In Their Own Words: Elements of Youth Empowerment in Spain

Abstract

The aim of the HEBE¹ project, developed jointly by four universities, is to analyze the spaces, moments and processes involved in the empowerment of young people in order to formulate socio-educational programmes that help them and improve their lives. The articulation of the project focuses on different lines of work and action, one of which is to identify and analyze the spaces in which the empowerment of youth occurs. This article delves into the elements involved in youth empowerment by using a questionnaire administered to young people from Catalonia between the ages of 19 and 25 (n?=?1067). This article presents the results obtained for these young people based on their level of empowerment and the elements that characterize them.     

Promoting Personalization in Social Care Services for Older People

This article presents findings on 4 themes associated with the personalization of social care for older people: integration of health and social care services; initiatives that prevent the need for more costly interventions; services to maintain people at home; and systems that promote choice, control, and flexibility. The quantitative study utilized data from a national postal survey conducted in England. Findings suggest variable progress regarding the range and style of support available to older people. These are discussed in the context of service integration, community-based services, and consumer-directed care. Implications for service development and future research are highlighted.     

Trauma and Stress Among Older Adults in the Criminal Justice System: A Review of the Literature with Implications for Social Work

The purpose of this article was to review the empirical literature that investigated trauma and stress among older adults in the criminal justice system. Nineteen journal articles published between 1988 and 2010 were identified and extracted via research databases and included mixed age samples of adjudicated older and younger adults (n = 11) or older adult only samples (n = 8). Findings revealed past and current trauma and stress, consequences and/or correlates, and internal and external coping resources among aging offenders. The implications and future directions for gerontological social work, research, and policy with older adults in the criminal justice system are advanced.     

Developing a Community-Based Social Service Program for the Elderly

This article describes the development and implementation of a community-based social service program for the elderly. The problems encountered as a new professional unit within the municipality are analyzed and the role of the social worker in resolving those problems is described. The local community is the primary focus of change and strategies of intervention include reaching out and involving members from all levels of the community in the social service program, from members of the client group to individuals with political influence in the governmental system. Planning considerations for social work practice are posed including the relationship of the private, nonprofit sector to the public sector, the demands for service and difficulties establishing program stability.     

The Impact of Religiousness,Spirituality, and Social Support on Psychological Well-Being Among Older Adults in Rural Areas

Summary

This paper presents the results of a study on the impact of spirituality, religiousness, and social support on the psychological well-being among rural elderly. With a rural community sample of 215 older adults, hierarchical regression analyses found significant associations between dimensions of spirituality/religiousness, social support, and psychological well-being, with spirituality/religiousness inversely related to depression and social support, positively related to life satisfaction. Findings of this study suggest that practitioners need to develop programs or services that are congruent with religious/spiritual beliefs and practices in order to better enhance the psychosocial well-being and improve the quality of life among older persons in rural areas.     

The Institute for Senior Action

Abstract

Since 1977, the Joint Public Affairs Committee for Older Adults (JPAC) has been educating and mobilizing older adults to take an active role in the public policy decisions affecting their lives. Recognizing the need to better train its members in the techniques of social action and in an effort to familiarize recent retirees with the world of senior advocacy, JPAC founded a comprehensive leadership training program called the Institute for Senior Action in 1994. JPAC's 10-week training Institute integrates critical aging policy issues with practical grassroots applications for action. In addition to honing the skills of longtime community activists, the Institute serves as a vehicle for recent retirees and others to become more involved in social action.     

Factors affecting poverty among people with disabilities and antipoverty policies in South Korea

Previous studies analysed factors of poverty among people with disabilities without considering hierarchical or segmented structure by disability type or degree. Such approaches overlooked an auto-correlation problem among observations and overestimated the significance of the coefficient. In this study, a hierarchical generalised linear model (HGLM) was used to overcome these problems. This study found that sex, age, educational level, health condition, employment, being head of the household, area of residence, number of household members, and employment and work-life discrimination all had a significant effect on poverty among people with disabilities. The author suggests more detailed antipoverty policies.     

《太阳照在桑干河上》与丁玲的创作个性

曾有学者认为《太阳照在桑干河上》是丁玲失去创作个性的产物。本文从不久前公开发表的丁玲一篇佚文入手,联系该长篇小说创作与出版过程中的曲折经历,对其体现的作者创作个性作了较为具体扼要的分析,证明它仍具有丁玲作品一贯的大气和锋芒;并通过相关材料的独家披露,澄清了《桑干河上》何以能获得斯大林文艺奖这一文学史上经常引起猜测和遭致误解的谜团。     

毛泽东对新中国制度设计的创新和贡献

毛泽东在其人民民主专政理论指导下,针对新中国的制度设计和安排提出了一系列创新性的观点和原则．据此创立了多党合作与政治协商、人民代表大会、民族区域自治三大具有中国特色的政治制度。本文拟在梳理毛泽东对新中国制度设计的主要内容的基础上,阐明其创新和贡献,以期为建设有中国特色的社会主义政治文明提供指导和借鉴。     

张九成忠君爱民的政治思想

张九成是南宋时期著名的理学家,一生著述颇丰,同时他还是一位忠君爱民的政治家。他在国家遇到危难之时,忠于职守,尽职尽责,利用一切机会为皇帝建言献策;在朝时,刚正不阿,不畏强权,敢于直言;在处理君臣关系方面,提出了自己的见解;同时张九成谨守孟子民本思想,勤政为民,关心群众的疾苦,深受百姓的爱戴。