Youth-staff relationships and program activities are important elements in designing high-quality afterschool activities that promote a broad range of outcomes. Using a qualitative approach, Latinx adolescents were interviewed (n = 28, 50% girls) about their experiences in a university-based afterschool math enrichment activity. Findings under the…

This dissertation presents two essays on econometric methods for program evaluation and policy choice. In Chapter 1, I develop a statistically optimal way of using data to make policy decisions when the performance of counterfactual policies is only partially identified. Specifically, I consider a class of statistical decision problems in which…

In "A Long Poem: Take Time to…", I relate how the people on one city block engaged in a community based "long poem" art project during the COVID-19 pandemic. Arranged in two parts, this paper first looks at the literature on community art and its impact on personal and social health and wellbeing. Second, I describe how a…

Project Homeless Connect (PHC) is a national model designed to address the needs of individuals and families facing homelessness. This research-based approach to reducing homelessness is consistent with social work values and principles including the profession's commitment to social justice. PHC brings together individuals experiencing…

The number of interventions focused on early language development in young children has increased over the past decade. There is a paucity of research on the adoption and implementation of these programs in real-world community settings. This study presents findings from qualitative interviews with leadership, staff, and past participants of a…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to understand how training and the development of the mentoring relationship impacts mentor beliefs across time within a therapeutic mentoring program called Campus Connections, a community engagement program that pairs university undergraduate and graduate students with youth from the local community in…

Purpose: Invasive species are under the spotlight because of their detrimental effects on biodiversity. However, management of invasions presents multiple dimensions frequently difficult to disentangle. This complex topic has been tackled through a service-learning project on an invasive insect ("Vespa velutina"), a bee-eating species…

Background: Social inclusion is regarded as an important determinant of health, particularly for young adults with intellectual disabilities. However, only a limited number of reviews report on the findings of original empirical studies on social inclusion of young adults with intellectual disabilities. This review provides a succinct synopsis of…

Background: Chronic care management (CCM) and community health worker (CHW) interventions hold promise for managing complex chronic conditions such as diabetes and related comorbidities. This qualitative study examines facilitators and barriers to the implementation of an expanded CCM intervention that explicitly incorporated program staff, clinic…

Inspiration and motivation for transforming the education system can be found in our human stories of the past, present, and future. Old tales hold within them teachings about deep mysteries we could never logically, or rationally, understand. The tale of the Skeleton Woman teaches us about the consequences of avoidance and points us in the…

Grounded from Theory of Change, this study aims to describe the impact of the extension project designed to empower marginalized women in Balamban Cebu, Philippines. Qualitative emerging themes obtained from interviews and focus group discussion revealed that women were empowered by nurturing positive emotions, enhancing self-worth, advancing…

This article follows a university dance educator's journey through shifting pedagogy to create a more equitable learning environment, turning traditional didactic dance education models inside out. Inside-Out Prison Exchange Pedagogy, designed to facilitate dialogue across differences, was utilized for a movement-based course of university…

Background: This article aims to present the results of a study on the facilitators and obstacles to community participation in inclusive settings for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) in Québec City (Canada), as perceived by adults with ID and key individuals involved in their daily lives. Method: Semi-structured interviews were…

Community engagement provides kinesiology undergraduate students with valuable experience and allows for personal and professional growth. Kinesiology students often seek out opportunities that pertain to their future career goals. As many of them aspire to allied health professions, working with special populations is of interest, including…

In the school to work transition process, school personnel collaborate with community employment and vocational rehabilitation to establish an employment plan for Individual(s) with Disabilities (IWDs). Development of the Individualized Education Transition Plan (IETP) is often haphazard and not evaluated for effectiveness, resulting in poor…