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This research scrutinizes the instrumental contributions of public libraries in augmenting community resilience. The study deploys a methodological framework predicated on comprehensive literature examination and empirical investigation by focusing on the National Taiwan Library and the New Taipei City Library as paradigmatic instances. Employing a multi-layered approach of case studies and in-depth interviews with various library staff, the study aims to (1) formulate a nascent conceptual architecture of community resilience, (2) identify the multifaceted strategies public libraries employ to bolster resilience, and (3) articulate specific functional roles libraries execute in this resilience ecosystem. Empirical data coalesce into six salient categories: (1) Knowledge Curation, Skill Development, and Lifelong Learning; (2) Community Network Dynamics; (3) Human-Place Connections; (4) Infrastructure and Foundational Resources; (5) Innovation and Diversification; and (6) Public-Governmental Interface. Libraries surface as agile orchestrators in intricate socio-environmental nexuses, utilizing adaptive service models that leverage emergent community networks, enhancing intrinsic and extrinsic resilience. The roles libraries fulfill in community systems are manifold: they act as (1) Adaptive Sustainers in volatile conditions, (2) Socio-Organizational Mediators in community networking, (3) Stewards of Cultural Integrity, (4) Facilitators of Inclusive Information Access, and (5) Navigators in Collaboration with governmental and social entities. The findings contribute rich scholarly and practical perspectives on how public institutions fortify socio-ecological resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to explore the drivers of community building in virtual participation charity sport events. The authors conducted a case study of virtual charity events governed by Team World Vision, the sports arm of a global not-for-profit service organisation. They conducted semi-structured interviews with World Vision marketing managers and virtual running race participants, analysed survey and podcast interview data, and performed a document analysis. Four overarching themes were revealed as drivers of community building: community engagement, social networking, impression management, and fitness philanthropy practicing. The study uncovers the peculiarities of the virtual format that helped build virtual communities and create excitement around the cause, such as digitised communication plans, social media- and technology-facilitated opportunities to connect both locally and globally, and the adapted fundraising strategies in the virtual format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the complex relationships between environmental monitoring efforts (EME), community engagement (CE), and environmental risk perception (ERP) in the context of improving environmental disaster preparedness (EDP) in the specific case of fluoride pollution. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as a conceptual framework, the study examines the effect of several variables on disaster preparation behavior in communities exposed to environmental risks. Methods: The data was collected from people living in Shanxi Province, China, an area that suffers from severe fluoride contamination. Results: The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) indicate that community engagement significantly improves the perception of environmental risk, which, in turn, positively impacts the preparation for disasters. Moreover, environmental monitoring efforts were shown to be a mediator of the association between community participation and disaster preparation, underscoring the crucial role that systematic monitoring plays in disaster management. The results indicate that including social and environmental elements is crucial for improving the ability of communities to withstand and recover from environmental catastrophes. Conclusion: The findings emphasize that there is an urgent need to consider social, and environmental aspects if the resilience of communities to, and their recovery from, environmental disasters is to be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Elimination of HCV infection as a public health concern by the end of this decade will require a concerted effort in all target populations, including drug‐users in the inner‐city. Several strategies have been proposed to identify, engage and provide HCV‐infected residents with antiviral therapy and maximise treatment and cure achievement. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary approach in delivering HCV treatment to people who inject drugs (PWID) within Vancouver's inner city. We have evaluated a novel approach, the Community Pop‐Up Clinic, for its ability to promote access to care and uptake of HCV therapy, with additional analyses of HCV reinfection and opioid‐related mortality. From January 2021 to August 2023, we evaluated 1968 individuals. 620 (31.5%) were found to carry HCV antibodies and of these, 474 (76.5%) were found to be viremic. Treatment engagement has been secured in 387 (81.6%). 326 (84.2%) have started treatment, 60 in the pre‐treatment phase and 1 died of an overdose in pre‐treatment. Of 326, 302 completed treatments, 18 are currently on treatment and 1 died of an overdose. Of 302 who completed treatment, 286 confirmed as cured (SVR 12), 16 are awaiting SVR 4, 2 had documented virologic relapse and 1 was reinfected. Three patients withdrew from treatment. By mITT, the cure rate is 286/288 (99.3%). We documented 2 overdose deaths over 326 PY. The data presented validates multidisciplinary programs such as ours aimed at treating HCV in inner‐cities and highlights societal benefits that could be achieved including lower overdose death rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While historical geographers and historians increasingly recognise the benefits of and need for participatory research, the rigid structures regimenting academic practice have acted as barriers to successful knowledge exchange. Community involvement and place‐based research come with a number of challenges characterised by miscommunications, frustrations, and failures. This paper reflects on findings that emerged from a three‐month internship investigating public and community engagement activities at the Centre for History, University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI). The internship was the outcome of a collaboration between UHI and the Centre for the History of People, Place, and Community (CHPPC), Institute of Historical Research London (IHR). Based on interviews with UHI academics and heritage institutions beyond the Higher Education sector based across the Highlands and Islands, the paper explores the inevitable pitfalls that comes with community engagement and the ethical questions raised by knowledge co‐production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite advancements in our understanding of community engagement, questions remain as to how these efforts are applied in practice across specific contexts. First response is one such profession that has received minimal attention in the community engagement literature, even though the work of first responders frequently requires close engagement with communities to maintain safety and promote public health. To address this gap, we analyzed how first responders conceptualized community engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through an analysis of semi-structured interviews collected from U.S. first responders (n = 91), we developed a First Responder Ladder of Community Engagement informed by Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation. We find that first responder community engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic predominantly focused on information sharing and offered minimal evidence of higher levels of engagement, highlighting the potential disconnect between theories and practice of community engagement. These findings advance our knowledge of the application, variations, and broader framings of community engagement approaches used by first responders, and other fields of practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on community engagement largely focuses on the potential benefits of such activities for police services, policing as an industry, and the larger community, such as reduced disorder and anti-social behavior as well as increased confidence and trust in police. Absent from this conversation, however, are the officers who voluntarily initiate or participate in community engagement and the significance of these activities to them. To address this gap, this study examines officers’ engagement in community initiatives and what those activities mean to them. This study uses qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 26 officers of various ranks who voluntarily initiated and/or participated in a community-based program(s) or event(s). A thematic analysis of the data reveals three overarching themes on what community engagement activities bring to or mean to officers: (1) community engagement represents an opportunity to build relationships with community members; (2) community engagement is a welcomed opportunity to feel like officers are helping the community; and (3) community activities contribute to officers’ mental wellbeing. This study demonstrates that community engagement is significant and meaningful to the individual officers involved. Thus, not only does community engagement benefit the police service and community (as per the existing literature), it also has potential benefits for officers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The level of trust in health systems is often in flux during public health emergencies and presents challenges in providing adequate health services and preventing the spread of disease. Experiences during previous epidemics has shown that lack of trust can impact the continuity of essential health services and response efforts. Guinea and Sierra Leone were greatly challenged by a lack of trust in the system during the Ebola epidemic. We thus sought to investigate what was perceived to influence public and community trust in the health system during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what strategies were employed by national level stakeholders in order to maintain or restore trust in the health system in Guinea and Sierra Leone. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted through a document review and key informant interviews with actors involved in COVID-19 and/or in malaria control efforts in Guinea and Sierra Leone. Key informants were selected based on their role and level of engagement in the national level response. Thirty Six semi-structured interviews (16 in Guinea, 20 in Sierra Leone) were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using an inductive and deductive framework approach to thematic analysis. Results: Key informants described three overarching themes related to changes in trust and health seeking behavior due to COVID-19: (1) reignited fear and uncertainty among the population, (2) adaptations to sensitization and community engagement efforts, and (3) building on the legacy of Ebola as a continuous process. Communication, community engagement, and on-going support to health workers were reiterated as crucial factors for maintaining trust in the health system. Conclusion: Lessons from the Ebola epidemic enabled response actors to consider maintaining and rebuilding trust as a core aim of the pandemic response which helped to ensure continuity of care and mitigate secondary impacts of the pandemic. Monitoring and maintaining trust in health systems is a key consideration for health systems resilience during public health emergencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nursing education, as with professionalization projects, is fraught with epistemicide, false separations, and a focus on expertise over relations and accountability. This is a critical reflection of the first 5 years of a four‐semester prelicensure Community Engagement course series. As the course lead, I have consistently initiated adjustments, based on experiences teaching multiple sections and synthesizing comments and feedback from students and faculty, with an eye toward longstanding and pressing concerns in the world around us. Two broad epistemic arrangements emerge from this critical excavation: (1) naturalized hierarchy, false separations, and appraisals of relevance and (2) relationality and reflection as unsettling. There is a need for sustained collective examination and shift in how the nursing education and healthcare industries curate the meanings and practice of "community," "health," and "nursing," peering out from the regulatory oversight of neoliberal forces. How might we situate student progression, program implementation, institutional contracts, and curricular standards within the contexts of nursing programs' responsibilities to local communities in light of unfolding events locally and globally and their historical antecedents? How are we all, as faculty, disrupting siloes, false separations, and the contradictions of professionalism and the biomedical model to intentionally advance health equity? May we continue to illuminate the presence of community as being everywhere, not merely in juxtaposition to acute care. May we unsettle the prevailing theorization and practices of community throughout nursing education and commit to imagining and practicing relational praxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Scholars agree that reciprocity is a cornerstone of service‐learning and community engagement (SLCE); however, engagement with this concept varies widely in practice and across disciplines. To enhance the potential of SLCE to fulfill its promise for societal impact, engineering education must understand how reciprocity is achieved, recognize barriers that inhibit its progress, and identify strategies for how it can be strengthened. Purpose: We performed this review to understand the ways reciprocity is articulated in the engineering SLCE literature. Drawing from these articulations, we examined the extent of engagement with reciprocity toward providing insights into the design and assessment of SLCE efforts for reciprocity. Scope/Method: We performed a systematic literature review on engineering SLCE at institutes of higher education. Following an established approach to identify and synthesize articles, we developed deductive codes by distilling three well‐articulated orientations of reciprocity. We then analyzed the operationalization of reciprocity in the literature. Results: The literature demonstrated varying degrees of reciprocity. Minimally reciprocal efforts centered university stakeholders. In contrast, highly reciprocal partnerships explicitly addressed the nature of engagement with communities. Findings provide insights into the breadth of practice within reciprocity present in engineering SLCE. Further, analysis suggests that our codes and levels of reciprocity can function as a framework that supports the design and evaluation of reciprocity in SLCE efforts. Conclusions: Our review suggests that to enact more equitable SLCE, researchers and practitioners must intentionally conceptualize reciprocity, translate it into practice, and make visible the ways in which reciprocity is enacted within their SLCE efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research represents an essential component of the response to infectious disease outbreaks and to other public health emergencies, whether they are localised, of international concern, or global. Research conducted in such contexts also comes with particular ethics challenges, the awareness of which has significantly grown following the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the Zika outbreak in Latin America and the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenges include the need for implementing meaningful community engagement with the researched communities, not just to build unidirectional trust towards the research team, but to achieve a genuine and mutually respectful partnership before, during and after the research. Here, we describe the real-life experience of 10 well-established research clinics in Nairobi, where a successful experience of community engagement linking prevention and care to research was interrupted during the COVID19 pandemic. We contrast this experience with the concept and processes of community engagement as described in selected scientific manuscripts and guidelines, to formulate some conclusions and recommendations. We contend that more action is needed, from research ethics committees and other key-research stakeholders, to align policies and practices with ethics guidance and with evidence-based recommendations from the academic literature, to achieve meaningful community engagement during emergency research, irrespective of the scale and location of an outbreak or public health crisis. Failure to do so, will aggravate the (postcolonial) asymmetries of power in global health and local systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The earthquakes which struck Nepal's capital in 2015 were humanitarian disasters. Not only did they inflict tragic loss of life and livelihoods, they also destroyed parts of the Kathmandu Valley's unique UNESCO World Heritage site. These monuments were not just ornate structures but living monuments playing central roles in the daily lives of thousands, representing portals where the heavens touch earth and people commune with guiding deities. Their rehabilitation was also of economic importance as they represent a major source of tourist income and employment. Unfortunately, the social and political desire for rapid reconstruction resulted in the swift removal of many traditionally constructed foundations and their replacement with modern materials without assessments of whether they contributed towards the collapse of individual monuments. These actions, combined with the wholesale removal, mixing and dumping of modern and historic debris, contributed to a second, equally destructive, cultural catastrophe – irreversible damage to Kathmandu's Medieval fabric, in a process which frequently excluded local communities and custodians. This case study draws from our collective reflections and lessons learned from our attempts to enable equitable and ethical research partnerships between UK and Nepali colleagues as well as local communities in the debris of the Kasthamandap, Kathmandu's eponymous monument. After briefly describing the potential of mobilising archaeologists in post-disaster contexts and outlining the challenges of undertaking research in such a setting, our case study utilises the TRUST Code to assess the character and success of our multidisciplinary collaboration in a time of crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North American dress and textile museums have long been rooted in colonial ideals due to the long-standing perpetuation of Eurocentrism as superior to all other ways of knowing. The fashion and textile art exhibition Material Resistance: Social Justice and Empowerment Narratives Told Through Cloth (2022), curated by graduate students, contested these colonial traditions and instead centered the stories, lived experiences, and empowerment of marginalized communities. The exhibition featured social justice-focused textile works of five artists and three community organizations. The curatorial team explored methods to re-envision how curators can center social justice and empowerment within fashion and textile exhibitions through innovative approaches, building upon previous curatorial scholarship that values collaboration and combines tenets of post-critical museology, intersectionality, and self-determination. By prioritizing the voices of the show's artists and community members, being intentional about the curatorial selection and accessibility, providing opportunities for community engagement, and practicing repatriation, we provide an example of curatorial practice centering the people, not the system that has often disenfranchised them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the tension between critical analysis and advocacy in the field of religion and nature. It discusses the challenges faced by scholars in balancing the promotion of environmentalism with objective analysis of the relationship between religion and environmental behaviors. The author suggests that community-engaged research and teaching can help navigate this tension by fostering collaboration and addressing community needs. The article also addresses the history of academic exploitation in the Appalachian region and emphasizes the importance of scholars demonstrating long-term commitments to communities and being accountable to them. It highlights the intersection of religion and nature scholarship with community-engaged research and pedagogy, emphasizing the need for scholars to actively engage with communities and address environmental challenges. The text also raises questions about defining the "public" and "community" and encourages scholars to consider the impacts of their work on these groups. It concludes by emphasizing the role of scholars and universities in addressing societal challenges and promoting resilience and justice. [Extracted from the article]

Participation in democracy has been suggested as an inherent value of democracy by allowing citizens to participate in political decision-making. Since the 2000s and, more particularly, after the creation of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention and the Council of Europe's Faro Convention, there has been a call for a participatory approach to heritage management. In 2008 Norway ratified the Faro Convention justifying the existence of statutory participatory practices and community engagements. This paper assesses these practices as they read at the national legal provisions to evaluate how Norway articulates participative processes regarding cultural heritage management. The results indicate that the legal framework long for an active role of inhabitants in local administration and planning and heritage management but prevent them from influencing governance beyond the elections. Accordingly, cultural heritage management is still far from being considered a 'sharing responsibility' between citizens and authorities as the Faro Convention calls for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Primary malignant brain tumors (ie, brain cancer) impact the quality of life (QoL) for patients and care partners in disease-specific ways involving cognition and communication. Palliative care (PC) addresses patient/care partner QoL, but it is not known how PC may address the unique needs of brain cancer patients. The purpose of this project was to identify brain cancer PC research priorities using participatory co-design methods. Methods Participatory co-design included the formation of a longitudinal, collaborative advisory group, engagement frameworks, design-thinking processes, and social media-based engagement over a 1-year period. Community-identified brain cancer QoL needs and research priorities were mapped to proposed "essential elements" of brain cancer PC services. Results We engaged an estimated 500 patients, care partners, healthcare professionals, and others with an interest in QoL and PC services for people with malignant brain tumors. Research priorities included testing the early introduction of PC services designed to address the unique QoL needs of brain cancer patients and care partners. Essential elements of brain cancer PC include: (1) addressing brain cancer patients' unique range of QoL needs and concerns, which change over time, (2) tailoring existing services and approaches to patient needs and concerns, (3) enhancing the involvement of interprofessional care team members, and (4) optimizing timing for PC services. This was the first participatory research effort exploring brain cancer patient and care partner QoL needs and PC services. Conclusions The brain tumor community calls for research testing PC service models for patients that incorporate the "essential elements" of palliative care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The burgeoning illegal trade in succulents in southern Africa presents a critical conservation and social development challenge. Drawing parallels with the trajectory of the response to rhinoceros poaching, we considered the consequences of conservation law enforcement measures, particularly the militarization of antipoaching efforts. The response to rhinoceros poaching not only resulted in so‐called green militarization, but also led to extrajudicial killings, human rights abuses, and the disproportionate targeting of low‐level poachers. The nature of wildlife trade prohibition is complex and often contested, and many actors operating in illegal wildlife trades dispute the label of illegal for socioeconomic, cultural, historical, or political reasons. This contestation is crucial when considering Indigenous cultural and medicinal values of succulents, with Indigenous Peoples and local communities questioning the criminalization of traditional plant harvesting practices. As the illegal trade in succulents continues to grow, it is imperative for conservationists to consider a nuanced approach. We call for a socioecological harm reduction approach that emphasizes community engagement, sustainable use, and codesigned interventions. Such an approach could help balance the scales of ecological conservation and human dignity in the face of growing wildlife trade challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Approaches to prevent and manage diabetes at a community population level are hindered because current strategies are not aligned with the structure and function of a community system. We describe a community-driven process based on local data and rapid prototyping as an alternative approach to create diabetes prevention and care management solutions appropriate for each community. We report on the process and provide baseline data for a 3-year case study initiative to improve diabetes outcomes in two rural Nebraska communities. Methods: We developed an iterative design process based on the assumption that decentralized decision-making using local data feedback and monitoring will lead to the innovation of local sustainable solutions. Coalitions act as community innovation hubs and meet monthly to work through a facilitated design process. Six core diabetes measures will be tracked over the course of the project using the electronic health record from community clinics as a proxy for the entire community. Results: Baseline data indicate two-thirds of the population in both communities are at risk for prediabetes based on age and body mass index. However, only a fraction (35% and 12%) of those at risk have been screened. This information led both coalitions to focus on improving screening rates in their communities. Discussion: In order to move a complex system towards an optimal state (e.g., improved diabetes outcomes), stakeholders must have access to continuous feedback of accurate, pertinent information in order to make informed decisions. Conventional approaches of implementing evidence-based interventions do not facilitate this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated community empowerment as a means of addressing food insecurity amongst underserved neighborhoods by increasing available and affordable food choices through Clementine Collective stands in Staten Island, New York (Richmond County), one of the 5 Boroughs of New York City. Given the growing complexity of food insecurity, inclusive and equitable action must be taken that incorporates the voices, perspectives and needs of those most impacted. Through methods of community engagement and empowerment, the Clementine Collective collaborates with local community residents to introduce sustainable solutions that address food insecurity. A survey (N = 132) was administered to customers of a Clementine Collective stand, located in Staten Island, that assessed customers' food habits and attitudes towards their food environment and solutions. The stand was placed in a local meat market grocery store. Descriptive statistics suggested that residents recognized gaps in their food environment and were empowered to advocate for solutions. Engaging residents from their food environment to advocate for local solutions, such as at community bodegas, or small grocery stores, may be an effective method of addressing food insecurity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Individual and collective prosocial competence can be fostered through high-quality interactions with program staff in out-of-school time environments. Objective: We explored whether the social-emotional competencies of teachers working in an out-of-school STEM program infused with social emotional learning content were associated with school children's prosocial behavior, community engagement, and peer problems and whether these associations were moderated by social justice teaching beliefs and child gender. Method: Participants were 126 students (72 male). Forty-one were White, 40 were Black, 34 were Latine, and 11 were Asian and most of them were third graders (Mage = 8.11 years). Teachers rated their emotional competence, commitment to social emotional learning, and social justice teaching beliefs. They also provided ratings of children's prosocial behavior and peer problems. Students provided ratings of their community engagement. Results: Teachers' emotional competence was negatively associated with prosocial behavior, but only when their social justice teaching beliefs were low. However, teachers' commitment to social emotional learning was positively related to prosocial behavior. Teachers' emotional competence was associated positively with peer problems, but only for girls, and was also related positively to community engagement. Conclusions: Results demonstrate associations between STEM teachers' social emotional learning competencies and social justice teaching beliefs in the development of students' prosocial competence and community engagement and provide directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australian freshwater turtle populations have declined substantially, with consequent losses to aquatic ecosystem functions. A leading hypothesis is that turtles have declined through lost recruitment caused by high nest predation by invasive foxes. The 'fox hypothesis' is supported by experiments showing that nest predation rates exceed 95% in many regions. Furthermore, population surveys have repeatedly found absences of juvenile turtles, and headstarting experiments have successfully replaced those juveniles in some species. We are currently leading a nationwide citizen science program, '1 Million Turtles' (1millionturtles.com), to engage local communities to protect turtles from threats like nest predation using a suite of novel approaches. Our key innovation is to leverage community passion and interest for turtles to create positive conservation impacts via a nationwide support network. We provide a data collection tool and framework (TurtleSAT) and self-guided training in conservation methods. We assist with guidance for gaining licencing and permission, and applying for grants. We are evaluating our approach through both the impacts on turtle populations as well as through surveys of our engaged citizen scientists. Ultimately, we aim to create a science-supported, national grassroots conservation model where community champions can lead their own evidence-based approaches to help wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual Reality (VR) interfaces are known to provide users with immersive experiences to support tasks such as training or developing an understanding of topics in various domains. However, research relating to using VR to learn about unfamiliar settings and supporting attitudes towards these settings, particularly through lower-cost VR technology is limited in nature. In this article, we describe an exploratory study to investigate low-cost VR technology use on attitudes toward community engagement activities. We selected the issue of homelessness, due to the prevalence of this issue in the city where the study took place. We focused on the experiences of conducting community engagement activities as part of the study. Ten participants experienced becoming homeless through an immersive VR application. In order to investigate the impact on attitudes, a community engagement instrument along with perspective-taking subscale were presented to participants prior to and after the VR experience. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in both the attitude and behavior subscales, suggesting a positive change in intention to participate in their community and to make a difference based upon the VR experience. Implications from the work relate to the design of a procedure which can be used by educators and researchers alike, to determine the attitudinal impacts of VR environments, along with providing awareness of the benefits and practicalities of utilizing low-cost VR technologies within a classroom environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to strengthen civic education in elementary schools, research is needed to understand preservice teachers' ideas about civic teaching. The current study examined the degree to which elementary preservice teachers' civic competencies (i.e., civic awareness, dispositions, and interpersonal skills) and the grades they plan to teach are associated with expected future civic teaching. Survey data were collected from 235 undergraduate students majoring in early childhood or elementary education. Results from hierarchical multiple regression showed that greater civic awareness and lower levels of trust in the American promise were associated with expected future teaching about politics, while greater civic awareness, stronger commitment to social issues, and better interpersonal skills were associated with expected future teaching about community engagement. Additionally, those who plan to teach the upper elementary grades (third-fifth) were more likely to report that they will teach about politics and community engagement in their future classrooms when compared to those who plan to teach younger grades (PreK-second). Practical implications for preservice teacher preparation are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until recently, the field of implementation science has provided limited insight and guidance on the use of community engagement and partnership to support implementation of evidence-based practices. Listing community engagement as a barrier to optimal implementation is often the extent of the discussion. An article recently published by Perry et al. (PS 24:61–76, 2023) details what community engagement can entail and documents how this engagement can shape opioid use prevention research. The article also describes benefits of engaging community partners in prevention interventions, particularly for opioid use disorder, and the feasibility of employing multiple levels of engagement to do so. The article concludes by emphasizing areas for future research including examining the role community engagement has on the success of prevention interventions and the impact on long-term intervention outcomes. To respond to the Perry et al. (PS 24:61–76, 2023) article, our team conducted a literature scan of recently published implementation science and community engagement manuscripts, which demonstrated a growing body of research on the subject. We summarize these findings by offering suggested approaches for integrating implementation science and community engagement for substance use prevention programs and suggestions for advancing this intersection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: High quality data regarding long-term clinical and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of genital gender-affirming surgery (GGAS) are lacking, and transgender and non-binary (TGNB) community voices have not historically been included in research development. These factors limit the utility of current research for guiding patients, clinicians, payers, and other GGAS stakeholders in decision-making. The Transgender and Non-Binary Surgery (TRANS) Registry has been developed to meet the needs of GGAS stakeholders and address limitations of traditional GGAS research. Methods: Development of the TRANS Registry occurred over several developmental phases beginning in May 2019 to present. Stakeholder engagement was performed throughout these phases, including: determination of key clinical outcomes and PROs, creation and implementation of data collection tools within the electronic health record (EHR), and development of centralized registry infrastructure. Results: The TRANS Registry is a prospective observational registry of individuals seeking vaginoplasty and vulvoplasty. The EHR-enabled infrastructure allows patients and clinicians to contribute longitudinal outcomes data to the TRANS Registry. We describe our community engaged approach to designing the TRANS Registry, including lessons learned, challenges, and future directions. Conclusions: The TRANS Registry is the first multicenter initiative to prospectively track the health of individuals seeking vaginoplasty and vulvoplasty using EHR-enabled methods, engaging TGNB community members and clinicians as partners in the process. This process may be used as a model for registry development in other emerging fields where high-quality longitudinal outcomes data are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of transnational higher education partnerships (THEPs) has increasingly come under scrutiny with the growing role of higher education in development. Mutuality has emerged as a key focus of this examination. We seek to understand how mutuality is expressed within North–South THEPs that have a major focus on community engagement. We refer to THEPs with this focus as engaged transnational higher education partnerships (ETHEPs). This study is based on a secondary analysis of extant literature on one ETHEP based in Kenya. A thematic content analysis revealed that celebrated outcomes of mutuality included capacity building, institutionalization, collaborative relationships and solidarity around community engagement. Challenges to mutuality were related to structural and cultural differences, self‐sustainability and equity. A discussion of findings is followed by possible questions to guide inquiry toward strengthening mutuality in North–South ETHEPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Scrub typhus is highly endemic in northern Thailand yet awareness and knowledge are low. We developed a community engagement project to improve awareness in communities at risk of contracting scrub typhus. Methods We conducted a series of engagement sessions with healthcare workers and community health volunteers so they would, in turn, engage with their communities. We evaluated our activities by assessing the increase in scrub typhus knowledge, using a series of Likert-scale items and open-ended questions. Three to 6 months after the sessions, participants were followed up to collect their experiences training community members. Results Of 134 participants who took part in eight sessions, 87.3% were community health volunteers. Disease knowledge increased substantially after the sessions and was well maintained for up to 5 mo. Satisfaction was high and, through participant feedback, engagement materials were improved to be more useful to the communities. People with higher education had higher scores and retention. Conclusions Community engagement was shown to be an effective tool to develop and carry out health-promoting activities in a culturally and context-appropriate manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The persistence of colonial controls in present-day forest management has long been recognized as a potential threat to the resilience of social-ecological systems. These controls have created barriers that disconnect individuals from their land and diminish the forest diversity. In Mount Merapi, this maladaptation is manifested through the long-tailed macaque's invasion of farmlands, triggered by the state's failure to reforest the targeted 480 ha of damaged land after the 2010 eruption. This study aims to qualitatively interrogate factors that are hindering the swift restoration of Mount Merapi's social-ecological systems. This will be achieved by investigating the intricate dynamics of the area over various time frames, utilizing the panarchy framework developed by Holling and Gunderson. The framework is well-known for its capacity to facilitate a holistic understanding of social-ecological systems but is also intrinsically ambiguous to capture the complexity. The study's novelty lies in its adoption of Boyer's refined panarchy models and Boonstra and De Boer's systematic analysis to address the methodological concern toward a better understanding of social-ecological systems. METHODS: This study utilizes various techniques for data collection, including semi-structured interviews, literature reviews, and field observations. The interviews involved informants who were selected through purposive sampling and focused on exploring Boyer's panarchy characteristics. In order to ensure the reliability of the data, triangulation was conducted prior to the development of panarchy models. FINDINGS: The findings indicate that the strict forest controls embedded in the state's forest management since the colonial periods had created rigidity and poverty traps. The concept of the rigidity trap pertains to a reforestation strategy that utilized laborers and territories for ecological conservation, restricted local communities from utilizing forests, and diminished biodiversity by favoring the introduction of non-native Acacia decurrens. CONCLUSION: To address traps, this study recommends the need to use a panarchy approach that facilitates a comprehensive understanding of social-ecological systems and to transfer governance to local people which must be based on an in-depth understanding of the local history, knowledge, and cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resource-poor organizations serve a significant portion of emerging markets' healthcare industries. Such organizations engage in transformative services. However, given emerging markets' ever-changing dynamics, it is unclear whether transformative services suffice for such organizations to move towards economic and social sustainability. We present two studies undertaken in the context of missionary hospitals in India. Study 1 identifies that hospitals rely on innovations in transformative services, driven by the co-creation of knowledge by various stakeholders, to remain socially and economically sustainable. Study 2 develops and tests hypotheses using data from 183 hospitals, showing that employee voice, community engagement, and diversity of organizational expertise increase innovation in transformative services at a decreasing rate, while resource munificence and commercialization emphasis moderate the antecedents' effects. Post hoc analyses show that innovation in transformative services positively affect economic and social sustainability, and that awareness creating efforts moderate these relationships. More broadly, innovations in transformative services are critical for emerging markets' resource-poor organizations' economic and social sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This program evaluation aimed to investigate the benefits and challenges of an international, intercultural, e-community-engagement experience involving youth and higher education students. The authors sought to understand the meaning that participants would make of an international, intercultural, e-community-engagement experience. Design/methodology/approach: The program evaluation component of this project was qualitative, participatory and action-oriented. It was composed of online reflection sessions with small, international groups of higher education students from Iraq, India, Morocco, South Africa and the USA immediately following each of five interactive exchange sessions with youth from South Africa. It also included one culminating reflection session to which all of the higher education student participants were invited and a written questionnaire that was completed by the youth participants at the conclusion of the project. The reflection sessions were recorded and transcribed. Transcripts and survey data were reviewed for emergent themes. Findings: Cultural exposure emerged as the primary theme with participants valuing the opportunity to learn about different cultures and to connect with individuals from across the globe. Research limitations/implications: This program evaluation was not designed as a generalizable study. This pilot initiative provides evidence of the potential value and importance of international, intercultural e-community-engagement experiences for youth and higher education students. Practical implications: The potential value of technology to build exchange opportunities for young people is immense and largely untapped. International, intercultural e-community-engagement initiatives can be made available to students globally with relatively limited resources. A highly structured and focused plan provides clarity about expectations and requirements for students. A high level of commitment is required by all participants, including the faculty coordinators. Social implications: Although the project was brief, exposure to numerous countries and cultures allowed participants to challenge their assumptions about different peoples and places in the world. The potential benefits for greater compassion and understanding of communities and cultures in an international context are high. Originality/value: This program evaluation contributes to and extends the literature on the possibilities and challenges of international e-community-engagement; it demonstrates the potential for e-community-engagement across multiple countries to broaden students' exposure to and interest in global perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the status of Kenya's counter-terrorism in Lamu by looking at the effectiveness of security operations implemented by the Kenyan government in countering terrorism and the effectiveness of community engagement in countering terrorism in Lamu County. A descriptive research design was used. The target population was the residents of Lamu who had information regarding the topic under discourse as well as the various security agencies heads such as the Military and the Police. Their population was 87429 from which a total of 156 respondents who participated was drawn. The sample was selected through purposive sampling. The questionnaire used was researcher-administered. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain information from the residents while interview schedule guides were used to obtain information from Intelligence the heads of security agencies in the area of study. The questionnaire was administered to 156 residents. Hypotheses were tested using Pearson's Correlation Coefficient (r)at α =0.05 level of significance. The results obtained from Lamu County determined that there was a statistically significant effect of security operations and community engagement on countering terrorism. The findings also demonstrated the reasons for the negligible community engagement effect on countering terrorism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are among the leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity in the U.S., with rates highest among birthing people who are Black, rural residents, and/or have low-income. Severe hypertension, in particular, increases risk of stroke and other serious pregnancy complications. To promote early detection and treatment of severe hypertension, the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health developed the Severe Hypertension During Pregnancy and Postpartum Period Safety Bundle (HTN Bundle). Multiple studies have demonstrated the HTN Bundle’s effectiveness in the inpatient setting. With funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, we engaged community partners to adapt the HTN Bundle for the outpatient setting (i.e., O-HTN Bundle) and planned for its implementation. In this paper, we describe the protocol for a study evaluating O-HTN Bundle implementation in 20 outpatient clinics serving Black, rural, and/or low-income populations. Methods: This study is a hybrid type 3 effectiveness-implementation trial with a multiple baseline design. We will implement the O-HTN Bundle in three successive cohorts of clinics using a multicomponent implementation strategy to engage community partners (coalition, patient workgroup) and support clinics (training, facilitation, education materials, and simulations of severe hypertension events). To test the strategy, we will compare clinic fidelity to evidence-based guidelines for (a) patient education on hypertension and (b) blood pressure measurement technique, with repeated measures occurring before and after strategy receipt. We will also observe strategy effects on community- and clinic-level intermediate outcomes (community engagement, organizational readiness), implementation outcomes (reach, adoption, fidelity, maintenance), and effectiveness outcomes (receipt of guideline concordant care). Analyses will address whether outcomes are equitable across Black, rural, and/or low-income subgroups. Guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research 2.0, we will use mixed methods to identify adaptations and other determinants of implementation success. Discussion: This study integrates community engagement and implementation science to promote equitable and timely response to severe HTN in the outpatient setting during pregnancy and postpartum. This is one of the first studies to implement an outpatient HTN Bundle and to use simulation as a strategy to reinforce team-based delivery of guideline concordant care. Trial registration: This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov as “Testing Implementation Strategies to Support Clinic Fidelity to an Outpatient Hypertension Bundle (AC3HIEVE).” Registration number NCT06002165, August 21, 2023: . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to explore the role of archaeological heritage interpretation in promoting sustainable heritage tourism and community engagement. Antandros heritage site in Türkiye is selected as the research case. The study employs qualitative analysis methods, to examine the archaeological heritage interpretation practices implemented by the Altinoluk Association for Recovery Conservation and Sustention of Antandros Ancient City, a local NGO in Altınoluk, Türkiye. The findings highlight the significance of archaeological heritage interpretation in sense-making and creating awareness among visitors about the value of heritage in guiding the preservation, presentation, and promotion of heritage, and engaging communities through a multi-stakeholder approach where a local NGO has a prominent position in incorporating heritage interpretation into sustainable development plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue Addressed Methods Results Conclusions So What? An important part of preventing and managing Aedes‐borne mosquito disease outbreak risk is engaging the community. Research shows that high‐income countries tend to use top‐down measures for Aedes mosquito management, favouring educational approaches to engage the community over participatory approaches that actively involve and empower the community in addressing disease risk. Little is known about the reasons behind the use of these approaches and how they could be strengthened. This research explores the community engagement approaches used in Aedes mosquito management in Cairns, Queensland, Australia and the factors influencing the choice of these approaches.A case study design was used, drawing on two qualitative methods—key informant, semi‐structured interviews (n = 25), and a document review (n = 20). Thematic analysis was used to identify, analyse and attribute meaning from the data.Various approaches were used to engage the community, including direct interaction through door‐to‐door inspections, broad outreach via mass media campaigns, and community participation in a novel mosquito replacement strategy. Factors influencing the choice of these approaches included government legislative responsibilities, research‐related ethical obligations, work norms within local government and public health units, the perceived importance of gaining community trust, constraints on workforce capacity, time and funding.There were multiple factors influencing the community engagement approaches used in this study. Resource constraints, institutional norms and prevailing attitudes and beliefs were identified as hindering the use of more empowering approaches to engaging the community. These barriers should be considered and addressed in the planning of Aedes mosquito management to better support community engagement in this setting.Community engagement is an important aspect of managing the Aedes mosquito disease threat. With the global increase in Aedes mosquito‐borne disease risk, these findings can help other at‐risk settings understand potential organisational impediments to engaging the community. This is particularly important when advocating for the inclusion of bottom‐up approaches in policy, and to ensure sufficient resources are allocated to strengthen community engagement in Aedes mosquito management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports on the results of a nation-wide, qualitative US study of how public libraries and their partners collaborate. Analysis focuses on the lessons libraries and partners take from these experiences. Results show that to be successful in partner engagement, public library workers need to ask for what they need, be open to what others ask for, not think they must do it all, recognize what exists in the community, embrace unique opportunities, and ensure that the library is seen as a community partner. These findings are contextualized in relation to recent literature on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Across the globe, racial and ethnic minorities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 with increased risk of infection and burden from disease. Vaccine hesitancy has contributed to variation in vaccine uptake and compromised population-based vaccination programs in many countries. Connect, Collaborate and Tailor (CCT) is a Public Health Agency of Canada funded project to make new connections between public health, healthcare professionals and underserved communities in order to create culturally adapted communication about COVID-19 vaccines. This paper describes the CCT process and outcomes as a community engagement model that identified information gaps and created tailored tools to address misinformation and improve vaccine acceptance. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with CCT participants were undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of CCT in identifying and addressing topics of concern to underserved and ethnic minority communities. Interviews also explored CCT participants' experiences of collaboration through the development of new partnerships between ethnic minority communities, public health and academic researchers, and the evolution of co-operation sharing ideas and creating infographics. Thematic analysis was used to produce representative themes. The activities described were aligned with the levels of public engagement described in the IAP2 spectrum (International Association for Public Participation). Results: Analysis of interviews (n = 14) revealed that shared purpose and urgency in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic motivated co-operation among CCT participants. Acknowledgement of past harm, present health, and impact of social inequities on public service access was an essential first step in establishing trust. Creating safe spaces for open dialogue led to successful, iterative cycles of consultation and feedback between participants; a process that not only helped create tailored infographics but also deepened engagement and collaboration. Over time, the infographic material development was increasingly directed by community representatives' commentary on their groups' real-time needs and communication preferences. This feedback noticeably guided the choice, style, and presentation of infographic content while also directing dissemination strategies and vaccine confidence building activities. Conclusions: The CCT process to create COVID-19 vaccine communication materials led to evolving co-operation between groups who had not routinely worked together before; strong community engagement was a key driver of change. Ensuring a respectful environment for open dialogue and visibly using feedback to create information products provided a foundation for building relationships. Finally, our data indicate participants sought reinforcement of close cooperative ties and continued investment in shared responsibility for community partnership-based public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Data are needed on differences in community-dwelling populations with bipolar disorder (BP) regarding trust in research and access to care. We characterized community members by lifetime history of bipolar disorder. We hypothesized that those with BP would have less trust in research, visit a health provider less, and participate less in research than those without BP. We also hypothesized that those with BP would be more likely to have a history of marijuana (MJ) use. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used for this analysis. The study population consisted of 12,489 members (78.0%) from the HealthStreet community engagement program who were interviewed by a Community Health Worker about health history and demographics. Results: Among the sample, the rate of BP was 10.6% (n = 1326). Those reporting BP were more likely than those who did not (n = 11,163), to report muscle, bone, and mental health problems, to be younger, female, to have visited the doctor in the past 12 months, to be interested in participating in research, and be current MJ users. Trust did not differ between BP groups. Conclusions: Our analysis found that persons with BP had higher access to care and more interest in research, thus our primary hypothesis was rejected. Our secondary hypothesis, that persons with BP were more likely to have a history of MJ use was upheld. These findings are important because they address a crucial gap in the literature surrounding BP and lay the groundwork for future community-level research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of social sciences has been recognized as valuable to inclusive humanitarian programming that aims to be attentive to the needs and initiatives of affected communities. However, the integration of social science-informed community engagement (CE) approaches in humanitarian action remains episodic, fragmented, and under-resourced. This research article provides insights from a study that reviewed existing and needed capacities for the systematic integration of social sciences for community engagement in humanitarian action. We examined what capacity resources exist and what resources need to be developed for strengthening social science integration into humanitarian programming for improved engagement of affected and at-risk communities in conflict and hazard contexts. A mixed method approach was used, including twenty-two key informant interviews and a focus group discussion with social scientists and humanitarian practitioners, an online survey with 42 respondents, a literature review, and a year-long monthly consultation with social scientists and humanitarian practitioners in a UNICEF-led global technical working group. Results illustrate insights on the value of the "social science lens" in humanitarian action and current usage of different social science disciplines. Challenges found include different understandings (e.g., on standardization), languages and methods used by practitioners and social scientists, and how to integrate the seemingly "slow" processes of social sciences to fit emergency response. Institutional barriers to mainstream community-centered humanitarian action facilitated by the social sciences include top-down decision-making and resourcing, lack of localization, and many siloed, dispersed, and episodic efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to investigate the present scenario of social media-based public library services in Bangladesh and develop a model plan to popularize these services among the user community. A semi-structured interview questionnaire was used to collect responses from the representatives of public libraries. Findings indicated that while there is a growing trend of using social media for community engagement in public libraries in Bangladesh, there are significant challenges that need to be addressed. The study also identified several opportunities for public libraries to use social media to better engage with their communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For 35 years, APOYOnline – Association for Heritage Preservation of the Americas has been building bridges of communication and promoting professional development in the field of heritage preservation, strengthening, empowering, and transforming our community, increasing inclusion and access, and reducing social inequalities in the Americas and in Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries. As a grassroots, volunteer-based, non-profit organization, we listen to the community and work to address needs caused by widely recognized discrepancies in working conditions, adverse climate conditions, social inequalities in training, and other factors that directly impact heritage preservation and to provide access to specialized technical resources. This paper presents the voices of APOYOnline and the impact of the organization's catalyzing work in improving resource accessibility and connecting people. This work has mobilized regional and global networks, providing equal opportunities through translation of reference materials in multiple languages, professional development grants for students and emerging professionals, and training and regional networking events in underserved territories in the region. It also addresses our special community-based initiative Manos a la Obra, which strengthens long-term community engagement as a collaborative knowledge-sharing process, based on learning through participation and dialogue. The program improves access to technical information and fosters the long-term sustainability of local and regional cultural heritage preservation efforts, and has served as a model for similar activities in other countries. APOYOnline pursues sustainability through volunteer-based networking showing that communication and horizontal interaction with local communities creates awareness and better opportunities for our professionals and positively impacts heritage preservation in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A Learning Health Care Community (LHCC) is a framework to enhance health care through mutual accountability between the health care system and the community. LHCC components include infrastructure for health-related data capture, care improvement targets, a supportive policy environment, and community engagement. The LHCC involves health care providers, researchers, decision-makers, and community members who work to identify health care needs and address them with evidence-based solutions. The objective of this study was to summarize the barriers and enablers to building an LHCC in rural areas. Methods: A systematic review was conducted by searching electronic databases. Eligibility criteria was determined by the research team. Published literature on LHCCs in rural areas was systematically collected and organized. Screening was completed independently by two authors. Detailed information about rural health care, activities, and barriers and enablers to building an LHCC in rural areas was extracted. Qualitative analysis was used to identify core themes. Results: Among 8169 identified articles, 25 were eligible. LHCCs aimed to increase collaboration and co-learning between community members and health care providers, integrate community feedback in health care services, and to share information. Main barriers included obtaining adequate funding and participant recruitment. Enablers included meaningful engagement of stakeholders and stakeholder collaboration. Conclusions: The LHCC is built on a foundation of meaningful use of health data and empowers health care practitioners and community members in informed decision-making. By reducing the gap between knowledge generation and its application to practice, the LHCC has the potential to transform health care delivery in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A dramatic decline in mental health of people worldwide in the early COVID-19 pandemic years has not recovered. In rural and remote Australia, access to appropriate and timely mental health services has been identified as a major barrier to people seeking help for mental ill-health. From 2020 to 2021 a care navigation model, Navicare, was co-designed with rural and remote communities in the Greater Whitsunday Region of Central Queensland in Australia. The Exploration, Preparation, Implementation and Sustainment (EPIS) framework was used to design and guide multiple aspects of a multisite study, The Bridging Study, to evaluate the implementation of Navicare in Australia. Methods: A community-engaged hybrid effectiveness-implementation study design will focus on the tailored implementation of Navicare at three new sites as well as monitoring implementation at an existing site established since 2021. Study outcomes assessed will include sustained access as the co-primary outcome (measured using access to Navicare mental health referral services) and Proctor's Implementation Outcomes of feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness, adoption, fidelity, implementation cost, and sustainability. Data collection for the implementation evaluation will include service usage data, community consultations, interviews, and workshops; analysed using mixed methods and guided by EPIS and other implementation frameworks. Pre-post effectiveness and cost-consequence study components are embedded in the implementation and sustainment phases, with comparison to pre-implementation data and value assessed for each EPIS phase using hospital, service, and resource allocation data. A scaling up strategy will be co-developed using a national roundtable forum in the final year of the study. Qualitative exploration of other aspects of the study (e.g., mechanisms of action and stakeholder engagement) will be conducted. Discussion: Our study will use tailoring to local sites and a community-engaged approach to drive implementation of a mental health care navigation service in rural and remote Australia, with expected benefits to mental healthcare access. This approach is consistent with policy recommendations nationally and internationally as building blocks for rural health including the World Health Organization Framework for Action on Strengthening Health Systems to Improve Health Outcomes. Trial registration: Prospectively registered on April 2, 2024, on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, no. ACTRN12624000382572. https://anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=386665&isReview=true. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engagement in biodiversity citizen science initiatives can confer health and wellbeing benefits to individuals and communities. Yet, few biodiversity citizen science initiatives are explicitly planned to optimize health and wellbeing as a potential co-benefit, leading to missed opportunities for biodiversity conservation and human health. In this perspective, we use a dose-response approach to discuss the components that determine how engagement in biodiversity citizen science initiatives map onto opportunities to foster health and wellbeing benefits. We considered aspects related to the duration and frequency of contact with nature, and the intensity of interactions with nature and between individuals to highlight the different health benefits across the variety of citizen science initiatives. To illustrate these aspects, we use a sample of 95 citizen science initiatives from seven English and non-English-speaking countries and show how careful project design can increase the potential to confer health and wellbeing benefits to participants. We conclude with considerations on how to enhance the health and wellbeing benefits from citizen science initiatives, and propose potential research avenues to assess synergies and trade-offs between benefits to biodiversity and human health from these initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical therapists should be able to screen patients for social determinants that impact health and refer to community resources as appropriate. To make appropriate referrals, physical therapists must equip themselves with skills to connect patients and clients to community resources outside the walls of their respective institutions, starting with developing these practices in physical therapist education programs. Experienced community builders recommend a community development approach where residents initiate and agree upon decisions, and outside stakeholders work as partners to elevate the community. The community should be supported to determine the desired outcomes in ways that enhance equity, inclusion, and social justice. Communities play a substantial role in health outcomes. Studies indicate that 85% of one's health is connected to community and economic resources, while only 15% is affected by medical interventions. Connected communities are potent tools to enhance health. Connected communities are places where residents nurture neighborhood relationships that enable them to work together to create a good life supporting their collective well-being. The community-builder approach recenters people and their communities as fundamental health leaders; institutions can use their resources to elevate communities by relocating authority back to communities. Communities have assets and resources largely unrecognized, disconnected, and not mobilized by residents. Institutions are positioned to support citizens and their associations in discovering, connecting, and mobilizing these assets. This asset-based community development approach focuses on 5 principles: place-based, citizen-led, relationship-oriented, asset-based, and inclusion-focused. This perspective paper will describe ways institutions can elevate communities; the benefits of community development practices in physical therapist education programs; and explore examples of community partnerships and best practices to develop equitable alliances with residents in the community. Impact A large part of one's health is directly related to where one lives. Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants can play a vital role in improving the health of society by engaging in their local communities through community development. Community development is a practice where community members and outside stakeholders, such as physical therapists, come together to meet the needs of a community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To truly fulfill their missions and make positive strides toward the conservation of our ocean, aquariums need to reach diverse audiences and reflect their local communities. Reaching audiences not adequately represented at our facilities takes work and time. It requires building relationships and trust. We need to understand which audiences are not represented and why, and work with them to make our aquariums more inclusive and welcoming. The Oregon Coast Aquarium's efforts to better engage our local Latino community are a work in progress. However, we have made some positive strides and our continuing work can help inform others of the inherent opportunities and struggles that are part of this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article posits that advancing equity is necessary but not sufficient for creating a more just world: we need belonging. Using a lens of racial justice to define the concept of belonging, the author considers how to practice cultivating it within the context of an aquarium's community-based engagement. Through case studies framed by belonging tools developed by the Othering and Belonging Institute at the University of California at Berkeley, the article discusses possibilities for practicing belonging and acknowledges the vulnerability it entails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this piece, we grapple with the conditions of creating and sustaining liberatory, healing spaces connected to higher education, delivering our analysis through a fictive podcast format. We present three different scenes authored by undergraduates, tied together by common, intersecting threads of both struggle and resistance, community in/as healing amidst layered crises and traumas, and deep desires for universities to fulfill their potential as learning spaces of safety, structural critique and connection. We consider our individual and collective roles as faculty and program directors in these institutional settings, and the conditions that help and hinder opportunities for students to co‐construct or live into liberatory spaces. We also consider the threats to the sustainability and viability of these initiatives, as well as the disproportionate impact on minoritized students, staff, and faculty. These learnings are in line with research that highlights the importance of students' sense of safety and belonging, the role of student agency, and perspectives that position educators through the lens of accompaniment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hope and Trauma in a Poisoned Land was a community engaged regional art exhibition that began as a mixed-method research project. The original purpose was to give voice to the stories of indigenous people living in uranium-contaminated regions of the Navajo Nation. It quickly expanded into a social practice art project, allowing for collaboration between individuals, artists, community members, and several different institutions. Participating artists attended a 4-day informational and interactive workshop about the uranium mining legacy, so that they fully understood contamination issues; the goal was for them to create art from an informed place. The investigators examined the psychological impact of the workshop and the exhibition on the artists as well as the community at large. We found that the greater the emotional impact on the artist, the greater their absorption while making the art and the greater their artwork creativity, as rated by objective evaluators. Community attendees reported increased knowledge about the issue, as well as feeling inspired to take action. Through engaging a community advisory council and artists and patrons on an intellectual, aesthetic, emotional, and compassionate level, we documented how this social practice art exhibition had an impact on our community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The experiences and perceptions of Community Health Workers toward mental illness are vital for tailoring interventions, reducing stigma, improving access to services, and fostering community engagement in mental health initiatives. Aims: This study investigates the experiences of community health worker and their perception of mental illness. Methods: A multi-settings cross-sectional study was conducted among 487 Community Health Workers. Their experience and perception toward mental illness were studied with questionnaires, which examined their general perception, religious-related perception, cause, treatment, and expectation for mental treatment. Results: Most participants concurred that serving as a community health worker enhances their communication abilities (90.4%), strengthens connections with community health center staff (84.8%), boosts self-confidence (84.6%), and refines their capacity to identify signs of mental disorders (77%). Most notably, they consider their fellow community health workers essential to their extended family. Furthermore, a notable proportion associates' mental illness with religious elements, with 19.5% believing it can result from a lack of religious worship and a minority attributing it to witchcraft or black magic (3.5%). In terms of treatment, 14.2% think Ruqyah can cure mental illness, 6.4% believe in treatment by religious scholars, and a similar percentage (6.4%) think no medication or treatment is necessary for mental problems. Conclusion: Participants overwhelmingly recognize the positive impact of serving as community health workers, citing improvements in communication, relationships with health center staff, self-confidence, and mental disorder identification. The strong bond among community health workers, likened to an extended family, emphasizes their collective importance. Additionally, the majority advocates for compassionate treatment of individuals with mental illness. These findings underscore the complex interplay of professional, communal, and cultural elements in addressing community mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-risk organizations, such as chemical companies, are urged to engage in long-term, dialogic community relations with local residents. Community engagement can establish organizational legitimacy and help to address local concerns. However, stakeholders may be skeptical toward communication efforts made by high-risk organizations, especially during crisis situations. This qualitative study explores whether two Belgian communities are skeptical of the communication efforts made by chemical companies regarding pollution crises, what motives they attribute to the crisis communication, and which communication characteristics shape those attributions. In-depth interviews with 47 local community members reveal that the crisis communication efforts were considered self-serving and attributed to corporate concerns over (a) legitimacy, (b) financial consequences and (c) legal liability. Interviewees believed that these self-serving motives took precedence over public interests. This study also describes communication cues that triggered or strengthened suspicions. Practical recommendations are proposed for chemical companies to improve relationships with local communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]