School adjustment difficulties of immigrant children in Greece 1

This paper presents the methodology and main results of a longitudinal study in Greece that explored the learning and psychosocial difficulties of immigrant pupils, as compared with those of their Greek classmates. The ‘Teacher–Child Rating Scale’ (T‐CRS) and ‘Child Rating Scale’ (CRS) were used as instruments to measure the school adjustment difficulties of the sample, according to their teachers’ ratings. A total number of 3561 scales were selected, and completed in full (by teacher and pupil) for each pupil. The sample of the study consisted of 5th and 6th grade primary school pupils (10–12 years) of Greek‐origin families who came from the former Soviet Union (n ₁=1100). The control group consisted of Greek classmates of the immigrant pupils (n ₂=713). Also, teacher attitudes towards the effectiveness of current educational policies in Greece for immigrant pupils, as well as the difficulties they face during the teaching process, were explored through semi‐structured interviews (n ₃=165). Immigrant pupils were interviewed to gain a better picture of their attitudes towards the Greek school (n ₄=260). This paper presents some of the research findings that focus on learning and psychosocial difficulties. Finally, suggestions are offered for Greek educational policies pertaining to immigrant pupils.     

Street children in Moscow: using and creating social capital

The paper analyses the strategies of homeless street children in Moscow connected with the accumulation of social capital. Based on recent empirical research, it looks at the involvement of children in non‐criminal and criminal subcultures as a way to get access to important networks and resources, and shows how young people use their social skills and appropriate subcultural norms and values in order to build alternative careers. It demonstrates that children's social background plays an important role in their trajectories in the urban informal economy and society, and that they should not be viewed, as it is usually suggested in the social exclusion paradigm, as a single dispossessed mass which has fallen through support networks in various risk scenarios. Research data is reviewed to provide evidence that Moscow's homeless children are resourceful and deeply social agents who fmd surrogate families and ad hoc social memberships.     

Street children in Trinidad and Tobago: understanding their lives and experiences

A community-based action research process, over a three-year period, employed interviews and participant observations with five children living on the streets in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. Data revealed violence in the family to be a contributing factor to children's presence on the streets: it was also a feature of their lives on the streets. A complex pattern emerged of violence, hostility, and distorted social interactions amidst negative attitudes and disdainful behaviour all around them. It is argued that, although it is not easy, more people – professionals and citizens – would do well to listen to, and understand the lives of, street children in order to be motivated for change.     

Street children: Causes,consequences, and innovative treatment approaches

"Children are travelers, newly arrived in a country ofwhich they know nothing." (John Locke) Street children represent a rapidly growing socio-educational challenge affecting both the developing and industrialized nations of the world. At risk for physical, emotional, social, and cognitive violation, these children are in need of interventions that appropriately address their needs in the context of their environment, and build upon the positive survival skills that they have developed as a result of street life. This paper explores the causes, and consequences of this growing phenomenon. It seeks to make known the global dimensions of the physical, social, mental and developmental health consequences of street life for the child. It offers possible occupational therapy intervention strategies and opportunities for working with street children which transition them from youth to mainstream adult and citizenship in the world.     

Street children and crime in the UK: a case of abuse and neglect

It is claimed that many incidences of children running away from home and residential care involve issues around violence, bullying and child abuse and neglect. Surveys show that between 14 and 20% of children run away from home for at least one night and that 2% run away 10 times or more from home or a care setting. The potential reasons for running away are discussed together with the increased possibility for further victimization, delinquency and criminal behaviour. Four ‘streetwork projects’ that provide information and support to young runaways in the UK are described and their limitations discussed. It is proposed that counselling should be a part of intervention with street children and that trained counsellors/psychotherapists should be available free to these young people with social and emotional difficulties outside the usual health/social service provision. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Canadian Male Street Skinheads: Street Gang or Street Terrorists?

Des recherches menées sur le comportement violent et la conception politique de skinheads canadiens sans domicile fixe ont démontré que ces derniers sont issus de families où règnent la violence et l'oppression. Ces jeunes hommes ont done tendance à reproduire un comportement dont la violence est exacerbée par la vie scolaire, par le fait d'être sans logis et par l'influence néfaste du groupe de la rue qui prône un comportement agressif. La conception politique incohérente des skinheads puise dans la violence: la structure précaire du groupe et l'oppression qu'ont subies les jeunes sont d'autres facteurs qui viennent entraver la volonté de concevoir une activité politique à long terme.
Research examined the violent behaviour and the political consciousness of Canadian male street skinheads. The results reveal that skinheads are drawn from homes characterized by extreme violence and oppression. These experiences leave these youths vulnerable to violent behaviour. These tendencies are exacerbated by their school experiences, their homelessness, and the group and street norms that support and promote aggressive behaviour. The political consciousness of skinheads is rooted in extreme violence and lacks coherence: this, combined with the structure of the groups and their histories of oppression, serves to inhibit long-term organized political activity.     

An Old Street in Tunxi

The old street is located to one side of the upper reaches of the Xin'an River.一诫镶巍产;}条i!肇沦{耀〕{{{…)疑孕津l会)i薰飞她压礼孽;i奢澳当翼l摹羹i羹绮粼创杨琴启,女{i纂鬓淤望魏黔霎蹼i鬓飞瞿鬓鬓戳豁i灌练滋农节箔群豹履戳践羞霸;翼受乡策丈生琴写二习云J洲匆蒸油.络璧拭珊盯断声毖险鬓溉捌叮若妇姗(巴巴与荃姥岌瀑纂寸切盲{一介才攀四二岁毛硕七公1!}蒸粉礴彝薰}l矍篓斌耀黝兔佣纽一茱瓣尹锐装)髻持州l巳份几二二月撬愚事麟An Old Street in Tunxi…     

黑暗生存:街角青年新时代街头生活研究

新时代背景下,街角青年的街头生活状态已有了新的变化。鉴于此,笔者使用田野调查的方法,通过参与式观察和深入访谈,对街角青年的街头生存状态进行调研。研究发现:街角青年处于“黑暗生存”状态,呈现出“黑暗的家庭生活、黑暗的街头空间、黑暗的帮派文化、黑暗的资产经营及黑暗的犯罪手段”等五大特征。     

Perspectives on elder abuse in Greece

The sample for this exploratory qualitative study of Greek perceptions of elder abuse consisted of 43 Greek participants from urban centers and 28 Greeks from a small island village. Participants were asked to provide examples of extreme, moderate, and mild abuse from an adult child toward his/her aging parent. Half of the examples of extreme abuse were various forms of physical aggression. Predominant examples of moderate abuse were psychological abuse and neglect, and at the mild level neglect was the most highly cited category. The most frequently mentioned specific types of elder mistreatment were verbal abuse, psychological neglect, physical neglect, and hitting. There were no gender differences in the kinds of examples that participants gave or the severity they attributed to their examples. Females were more often presented as victims of abuse than males. A negative correlation was found between age and the number of physical abuse examples given overall, and as types of severe abuse.     

Becoming a Street Kid

ABSTRACT

This analysis explores the perceptions of youth on the street in constructing identity throughout their street life experiences. Data collection involved in-depth interviews with 98 street youth and 42 service providers in Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax, and participant and non-participant observations of street life and shelter culture in all three locations. The findings highlight the stages of “becoming a street youth” and the elements that shape engagement in, and disengagement from, street life.