and hope”: A process evaluation of a volunteer-based nonprofit

As funders continue to emphasize the importance of documented results, nonprofit organizations must work to complete program evaluations that are both valuable and feasible. The purpose of this paper is to document a practical process evaluation of a southeastern nonprofit, a local Meals on Wheels. Using a mixed methods approach, we sought to answer four evaluation questions: (1) What are the essential program components, as identified by key stakeholders; (2) To what extent are volunteers implementing the identified essential components as intended; (3) What is the level of volunteer satisfaction with the program; and (4) What suggestions do stakeholders have for improving the program? Our findings indicate that most aspects of the program were implemented as intended, but inconsistencies occurred when volunteers were unsure of their assigned duties. In addition, volunteers had high levels of satisfaction and specific suggestions for improvement. From these results, we developed a conceptual model of factors contributing to quality of implementation and volunteer satisfaction that may be generalizable to other volunteer-based nonprofits. Specifically, we identified three factors that helped to facilitate satisfaction and performance: leadership, social contact, and fulfillment. Finally, this process evaluation demonstrates the feasibility of developing and implementing evaluation tools in similar organizations.     

The Use of Peer Support for Parents and Youth Living with the Trauma of Child Sexual Abuse: An Innovative Approach

ABSTRACT

This article describes and reports on an innovative intervention program for parents of sexually abused children and youth. Peer support provided by non-professional staff and volunteers, who have been personally affected by the trauma of child sexual abuse, is an approach with unique advantages. Many of these consumers have not been able to benefit from traditional service delivery approaches. Goals and objectives of the Peer Support Program (PSP) have been developed through inter-agency collaboration initiatives comprised of a coalition of existing social service agencies. This report examines characteristics of service delivery and level of consumer satisfaction of parents and youth who have participated in the peer support program. Implications for interventions with sexually abused youth and parents of sexually abused children are discussed.     

Ben's Grille

Summary

Advantages of computer-based alcohol education over traditional written materials in improving alcohol related behavior are presented in this article. The program, “Ben's Grille” was created to promote public awareness of issues relating to the use and abuse of alcohol The program is described in detail along with directions for use. One component of the program, an interactive drama, is the focus of this article. Characters from which a play can select to play are described. Methods used in obtaining feedback about the game are specified. The author concludes that both students and teachers have had positive reactions to the program.     

From Practice Evaluation to Agency Evaluation

Abstract

This paper describes the efforts that a family service agency undertook to develop a workable evaluation program as part of a United Way demonstration project. Integrating basic elements from single subject design and goal attainment scaling with program logic modeling, a simple system for collecting and compiling data on clinical outcomes was created that could provide feedback on the progress of individual cases to workers, and agency wide improvement rates to clinic administrators and funding agencies. The model that evolved is manageable because it is simple, was developed by the clinical staff, serves a clinical purpose, meets the expectations of funding sources, and actively engages clients, workers and supervisors in an ongoing process of monitoring progress. Sample forms used to gather data are presented along with the results and next steps for the evaluation process.     

War memories across the Pacific: Japanese visitors at the Arizona Memorial

Abstract

This article investigates Japanese visitors' experiences of the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, based on results gained from fieldwork observations, questionnaires, and personal interviews. Japanese visitors tend to understand the memorial and interpret its significance quite differently from the majority of US visitors. Nonetheless, the memorial clearly functions as a site for enhancing national consciousness for Japanese as well as US visitors, as they become acutely aware of their difference from Americans and in so doing reconfirm their own sense of national identity. While the Japanese understanding of the memorial serves to de-Americanize the significance of one of the most recognized national landmarks in the United States, it simultaneously reinforces the site's function as a national memorial by crystallizing a sense of difference based on national identities and encouraging a historical understanding based on a nationalist framework.     

The State of Our Art

Abstract

In this two-part paper, the author examines inter-generational program research and evaluation based on a framework derived from a collaborative UNESCO (2000)-sponsored review of the intergenerational program field. In Part One, conceptual foundations for intergenerational programming are considered, taking into account theories that focus on individuals and groups within interactive contexts, those that focus primarily on individual development, and conceptually based program evaluations. In Part Two, appearing in the next issue of this journal, effects of intergenerational program participation are described, with emphasis on program activities and various program contexts. Challenges and questions emerging from the literature are presented, identifying the need for a greater use of theory in research, more cross cultural research, expanded outcomes, and solutions to some of the methodological challenges in intergenerational program research and evaluation.     

Using a logic model to evaluate the Kids Together early education inclusion program for children with disabilities and additional needs

Despite clear evidence that learning and social opportunities for children with disabilities and special needs are more effective in inclusive not segregated settings, there are few known effective inclusion programs available to children with disabilities, their families or teachers in the early years within Australia. The Kids Together program was developed to support children with disabilities/additional needs aged 0–8 years attending mainstream early learning environments. Using a key worker transdisciplinary team model, the program aligns with the individualised package approach of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).AimThis paper reports on the use of a logic model to underpin the process, outcomes and impact evaluation of the Kids Together program.MethodsThe research team worked across 15 Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centres and in home and community settings. A realist evaluation using mixed methods was undertaken to understand what works, for whom and in what contexts. The development of a logic model provided a structured way to explore how the program was implemented and achieved short, medium and long term outcomes within a complex community setting.Discussion and conclusionKids Together was shown to be a highly effective and innovative model for supporting the inclusion of children with disabilities/additional needs in a range of environments central for early childhood learning and development. The use of a logic model provided a visual representation of the Kids Together model and its component parts and enabled a theory of change to be inferred, showing how a coordinated and collaborative approached can work across multiple environments.     

Paraphrase II

SUMMARY

Paraphrase -A multimedia listening skills training program is presented and discussed. Major elements of the program include a definition of paraphrasing, some of its advantages and disadvantages, techniques of paraphrasing, and an example of how such a multimedia program might be used to deal with a problem of interpersonal conflict in an organization. Graphics, text, video images and audio were used in the design of the program.     

The State of Our Art

Abstract

In the second part of this two-part paper, the author examines intergenerational program research and evaluation based on a framework derived from a collaborative UNESCO (2000)-sponsored review of the intergenerational program field. In Part One, which appeared in the previous issue, conceptual foundations for intergenerational programming were considered, taking into account theories that focus on individuals and groups within interactive contexts, those that focus primarily on individual development, and conceptually based program evaluations. In Part Two, effects of intergenerational program participation are described, with emphasis on program activities and various program contexts. Challenges and questions emerging from the literature are presented, identifying the need for a greater use of theory in research, more cross-cultural research, expanded outcomes, and solutions to some of the methodological challenges in intergenerational program research and evaluation.     

Jane Addams and the Campaign of Theodore Roosevelt

Abstract

Built on the assumption that both rational and nonrational thought go into problem solving, but only rational approaches have been presented as appropriate technology for program development, this article offers an alterative way of designing social programs. We call this approach “emergent planning.” Our aim is to provide a conceptualization of planning processes that will be useful regardless of culture, mission or goals of the human service organization within which planning and service occur. Our hope is to deconstruct what constitutes rational thinking in program planning in order to critically consider alternative ways of thinking and planning within the context of multiculturalism and globalization. The goal is recognition of a subjugated model of planning so that those who do not plan rationally are not automatically assumed to lack competence to engage in “real” planning and effective problem solving.