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This article describes one university's approach to transformative engagement: An engagement process based not on transfer of expertise from university to community (technology transfer), but rather on an interactive process in which all partners apply critical thinking skills to complex community problems. Iterative in nature, it is informed by a university-wide model of engagement built on the land-grant tradition and by grounded principles from the literature. University Outreach and Engagement (UOE) provides several modes of connecting for structural support. To be successful, partners must have appropriate and multiple ways of making and sustaining connections to each other and to information that will help them move through transformations. These modalities encompass individual and systemic connections in both face-to-face and electronic venues. The structures are designed to meet the needs of those engaged in partnerships while promoting evidence-based best practices in community agencies.

As a collective of students and teachers, we reflect on student experiences of housing in Aotearoa. The commentary began as a reflective diary assignment from a third‐year course offered in semester one of 2023 at the University of Auckland. Using 15 of these diaries as our data, we take stock of the multiple intersecting crises of housing that are currently impacting students and other young people, and suggest potential directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Context: Educational resilience is defined as having successful outcomes in school despite the adversities one has faced in life. There is a dearth of research on a particularly high-risk group--unaccompanied refugee minors who are separated from their parents by war and lack the protection and advocacy provided by adult caretakers. Purpose: This qualitative study explores the factors associated with educational resilience among unaccompanied Sudanese refugee youth who experienced extreme trauma and chronic adversity prior to being placed with American foster families in 2000-2001. Setting: The setting includes Lansing and neighboring communities in Michigan. Participants: Nineteen Sudanese refugees (mean age--15 years at the time of resettlement; gender--17 males, 2 females) who had been placed in a foster care program for unaccompanied refugee minors in the United States participated in the retrospective interviews. We interviewed 20 parents from 15 families, including five couples, 3 married mothers interviewed alone, 2 single fathers, and 5 single mothers. Research Design: The study used a qualitative research design by using open ended semistructured interviews in which the participants were comfortable speaking about their experiences, yet the researchers were able to follow the interview protocol. With the assistance of the resettlement agency (Lutheran Social Services of Michigan), we sampled for diversity in the foster families to obtain a sample of youth who were exposed to diverse families and circumstances. With the help of foster parents and the assistance of a Sudanese cultural consultant, we recruited at least one youth from each of these families, with the exception of two families. Data Analysis: The transcribed interviews were coded thematically. A three-step coding procedure was used: open, axial, and selective coding. Findings: All youth in our study came to the United States with "education" as their primary goal. Many youth had a desire to help those left in Africa and to rebuild Sudan. All the youth interviewed had achieved at least a high school diploma, and all but three had either completed or were enrolled in higher education. Personal attributes, relationships, and community support/opportunities helped the youth in overcoming the challenges that they faced in terms of educational attainment in the United States. Conclusions/Recommendations: This study confirmed the important roles of parents, teachers, and school counselors in educational success for at-risk youth. The challenges noted by the youth and their foster parents provided useful information for possible changes in policy that could enhance their success.

This study explores the adaptation of unaccompanied Sudanese refugee minors resettled in the US. Seven years after resettlement, in-depth interviews were conducted with 19 Sudanese youths and 20 foster parents regarding factors that contributed to successful adaptation. The youths emphasized personal agency and staying focused on getting an education. Foster parents emphasized the contribution of youths' developmental histories to individual differences in personal attributes that, with contextual supports, influenced their trajectories after resettlement. Parents and youths differed in their views on the role that mental health and cultural obligations to family members in Africa played in successful adaptation. (Contains 2 notes.)

The "Lost Boys of Sudan" were separated from their families by civil war and subsequently lived in 3 other countries--Ethiopia, Kenya, and the United States. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 refugees who located surviving family members in Sudan after an average separation of 13.7 years. The interviews probed their experiences of ambiguous loss, relationships in the refugee camps, the search for family, and reestablishing relationships with family members living on another continent. With guidance from elders, peer groups functioned as surrogate families until the youth reestablished relationships with surviving members of their biological families.

The use of drama with the children in your classroom can catch the attention of even the most reluctant of students and bring literature to life in a way that other methods cannot. Furthermore, "playing" with plays can teach more than language arts; depending on the texts chosen, drama can teach children such important life lessons as tolerance and respect for diversity--and the act of acting itself teaches skills as collaboration, teamwork, trust, and self-confidence. These, in turn, reinforce the language arts: the child who is more confident is a better speaker; the child who is more tolerant is a better listener, and so on.

This study examined the resettlement experiences of unaccompanied Sudanese refugee youth placed in foster care from the perspectives of the youth, foster parents, and agency caseworkers. Youth experienced considerable success. The challenges of adjusting to school and family life, however, suggest a need for funding to support more intensive educational services, more cultural training and support for foster parents and school personnel, and flexibility to provide services in more culturally appropriate modalities.

This study examined factors related to social competence in first-grade children of low-income, adolescent mothers. Findings indicated that higher social skills and lower levels of problem behaviors related to higher quality parenting, higher academic skills, and residence in neighborhoods with lower poverty rates. Children with higher social skills were less likely to have changed schools. Parenting quality related indirectly to social competence, with the effect mediated by academic skills. (Author/KB)

The Lost Boys of Sudan were separated from their families by civil war and subsequently lived in three other countries--Ethiopia, Kenya, and the United States. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 refugees about their experiences of separation from parents and ambiguous loss, and the coping strategies the youth used when they did not know if other members of their family were dead or alive. All of the youth reported using both emotion-focused and problem-focused coping strategies. The youth also discussed the importance of support from peers and elders while they lived in the refugee camps. In addition, they reflected on the psychological presence of parents who were physically absent, and the important role that hope of being reunited with parents played as they struggled with survival issues and ambiguous loss. Keywords: refugees, ambiguous loss, coping, resilience

Homelessness among older people is growing in western countries including New Zealand. The rise in renting among middle-aged and older people highlights tenure insecurity and the risk of homelessness for the first time in later life. We report on a dataset drawn from a larger project in which 108 tenants aged 55 and older were interviewed. Of those, nineteen had experienced homelessness (as defined by Statistics New Zealand) within the previous five years, including residing in temporary housing, temporarily sharing accommodation, living in uninhabitable dwellings, and being without shelter. We examine factors precipitating participants' homelessness, their living environments, and pathways out of homelessness. National data on renting trends among older age groups are also presented. The paper argues that homelessness risk is central to older tenants' experience of New Zealand's under-regulated rental market. We conclude that within this context, tenure insecurity is generated through unaffordable rents, no-cause termination, poor dwelling condition and housing that is unsuitable for an ageing population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: People experiencing homelessness have an increased risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, with rates higher than the general population. However, their access to HCV diagnosis is limited and treatment uptake is low. Objectives: To identify and describe the barriers and facilitators for HCV screening and treatment for adults with lived experience of homelessness in highly developed countries. Methods: Bibliographic databases (Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL and SocINDEX) and grey literature (Google, EThOS, the Health Foundation, Social Care Online, the World Health Organisation, Shelter, Crisis and Pathway) were searched. Two reviewers independently screened and appraised all studies. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool and the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist were used. The analysis involved a three‐stage process: coding, theme generation and theme mapping under Penchansky and Thomas's modified access model. Results: Twelve papers/reports were included in the review. Several interacting factors influence access of people with lived experience of homelessness to HCV testing and treatment. Some mirror those identified for the general population. The precarious conditions associated with the lived experience of homelessness along with the rigidity of hospital settings and lack of awareness emerged as dominant barriers. Flexibility, outreach, effective communication, tailoring and integration of services were found to be important facilitators. Evidence from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups is limited. Conclusions: People experiencing homelessness face multiple barriers in accessing and completing HCV treatment, relating to both their lived experience and characteristics of health systems. Although some barriers are readily amenable to change, others are more difficult to modify. The facilitators identified could inform future targeted measures to improve HCV diagnosis and treatment for people experiencing homelessness. Research is warranted into successful models to promote screening, diagnosis and treatment. Patient or Public Contribution: Our team includes a peer advocate, a hepatology nurse and a community volunteer, all with significant experience in promoting and engaging in HCV care and outreach for people experiencing homelessness. They contributed to the protocol, interpretation and reporting of the review findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of housing affordability concerns, we examine older people's experiences of renting within a context of enduring home-ownership norms and aspirations. Adapting Clapham's housing pathways framework, we ask: How is rental tenure experienced by older people who have encountered precarity in their housing history? Drawing on interviews with 13 older tenants, we observe the uneasy relationship between tenure insecurity and housing quality, and tensions between choice and luck in experiences of renting in later life. Three pathways related to renting in older age were apparent: life-long renting; loss of homeownership through adversity; and deliberate decisions to transition to renting. We note that challenges encountered in current and previous housing situations lead to diverse narratives of precarity in later life. These precarious experiences can be exacerbated by intersecting uncertainties associated with health, financial and personal circumstances. Older tenants' housing pathways and experiences illuminate ways in which precarity can disrupt opportunities for ageing well and ageing in place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]