Speaker

Mrs Josphine Hapazari
Phd Student
University Of Kwazulu Natal

Using social theory to design HIV and AIDS prevention programmes for tertiary institutions in Lesotho

Abstract Narrative

The HIV and AIDS pandemics have ravaged communities all over the world, universities included. For some of the females in the reproductive age, HIV continues to be one of the chronic diseases perturbing them despite advances in treatment. Young women are more vulnerable to HIV infection due to a complex interplay of physiological factors and gender inequality, among others. The myriad of challenges posed by HIV and AIDS to females warrants the design of targeted intervention programmes. This article therefore focused on an HIV and AIDS prevention programme, specifically targeting female learners at higher institutions of learning in Lesotho. The design of intervention programmes is pertinent and should be guided by sociological theories. This study aims to demonstrate how social theory can be used to design a small-scale social intervention programme focusing on HIV prevention. The study employed Desk top research methodology, using secondary data from reports and past research. The design programme was informed by Everett Rogers diffusion innovation theory. The theory shaded light on how the five phases of the programme should be designed, identification of strategies, activities and stakeholders. An analysis of the nature of stakeholders’ involvement in the programme was also done. The study concludes that the use of social theories to design HIV prevention programmes is effective since it enables researchers to come up with informed effective, holistic and practical programmes. Tertiary institutions ought to adopt vibrant and pro-active methods in order to combat HIV and AIDS so as to ensure a healthy future generation of professionals and social development. The study is also envisaged to contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly the third goal on good health and wellbeing.

Biography

I am a PhD student at UKZN in South africa. I am passionate about publishing papers on social development. I have published more than ten papers to date.

Prof Jace Pillay
South African Reasearch Chair In Education & Care in Childhood
University of Johannesburg, Faculty of Education

Young peoples’ mental health during COVID-19: innovative psychosocial support interventions

Abstract Narrative

According to WHO (2020) child and youth mental health (CYMH) conditions, disorders and diseases are rarely on the frontline of health regulations and global health agendas even though approximately 10-20% of children and youth experience mental challenges across the world. Most countries often focus on the physical health of young people and often neglect their mental health and social well-being. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided an opportunity for relevant stakeholders to address the mental health of young people through innovative psychosocial means that would have a positive impact on policy and practice. Mental health problems amongst children are expected as they are the most vulnerable members of society. So it is not surprising that anxiety (Pelton & Forehand, 2005; Yendork & Somhlaba, 2015), depression (Bhargava, 2005; Kaggwa & Hindin
, 2010; Ruiz-Casares, Thombs, & Rousseau, 2009); suicide (Cluver, Gardner, & Operario, 2007) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Cluver & Gardner, 2006) have been identified as common childhood problems. One would expect these mental health problems to be exacerbated during the COVID-19 lockdown (Wagner, 2020). If untreated, these problems could severely influence child and youth development, their educational attainments and their potential to live fulfilling and productive lives. Children with mental disorders face major challenges with stigma, isolation, and discrimination, as well as the lack of access to healthcare, social, and education facilities – in violation of their fundamental human rights. It is against this background that this study was conducted to obtain valid, reliable and efficient information about the mental health experiences of children and youth during COVID-19. Data was collected from 4236 grade 7 to 12 learners (males = 41.57%, females = 58.43%; mean age = 15.5 years) in the Mpumalanga and North West Provinces in South Africa through a 4IR web-based Child and Youth Mental Health Profiler System (CYMHPS) developed at the University of Johannesburg. Data analyzed through SPSS 26.0 revealed, in ranked order, that fear, stress, anxiety and panic, family relationships, financial stress, depression, romantic relationships, suicide feelings, gender-based violence and substance abuse were common difficulties that impacted on the mental health of young people during the COVID-19 lockdown. Further analysis was conducted across gender and age. Based on the findings, a social- ecological systems theoretical model is used to address social development policy and practice innovations to support the mental health of young people during crisis situations, especially. within the contexts of their families and communities.

Biography

Prof Jace Pillay’s experiences in the last 30 years as a teacher, school counsellor, school psychologist, the head of school psychological services, HoD for educational psychology and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) shaped his academic career. Currently, he is the South African Research Chair in Education and Care in Childhood in the Faculty of Education at UJ. His research focus is on child and youth mental health and psychosocial support for schools. Prof Pillay has supervised numerous postgraduate students, published many articles in highly reputable journals, and has several strong national and international research collaborations. He is a registered educational and counselling psychologist and currently he is the chairperson of the Education, Training, and Registration Committee for the Professional Board of Psychology in the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

Dr Yixuan Wang
China Youth University Of Political Studies

Evaluation of An Online Social Work Service During COVID-19: How “Garden on the Balcony” Made Change

Abstract Narrative

Background:
Garden on the Balcony (GOB) is an internet-based intervention implemented in Beijing when the entire city was shut down and all citizens were self-quarantined at home. The program, as a rapid response to provide an online alternative for offline social service, featured indoor micro-gardening, mutual support, and online community building. It aimed to help urban families in Beijing cope with the stresses, life changes, and void of social services due to the COVID-19. Technology-enhanced social work and green social work are two progressing means in social work practice that served as the fundamentals of the GOB program.

Objectives:
In order to deeper understand the effectiveness of the program and, further, to explore GOB’s potential application in international social development, in July 2020, we conducted follow-up semi-structured interviews with fellow program participants after four months of program completion to retrospectively evaluate participants’ subjective perception of GOB. This present presentation aims to elaborate the underlying theories and the logic model of GOB, then report the findings of the program evaluation.

Methods:
Cross-sectional qualitative methods were adopted for the evaluation study. The study recruited six of the GOB fellow participants as interviewees, and a short interview outline was used to prompt interviewees’ retrospective reflections on their feelings and thoughts related to their experiences during participation in GOB. After data collection, thematic analysis was used to code and analyze data collected.

Results:
Based on thematic analysis, we have extracted three themes that emerged multiple times in transcripts, which not only reflected participants’ conceptual impression of the program but also helped us understand how the program worked: (1) promote individual and family resilience; (2) community building; and (3) green lifestyle cultivation

Conclusions:
As an innovative intervention designed and executed under urgent time constraints, GOB managed to provide a rapid and effective response to people in need during COVID-19. Specifically, evidence emerged from qualitative analyses to support that GOB not only strengthened both individual and family resilience within the household but also extended the online collaborative and supportive community to offline neighborhoods. It also revealed practice challenges of internet-based social work services in the post-COVID-19 era.

Biography

Yixuan Wang, Ph.D., LMSW, LLM, is a social work researcher and a New York State licensed social work practitioner currently affiliated with China Youth University of Political Studies. She earned her Ph.D. in social work from Fordham University in 2019 and her MSW from Columbia University in 2014.
Amongst 7 years in the United States, Yixuan Wang interned and practiced in diverse social agencies, including UNICEF Division of Policy and Strategy, NYC Housing Preservation and Development Department, Columbia China Center for Social Policy, Columbia Gay & Women’s Health Advocacy Projects, and the Metropolitan Center for Mental Health. Previously, she spent five years studying laws in Beijing and Hong Kong and practiced in the area of equity disputes and transnational legal affairs.
Yixuan Wang’s research focuses on comparative studies in domains of child development, migrant well-being, and social justice, emphasizing rural-to-urban migrant families in China. She also collaborates with social work agencies to design, run, or supervise social work service projects in Beijing, such as mentoring services for urban children in poverty and supportive services for international youth migrants.

Dr Susan Wysor Nguema
Associate Professor
West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Circle Up!: Using White Affinity Circles to Develop Positive Racial Identity and Move Toward Anti-Racist Action

Abstract Narrative

“Circles have been used around the globe for centuries in indigenous communities to bring people together to talk about harms committed and ways to heal from those harms. Many transitional justice processes have incorporated circles, based on indigenous traditions within the country, to provide safe, culturally appropriate space for people to tell their truths, hear the truths of others and forge a path to healing (Pranis, 2015; Vogel, 2016; Zehr, 2015). South Africa’s transitional justice process included informal circles as well as a formal Truth and Reconciliation Commission to create a new national narrative around the harms of apartheid and white supremacy. However, there is some evidence to suggest that white South Africans were not prepared for the restructuring of their institutions and there was backlash over the process (Wysor Nguema, 2017). Since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, many of the blatant white supremacist behaviors in the United States faded. However, the foundations remained very much ingrained in how the government, criminal justice system, schools, and other institutions functioned (Bonilla-Silva, 2017; Garner, 2017; Massey & Denton, 1993; Roediger, 2002; Wise, 2011). Since the election of the 45th President, instances of the ugly, blatant racism of the past have resurfaced and divisive language threatens to drive literal and figurative barriers between individuals of different racial, religious, and ethnic groups, among others. This presentation focuses on the use of circles with white-identifying individuals in the United States to help people explore their white identities and the history and existence of white supremacy, not just at the individual level, but institutionally as well, and to create a safe space for people to process and reshape their white narrative. Qualitative reflections from participants in white affinity circles will be used to discuss the impact of the usage of circles for this type of racial justice work. As a growing number of white-identifying individuals are able to speak about race in a way that empowers change instead of driving shame and division, a growing opportunity to change the national narrative will emerge as well. There are lessons to be learned from the negative backlash in South Africa. Preparing individuals for change through circle processes is a vital step in breaking down the current barriers to healing and transformation from American racial injustice. While this presentation will focus specifically on racial injustice and white narratives in the American context, the broad themes of oppression, inequity, narratives and collective strength can be used in a variety of settings to address other historical and present harms. Participants should expect to learn the basics of circle practice and how it can be used to address harm as well as concrete examples from the presenter’s own white affinity group practice. References Bonilla-Silva, E. (2017). Racism without racists: Color-blind racism and the persistence of racial inequality in America. New York: Rowman & Littlefield. Garner, S. (2017). Racisms: An introduction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Massey, D. S., & Denton, N. A. (1993). American apartheid: Segregation and the making of the underclass. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Pranis, K. (2015). Little book of circle processes: A new/old approach to peacemaking. Simon and Schuster. Roediger, D. R. (2002). Colored white: Transcending the racial past. Berkley, CA: University of California Press. Vogel, H. J. (2016). From Conflict to Community: The Contribution of Circle Process in Moving from Dysfunction and Polarization to Dialogue and Understanding in Direct Public Engagement in Local Government Decision-Making. Mitchell Hamline Law Review, 42(5), 6. Wise, T. (2011). White like me: Reflections on race from a privileged son. Berkley, CA: Soft Skull Press. Wysor Nguema, S. R. (2017). Confidence in public institutions: A difference-in-differences analysis of the attitudes of Blacks and Whites in South Africa and the United States 1981-2006. Widener University. Zehr, H. (2015). The little book of restorative justice: Revised and updated. Simon and Schuster.”

Biography

Susan’s areas of interest are in international social work, transitional justice, white racial identity and dismantling white supremacy. In particular, she is interested in how interventions that have worked in other countries to address issues of human rights abuses may be adapted for use in US communities. Her current research is focused on building a case for a nationwide process to deal with racial injustice in the United States, similar to South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation process. She has led travel study courses to Kenya and committed to remaining conscious in her own white racial identity in order to grow into an effective accomplice for anti-racism work.