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Interviews with 50 Latin Americans and Somalis living in Canada found a variety of motivations for volunteering with mainstream organizations, including promotion of their communities' needs. Barriers included lack of information, discrimination, and losses from migration. Suggestions for organizations seeking to recruit, support, and work with diverse volunteers were made. (Contains 17 references.) (JOW)

Nowadays, architectural designers interact with children to better understand their demands so that to improve the emotional connection between the child and the architectural space. The present study mainly aimed to find contributing factors to improved architect-children participation in the architectural design process for children. The procedures of this research were based on the meta-synthesis by Sandelowski and Barroso. The data were collected using desk research and then coded and classified in MAXQDA 10. The validity of the codes was evaluated by the Glynn tool, and the extracted concepts were also prioritized in Excel 2010. The findings indicated that common methods of participation depend on the architect's ability to use participatory and design theme tools. However, the new definition of participation (i.e. deep participation) does not rely on these factors and emphasizes the presence of children during the design process and their role as the main ideator. The depth of participation (i.e. improving the quality of architect-children participation) is determined by the degree to which children's most genuine wishes about the design theme are understood well. Contextual, proactive, motivational, and architecture-focused components help increase this depth. The relationship between these components was presented as the conceptual model of deep participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present study seeks to research the future and draw a vision for new approaches that are independent of physical presence, in the processes of design and participation, based on the abilities of children in the use of digital social networks. Method: Documentary and library methods were used to identify the common tools of participation, their characteristics and the way they are used, and to examine the opinions of experts about the role of cyberspace in the lives of children in the present century. A descriptive survey method was used to study and analyze the experience of children using social networks in the pandemic era. The data collection tool is a researcher-made questionnaire and the sample size is 384 children and 384 parents according to Cochran's formula. Inferential statistics and SPSS25 software and one-sample t-test were used to analyze the data and validate the findings. Findings: Digital mass communication leads to the development of the effectiveness of traditional methods of participation because children are able to use social networks, communicate with software faster than adults, interested in commenting and participating in group discussions based on virtual networks and the use of image language and the use of these networks is not limited to the pandemic era. Conclusion: Mapping the future of partnerships with children based on the use of "online participation platforms", while opening new perspectives in the fields of partnership, design, programming and artificial intelligence, has led to improving the efficiency of participatory processes. It also provides a platform for children to make more comprehensive and thoughtful statements about issues related to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are numerous reports on the rates of attrition among volunteers as a persistent challenge for organizations. In explaining volunteer attrition, researchers have predominantly: 1) provided an individualistic account of volunteering; 2) overlooked the interactional dimension of volunteer work and the crucial role of interpretation in its development; and 3) assumed commitment as a function of satisfaction with volunteering experience. Drawing on the theoretical insights of a symbolic interactionist approach, this article contends that volunteers' role commitment hinges on their satisfaction with their interpretation of their interaction with clients, rather than the interaction itself. This perspective calls attention to the volunteer-client dyadic interaction, gives a prominent place to the social role and its definition, and draws attention to strategies used by volunteers to sustain challenging relationship with clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canadian- and foreign-born volunteers have contributed to the settlement of newcomers into Canadian society. Despite their important contribution, little has been reported about the experiences and perspectives of these volunteers. Using the information collected from face-to-face interviews with 60 Canadian- and foreign-born volunteers who support newcomers, this article discusses factors that motivate people to volunteer with newcomers. The study results revealed among other findings that (1) to become a volunteer, one not only needs to be motivated but also needs to believe that volunteering will produce the expected positive results and to have confidence in one's ability to complete the assigned tasks, (2) once people become volunteers, the experience of volunteering tests their perceived self-efficacy and their belief about the effectiveness of their volunteer work. Success or failure in their expectations influences their decision to continue or discontinue their volunteer work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The losses associated with exile often leave refugees with limited resources to face the challenge of adjusting to a new society. To enhance the successful integration of refugees, it is important to assist them in their efforts in rebuilding and extending their support systems. By matching refugees with volunteers, Befriending Programs aim at creating a supportive environment. Based on information provided by twenty-five organizations that offer befriending programs in Australia, Canada, England, and the United States, this paper explores obstacles they face in the recruitment and retention of befrienders as well as their strategies in overcoming challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]