Suchergebnisse

This paper synthesises parents' and guardians' engagement with a non-formal educational initiative sponsored by Fundación Mapfre that took place between October 2014 and February 2015. Parents, guardians and carers of students' recruited from a sample of state and Catholic Church primary schools in Malta engaged with graphical representations related to select health and fitness issues prioritised at the time by the World Health Organisation (WHO) (2014) to trigger collaborative and interactive activities and discussions. These activities fed into a critical engagement with the codifications, i.e. decodification (Kirkwood and Kirkwood, 2011; Freire, 2005). Participants presented main themes / issues emerging from the workshop activities. In this manner, workshops yielded to participants' grassroots, in-depth, critical and inquisitive ownership of and engagement with health and fitness concerns. The main findings of the study show that, during the workshop, participants manifested a successful thematic, self-critical and reflective engagement with the select health and fitness concerns; they also linked the workshop discussion to their family and community contexts, as well as to broader socio-economic, cultural and global dynamics – with special reference to water supply; availability of public and recreational spaces; work-life balance; globalisation and technology. Thus, the workshop pedagogy provided democratic, dialogical and reflexive engagement; enhanced social capital and a grassroots' approach to knowledge and education. Recommendations stemming from these research findings include the possibility of parent and child workshops; holding a series of workshops and forming a core-group of family members who have a more active role in future 'Ċaqlaq!' and other health and fitness campaigns. ; peer-reviewed

Samira Alyan's, Achim Rohde's and Sarhan Dhouib's (2012) edited volume The Politics of Education Reform in the Middle East: Self and Other in Textbooks and Curricula comprises an analytic discussion of major trends, scope and limitations of education reform in the Middle East and North African (MENA) countries. This is attempted by discussing findings of case studies on select reforms and an analysis of textbook deployment in a number of MENA countries. In terms of genre, the book's discussion critically engages with educational and policy reform as well as teaching methods and materials to build on and expand the existing body of research…contribute to the political and scholarly debates… (take) stock of major trends in the area of school education and textbook development…(and) (assess) the scope and the limits of educational reform initiatives undertaken in recent years…with an eye towards the dynamics of identity politics reflected through representations of 'Self' and 'Other'… (Rohde & Alayan, 2012, p. 6). ; peer-reviewed

Cover -- Half Title -- Series Page -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Table of Contents -- List of illustrations -- List of contributors -- Foreword: global crises and social policy change -- 1. Introducing social welfare issues in Southern Europe -- PART I: Welfare states in Southern Europe -- 2. The welfare state under pressure: The case of Greece -- 3. Social governance in Southern European EU member states -- PART II: Employment and education -- 4. The activation of employment policy in Southern Europe: The case of Portugal and the translation of external pressures into policies and processes -- 5. An analysis of pertinent issues in education in Southern Europe: Rhythms of life, environmental sustainability and migration -- 6. Territories of (in)justice: Labour justice in Southern Europe -- PART III: Health and sexuality -- 7. The impact of austerity policies on health systems in Southern Europe -- 8. Sun, sea, and sex: A comparative study of sexuality education policies in Southern Europe -- 9. Reproductive politics: Policy responses to teenage pregnancy and motherhood -- PART IV: Globalization, social movements and migration -- 10. The impact of social movements on public awareness of a commons-based democracy: Technopolitical approaches of Portuguese and Spanish recent global social movements -- 11. Saving migrants in the Mediterranean Sea: Interaction between states and non-governmental organizations -- Index.

Media are an agent of citizenship education. The ways citizens consume media are impacted by socio-demographics, perceptions as well as past and ongoing social dynamics. The study discussed in this paper investigated if media consumption is related to citizen opinion formation, particularly during electoral campaigns; and to voting behaviour. The paper presents the findings of a quantitative study of media platforms followed by voters in Malta to source news in the run-up to the 2017 general elections and the 2019 elections of members of the European Parliament (MEP) and the local councils (LC). The study also investigated voters' engagement with national politics in 2021, a few months before a yet-to-be announced general election. The main findings of this study are that use of television predominated (76.0% in 2017, 62.5% in 2019) - particularly among older, female and less educated cohorts. Use of online sources was prevalent among younger and more educated cohorts (p < 0.001). The study investigated values attributed to Maltese politics, consideration of party position when forming opinions, past and prospective voting trends. There was a preponderance of younger cohorts among those considering voting for a different political party (50.3% among those aged 16-25, 42.0% among those aged 26-35). Older cohorts predominated among the 83% who reported always voting for the same party. Postcolonial communications and media studies inform the paper's analysis of Malta's long-standing partisan duopoly; risks of polarisation and radicalisation; and recommendations on media literacy to resist sensationalised or fake news and radicalising agendas. ; peer-reviewed

The objective of this paper is to analyse the perspectives of civil society actors in Malta about the country's sustainable energy policy and its impact on green jobs. Perspectives of 11 civil society actors comprising employers, trade unions and non-governmental organisations are analysed to provide a broad reflexive analysis of the policy process in question. Findings illuminate a broad consensus within civil society that the policymaking process in the field of sustainable energy should incorporate different voices from civil society - such as employers, trade unions and environmental non-governmental organizations - apart from experts in energy, economics and other areas. Indeed, this study's findings include civil society's reviews on how commercial viability, workers' rights, environmental protection and sustainability interact with and within the sustainable energy sector and related green jobs. Nonetheless, this study signals that within Maltese civil society, sharing of knowledge and good practice and effort coordination lack. Different interests and sectarianism testify to inconsistently interacting and competing human local networks. This broadens the discourse on effective sustainable energy policy and creation of related green jobs, also making it more complex. Indeed, the direction of such discourse bears potential for sporadic development. Whilst challenging vertical trajectories, institutionally-centred and secondary-data informed socio-technical transitions in the area of environmental sustainability, the primary data gained from this study highlights need for policy to address the identified challenges through projects, funding and incentives that foster coordination between different types of civil society organisations. ; peer-reviewed

Introduction by Mickey Ibarra, Founder & Chairman, Latino Leaders Network -- Joaquin Castro, Congressman, Texas District -- Maria Elena Salinas, News Anchor, Univision -- Ken Salazar, former US Secretary of the Interior -- Adam Rodriguez, Actor and Screenwriter -- Richard Montanez, Pepsi Co. executive & author -- Thomas E. Perez, US Secretary of Labor -- Janet Murguia, President & CEO of the National Council of La Raza -- Carlos Gutierrez, Businessman & Former US Secretary of Commerce -- Antonio Villaraigosa, Chairman, Democratic National Convention -- Lily Eskelsen-Garcia, Vice President, NEA -- Julie Stav, financial expert & best-selling author -- Luis Gutierrez, Congressman, US House of Representatives -- Nydia Velazquez, Congresswoman, US House of Representatives -- Ricardo Sanchez, Lt. General, US Army -- Jose Hernandez, Astronaut, NASA -- Hilda Solis, US Secretary of Labor, US Department of Labor -- Soledad O'Brien, Anchor, CNN -- Dr. Francisco Cigarroa, Chancellor, University of Texas System -- Dolores Huerta, civil rights activist -- Henry Cisneros, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development -- Henry Bonilla, Congressman, US House of Representatives -- Federico Pena, Mayor, City of Denver -- Gloria Molina, County Supervisor, City of Los Angeles -- Mel Martinez, US Senator, US Senate -- Maria Hinojosa, author & journalist -- Omar Minaya, General Manager, NY Met -- Susan Castillo, State Superintendent of Schools, State of Oregon -- Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico -- Eva Longoria, actress and activist -- Virgilio P. Elizondo, Reverend Father -- Leticia Van De Putte, Texas State Senator -- Robert Menendez, US Senator, US Senate -- Alberto Gonzales, US Attorney General

Sustainable energy policy and its potential to create green jobs in Malta, as seen from the point of view of Maltese civil society, provides the basis for a critical analysis of the development of environmental policies in Malta. The discussion is based on data emanating from a qualitative type of survey conducted among the key persons involved in the main organisations representing the Maltese civil society. What emerged from this data is that there is a high level of awareness among members of Maltese civil society about the need to create more green jobs and the formulation of an effective policy of sustainable development. Respondents stressed the challenges inherent in a small island sovereign state suffering from peripherality and insularity. However while acknowledging these constraints, respondents expressed a high degree of optimism about the implementation of an effective green policy. They maintain that part of the solution lies in devising innovative practices by means of which Maltese policy makers would exploit Malta's geographical position and harness all possible material and human resources. However to achieve such a goal the process has be consultative and participative. ; European Parliament ; peer-reviewed

This article focused on the relationship between parent–child religious discordance (affiliation, intensity, and attendance) in early adulthood and children's perceived affectual and associational solidarity with their parents across 20 years. The data derived from eight waves of the Longitudinal Study of Generations between 1971 and 2005. We selected 635 young adult children whose mothers and/or fathers also reported their religious orientations in 1971 and then constructed mother–child dyads ( n = 584) and father–child dyads ( n = 475). Results showed that religious affiliation discordance between parents and children negatively and consistently lowered children's affectual and associational solidarity with parents over several decades regardless of parents' gender. However, intergenerational discordance in religious intensity and religious attendance showed no such association. These findings indicate that discontinuity in denominational identification is more disruptive to intergenerational relations than discontinuity in religious strength and practice.

We examined the link between types of intergenerational solidarity with grandparents among young adults in emerging adulthood and whether they provided instrumental and emotional support to their older parents in established adulthood. We used the 2000 and 2016 waves of the longitudinal study of generations and a sample of 229 grandmother–child and 175 grandfather–child dyads. Latent class analysis identified three classes describing intergenerational solidarity with grandparents ( tight-knit, detached, and intimate-but-geographically distant) in grandmother–child and grandfather–child dyads in emerging adulthood. Path analyses showed that young adults who had a tight-knit relationship with their grandparents in emerging adulthood provided more instrumental and emotional support to their parents in established adulthood, compared with those who had a detached relationship with their grandparents in emerging adulthood. Results are interpreted in contexts of multigenerational interdependence within families and the sensitivity of young adults to the needs of older parents through their earlier connection to grandparents.

ObjectiveTo examine whether intergenerational religious concordance moderates the gap in affectual solidarity between adult children and their biological versus stepparents over an 11‐year period.BackgroundPrevious studies have examined the impact of religion on intergenerational relations in intact, nondivorced families. However, few researchers have explored similar questions regarding the impact of religion on intergenerational relations in stepfamilies.MethodUsing latent growth curve models, we assessed concordance–discordance in religious affiliation, religious attendance, and religious intensity. Data derived from four waves of the Longitudinal Study of Generations between 1994 and 2005 consisting of 238 mother–child dyads and 148 father–child dyads, each group consisting of both biological and step relations.ResultsOver the period studied, children had consistently lower affectual solidarity with their stepmothers and stepfathers than with their biological mothers and fathers. Tests of interactions revealed that parent–child concordance in religious affiliation, but not in religious attendance or religious intensity, was associated with a smaller difference in affectual solidarity at baseline and over time between children and their steppparents versus biological parents.ConclusionParent–child religious affiliation concordance was more closely associated with an increasing intergenerational affectual solidarity in biological parent–child relations than in stepparent–child relations.ImplicationsDifferences in religious practice or beliefs need not be a major point of intervention for helping professionals working to avert or bridge cross‐generational rifts or insider–outsider challenges in stepfamilies.