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Evaluating sidewalk accessibility is conventionally a manual and time-consuming task that requires specialized personnel. While recent developments in Visual AI have paved the way for automating data analysis, the lack of sidewalk accessibility datasets remains a significant challenge. This study presents the design and validation of Sidewalk AI Scanner, a web app that enables quick, crowdsourced and low-cost sidewalk mapping. The app enables a participatory approach to data collection through imagery captured using smartphone cameras. Subsequently, dedicated algorithms automatically identify sidewalk features such as width, obstacles or pavement conditions. Though not a replacement for high-resolution sensing methods, this method leverages data crowdsourcing as a strategy to produce a highly scalable, city-level dataset of sidewalk accessibility, offering a novel perspective on the city's inclusivity; fostering community empowerment and participatory planning. This article is part of the theme issue 'Co-creating the future: participatory cities and digital governance'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the development of new breweries and the expansion of existing malt factories, malt barley has become a highly demanded-commercial crop in Ethiopia. However, present efforts to increase malt barley productivity and supply have not been able to meet the domestic market's needs. As a result, the scaling of climate-adapted malt barley varieties with its production package was done at North Shewa Amhara Ethiopia during the 2018 and 2019 main production seasons. In the first phase, HB1963, HB1964, Fanaka, and Ibon 174/03 were planted on seven farmers' farms and evaluated by randomly selected 84 farmers using their selection criteria. The analysis of variance result showed that the highest yield was obtained from HB1963 (3.138 t/ha), followed by Ibon 174/03 (3.059 t/ha), HB1964 (2.324 t/ha) and Fanaka (2.123 t/ha). The cost–benefit analysis also revealed that the highest net benefit to total cost ratios was obtained from HB1963, followed by Ibon-174/03, HB1964, and Fanaka. In the second phase, the chosen varieties were scaled up in a clustered base on 12.3 hectares of land by participating 31 smallholder farmers during the main production season. Continuous field monitoring and evaluation were done by concerned experts and local farmers. The scale-up varieties, HB1963 and HB1964 gave 19.56% and 28.61% yield advantages over the local check respectively. The study's policy recommendations included expanding the use of high-yielding and well-adapted malt barley varieties, supporting both the formal and informal seed systems, and encouraging the malt barley producers and the domestic market to substitute imports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of computer vision and deep learning in boundary documentation for land registration stems from the ongoing demand for appropriate mapping approaches of unregistered land rights to eradicate the global challenge of tenure insecurity. Previous research has yielded promising results towards automated extraction of photo‐visible cadastral boundaries from high‐resolution imagery. Nonetheless, the extraction of invisible cadastral boundaries is still a challenge. This study investigates the place of sensor/s on‐board unmanned aerial vehicles and deep learning algorithms in detecting cadastral boundaries. It develops a participatory boundary marking procedure using low‐cost markers to bring monument to previously invisible and ill‐defined cadastral boundaries. After that, the researchers trained and tested the accuracy of a convolutional neural network, namely single shot multi‐box detector (SSD) based on Residual Neural Network (ResNet) and Visual Geometry Group (VGG) backbone networks to automatically detect cadastral boundary markers from unmanned aerial vehicle imagery. SSD based on ResNet34 performed best with 0.88 precision, 0.92 recall and 0.91 F measure or (F1) score. VGG19‐based SSD yielded a precision of 0.47, recall of 0.53 and F1 score of 0.50. The horizontal accuracy of the cadastral map generated varied from 0.089 to 0.496 m per parcel, with a standard deviation of 0.120 m. Results show that this approach is practical for cadastral mapping in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades, advancements have been made towards de‐medicalising the term 'dementia', attending to in‐the‐moment lived experiences of people with the condition, and exploring the connections between dementia and place, relations, activities, and well‐being. In the same timeframe, a range of prominent researchers within health geography have proposed new renegotiations of well‐being that consider it as something relational, process‐oriented, and emergent. Although these progressions in both dementia studies and health geography are ontologically aligned, the two lines of enquiry have only recently started to see crossover, pioneered by geographers seeking to better understand what it means to 'live well with dementia in the moment'. In this theoretically driven paper, I celebrate these contributions to dementia and well‐being studies through a timely review of the literature that informed the theoretical underpinnings of my own doctoral studies. Through the literature, I consider how a relational well‐being lens can make supportive and empowering in‐the‐moment contributions to people living with dementia, who seek ways of 'being well' and 'doing well'. As part of a special edition of Area, this paper takes us from the early inputs of health geographers to dementia and relational well‐being knowledge, through to present‐day literature and the future of dementia research framed around the in‐the‐moment movement. The contents of this paper ultimately support the importance of pushing the theoretical and conceptual boundaries of dementia research and well‐being studies, to subsequently broaden our understandings of dementia and provide a new well‐being lens that better captures the perspectives of those living with it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A youth-centric participatory mapping approach was employed to monitor the lower Mill Creek, an urban waterway located in Cincinnati, Ohio, by collecting geospatial data points on surface water quality and ecological assets. Utilizing the ArcGIS Field Maps application, a digital survey-based tool was developed to identify key areas related to ecological assets and urban water management challenges. The purpose of this citizen science approach was to allow researchers to capture and understand community perspectives and insights while engaging in scientific research that focuses on identifying geographic vulnerability areas and ecological assets. The primary objective was to empower local community groups and residents in an environmental justice neighborhood to understand the current opportunities and constraints of the adjacent waterbody, enabling informed decision-making for future planning initiatives that benefit both conservation and remediation efforts aligned with local values and needs. A youth-centric participatory mapping approach was employed to monitor the lower Mill Creek, an urban waterway in Cincinnati, Ohio, through the collection of geospatial data on surface water quality and ecological assets. The findings, based on hotspot analysis, revealed significant spatial clustering of heavy debris near the barrier dam and the lower portion of Mill Creek, where it converges with the Ohio River. This accumulation is attributed to the structural features of the barrier dam's inner flood catchment area, which traps debris during rainfall events. Although no areas showed spatial significance for perceived ecological services, students identified specific areas with esthetic and biodiversity value, particularly at Mill Creek's confluence with the Ohio River and along the northern stretch of the stream corridor. These findings provide valuable insights for guiding future conservation and remediation efforts that reflect both community values and environmental priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature provides evidence about the positive impact of shared governance implementation in nursing departments and units, as well as on several aspects of nursing practice, including nurse empowerment, engagement, well-being, job satisfaction, retention, and positive outcomes in direct patient care. Accordingly, many nursing departments of United Arab Emirates (UAE) hospitals have implemented shared governance in their units. However, the success of implementation varies among these hospitals. Therefore, the study aimed to explore the progress of shared governance implementation in hospitals, identify the enablers and inhibitors of implementing the model, and produce a recommendation to help the nursing departments of hospitals to overcome challenges and accelerate the implementation process.

Abstract Due to the development of new breweries and the expansion of existing malt factories, malt barley has become a highly demanded-commercial crop in Ethiopia. However, present efforts to increase malt barley productivity and supply have not been able to meet the domestic market’s needs. As a result, the scaling of climate-adapted malt barley varieties with its production package was done at North Shewa Amhara Ethiopia during the 2018 and 2019 main production seasons. In the first phase, HB1963, HB1964, Fanaka, and Ibon 174/03 were planted on seven farmers’ farms and evaluated by randomly selected 84 farmers using their selection criteria. The analysis of variance result showed that the highest yield was obtained from HB1963 (3.138 t/ha), followed by Ibon 174/03 (3.059 t/ha), HB1964 (2.324 t/ha) and Fanaka (2.123 t/ha). The cost–benefit analysis also revealed that the highest net benefit to total cost ratios was obtained from HB1963, followed by Ibon-174/03, HB1964, and Fanaka. In the second phase, the chosen varieties were scaled up in a clustered base on 12.3 hectares of land by participating 31 smallholder farmers during the main production season. Continuous field monitoring and evaluation were done by concerned experts and local farmers. The scale-up varieties, HB1963 and HB1964 gave 19.56% and 28.61% yield advantages over the local check respectively. The study's policy recommendations included expanding the use of high-yielding and well-adapted malt barley varieties, supporting both the formal and informal seed systems, and encouraging the malt barley producers and the domestic market to substitute imports.

Abstract Introduction By the time the globe started to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, Southeast Asian countries had faced an increased dengue incidence, which has eventually become an important public health problem. However, effective and sustainable disease control measures in the area are still lacking. Therefore, the current study is aimed to evaluate the development and implementation of high school-based dengue solution model in Southern Thailand. Methods Integrated community participatory action research (CPAR) was employed using preparation, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Data was collected using quantitative and qualitative methods from high school students. Descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage, chi-square and fisher’s exact test were used to summarize and compare quantitative data before and after intervention. Similarly, qualitative data was collected through interviews and focus group discussion (FGD) and then analyzed through thematic analysis. Results Two hundred and thirty-nine (96.3%, n = 239/248) and 232 (93.5, n = 232/248) participants were included in the interventions before and after, respectively. School-based dengue prevention was developed with input from a variety of stakeholders, including students, community leaders, health educators, district officials, and community health volunteers. As demonstrated by pre- to post-test results, students understanding of dengue and the larval indices surveillance system has increased. Students who received the training were not only inspired but created a sense of community responsibility with a high commitment to teaching and sharing information in their circle to enhance overall community wellbeing. Being female and higher educational attainment was associated with students understanding of dengue and larval indices surveillance. Conclusion This participatory action research not only improved students' understanding of dengue but also empowered them to be proactive in various community health initiatives. The positive correlation between educational attainment and students understanding of dengue solution and larval indices surveillance underscores the need for tailored educational interventions that address diverse learning needs within the community. Collaborative efforts to establish dengue health information center based at primary schools and above can better improve reduction of dengue incidence.

Abstract Background The delivery of high-quality services in chronically underfunded social or long-term care systems is a major challenge internationally. National guidelines, developed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, set out how local authorities in England and Wales should fund and provide care based on best available evidence. Theoretical and participatory approaches can usefully inform the design and evaluation of implementation strategies for guidelines. The aim of the study is to develop a Theory-of-Change for how the implementation of these guidelines is expected to lead to impacts from a local authority perspective. Methods As part of a comparative case study (The ‘Valuing Care Guidelines’ study; February 2022 to April 2024) with three local authority sites in England and Wales, we involved altogether 17 participants in two Theory-of-Change online workshops per site, each of 2 hours. Additional data gathered from the same participants as part of the overall study were used to conceptualise and enrich information from the workshops. Results Participants described the Theory-of-Change map as follows: A wide range of activities (categorised in stages of ‘pre-implementation’, ‘implementation’, ‘sustainment and scaling’) and skills were required to implement guidelines, and achieve long-term organisational sustainability and service delivery outcomes, leading to final impacts for service users and carers. Participants described a co-creation implementation model, led by ‘Implementation Support Practitioners’, who utilised relational skills to achieve motivation, trust, and confidence at different organisational levels, addressing contextual barriers such as inadequate staffing, lack of resources and of organisational support systems. Consistent use of guidelines by frontline staff could only be achieved if the value of guideline implementation was promoted widely, and if consideration was given to the roles of stakeholders, such as the inspection body, local health care providers, users and carers. Conclusions Our study is the first to investigate the implementation of national social care guidelines by local authorities in England and Wales. It generates insights that can guide implementation practice as well as inform the evaluation of future implementation strategies.

Gathering citizens, research organizations, companies, policymakers and practitioners is often considered sufficient for creating a Living-lab aimed at change towards food system sustainability.However, sustainability remains a social construct calling for a deliberation about the values that must be prioritised. These values need to be debated at each level of the food chain, from the choice of crops (neglected vs. main crops) and seeds (commons vs. intellectual property) through production (organic vs. weak agroecology) and processing (small-scale vs. industrial) to food supply and retail (local vs. global).The DIVINFOOD project’s Living-labs create favorable conditions for the emergence of such debates, in a food democracy perspective. Further to farmers, processors and researchers, they all aim to engage, around neglected and underutilized agrobiodiversity, groups of stakeholders that are still too rarely represented in participatory research approaches, such as teachers and students of agricultural schools, chefs, marginalized people, gardeners and citizen-led organisations.All actors are regularly invited into:● farmer’s fields to observe, evaluate and comment on cultivated biodiversity, and Genotype-Environment (GxE) interactions,● chefs’ kitchens to taste, co-create recipes,● laboratories to analyze, raise research questions, discuss results,● micro-enterprises to co-conduct diagnosis,● neighborhood associations to increase awareness about sustainable food systems,● meetings with policy-makers to co-develop short food chains and territorial networks.Each of the 9 Living-labs acts in its own territory. Bringing them together allows to shape a meta-Living-lab in which changes are studied, debated, observed, documented, initiated, and reflected.The connection of Living-labs makes it possible to think these changes locally and act globally for their realisation. By making collective decisions to give voice to very small structures in each region, this meta-living lab contributes to profound changes for the sustainability and diversity of the global food system.

Reflexively drawing on my experiences as a young researcher conducting collaborative research with young people from migrant backgrounds in rural Australia, this paper brings a critical lens to participatory or co-designed research processes with youth. Drawing on learnings from three relationships with young people involved, I explore some of the ethical complexities of participatory processes with young people, the nature of voice and listening, trust and reciprocity, and knowledge co-production. I argue that paradigms of youth participation and co-design should involve more than sharing projects. They should also involve sharing processes of co-imagining and co-creating accessible, ethical, enjoyable, and realistic forms of participation with young people—which vary across communities, places, and over time. Further, I explore what might be possible, in these processes, if we move beyond "word-centric" approaches to knowledge, "voice", and connection, and learn to listen with our whole selves. What new insights might emerge when we recognise participatory processes and voice itself as co-created, co-creative, and mutually transformative? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the communicative strategy of the online socialisation of Narrating My City, an audiovisual literacy project for the rediscovery of heritage. This strategy was developed following a participatory diagnosis of the competences and presence in networks of its members, in order to contrast with theory and similar experiences. The methodology employed is Participatory Action Research (PAR), and the techniques utilised are bibliographical-documentary research, surveys, content analysis, participatory group techniques specific to the chosen methodology, and triangulation. The resulting strategy offers the possibility of socialising the project and fulfils the educational objective of generating competences for a conscious use of social networks in the new generations [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The increasing prevalence of shiftwork among young adults poses significant health risks, primarily due to its disruptive effects on sleep, nutrition and physical activity. Addressing these risks necessitates the development of tailored, evidence‐based resources to support these key health behaviours. Participatory research approaches, engaging those with relevant lived experience (i.e., co‐design) are a novel and effective approach in developing these resources. As such, the aim of the present study was to explore whether sleep, nutrition and physical activity resources for young shiftworkers could be developed using participatory, co‐design approaches and how co‐designers would rate both the approaches used and the resulting resources. Methods: A participatory approach engaged co‐designers (young, experienced or previous shiftworkers; workplace health and safety specialists; science communicators and academic experts) to complete 2–3 online questionnaires and participate in 1–2 online workshops, to co‐design sleep, nutrition and physical activity resources for young shiftworkers. Following resource development, co‐designers assessed both the participatory approach and the resulting resources, through an online questionnaire, which included the Public and Patient Engagement Evaluation Tool (PPEET). Results: Co‐designers (n = 48) participated in the development of sleep, nutrition and physical activity resources for young shiftworkers. Co‐designers evaluated the participatory approach positively, with a mean rating across all PPEET items of 4.7 (±0.2) on a 5‐point Likert scale. Co‐designers also provided positive ratings for the resources, with the majority (91.7%) either agreeing or strongly agreeing that they were user‐friendly, valuable and informative for young shiftworkers and would serve as a credible source of health information. Conclusion: By adopting a novel participatory approach, we successfully co‐designed sleep, nutrition and physical activity resources for young shiftworkers. Participatory approaches, including co‐design, should be considered when developing health interventions for shiftworkers, given the value of embedding lived experience to address their unique lifestyle challenges. Patient or Public Contribution: Co‐designers and/or people with relevant lived experience were involved in all project activities: conceptualisation, design, recruitment, data collection, data analysis, knowledge translation and output generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper discusses how integrating digital technologies such as cell phones and digital cameras with face-to-face participatory methodologies can help enhance community engagement and cultural preservation in ICT for Development (ICTD) initiatives in remote regions with limited connectivity and digital literacy. This view from practice presents participatory methods in the ‘Leadership, Communication, and Climate Change’ program in the context of environmental conservation and indigenous community development in the Vaupés region of the Colombian Amazon. The primary goal of the program is to contribute to the formulation of indigenous community development projects that enhance environmental protection and improve the quality of life for participating communities, while respecting and promoting the cultural identity of indigenous peoples. The ‘Leadership, Communication, and Climate Change’ program aims to foster an exchange of knowledge between academics, environmental practitioners, and indigenous leaders from the region of Vaupes, in the eastern boundaries of the Colombian Amazon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a clear and urgent call to transform our food systems as a critical nexus to tackle ongoing global climate, biodiversity, equity, and nutrition crises. Many food and agricultural innovations are being developed and scaled but these innovations often target sector-specific problems and remain disconnected from the more complex demand for transformative change at scale. To bridge this demand for systemic change within the innovation ecosystem, initiatives are applying various approaches such as visioning, holistic assessments, innovation portfolio management and multistakeholder co-creation. Here we report on insights from applying a food systems tailored backcasting approach in a diversity of settings since 2021, including a national food system dialogue, a youth business innovation challenge, a landscape multi-stakeholder platform, a public-private sector co-learning session, an agroecological transitions program, and a hybrid food systems university course for graduate students and global professionals. We thereby build on existing literature and case studies of how change happens (or does not happen) and aim to use those insights to support food systems change makers. Across these settings, the backcasting approach asks participants to connect innovations with broader systems-change visions, to anticipate tradeoffs for multiple food system outcomes and population groups, and to cross sectoral boundaries. The use cases demonstrate that the backcasting process contributes to changes in views, practices and structures that participants work with. Specifically, it supports moving beyond "silver bullet" innovation approaches, the bundling of social and technical innovations, and building action-oriented cross-sectoral bridges. Food systems change is complex and innovations alone are insufficient to address its complexity. But innovations can play a positive role if connected to more holistic systems-change processes and goals. Considering strengths and limitations of the backcasting approach, the diversity of practical applications supports its potential to connect innovations to holistic food systems visions, to strengthen cross-sectoral collaboration and to bundle social and technical innovations for desirable food systems change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) is an evidence-based intervention developed for autistic individuals to support social communication, peer interactions, independence, and interpersonal relationships. Despite a demonstrated effectiveness for young autistic individuals in the US and several other countries, PEERS has yet to be modified to support the needs of autistic adults across the lifespan. The present study describes how our team sought autistic voices to adapt PEERS for adults of any age. Specifically, we aimed to address the needs of middle-aged and older adults and adapt the curriculum to be more neurodiversity-affirming. Between two cohorts that completed the program consecutively, we evaluated the acceptability of the adapted PEERS program and made refinements based on feedback from autistic participants and their study partners. Results indicated that Cohort 2 reported higher satisfaction with the PEERS components and overall program than Cohort 1, suggesting effective refinement. We present a framework of adaptations that more specifically address the needs of middle-aged and older adults in a neurodiverse-affirming way compared to previous iterations. Our approach to implementing an adapted PEERS curriculum across the adult lifespan may serve as a model for improved clinical care and cultivate the acceptance of neurodiversity in the interpersonal domains of autistic adults' lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers, practitioners, and policy makers have been increasingly interested in measuring wellbeing over the last two decades. However, with many measurement tools and frameworks being replicated in contexts distinct from where they were developed, it raises the question as to whether we are measuring the right things. This study draws on data collected through a systematic review of participatory wellbeing frameworks to better understand how wellbeing conceptualisations differ based on country context throughout the world. This analysis is one of the first of its kind, enabling a deeper and more comprehensive insight into cross-cultural understandings of wellbeing. The findings indicate that while there is some degree of universality in how wellbeing is conceptualised in different country contexts, cross-cultural variation is also evident. These findings have important implications for wellbeing measurement throughout the world, indicating that researchers, practitioners, and policymakers should exercise some caution when utilising wellbeing measurement tools and frameworks that were developed in contexts distinct from the population of interest. Furthermore, this study highlights the value of participatory approaches in better understanding these nuanced conceptualisations of wellbeing within different population groups throughout the world. Having greater awareness of cross-cultural differences in wellbeing conceptualisations will help ensure that we are more closely measuring what matters to people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined students’ perspectives on well-being and youth engagement in schools using a Youth Participatory Action Research approach. Students (N = 11) trained as peer researchers and then interviewed their peers. Interviews (N = 21) were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis and six themes were developed: desire for versus reality of a healthy school, insufficient school strategies to promote well-being and mitigate harm, listening to and actioning students’ ideas, diverse opportunities for student engagement, pre-conceived ideas of student capability, and importance of a support role. Through this project, we peered deeper into students’ viewpoints about well-being and youth engagement in their schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the extensive amount of evidence in the literature regarding the benefits of agroforestry systems including carbon sequestration, soil erosion reduction, climate change resilience, biodiversity conservation and other ecosystem services, the adoption of agroforestry practices presents several barriers for farmers and other stakeholders, thus requiring comprehensive examination from the scientific community. We performed a systematic literature review following the methodology described in the PRISMA framework, to provide a novel comprehensive and systematic overview of what is present in the literature regarding the obstacles stakeholders perceive with regards to agroforestry adoption, gathered through participatory research methods, which are methodologies that engage stakeholders in the research process. In this work, we highlighted and categorized 31 obstacles that stakeholders around the globe perceive according to the examined literature (n = 90) with regards to agroforestry adoption, pertaining to i) technical-agronomic, ii) socio-economic and iii) policy-legislative aspects. We produced a consultable database of the examined literature presenting the extracted and categorized data including 1) Region of interest; 2) Investigated agroforestry system; 3) Methodologies utilized in the papers; 4) Number, gender ratio and type of stakeholders; 5) Main relevant obstacles found in the paper. We highlighted the five most frequently encountered issues i) the availability or quality of knowledge or experience on technical and agronomic matters, or knowledge diffusion necessary to implement or maintain agroforestry systems ii) the perceived socio-economic issue related to the market, marketing of agroforestry products, supply chain or jobs in agroforestry; iii) issues related to the amount of labor or time necessary to implement or maintain agroforestry systems; iv) issues related to the upfront economic investment necessary to establish an agroforestry system and availability of capital; and v) issues related to the availability of technical support necessary to implement or maintain agroforestry systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the Green Revolution's impact, many small-scale farmers continue cultivating landraces for their agronomic, culinary, and cultural values. This study, conducted in Odisha, focuses on region-specific on-farm conservation practices employed by farmers for landraces. Five focused group discussions were conducted in five villages, involving 15 landrace custodian farmers in each village of Western districts of Odisha. The Four-Square Analysis, a participatory approach, was utilized to evaluate landrace conservation practices in five villages. Principal Component Analysis and Biplot visualization were employed to analyze the relationships between practices, varieties, and conservation scores. Focused group discussion revealed that a total of 30 paddy landraces were cultivated and conserved in the sampled villages. The study identified diverse landraces such as Kalabati, Katia, and Kusum kali, each valued for unique traits and cultural significance. Paddy landraces with disease resistance, medicinal value, and economic significance were commonly cultivated in households or on a larger scale. Important agronomic practices involved organic farming, reduced fertilizer use, biological pest control, System of Rice Intensification (SRI), and bacterial culture for landrace conservation. Management practices comprised seed banks, diversity blocks, seed exchanges, and community cultivation. The findings highlight the importance of farmers' indigenous knowledge, their beliefs and cultural practices in conserving landraces. Landraces which were rare and cultivated due to cultural or social importance require special attention in conservation efforts. Incentivizing community involvement and implementing tailored strategies would be crucial for effective landrace conservation initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study emphasizes the need for a critical review of existing literature to identify the enablers and barriers to social modeling. Rather than solely focusing on vulnerability, it seeks to deconstruct and redefine resilience, particularly in the context of livelihood systems within communities that have been underexplored in current research. Through a qualitative approach, the study combines critical and constructivist paradigms to develop social modeling that enhances the resilience of disaster-prone communities via their livelihood systems. The goal is to create an innovative, participatory, and sustainable model for rural community livelihoods that can withstand challenges. Central to this model is the accumulation of both capital and social capital. The study offers strategic and practical recommendations for stakeholders and communities in disaster-prone areas to rebuild more robust livelihood systems by harnessing ecological, social, economic, and cultural potentials. It has significant implications for the analytical framework of community livelihood systems and the strategic and operational planning needed to address livelihoods in disaster-affected areas. Social modeling is a critical strategy for planning and implementing social protection and economic mitigation in such communities.

Amidst the fast-changing consumer behavior and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, community-based enterprises (CBEs), particularly startups, face the challenge of identifying strategic business models. The situation necessitates a collaborative and tailored approach to address the impediments CBEs encounter. Focusing on rural CBEs in Thailand, our research employs a participatory approach to value chain development, offering insights on enhancing value addition through stakeholder collaboration. The study explores how a participatory approach applied in rural Thailand facilitates overcoming obstacles and capitalizing on opportunities for economic growth, sustainability, and community inclusivity. By examining the application of participatory value chain development, this research contributes to a better understanding of how participatory value chain development can be tailored to meet the unique needs of community-based enterprises, particularly in post-COVID-19 market adaptations.

The importance of self-directed language learning is well documented. Yet whether and how teachers in K-12 contexts can facilitate self-directed language learning, particularly during the pandemic, remains underexplored. Informed by a sociocultural conceptualization of self-directed language learning as socially mediated action, this study presents a tale of two primary English teachers’ use of digital multimodal composing (DMC) to facilitate self-directed language learning among their young learners. Multiple sources of data were gathered, including in-depth interviews, observation, reflection, and multimodal videos. The analysis shows that using DMC in K-12 language pedagogies affords a new avenue for the two teachers to engage their students with self-directed language learning. The findings reveal that with DMC, the teachers facilitated their young learners with both artifactual literacies and participatory contributions to an online English community. With the artifactual and participatory patterns of literacy learning during DMC, the study argues that self-directed language learning for contemporary young learners is becoming multimodal, digital, embodied, artifactual, connected, collaborative, and distributed within and across multiple spaces. The study refutes a deficit perspective toward K-12 learners and advocates recognizing and building on their linguistic and cultural repertories for the emergent process of self-directed language learning with technologies. Implications on how K-12 teachers should go beyond technological know-how to pedagogical know-how are also discussed.

The roles of Indigenous youth in environmental research remain largely unexplored with little practical guidance for achieving meaningful engagement in environmental research. This paper aims to characterize the varying types of Inuit youth engagement in environmental research conducted in Inuit Nunangat. Findings were derived from a community-engaged participatory research approach in Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet, Nunavut). Our typology of Inuit youth engagement in environmental research suggests three types of engagements: “participate”, “conduct”, and “control”. Results highlight that Inuit youth who are interested in undertaking their own environmental research projects expect to enhance their knowledge of natural and life sciences more than those who may seek short-term supportive research roles. Strategies employed by researchers seeking to enhance youth research capacity may also vary based on youth wants and expectations. Our findings suggest that there is no one-size-fits all solution. None of the engagement types identified were necessarily and inherently considered better than the others by project contributors, unlike what has been proposed in other, hierarchical, typologies. Our proposed typology contributes to a better understanding of the varying roles that Inuit youth can play in environmental research, as well as inform potential frameworks for enhancing Inuit youth engagement and leadership in research.

Children and young people's volitional book reading has declined consistently over the last two decades, and research efforts to reverse this trajectory would benefit considerably from the input and insights of children and young people. Meanwhile, the expanding and intensifying role of technology in many children and young people's daily lives makes it difficult for adult reading researchers to stay informed and up-to-date on how technology is shaping and diversifying volitional reading practices and experiences. Participatory research approaches aim to break down the traditional barriers which exist between the researcher and the researched, creating inclusive, non-hierarchical relationships which support collaborative research, and draw upon the knowledge and experience of all involved. While there is growing interest in, and use of, participatory approaches in reading research, this is the first review, to the best of our knowledge, which focuses on participatory research approaches within the context of children and young people's reading. The aim of this review article is to a) summarise the principles, benefits, and methodological considerations associated with participatory approaches with children and young people, and b) describe different participatory reading research studies with children or young people, and reflect on how these can inform future research into volitional reading. This article aims to inform, support, and encourage the reading research community to consider adopting participatory principles and practices in their work (where appropriate), as we work collectively to enhance knowledge, thinking, and practice in relation to children and young people's volitional reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Rates of un- and under-employment are high among persons with intellectual disabilities in Canada. More information is needed to better understand how current employment practices are experienced by persons with intellectual disabilities and those who hire and support them. OBJECTIVE: This exploratory and descriptive study sought to learn about employment practices as experienced by self-advocates with intellectual disabilities, employers, and employment specialists; to identify key barriers and facilitators to equitable inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities in attaining and maintaining paid and competitive employment. METHODS: An online survey invited participants from all three groups to share their experiences and descriptive analysis was conducted to offer a summary of patterns across participant experiences. RESULTS: 149 participants (77 employment specialists, 59 self-advocates, and 13 employers) from across Canada participated in the survey and shared information about their experiences across recruitment, hiring, integration, and performance management of persons with intellectual disabilities. CONCLUSION: This study offers information about employment practices in Canada that directly impact the experiences of potential or current employees with intellectual disabilities. The findings may be used to inform the development of employment standards, best practices, and/or future research to improve disability-inclusive employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Informal markets play a crucial role in providing fresh and nutritious foods for people in low and middle-income countries. However, the safety of food sold in these markets remains a major concern, contributing to a high burden of foodborne illnesses. Methods: This study was designed to analyze stakeholder perceptions of food safety in selected informal public markets in Kenya. Eight focus group discussions and 15 key informant interviews were conducted. In addition, two workshops were held to validate the findings. Results and discussion: We found that consumers and vendors confounded food quality, especially freshness, with safety, and paid more attention to appearance and physical qualities than food safety. Information (such as branding and expiry dates) and heuristic cues (such as the flow of buyers and the presence of flies) were used to assess food safety. Meat was perceived as the food most likely to cause disease. Chemical hazards in fresh produce and aflatoxins in maize were mentioned as priority hazards by both vendors and consumers. Stakeholders more knowledgeable about food safety considered microbial hazards as a top priority. Although diarrheal diseases were reported to be prevalent in the communities, these were often thought to be the result of agri-chemical residues in fresh produce or the consumption of high-fat foods, and not commonly linked to bacteria in food. Gaps identified during the interviews included poor infrastructure, inadequate food safety knowledge, insufficient or prohibitive policies, insufficient political will, and poor food safetyrelated practices. There were few mentions of lack of motivation or incentives for behavior change, or insufficient consumer demand for food safety. To fill the gaps, several opportunities were discussed, including contextualizing policies and regulations, investing in infrastructure, capacity building, and training, and promoting involvement and collaboration among various stakeholders. Conclusion: This study has highlighted gaps and misperceptions that need to be addressed through proper knowledge and awareness to effectively combat foodborne disease challenges. Behavioral change approaches to improve food safety are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare employees are experiencing poor wellbeing at an increasing rate. The healthcare workforce is exposed to challenging tasks and a high work pace, a situation that worsened during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In turn, exposure to these high demands contributes to poor health, increased turnover, reduced job satisfaction, reduced efficacy, and reduced patient satisfaction and safety. Therefore, it is imperative that we identify measures to mitigate this crisis. One piece of this puzzle is how to implement sustainable tools and processes to improve the work environment of healthcare organizations. In this paper, we present the study protocol for the outlining and piloting of a joint training for pairs of healthcare line managers and their associated health and safety representatives in a Swedish healthcare organization. The objective of the training is to aid and advance the implementation of interventions to improve the work environment at the unit level. Following recommendations in the literature, the training is based on a stepwise approach that considers the specific context and focuses on the involvement of employees in creating interventions based on their needs. A central component of the training is the development of the pairs' collaboration in prioritizing, developing, implementing, and evaluating the interventions. The training is based on an on-the-job train-the-trainer approach in which participants are progressively trained during four workshops in the steps of a participatory intervention process. Between these workshops, the pairs follow the same progressive steps together with their employees to develop and implement interventions at their unit. The pilot will involve four pairs (i.e., eight participants) representing different parts and functions of the organization and will be conducted over a period of three months. We will use a mixed method design to evaluate preconditions, the process, and proximal transfer and implementation outcome factors of the training. The overall aim of the pilot is to appraise its feasibility and be able to adjust the training before a potential scale-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public spaces are the basic element within residential neighborhoods, by their effective role as they are considered a complement to the dwelling space for users, but it suffers from various problems, as it records a state of deterioration that often reflects a lack of design efficiency with the absence of management features for the actors of this component within the residential neighborhoods. In order to determine the totality of this problems, we conducted an evaluation study of the reality of public spaces in residential neighborhoods by choosing the Akhdar Al-Sabaa neighborhood in Al-Idrissiya, where we studied the extent of efficiency and effectiveness and evaluated the participatory performance of residents within the neighborhood through field analysis and comparing the planning of public spaces within the neighborhood with international indicators in the quality of public spaces. Through this research paper, after reading, comparing, and reviewing, we were able to come up with a number of results and solutions in dealing with public spaces and contributing to raising their quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people's perspectives on the potentialities of and problems with Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in England are well documented. This article shares insights from a co-design project conducted with young people and third-sector experts during 2020/21 which sought to identify and develop recommendations for schools regarding the design and delivery of critically informed RSE that engages with the realities and complexities of youth sociosexual life and development. The article discusses findings from workshops pertaining to how RSE can address the 'ecosystem' of young people's sociosexual lives and development; judgment and shame within and beyond the classroom; safe, constructive, and inclusive teaching and learning; and inclusivity and cultural sensitivity. The challenges of designing and delivering safe, inclusive, and meaningful RSE for learners, that upholds and supports their development as sexual citizens, are acknowledged and addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the assertion that radio is a dying medium due to technological advances, community radio has proven its resilience and relevance as an essential tool for development communication. Launched in 2020, the community FM radio in New Corella, Davao del Norte, has been instrumental in reaching thousands of households with news, entertainment, and developmental initiatives. This program promotes an inclusive, consultative, and participatory approach to local development. Hence, this study investigated the extent of listeners' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding the development programs and examined the influence of demographic factors on these aspects through a descriptive correlational survey. The 252 listeners were surveyed, and the study found significant associations between their educational attainment, employment status, and ethnicity to their knowledge, attitudes, and practices. These findings underscore the importance of considering demographic variables in enhancing community engagement and the effectiveness of community radio initiatives. Strategies were also proposed to improve development programs based on the data findings such as developing inclusive and creative program content for all ages, ethnicities and genders, and producing radio-based education programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescence is often positioned as a particularly vulnerable period for reading motivation and engagement, both for academic reading and reading for pleasure. However, closer scrutiny of the literature reveals a much more nuanced pattern of changing interest, attitude, and motivation for reading during adolescence. Despite this, there is a distinct lack of research that explores the barriers adolescents' face to reading for pleasure from the perspectives of adolescents themselves. Working with a Young People's Advisory Panel, peer‐ and adult‐led interviews were carried out with 46 adolescents (13–15 years old) from six high schools. Six themes were identified from the thematic analysis, reflecting adolescents' perceptions of the barriers to their reading for pleasure: (1) access; (2) mismatch between provision and needs; (3) social factors; (4) reading experiences in school; (5) reading affect; and (6) time and competing activities. This article makes a novel and significant contribution to the limited literature on reading for pleasure during adolescence and provides important qualitative insights for researchers and educational practitioners interested in supporting adolescents' reading motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the involvement of youth with lived experience (LE) in activism and research aimed at addressing youth homelessness in Canada. Based within a youth‐participatory action research project in Tio'tiá:ke/Montréal, Canada, we reflect on how young people described their own activist organising, as well as the practical ways we may harness actions that homelessness youth are already doing to create communities and solidarity. The authors are members of Youth Action Research Revolution (YARR), a research team primarily made up of youth with LE of homelessness. We position the analysis at an intersection of our own experiences and 63 interviews with youth aged 16–29 conducted by YARR from 2018 to 2021. Conceiving of participatory, youth‐led research as a form of direct action we outline lessons learned from our own research and LE. Young people within our team and participants in YARR's research shared critiques of State systems while outlining the work that they undertook with their peers to act on issues of housing precarity, often eschewing activism aimed at State processes or institutional reform in favour of direct action. This article proposes a mode of fostering youth‐led, socially just change around homelessness—one that shifts conversations from inclusion to solidarity, and recognises the radical potential of research by‐and‐for young people. The authors conclude that research and advocacy on homelessness is always inherently political for young people with LE, and that harnessing the direct action that youth already do to survive is not only a socially just form of mobilising, but can contribute to broader activism towards housing justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enormous and ever-increasing problem of forced displacement warrants the attention of psychological science to play a role in leading efforts to address the needs of refugee communities. As a nation of immigrants, the United States has a long and complicated history of refugee admissions, including both generous and racist policies and sentiments. Examining the past can increase our capacity to transform the future. Taking conscious action to dismantle racism is of central importance to begin to make reparations and find pathways toward healing. Recognizing the instrumental role of systemic forces, three guideposts to support an antiracist foundation for research and practice in psychology are drawn from existing frameworks and applied to the case of refugees. These include (a) remembrance as an act of historical and sociopolitical analysis, (b) truth-telling to engage in critical self-reflection within the field of psychology, and (c) accompaniment alongside refugee communities to develop partnerships that reinforce their strengths and agency and directly benefit them. These guideposts underscore the importance of upholding community priorities and empowering refugee communities to reclaim their own cultural knowledge and strengths and to create effective and sustainable programs, with the potential for significant public health impact. As such, psychologists can play a critical role in transforming social systems over time and actively working to dismantle racism. Public Significance Statement: The global crisis of forced migration necessitates that psychologists take a lead role in shaping antiracist approaches to support resettled refugees in the United States. A critical examination of the extant literature on refugees demonstrates the potential for dismantling racism in psychology through historical analysis and understanding recognition of the limits of the status quo within the field and equitable partnerships with refugee communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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