Research continues to suggest that young women experience body image concerns; nevertheless, the majority of this body image research has focused on white women, and the experiences of young Aboriginal women have typically been overlooked. When research has included Aboriginal women, it has generally been quantitative in nature (e.g., Gittelsohn et al., 1996; Marchessault, 2004; Story et al., 1995) and has highlighted body dissatisfaction that is equal to and even greater than that experienced by white women. Despite the alarming statistics suggesting that body image concerns are common among Aboriginal women, few researchers have engaged young Aboriginal women in qualitative research projects that seek to highlight their unique experiences. My previous research with young Aboriginal women (i.e., Fleming et al., 2006; McHugh & Kowalski, in press) are some of the first Canadian studies to have an exclusive focus on Aboriginal womens body image experiences. This research suggested that young Aboriginal womens body image experiences may not be as negative as previous quantitative research has suggested, but highlighted the need to work with young women to develop strategies for positively managing body image experiences. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to engage in a collaborative, school-based participatory action research (PAR) project in partnership with a local high school to provide young women, primarily young Aboriginal women, with an opportunity to manage their body image experiences in an effective manner.<p> Students, teachers, and staff of Nutana Collegiate participated in this project, which took place over a 10-month period from September 2006 to June 2007. All Nutana school members were welcomed to participate and many took part in the various action initiatives that were developed. A group of seven young Aboriginal women formed a core group of participants who were primarily responsible for the development and implementation of most action initiatives. A five phase PAR model, which was based on the work of Stringer and Genat (2004), was proposed as the methodological framework for this project. However, given the emergent and dynamic nature of PAR processes, and the unique features of the school community, the manner in which the project actually unfolded was quite different from the original plan. This project ultimately had two phases, the Relationship Building Phase and the Action Phase.<p> In an effort to develop relationships with school community members, during the Relationship Building phase I engaged in the three general processes of: familiarization, making connections, and giving back to the school. My commitment to these processes supported my initial goal to develop trusting relationships with community members, which subsequently formed a strong foundation for the development of effective and successful action initiatives. Eight action initiatives, which were represented by three themes, were developed and implemented as part of the Action phase. The three themes were: (1) Promoting Positive Body Image Experiences, (2) Self-Expression, and (3) Creating Awareness.<p> The development and implementation of action at various levels (i.e., individual, school, provincial, and national) was the most significant outcome of this research. The success and relevance of the various action initiatives was demonstrated by the words of the participants, the overall support of various school members, and the commitment of the core group to the goals of this PAR project. Although there were methodological challenges and considerations that needed to be navigated throughout this PAR project, findings from this research suggest that universities and local high schools can and should work together to develop school-based body image programs for young Aboriginal women. As well, and maybe most importantly, this research highlights the strength of using PAR methodologies when engaging young Aboriginal women in body image research.

Research continues to suggest that young women experience body image concerns; nevertheless, the majority of this body image research has focused on white women, and the experiences of young Aboriginal women have typically been overlooked. When research has included Aboriginal women, it has generally been quantitative in nature (e.g., Gittelsohn et al., 1996; Marchessault, 2004; Story et al., 1995) and has highlighted body dissatisfaction that is equal to and even greater than that experienced by white women. Despite the alarming statistics suggesting that body image concerns are common among Aboriginal women, few researchers have engaged young Aboriginal women in qualitative research projects that seek to highlight their unique experiences. My previous research with young Aboriginal women (i.e., Fleming et al., 2006; McHugh & Kowalski, in press) are some of the first Canadian studies to have an exclusive focus on Aboriginal womens body image experiences. This research suggested that young Aboriginal womens body image experiences may not be as negative as previous quantitative research has suggested, but highlighted the need to work with young women to develop strategies for positively managing body image experiences. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to engage in a collaborative, school-based participatory action research (PAR) project in partnership with a local high school to provide young women, primarily young Aboriginal women, with an opportunity to manage their body image experiences in an effective manner.<p> Students, teachers, and staff of Nutana Collegiate participated in this project, which took place over a 10-month period from September 2006 to June 2007. All Nutana school members were welcomed to participate and many took part in the various action initiatives that were developed. A group of seven young Aboriginal women formed a core group of participants who were primarily responsible for the development and implementation of most action initiatives. A five phase PAR model, which was based on the work of Stringer and Genat (2004), was proposed as the methodological framework for this project. However, given the emergent and dynamic nature of PAR processes, and the unique features of the school community, the manner in which the project actually unfolded was quite different from the original plan. This project ultimately had two phases, the Relationship Building Phase and the Action Phase.<p> In an effort to develop relationships with school community members, during the Relationship Building phase I engaged in the three general processes of: familiarization, making connections, and giving back to the school. My commitment to these processes supported my initial goal to develop trusting relationships with community members, which subsequently formed a strong foundation for the development of effective and successful action initiatives. Eight action initiatives, which were represented by three themes, were developed and implemented as part of the Action phase. The three themes were: (1) Promoting Positive Body Image Experiences, (2) Self-Expression, and (3) Creating Awareness.<p> The development and implementation of action at various levels (i.e., individual, school, provincial, and national) was the most significant outcome of this research. The success and relevance of the various action initiatives was demonstrated by the words of the participants, the overall support of various school members, and the commitment of the core group to the goals of this PAR project. Although there were methodological challenges and considerations that needed to be navigated throughout this PAR project, findings from this research suggest that universities and local high schools can and should work together to develop school-based body image programs for young Aboriginal women. As well, and maybe most importantly, this research highlights the strength of using PAR methodologies when engaging young Aboriginal women in body image research.

Peace processes require an opening to self and others — a willingness to confront what is and to vision beyond present challenges to a brighter future. This type of engagement is crucial for the peaceful development of healthy, functioning societies — societies such as Ukraine, a country thrust without preparation from regional Soviet status to independent country searching for democracy. Eighteen years post-Independence the Ukrainian parliament continues to flounder unsupported by citizens. Active participation in civic affairs required for democracy is unfamiliar for most Ukrainian citizens, having internalized centuries of divisive oppression under a series of authoritarian regimes. Democracy-building and peace-building require participant agency and voice; rising out of oppression, people often need support to speak about and transform their lived experiences. This study, cognizant of the centrality of gender analysis in any context, explored the roles women’s shared narrative, dialogue, and group-visioning play in the support of personal empowerment and bridge building between diverse communities. The study invited women from the European Union-focused Western region of Lviv, Ukraine and the more Soviet/Russian-identified Eastern region of Crimea, first to share their personal stories with the researcher and second, to meet in their regional groups to vision for themselves, their families, and Ukraine. The third phase of this study invited these diverse regional groups to meet in a neutral space, reflexively exploring their parallel processes, while in phase four participants reviewed their experiences of the study. Despite initial beliefs that they have little in common, women in both regions said study participation changed them. They found telling their stories “from beginning to end” allowed them to reflect upon their own values and strengths, and having connected with themselves and their roots, they were then able to reach out to others. Rather than looking for differences, participants sought ways to express a shared vision for an inclusive, functional, peace-building future for themselves, their families, and Ukraine as a whole.

Peace processes require an opening to self and others — a willingness to confront what is and to vision beyond present challenges to a brighter future. This type of engagement is crucial for the peaceful development of healthy, functioning societies — societies such as Ukraine, a country thrust without preparation from regional Soviet status to independent country searching for democracy. Eighteen years post-Independence the Ukrainian parliament continues to flounder unsupported by citizens. Active participation in civic affairs required for democracy is unfamiliar for most Ukrainian citizens, having internalized centuries of divisive oppression under a series of authoritarian regimes. Democracy-building and peace-building require participant agency and voice; rising out of oppression, people often need support to speak about and transform their lived experiences. This study, cognizant of the centrality of gender analysis in any context, explored the roles women’s shared narrative, dialogue, and group-visioning play in the support of personal empowerment and bridge building between diverse communities. The study invited women from the European Union-focused Western region of Lviv, Ukraine and the more Soviet/Russian-identified Eastern region of Crimea, first to share their personal stories with the researcher and second, to meet in their regional groups to vision for themselves, their families, and Ukraine. The third phase of this study invited these diverse regional groups to meet in a neutral space, reflexively exploring their parallel processes, while in phase four participants reviewed their experiences of the study. Despite initial beliefs that they have little in common, women in both regions said study participation changed them. They found telling their stories “from beginning to end” allowed them to reflect upon their own values and strengths, and having connected with themselves and their roots, they were then able to reach out to others. Rather than looking for differences, participants sought ways to express a shared vision for an inclusive, functional, peace-building future for themselves, their families, and Ukraine as a whole.

This participatory action research study evaluated whether, bringing people who have chronic pain together in collaborative learning communities can have an impact upon the way they manage their chronic pain. Participatory action research has been used with other patient groups, but not with people who have chronic pain. People who have chronic pain are often marginalised and restricted from playing a fuller role in society. In this thesis, I consider these processes to be indicators that people with chronic pain may be experiencing a form of social oppression. This justifies the use of participatory action research methods with this group, as these methods are intended to promote wellness and produce liberation from social oppression. A Dionysian inquiry was established in order to promote consciousness-raising among participants in learning communities. Three learning communities were initiated and two were sustained. Nine participants fully immersed in the learning communities. They reported feelings of liberation, identified ways in which their involvement in the learning community had caused them to change their attitudes and acted to improve their situation. This is my original contribution to knowledge, as this demonstrates that the generation of learning communities using PAR, with a Dionysian approach among people who have chronic pain is feasible. This has not been previously published in the literature. Three action cycles have been identified and are discussed in this thesis. These demonstrate the consciousness-raising and individual action that characterised transformation as a result of collaboration. In participatory action research, the production of an action cycle is viewed as the generation of new emergent knowledge, when viewed through the lens of critical theory. Although this knowledge is limited to the learning community and in this study is participant specific. Subsequent findings that emerge from this inquiry, identify that lived experience of chronic pain may be a product of civilised oppression, from which participants might become liberated using consciousness-raising techniques. These findings are significant, as the articulation of chronic pain as an oppressive force and the possible structures by which this is enacted, has seldom occurred in the literature. Without a discussion around oppression and pain and considering ways to raise awareness, people who experience chronic pain are unlikely to overcome these obstructions and attain empowerment.

Thesis advisor: Brinton Lykes / This study used a systematic meta-synthesis methodology to explore and expand upon the field of youth participatory action research (YPAR) through synthesizing findings for a change-oriented audience interested in how YPAR has been and can be leveraged to support youth outcomes reported in current and future YPAR academic literature. With that in mind, I screened, coded, and synthesized studies using both inductive and deductive processes to support my meta-synthesis. This included defining, and systematically searching databases for keywords, screening the academic literature, assessing the quality of the literature, and extracting and presenting the formal data before undergoing detailed thematic analysis and validation. Of the 153 non-duplicated English-language US-based YPAR sources read and analyzed for fit, 20 distinct studies were included in the final sample. These studies were coded for documented reports of youth-led research activities and youth-directed change. A description and analysis of YPAR principles, project and contextual characteristics, study methods, and reported youth outcomes are included. Analyses confirmed that this YPAR literature emphasized youth leadership in problem-posing and data collection contexts, with fewer studies involving youth in leading the data analysis and reporting the academic findings. Moreover, while thereare many studies that report a change as part of the desired action, there are fewer that explicitly explore how the youth understand the change as being aligned with their interests ‒ or that show the youth seeing the change through to the end of their involvement with the project. While most common outcomes associated with participation in YPAR were related to the discussion of youth leadership, followed by academic or social changes, interpersonal outcomes were also explored through discussions about the importance of youth involvement in YPAR. Additionally, more recent research has tended to emphasize the role of change (also called “action” or “impact”) and youth’s protagonism in exploring if the actions that the YPAR studies initiated are beneficial to the youth’s own goals, versus more general goals or outcomes. This meta-synthesis provided increasing support for the role of YPAR in fostering some of the skills and competencies youth wish to acquire and that their teachers, mentors, etc. seek for them. This dissertation offers a methodological discussion on YPAR that can provide greater evidence of YPAR’s contributions to youth outcomes, where youth’s protagonism is explored as a contributing factor for the shifts in intrapersonal, relational, and contextual outcomes. Throughout the dissertation, this meta-synthesis offers suggestions as to implications for research, practice, and policy. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

Rural communities that depend on tourism for their economic well being, such as Barra de Valizas, Uruguay, rely on their social and ecological integrity to attract tourists to their communities. Peak tourist seasons and associated augmented consumption patterns can saturate the solid waste systems of these tourist destinations. Peak periods of waste production in these communities can lead to the degradation of ecological and social integrity, and can pose the threat of reduced tourist visitation rates and consequent downturns in the local economy. The degradation and worries for the local economy can generate awareness about the implications of increased waste production and can thus be a driver to develop waste reduction and diversion strategies. As part of developing this thesis, I implemented a case study of the waste management system in Barra de Valizas, Uruguay. The condition of interest in this study is communities that are economically dependent on tourism, have a small permanent resident population, experience peak periods of tourist visitation, and have difficulty managing their fluctuating waste system. This case study, founded in Participatory Action Research, identified waste system components and processes and determined some feasible improvements by way of iterative processes of research and action. Seven semi-structured interviews, 54 household structured interviews, four focus groups and community mapping were applied with diverse stakeholders to collaboratively develop and implement waste system improvement strategies. The implementation of these strategies elucidated upon waste system components, processes, linkages and general state. This research demonstrated that permanent residents of Barra de Valizas consume more packaged goods during the tourist season and as such produce, on average, four times more waste during the peak tourist season as compared to the off season. Peak periods of waste production, associated with the peak tourist visitation period, were found to saturate the local waste management system and weaken local social and ecological integrity. Research participants highlighted awareness building, improved waste containment, and waste diversion as key strategies for reducing this saturation. / Graduate / 0366 / rhianna@uvic.ca

Settlement patterns on the urban fringe can present a host of threats to sociopolitical and biophysical sustainability, at the personal, municipal, and ecosystem scale. Mexico City’s expansive growth has forced the region’s poorest inhabitants to the farthest margins in the neighboring State of Mexico, where they often live in conditions of personal hardship and settle in patterns that threaten the ecological health of environmentally sensitive areas. Following interviews with practitioners in three periurban municipalities in the Valley of Mexico, this report examines how local land use regulators interpret the vulnerabilities facing communities in their jurisdictions and presents a typology of vulnerabilities. The report explores the processes of politicization that produce and re-produce the vulnerabilities facing individuals, communities and ecosystems. Several concrete policy recommendations are made for incorporating holistic thinking about vulnerability into government decision-making, and resources are provided for further research. / text

Each of us has knowledge but it is not complete. When we come together to listen, we learn, we grow in understanding and we can analyze better the course that needs to be taken. One thing I learned over the past several years is that words and their interpretation have power. Grand Bayou community member This dissertation examines the question of change in the non-community people who have interacted or come into contact with the Grand Bayou Participatory Action Research (PAR) project. Who Changes?, a book on institutionalizing participation in development, raises the issu of "where is the change?" in a participatory project (Blackburn1998). Fischer (2000), Forester (1992), and Wildavsky (1979) indicate that a participatory process is beneficial to all stages of planning policy development, and analysis. However, planners, academics, and practitioners who work with high risk communities are often of different cultures, values, and lived experience than those of the community. Despite the best intentions of these professionals, these differences may at times cause a disconnect from or a dismissal of the community's knowledge, values or validity claims as the participatory process transpires. The outside experts often fail to learn from the local communities or use the community's expertise. The Grand Bayou Participatory Action Research (PAR) project, funded in part by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, investigated the viability of PAR in a post-disaster recovery project. The NSF report revealed that the community did gain agency and political effectiveness; the study and evaluation, however, did not focus on the outside collaborators and their change. Freirian and Habermasian theories of conscientization and critical hermeneutics would assume that those engaged with the project have changed in some way through their learning experience and that change may be emancipatory. The change builds on a core tenet of PAR in developing relational knowledge while honoring the other. This study used a case study methodology utilizing multiple sources of evidence to explore the answer to this question. A better understanding of the change in outside collaborators in a PAR project can be helpful in developing a more holistic participatory community planning process.

This PhD by project outlines research conducted in 2007 on the Thai Burma border, introducing social work education to Burmese health and community workers. In addition to experiencing physical and social upheaval, workers have little access to general education or training in relation to their work with refugees and displaced people. A request from the director of a Refugee Health Clinic to provide social work education for local workers led to my research question: How do I develop and teach a culturally relevant, cross cultural, sustainable social work curriculum for Burmese health and community workers on the Thai Burma border? The project consists of a product: three manuals of curriculum developed on the border and written for use by future visitors or locally trained workers, and an exegesis: an exploration of the research, methodology and a detailed analysis of my product in the context of the literature. The exegesis is organised around three main themes. First is the intersection of social work education and international social work, with a critique of colonialist impositions of Western social work in developing Asian countries. This section considers what constitutes relevant social work and social work education in this context. The second theme examines the researcher's attempts to suspend her assumptions and create a learning exchange through culturally sensitive social relationships that acknowledge and scrutinize power relations within the Burma border context. The final theme raises questions of critical pedagogy. Key differences in beliefs about educational purpose and approaches can be identified between Asia and the Western world. The project employed adult learning principles and explored the challenges of teaching critical thinking. Based on a participatory action research model, the curriculum design process attempted to be collaborative, inclusive and recursive. As a corollary, the project created a community of practice that continues to meet and work together towards social justice for migrants on the border, concepts that were not known to the participants prior to the training program. The project aimed to connect international social work education to social work's core missions of emancipation, human rights and activism on the Thai Burma border. The themes are transferable to other sites of social work in the Asia-Pacific region where social development precedes the practice and teaching of social work.