This thesis aims to capture the life and activities of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Cyril and Methodius from its foundation until present time. Utilising both the archives of the congregation and secondary literature this thesis attempts to chart the complete history of the congregation. Current state of the congregation is described primarily by using the method of oral history, this method being the most suitable for this purpose. The aim of this thesis is also to highlight the pastoral and social workings of the Congregation, which has been its foundation since the beginning of the Congregation and continues to this day. KEYWORDS: Congregation - Sisters of St. Cyril and Methodius - Religious history - Spirituality - Social activities - Pastoral activities

Studien byggde på en fallstudie med semistrukturerade intervjuer av tio medlemmar vid ett fontänhus, som är en social verksamhet för personer med psykisk ohälsa. Studiens syfte var att studera om känslan av sammanhang kan upprätthållas när en social verksamhet ställer om från fysisk till digital interaktion, samt se om gemenskap och delaktighet består i medlemskapet.Den insamlade empirin bearbetades i en tematisk analys med förutbestämda kategorier.Resultatet visade att den digitaliserade omställningen både möjliggör och begränsar medlemmarnas aktivitetsnivå. Trots att den fysiska verksamheten är stängd upplever en del av medlemmarna att de är mer aktiva än innan omställningen. Delaktigheten visade sig vara beroende av aktivitetsnivån. Vidare visade resultatet att digitaliseringen skapar ojämna villkor att delta.Slutsatsen är att den digitala interaktionen kan upprätthålla en känsla av sammanhang och gemenskap, men att den inte kan ersätta den fysiska verksamhetens betydelse.Att arbeta för att öka hanterbarheten av den digitala interaktionen för verksamhetens medlemmar, kan vara en lärdom att ta med till framtida utmaningar. / The study was based on a case study with semi-structured interviews of ten members at a fountain house, which is a social activity for people with mental illness. The purpose of the study was to study whether the sense of context can be maintained when a social activity changes from physical to digital interaction, and to see if community and participation consist in membership.The collected empirical data were processed in a thematic analysis with predetermined categories.The results showed that the digitized conversion both enables and limits the members' activity level. Even though the physical activity is closed, some of the members feel that they are more active than before the changeover. Participation was found to be dependent on the level of activity. Furthermore, the results showed that digitalization creates uneven conditions for participation.The conclusion is that digital interaction can maintain a sense of context and community, but that it cannot replace the importance of physical activity.Working to increase the manageability of digital interaction for business members can be a lesson to be learned for future challenges.

The Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) initiative aims to provide reliable and precise item banks measuring patient-reported outcomes in different health domains.The aimof the present work was to provide a German translation of the PROMIS itembanks for satisfaction with participation and to psychometrically test these German versions. Cognitive interviews followed a forward–backward translation. Distribution characteristics, unidimensionality, Rasch model fit, reliability, construct validity, and internal responsiveness were tested in 262 patients with chronic low back pain undergoing rehabilitation. Results for the final 13- and 10-item

Introduction: Primary care in Flanders is undergoing reform. Researchers are looking at ways to understand the context in order to be able to implement person-centred and goal-oriented care approaches such as reablement. Aim: The aim was to illuminate the lived experiences of older people with chronic conditions and what it means to receive paid care at home. Method: Using an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach, this study aimed to understand the lived experience of someone living at home receiving paid care. Results: Six in depth interviews were analysed generating nine themes and related subthemes. Conclusions: The study illuminated the experiences of six people who received care at home and generated themes around autonomy, adaptability, respect, identity, flexibility, self determination, power, acceptance, and control that reflected the literature and concepts around person-centred and goal-oriented care as well as the importance of the role of occupational therapy. Significance: In the Flemish context, this was the first study looking at the experiences of people living at home with paid care and the chances and barriers to reablement and occupational therapy in the community setting.

Improved living conditions have extended the lifespan and health of the elderly, necessitating more social activity in later years. The Elderly Reform has tasked municipalities with tailoring services for the elderly, considering their socio-economic, health, and cultural contexts. Municipalities aim to create meeting points for those over 65, fostering social interaction, activities, and friendships. This study examines the elderly’s experiences and the significance of these meeting points for their social life. Aim of the study is to create an understanding of the significance that the elderly perceive municipal meeting points have for their social life. The method used was semi-structured interviews with respondents who have turned 65 and who are actively participating in activities arranged at a municipally run meeting point for the elderly. The results show that meeting points constitute a social field and a point of orientation in the elderly’s social life, offering security, relationship building, and social context.  The conclusion of the study shows that the municipal meeting points hold a positive significance for the social lives of the elderly, based on the opportunity for social context and structured everyday life

Botulfsplatsen, en central plats i Lund som tidigare fungerade som en knutpunkt för bussar, genomgårför närvarande en omvandling där Lunds kommun ämnar att skapa en ny mötesplats i staden. Idagbestår platsen av en temporär utformning och bussarna har omlokaliserats till Lunds Centralstation. Vårtarbete har som syfte att undersöka hur Botulfsplatsen kan bli en ny, social mötesplats där användarnasbehov och deltagande hamnar i fokus. De valda metoderna för arbetet bygger på att uppnå en djupförståelse för platsen där både kvalitativa och kvantitativa metoder har använts, däribland etnografiskafältstudier, intervjustudier samt litteraturstudier. Dessa metoder används som utgångspunkt förresearch by design som ligger till grund för ett forskningsbaserat gestaltningsförslag. Arbetets teoretiskaramverk visar flera studier inom stadsplanering, bland annat Jan Gehls teorier som stöds av RonaldWiedenhoeft. Dessa teorier betonar vikten av ett människocentrerat samhälle och ligger till grundför gestaltningsförslaget. Resultatet av undersökningarna visar att Botulfsplatsen har god potentialatt bli en aktiv och social mötesplats, däremot har medborgarna olika synpunkter på hur detta skauppnås. Intervjuer med användare av platsen och Nelson på Gehl People visar att torget bör erbjudaattraktiva aktiviteter som uppmuntrar människor att använda platsen. Det framgår även att temporäraevenemang är ett uppskattat inslag i staden och är effektiva för att bjuda in nya eller återkommandebesökare. Arbetets slutsats visar att flexibilitet i gestaltningen är avgörande för att anpassa platsen tillolika aktiviteter beroende på säsong. En kombination av permanenta och temporära aktiviteter krävs föratt platsen ska locka besökare året runt. Med ett centralt läge kan Botulfsplatsen bli en knutpunkt i Lundgenom att erbjuda fler sittplatser, mer grönska och utrymme för evenemang. Det är även avgörande attinvolvera medborgarna i processen för att skapa en lyckad gestaltning. / Botulfsplatsen, a central location in Lund that previously served as a hub for buses, is currentlyundergoing transformation where the Lund Municipality aims to create a new meeting place in thecity. Today, the site consists of a temporary design, and the buses have been relocated to Lund CentralStation. This thesis aims to investigate how Botulfsplatsen can become a new, social meeting place whereuser needs and participation are a priority. The selected methods for the thesis are based on achievinga deep understanding of the site, where both qualitative and quantitative methods have been used,including ethnographic field studies, interview studies, and literature review. These methods serve as thebasis for research by design resulting in a research-based design proposal. The theoretical framework ofthe thesis shows several studies in urban planning, including Jan Gehl’s theories supported by RonaldWiedenhoeft. These theories emphasize the importance of a people-centered city and form the basis forthe design proposal. The results of this study show that Botulfsplatsen has good potential to become anactive and social meeting place. However, citizens have different views on how this should be achieved.Interviews with the users on site and Nelson at Gehl People indicate that the square should offerappealing activities that encourages people to use the site. It also appears that temporary events are anappreciated feature in the city and are effective to invite new or returning visitors.The conclusion of thestudy indicates that flexibility in design is crucial for adapting the space to various activities throughoutthe seasons. A mix of permanent and temporary activities is necessary to attract visitors year-round. Withits central location, Botulfsplatsen has the potential to become a hub in Lund by offering more seating,greenery, and event spaces. Additionally, involving citizens in the design process is essential for creatinga successful public space.

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Ofrivillig ensamhet som består under en längre tid kan ge långtgående negativa konsekvenser för individen, så som ökad risk att drabbas av både fysiska och psykiska sjukdomar och för tidig död. Forskning visar att det finns en påvisad ökning av ensamhet under den senare delen av ålderdomen. Studier visar att många ensamstående äldre män har ett begränsat socialt kontaktnät, vilket gör dem mer sårbara för ensamhet och social isolering. Flera sociala verksamheter som syftar till att främja äldres hälsa och motverka äldres ensamhet och isolering vittnar om låga deltagartal bland männen.  Syftet med studien var att undersöka den process som fått äldre män att söka sig till och delta i en organiserad social gruppaktivitet, för att bryta eller lindra ensamhet och social isolering. Målet var att öka kunskapen om vad som har möjliggjort ett deltagande, samt om det funnits omständigheter som har utgjort hinder för ett deltagande. Studien är en kvalitativ intervjustudie och resultatet har tagits fram genom en kvalitativ analys. Studien har en abduktiv ansats där ett antal begrepp inom den symboliska interaktionismen har använts för att analysera resultatet. Åtta personer som är gäster inom den ideella organisationen Äldrekontakt har intervjuats via semistrukturerade intervjuer per telefon.  Resultatet sorterades in under möjliggörande samt hindrande faktorer. Under möjliggörande faktorer ryms tre huvudteman. Normbrytande personlighet belyser de individuella förutsättningar som möjliggjort ett deltagande, där intervjupersonernas egenskaper och beteende trotsar traditionella föreställningar om den starke och oberoende mannen. Temat drivkrafter handlar om de inre motiv som ligger bakom beslutet att söka sig till en social gruppaktiviteten, där längtan efter kontakt med andra människor och att ha något att se fram emot är starka drivkrafter. Temat yttre påverkan beskriver de yttre förutsättningar som bidragit till beslutet att söka sig till en social verksamhet, som att deltagarna har fått information om verksamheten och att de får skjuts till träffarna. Under hindrande faktorer har tre huvudteman tagits fram. Temat mansnormer som barriär visar att samhällets förväntningar om den starke och självständiga mannen gör det svårare för äldre män att erkänna eller identifiera ensamhetskänslor, vilket i sin tur hindrar dem från att söka sig till sociala verksamheter. Temat osäkerhet inför nya kontakter belyser en osäkerhet bland äldre män, inför att söka efter nya sociala kontakter. Temat hälsorelaterade hinder tar upp att en försämrad hälsa gör det svårare att ta sig iväg på sociala aktiviteter, vilket kan leda till en passivisering.  Resultatet visar på en motsättning mellan männens handlande och självinsikt. Även om männen på många sätt agerar på ett normbrytande sätt, framträder också ett maskulint ideal mellan raderna i männens berättelser. I en diskussion om resultatets betydelse diskuteras huruvida männen i studien är medvetna om att de bryter mot traditionella könsnormer eller inte. / Prolonged involuntary loneliness can have far-reaching negative consequences for individuals, such as increased risk of both physical and mental illness and premature death. According to research there is a proven increase in loneliness during the latter part of old age. Studies show that many single older men have limited social networks, which makes them more vulnerable to loneliness and social isolation. Several social interventions aimed at promoting the health of the elderly and counteracting loneliness and social isolation, have reported low participation rates among older men.   The purpose of this research was to investigate the process that led older men to apply for and participate in an organized social group activity, to break or alleviate loneliness and social isolation. The aim was to increase knowledge about what has made participation possible, and whether there have been circumstances that have constituted obstacles to participation. The research was conducted through qualitative methods, using an abductive approach where a number of concepts in symbolic interactionism were used to analyze results. Eight visitors from the non-profit organization ‘Äldrekontakt’ [Elderly Contact] were interviewed by telephone using semi-structured interviews. The results were sorted under ‘enabling’ and ‘hindering’ factors. Under enabling factors, there were three main themes. ‘Norm-breaking personality’ highlights the individual conditions that enabled participation, where the interviewees' characteristics and behavior defy traditional notions of ‘the strong and independent man’. The theme ‘driving forces’ refers to the inner motives behind the decision to apply for a social group activity, where desire for contact with other people and having something to look forward to, were strong driving forces. The theme ‘external influence’ describes the external conditions that contributed to the decision to apply for a social activity, such as participants receiving information about the activity or getting a lift to the meetings by volunteers.  Three main themes were developed for ‘hindering factors’. Firstly, the theme ‘male norms as a barrier’demonstrates that society's expectations of the strong and independent man make it more difficult for older men to acknowledge or identify feelings of loneliness, which also prevents them from participating in social activities. Secondly, the theme ‘insecurity in seeking new contacts’ highlights an insecurity among older men, in searching for new social contacts. Lastly, the theme ‘health-related obstacles’ addresses that deteriorating health makes it more difficult to partake in and access social activities, which can lead to becoming more passive. The results show a contradiction between the men's actions and self-insight. Although the men in many ways act in a norm-breaking way, a masculine ideal also emerges between the lines within the men's stories. In analyzing the significance of the results, it is discussed whether the men in the study are aware that they are breaking traditional gender norms or not.

Abstract The main purpose of creating this object was to create a place where people having bad living situation will meet people who live regular lives. This is the reason why two floors were projected. The first floor is designed for social activities whereas the second floor is a housing part with apartments. The advantage of irregular but compact shape of the building is perfect connection between its functional parts. The object does not have any basement and it is placed in a little slopy bulit-up surroundings on the crossing of Tyršova and U Distance streets in Letohrad town. On the first floor there is a main entrance, a coffee, massages, a recreation hall, an art working-room, a gym, changing rooms, administration and the technological background of the object. The second floor does not cover a whole area of the first floor. Apartments, laundry room and drying room are situated here. One of the apartments here is projected as barrier-free as well as whole first floor. Both floors are connected by central staircase with shape of „U“ and an elevator. Roofing of the object is realized by single layered flat roof with classic layer order. The gym is roofed by a flat roof held by glued laminated girders. The construction was projected with regard to synergy of all used materials and systems. The chosen solution of object with two floors (both above the terrain) makes the building pretty marked when looking at it’s location, however it makes the place more integrated and uniform.

MAAS / Department of African Studies / This study analysed the consequences of the on-going transitional rites on youth morality in the Thulamela Municipality, South Africa, using a qualitative descriptive design. The participants were sampled using a non-random sampling procedure, specifically, a purposive sampling technique and snowball sampling technique. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data from the Indigenous Knowledge (IK) custodians, the parents of the youths and the youths until point of saturation. The analysis was performed using a thematic content method. With the emergence of themes and sub-themes, broad categories were generated to differentiate and explain the thoughts expressed by the various respondents and the observations made in the field. The study findings suggest that the on-going transitional rites is mark by weekend’s social activities with the practice of substance use and abuse among the youth’s in recreational spot. The transitional rites are structured under guise of “freaks” as an evolve culture among the youths. The freaks culture is a counterculture of the usual initiation’s schools for transitional rites of passage which instil morality among youths. The emerged findings comprehensively show that the on-going transitional rites effect inappropriate youth morality. This study concluded that the on-going transitional rites activities and practices evolved as a current socialization standard for quick maturity status, as a result of that, it will be harder to provide a complete change of this evolving culture. However, what will work is to build on the exciting transitional rites of passage to moderate appropriate youths’ morality in Thulamela communities. / NRF