Underserved youth (e.g., from families facing inadequate housing, food insecurity, financial instability) are disproportionately exposed to traumatic experiences (e.g., family discord or violence, neglect, poverty, racism), which can lead to several negative life-long consequences (e.g., affective and somatic disturbances, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation). Community organizations that target underserved youth may be ideally situated to offset the negative consequences of trauma through leveraging a trauma-sensitive sport model for youth programming. A trauma-sensitive sport model involves a blend of positive youth development approaches (i.e., creating safe environments for youth to experience positive relationships, autonomy, and opportunities to build skills), trauma-sensitive approaches (e.g., considering the potential effects of trauma on youth’s participation and development, and prioritising their needs for safety, voice, empowerment, choice, and collaboration), and program designs that leverage and re-design sporting activities to help youth navigate trauma symptoms, build a social support system, and develop various resilience-related skills (e.g., emotional regulation, decision-making). Little research has examined the implementation and effectiveness of a trauma-sensitive sport model for youth programming in a community setting. Use of this model can contribute to greater capacities of youth sport leaders to promote underserved youth’s healthy participation and development. This dissertation was conducted in partnership with BGC Canada, a national non-profit community organization that serves disadvantaged communities. From 2016-2021, a trauma-sensitive sport model for youth programming was implemented in this organization through the Bounce Back League (BBL) initiative. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the knowledge-to-action processes involved in translating this model in a community program setting. The knowledge-to-action cycle (KTAC; Graham et al., 2006) was used to conceptually guide the studies carried out in this dissertation, in outlining key phases for consideration in translating a trauma-sensitive sport model. While most of these phases are described in this dissertation, the empirical articles focused on assessing four phases of this cycle, which included: (a) assess barriers and facilitators to knowledge use, (b) select, tailor, and implement interventions, (c) monitor knowledge use, and (d) evaluate outcomes. Intrinsic case study methodologies were used to understand community-based knowledge translation processes and outcomes within the case of the BBL initiative. A community-based participatory research approach was used to engage in equitable collaboration between researchers and community members for the development of this initiative. Utilisation-focused evaluation principles were used to work with community members to determine what to evaluate, how to evaluate, and how results would be used. Grounded in a pragmatic paradigm, a mixed methods research design was used to collect data through the initiative, which included individual and group interviews with leaders, leader-reported logbooks, leaders self-reported questionnaires, leaders' assessments of youth's participation, communications on an online messaging platform (Slack), and researchers' observations of training opportunities and leaders' practices. The purpose of Article 1 was to outline the overarching process of integrating a trauma-sensitive sport model within the BBL program, from 2016-2021. Several stages of program development were described, including: (a) collaboratively planning the program; (b) piloting the program to three clubs; (c) adapting the program using pilot insights; (d) expanding the adapted program to ten clubs; and (e) creating opportunities to maintain, sustain, and scale-out practices throughout grant duration and beyond. Lessons learned regarding the leadership team’s experiences in terms of developing, adapting, and integrating a trauma-sensitive sport model for youth programming in this community context were shared. The purpose of Article 2 was to explore factors involved in the implementation of a trauma-sensitive sport model for youth programming in BBL. This article paralleled the KTAC phase of assess barriers and facilitators to knowledge use. A mixed-methods evaluation of the pilot phase of BBL was conducted. Three clubs participated in training, implementation, and evaluation of BBL. The data were collected through interviews, logbooks, and assessments. The quantitative data were interpreted using descriptive statistics and comparative t-tests; the qualitative data were interpreted using thematic and content analyses. The RE-AIM framework was used to categorise the various processes and outcomes involved in program implementation. The results showed that programs reached a large number of youth but struggled to retain youth from season to season. The leaders perceived that the intentional structure of the program, opportunities to practice self-regulation, relationship focus, and life skill focus, were all linked to positive participation in youth members. Components of leaders' training and program delivery were noted as successful, but the sustained benefits of these successes were challenged by leader turnover and funding limitations. In line with the KTAC phases, insights were generated on what works and what does not in facilitating this type of programming in a community setting for underserved youth and helped inform future adaptations to the program as it was rolled out (discussed in Article 1). The purpose of Article 3 was to explore leaders' learning experiences from participating in an initial training workshop and prior to their implementation of programming. This article paralleled the select, tailor, and implement interventions phase and the evaluate outcomes phase of the KTAC model. The value-creation framework was used to explore learning experiences based on the interactions and values that leaders discussed. Participants were leaders who attended initial training workshops. A mixed-methods approach was used to collect data through observations, interviews, and self-reported questionnaires. The quantitative data were interpreted using descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks Tests; the qualitative data were interpreted using thematic analysis. The results showed that the leaders: (a) valued having a variety of learning opportunities that were relevant to their roles and contexts, (b) appreciated the diverse focus on foundational and practical content, and (c) shared an interest to learn how to support trauma-exposed youth and facilitate better programming. Implications were discussed for the improvement of training opportunities to better meet leaders' needs within a community organization and support leaders' intentions to apply knowledge into action. Article 4 builds on the previous study, where the purpose was to explore leaders' learning experiences as they implemented programming and while they participated in continuing training and development activities. This article also paralleled the select, tailor, and implement interventions phase and the evaluate outcomes phase of the KTAC model. The participants were leaders who were involved in implementing BBL at their clubs. A mixed-methods approach was used to collect data through interviews, observations, surveys, and communications on an online messaging platform (Slack). The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, data charting, and non-parametric analyses; the qualitative data were interpreted using thematic analysis. The results indicated that the leaders learned through various interactions throughout their practice (e.g., implementing programs at their homes sites, receiving mentoring, conversations with peers), and discussed gains in applied value (e.g., program facilitation strategies, youth-support skills), realised value (e.g., youth's receptivity and behaviour change), and transformative value (e.g., transfer of leaders' skills, influence on club culture). Implications were discussed for the improvement of training opportunities to promote ongoing social learning and maintenance of program practices. The purpose of Article 5 was to explore the fidelity and quality of leaders' application of a trauma-sensitive sport model to programming. This article paralleled the monitor knowledge use phase of the KTAC model. The promising practices criteria were used as an evaluation framework to categorise dimensions of quality relevant to program effectiveness. Leaders from 11 BBL programs participated. A mixed-methods approach was used to collect data through observations, interviews, and logbooks. The quantitative data were interpreted using descriptive statistics; the qualitative data were interpreted using thematic analysis. The results showed that: (a) all programs showed evidence of supportive adult and youth relationships, (b) programs led by trained leaders maintained program fidelity and implemented more features to a stronger extent than untrained leaders, (c) trained leaders may have compromised mastery orientation opportunities in favour of other program components. Implications were discussed related to what may facilitate or constrain program fidelity and quality in this setting, and how training and development opportunities can mitigate challenges in leaders' capacities. This dissertation offered an evaluation of the knowledge-to-action processes involved in integrating a trauma-sensitive sport model into BGC Canada. The results of this dissertation provided insights of how BGC Canada leaders learned and facilitated a trauma-sensitive sport model for youth programming, the differences training and development may contribute to the quality of their program practices, and how involvement in this initiative resulted in changes in leaders' behaviours, skills, and identities, as well as positive youth developmental outcomes. Practical implications were shared on how BGC Canada and similar community organizations can enhance their partnership and facilitate these interventions. As well, the value of taking a systems-based approach to planning future interventions with a trauma-sensitive sport model was also discussed to maximise multi-level impacts. Academic implications were shared on how future research can also take a systems-based approach to evaluating knowledge translation processes in youth sport interventions.

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Radical faeries in the city must contend with changing urban policies, social shame and stigma, policing, inaccessibility, materiality, and economic survival; in the face of these discontents, urban faeries still actively choose the city as their identity and as their home. Through placemaking practices which access the imaginative and experimental spatiality and temporality of queer sacredness, this thesis testifies urban radical faeries transform dimensionally discrete spaces within the city to thrive. By delving into the lived experiences and sexo-socio-spiritual placemaking of the radical faeries of Austin and Dallas, this project maps the spatiality of collective faerie utopian imaginaries, generating constellations of ephemeral sacred spaces and their residual effects on the built environment. Further, the recent pandemic saw the first temporary closing of sanctuary land since faeriedom's inception, and these creative placemaking strategies were further adapted to maintain community and identity during the COVID-19 pandemic through the collapse of spatial and temporal distance in accessing the virtual sacred. Understanding how faerie culture is maintained within the city, across space and time, the mundane and profane, the physical and digital, can provide insight and best practices to support urban faerie communities into the future.

An all-of-society approach is foundational for increasing disaster resilience and creating adaptive capacity in the face of disasters and climate change. Youth participation within disaster risk reduction (DRR) and disaster risk management (DRM) is an inclusive strategy to engage youth in an all-of-society approach. While this is an emerging and fast-growing area of study, ingraining social inclusion in practice is slow. Through a series of four articles, this dissertation describes two separate qualitative studies exploring youth participation in DRR and DRM through the youth perspective. Participatory research methodologies dismantle power dynamics inherent in traditional research, and they are well-suited for research on youth participation. As such, our first study used Photovoice methodology to explore youth perceptions of youth capabilities in disasters, and to understand their experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Examples of youth participation initiatives in DRR are scattered, necessitating exploration of the process of participation in diverse contexts and types of disaster events. We conducted the second study using case study methodology to explore facilitators of - and barriers to - youth contributions towards DRR efforts in the context of local flooding, tornado, and pandemic events in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. This dissertation provides insight on how to promote youth resilience, capacity, and strengths in disasters. Based on these findings, we argue that a paradigm shift in DRR towards an asset-based approach is essential to implement youth participation in practice. An asset-based approach aligns with the capability-oriented worldview in youth participation literature and theories. The complexity arises in attempting to apply asset-based lessons from the literature into the traditionally needs-based orientation of DRR policy and DRM practice. More research is needed to document youth actions in DRR and to determine asset indicators to evaluate implementation efforts. This dissertation begins an important conversation around applying an asset-based approach to youth participation in DRR through the perspectives of youth.

Text in English / Given the high rates of male homicides, victimisation and the perpetration of violence by men in South Africa, the prevention of interpersonal violence among males constitutes a major public health priority. The lack of effective strategies to address the onset and effects of exposure to violence foregrounds the need for innovative strategies to address this problem in South Africa. Within this context, this doctoral study’s primary research objective was to evaluate the processes and steps used to plan, design and develop a community-based violence prevention intervention that mobilised spiritual capacity and religious assets to promote positive forms of masculinity, and peace and safety. This doctoral research was part of a broader study entitled, ‘Spiritual Capacity and Religious Assets for Transforming Community Health by Mobilising Males for Peace and Safety’ (SCRATCHMAPS), which aimed to identify and mobilise spiritual capacity and religious assets, in particular communities in South Africa and the USA, in order to address interpersonal violence. This study was framed by a critical public health lens, and was guided by a Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR) orientation and community engagement strategy throughout every step of the development of the intervention and the initial evaluation of the manual development process. The overall research design was a participatory process evaluation. Methods used for this process evaluation included community asset mapping, surveys, focus group discussions, research-based workshops, diary reflections, a photo-documentary, meeting minutes, process notes and participatory observations. The analysis of the multiple sets of data was conducted appropriately, relevant to the particular data collection methods pursued and the demands of both qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis. Findings from this study confirm the utility and efficacy of using a critical public health framework enacted through CBPR for developing an intervention that addresses the complexity of violence. The results further demonstrated that a strength or asset-based, gender-sensitive approach, with men working alongside women, is conducive to promoting positive forms of masculinity to create safety and peace. / Psychology / Ph. D. (Psychology)

Text in English / Given the high rates of male homicides, victimisation and the perpetration of violence by men in South Africa, the prevention of interpersonal violence among males constitutes a major public health priority. The lack of effective strategies to address the onset and effects of exposure to violence foregrounds the need for innovative strategies to address this problem in South Africa. Within this context, this doctoral study’s primary research objective was to evaluate the processes and steps used to plan, design and develop a community-based violence prevention intervention that mobilised spiritual capacity and religious assets to promote positive forms of masculinity, and peace and safety. This doctoral research was part of a broader study entitled, ‘Spiritual Capacity and Religious Assets for Transforming Community Health by Mobilising Males for Peace and Safety’ (SCRATCHMAPS), which aimed to identify and mobilise spiritual capacity and religious assets, in particular communities in South Africa and the USA, in order to address interpersonal violence. This study was framed by a critical public health lens, and was guided by a Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR) orientation and community engagement strategy throughout every step of the development of the intervention and the initial evaluation of the manual development process. The overall research design was a participatory process evaluation. Methods used for this process evaluation included community asset mapping, surveys, focus group discussions, research-based workshops, diary reflections, a photo-documentary, meeting minutes, process notes and participatory observations. The analysis of the multiple sets of data was conducted appropriately, relevant to the particular data collection methods pursued and the demands of both qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis. Findings from this study confirm the utility and efficacy of using a critical public health framework enacted through CBPR for developing an intervention that addresses the complexity of violence. The results further demonstrated that a strength or asset-based, gender-sensitive approach, with men working alongside women, is conducive to promoting positive forms of masculinity to create safety and peace. / Psychology / Ph. D. (Psychology)

<p>This dissertation investigated a psychoeducational intervention’s effectiveness in nurturing concern for others in adolescents with high intellectual abilities. The intervention was implemented at two research sites in a city in western India with 130 participants. Concern for others was conceptualized as an interplay of empathy, compassion, and prosocial behavior, and interrelationships among them were examined using correlational and regression analyses of self-reported survey data. Results indicated that prosocial behavior is positively associated with empathy (i.e., perspective taking and empathic concern) and other-compassion (i.e., compassion for others and compassion for other living beings) with correlations ranging from medium to strong (.46 ≤ <em>r</em> ≤ .79). Compassion for self, however, is not associated with prosocial behavior (<em>r</em> = .01) or any other key variables of having a concern for others (-.06 ≤ <em>r</em> ≤ .09). Compassion for others and perspective taking are the strongest predictors of prosocial behavior. Predicted self-reported prosocial behavior in girls is, on average, significantly greater than that in boys. Participants were then randomly assigned to treatment and control (delayed treatment) groups. The intervention’s effectiveness was evaluated using a convergent mixed-methods design by combining repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance (RM-MANOVA) of self-reported survey data and thematic analysis of interview data. Classroom quality was perceived to be high. Moreover, on average, participants’ level of adherence to the intervention was high, especially for session attendance (93%), and self-reported home activity completion (89%). The RM-MANOVA results showed that the self-reported concern for others varied significantly over the time of participants’ participation in the intervention with a large effect (treatment group: ηp2 = .57; delayed treatment group: ηp2 = .47); however, the effects did not seem to sustain over the next three months. Univariate <em>post-hoc</em> analyses indicated significant differences with moderate effect size in prosocial behavior and compassion for others. Overall, the intervention was perceived to be a largely positive experience—appealing, meaningful, and supportive of belongingness—yet there is a scope for improvement, especially regarding active participation. Emotional regulation, mindful engagement, responsible communication, relationship building, kindness, and gratitude were described as key intervention affordances. The mixed-methods integration of results provided preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of the intervention. (IRB #1812021447)</p>