Peace Corps Fellows award for commitment to the community / What are Iskashitaa Refugee Harvesting Network’s roles and objectives in teaching English as a Second Language to adult refugees in the Tucson community? How can we create a classroom environment that builds their language acquisition while promoting self-sufficiency? To inquire into these questions, interviews were conducted with adult refugee students who attend the classes, anecdotal records were kept of the ESL teachers’ weekly reflections and classroom observations were performed. Iskashitaa’s ESL classes should provide a space for English language acquisition, assisting in the acculturation process through introducing material that is based on life-skills, with the teachers serving as a cultural broker, advocate and friend and finally, introducing the adult refugees to the community through volunteer activities with Iskashitaa. There is a need for more inquiry and discussion about the pre-literate refugee population, especially in effective teaching strategies, curriculum ideas and a better understanding of literacy practices within the home. These are matters that merit a larger discussion by people who work in education and with refugees, as feedback would be beneficial from all who work with refugees and can recommend what they have observed, experienced and envision to help in the language acquisition, self-sufficiency and acculturation process for refugees.

This case study investigated eight welfare recipients and their perceptions of the effectiveness of the job training programs in which they participated in an effort to understand the domains in which welfare-reliant individuals exhibit a commitment to work. Specific issues addressed by this qualitative study included the individuals' perceptions of (1) the program effects on escaping poverty and becoming self-sufficient; (2) the impact of the program focus on the participants' achievement and empowerment; (3) employment and the prospects of getting off welfare, both before and after program completion; and (4) recommendations for improvement in designing such programs. It is clear that all participants in the study found resolution to the tensions in their lives through the programs. Life skills training was critical in enhancing the self-esteem of the participants, providing them the tools necessary to overcome their fear of independence and allowing them to experience their own definition of success. Each participant in the study wished for more time in the program. Most participants felt the program was a gift and verbalized the value of supportive services on-site.

No description available.

Critical look at the characteristics of Donkey Fever: signs, symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

This thesis envisions sustainable forestry communities in Northern Ontario. Forestry communities struggle to maintain a quality of life against obstacles such as external (often global) economic pressures on the community’s forestry operation, youth out-migration and lack of local control over their natural resources. Principle aims in this thesis are to understand the built environment of small, remote forestry communities; to propose a vision for community self-sufficiency and long-term sustainability; and lastly, to identify the role of architecture in envisioning a built environment that might evolve alongside principles for long-term sustainability. The design exploration is focused on enhancing the quality of place in the north through effective integration with the boreal forest and its renewable resources. Scandinavian models emerging in towns with similar ecological conditions to Canada suggest that rethinking the use of local ecological resources might lead to appropriate architectural response in the region – one which offers stronger identity for these forestry communities. Such design processes are centered on two main questions: what overall framework will allow communities themselves to self-organize local resources, culture and knowledge towards long-term sustainability and regional identity?; and how can architecture and design specifically contribute to these objectives as well as sustain forestry communities?

This thesis envisions sustainable forestry communities in Northern Ontario. Forestry communities struggle to maintain a quality of life against obstacles such as external (often global) economic pressures on the community’s forestry operation, youth out-migration and lack of local control over their natural resources. Principle aims in this thesis are to understand the built environment of small, remote forestry communities; to propose a vision for community self-sufficiency and long-term sustainability; and lastly, to identify the role of architecture in envisioning a built environment that might evolve alongside principles for long-term sustainability. The design exploration is focused on enhancing the quality of place in the north through effective integration with the boreal forest and its renewable resources. Scandinavian models emerging in towns with similar ecological conditions to Canada suggest that rethinking the use of local ecological resources might lead to appropriate architectural response in the region – one which offers stronger identity for these forestry communities. Such design processes are centered on two main questions: what overall framework will allow communities themselves to self-organize local resources, culture and knowledge towards long-term sustainability and regional identity?; and how can architecture and design specifically contribute to these objectives as well as sustain forestry communities?

The consequences of over-reliance on fossil fuels for energy supply, namely climate change and security of supply, are pushing for the use of local, renewable energy sources which are usually variable in nature, prompting the need for energy storage. Today, there is a trend towards distributed energy storage, justified by the distributed nature of renewable energy sources and the important share of energy consumption in buildings. Important information on such small scale energy storage installations, however, is still missing and the results of the existing literature vary widely. To account for these research gaps, a thorough characterisation of energy storage technologies is performed, together with the dimensioning and optimisation of such installations in buildings, as well as some aspects of their impact on the grid.It is found that storage is still far from grid parity and expensive when compared to other solutions, although necessary for a high share of renewables. Also, energy storage is subject to important economies of scale and technical limitations that counter the reasoning for a distributed approach. There is an important lack of practical information on several energy storage technologies, and many studies on distributed storage use downsized values from large-scale installations that do not correctly depict smaller installations, leading to biased results. Nevertheless, today, lithium-ion batteries seem to be the most appropriate electrical energy storage technology for buildings, being well adapted to short term storage. On the other hand, a very high share of renewables will push for long term storage, itself a challenge given the high cost brought by a low utilisation factor. A high share of distributed generation also impacts the grid, a problem which most final consumers have no economic incentive to mitigate. Storage by itself, without a sound control strategy, does not help as it tends to increase the load variability while the peak load remains the same. Specific control algorithms could change that but incentives must be present, namely through the adaptation of current grid tariffs that do not correctly allocate existing costs. These findings are essential in the future planning of energy systems as well as in energy policy. / Doctorat en Sciences de l'ingénieur et technologie / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The diploma thesis deals with financial self-sufficiency of non-profit and non-governmental organisations operating in the cultural sector. The theoretical part describes all methods of financing. Emphasis is placed on the cooperation with donors and on fundraising through social networks. To make the comparison of financing easier, different legal forms of non-profit organisations with examples are mentioned. The practical part of the thesis presents five different Czech cultural non-profit organizations. The structures of their financial resources are described, financial analyses are performed, and the percentages of self-sufficiency are determined. The analyses show that none of the organizations is self-sufficient. The thesis presents recommendations on how to increase the percentage of self-sufficiency. The thesis explores importance of the crowdfunding in the Czech republic and describes the cooperation with donors in observed organisations.

When the pandemic hit, and grocery stores and other necessities started to shut down and create havoc amongst the general public, it became clear that having the ability to rely on a self-sufficient homestead might be the only way to survive and thrive. As a graduate student who has studied architecture and sustainability, this idea seems possible. As an average human with no prior architectural or homesteading knowledge, this idea is daunting. This thesis is asking, is there a systematic way to develop a tool to evaluate, and aid in the design of, a self-sustaining, off-grid homestead? Can this tool make homesteading and living a self-sufficient, off-grid lifestyle more attainable to any person who wishes to try it out? With these questions in mind, the Homestead Helper Handbook: A Guide to Help Start a Self-Sufficient, Off-Grid Homestead in New England from the Ground Up has been developed to offer a cohesive approach, detailing the components that could go into the makeup of the homestead. Suggestions regarding the site, livestock, crops, and built structures will be made based off of specific input values of the future homesteader, leaving the reader with a well-rounded, precise breakdown and understanding of what might go into the homestead, allowing it to successfully function off-grid and self-sufficiently. Thus, it makes the idea of living a self-sufficient and off-grid life in New England more attainable to any human who wishes to do so.

This dissertation is concerned with the documentation and analysis of contemporary responses of a particular segment of Greek society to the economic crisis that has impacted on Greece, Europe and the wider capitalist world. Based on ethnographic research conducted in multiple sites, including the city of Athens and the village of Kandyla, I argue that dynamic contemporary connections exist between rural and urban Greece in relation to these responses. I also argue that contemporary responses to the crisis among this segment of society, notably small-business people, are constructed through and built upon strategies that have long histories in Greek village life and that are informed by responses to earlier crises, the memories of which are kept alive both materially and discursively. These responses are rooted in and performed in what Herzfeld has called “collective identification” evident in a set of shared sentiments among research participants regarding the valorisation of hard work and the principle of self-sufficiency, the parasitic nature of the Greek state, the constant production of insiders and outsiders in relation to the state, the use of reciprocity in business contexts, and the deployment of stereotypes regarding youths and politicians. / Dissertation (MSocSci) University of Pretoria, 2017. / Anthropology and Archaeology / MSocSci / Unrestricted