Matching Items (3)
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- All Subjects: Refugee children--Social conditions.
- All Subjects: stakeholder salience
- Creators: Larsen, Dale
Description
Short-term medical volunteer work via a nongovernmental organization is a popular tool for students in the health care field to gain experience, while further providing communities that normally lack health care options the opportunity to receive free care. One such organization, VIDA Volunteer Travel, has been successful in implementing this model in Central America. However, organizations of this form have not been evaluated for effectiveness or improvement. This exploratory study examines the effectiveness of VIDA based on six qualifying characteristics that make up a successful NGO. The researcher conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 21 individuals, including VIDA staff members in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, health professionals working for VIDA, local community leaders, and volunteers participating in VIDA's programs. Summaries and quotes of these interviews were uploaded and analysed using Atlas.ti to identify common words and themes from the interviews. Informants frequently identified the organization as sustainable, both from a fiscal and ecological standpoint. The organization also successfully managed volunteers, although post-trip follow-up was lacking. Adherence to the mission statement and distribution of supplies allowed for improved organization and successful structure of the organization. Education and health promotion was also emphasized, although implementation of this education into the communities was lacking. Collaboration with the community and volunteers allowed for stringent, successful treatment to be given to patients, and ethical guidelines set up by the organization allowed for self-governance and improvement of the NGO. This study suggests future research opportunities for the organization, to evaluate its own impact and opportunities for improvement. Furthermore, suggestions are addressed that allow the organization to improve upon its well-implemented infrastructure, and allow for future organizations to use VIDA as a model for improvement.
ContributorsPearson, Presley Kyle (Author) / Yoshioka, Carlton (Thesis director) / Wang, Lili (Committee member) / Larsen, Dale (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
Universities and community organizations (e.g., nonprofit organizations, schools, government, and local residents) often form partnerships to address critical social issues, such as improving service delivery, enhancing education and educational access, reducing poverty, improving sustainability, sharing of resources, research, and program evaluation. The efficacy and success of such collaborations depends on the quality of the partnerships. This dissertation examined university-community partnership (UCP) relationships employing stakeholder theory to assess partnership attributes and identification. Four case studies that consisted of diverse UCPs, oriented toward research partnerships that were located at Arizona State University, were investigated for this study. Individual interviews were conducted with university agents and community partners to examine partnership history, partnership relationships, and partnership attributes. The results revealed several aspects of stakeholder relationships that drive partnership success. First, university and community partners are partnering for the greater social good, above all other reasons. Second, although each entity is partnering for the same reasons, partnership quality is different. University partners found their community counterparts more important than their community partners found them to be. Third, several themes such as credibility, institutional support, partner goodwill, quality interpersonal relationships have emerged and add descriptive elements to the stakeholder attributes. This study identifies aspects of UCPs that will be contextualized with literature on the subject and offer significant contributions to research on UCPs and their relational dynamics.
ContributorsSmith, Kendra Lindsay (Author) / Knopf, Richard C. (Thesis advisor) / Desouza, Kevin C (Committee member) / Larsen, Dale (Committee member) / Roscoe, Rod D. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
Resettled refugees face numerous challenges including unsafe living conditions, loss of permanent shelter, adjustment to a new culture, loneliness, and separation from family, friends, and community. Of particular importance is the lack of a feeling of sense of community (SOC) within their new surroundings. SOC is not only worthwhile as an outcome of its own, but may also predict additional positive outcomes such as resilience and cultural adjustment. Literature has shown participation in sport can develop youth positively and build social skills, while studies in other regions of the world have also found a sport team setting to be a place for immigrants to experience SOC. In this study, I use a congruent mixed methods approach to both explore the experience of SOC for youth refugees in a soccer club, and examine the relation of SOC to resilience and cultural adjustment. Using photo-elicitation and semi-structured interviews with 11 youth participants, the qualitative portion of the study explored SOC among youth participants. Findings note the presence of SOC as matched to theoretical frameworks both specific to sport, and to a more general theory of SOC. Further data were collected through questionnaires distributed to club members. Results from the quantitative analysis indicate a significant positive relation between SOC and resilience, and SOC and perceived acculturation. This study’s contribution is to illustrate how refugee youth in a sport club in the United States experience SOC, and the impact of that SOC. Results suggest practical implications for sport managers who wish to provide positive sport experiences for youth refugees.
ContributorsFader, Nina (Author) / Legg, Eric (Thesis advisor) / Larsen, Dale (Committee member) / Klimek, Barbara (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018