The basic principles of a socially just arts curriculum, and the place of drama

This paper provides a descriptive historical analysis of the planning and writing of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts which occurred from 2009 to 2013. This process involved extensive consultation across a range of stakeholders, including curriculum research, background reading and analysis that preceded the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority’s writing process. The curriculum itself was underpinned by a range of democratic principles, including the importance of developing a socially just curriculum. This necessitated extensive discussion which interrogated the terms excellence and equity to ensure a high-quality arts education was accessible for all students, regardless of their background. The implementation of these principles is then explored through the perspective of the Drama writing team, including the importance of the subject Drama in developing a sense of inquiry and empathy in students by exploring their own and others’ stories and points of view. The final curriculum document for the Arts, and specifically for Drama exemplifies the importance of these social justice principles in responding to the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008) which advocates for equity and excellence in Australian schooling and for all young Australians to become successful learners, confident and creative individuals and active and informed citizens.

Towards a shared understanding of sustainability for neglected tropical disease programs

Background Sustainability within neglected tropical disease (NTD) programs is a complex and challenging issue. The need for a shared understanding about what sustainability means for NTD programs is more important than ever as stakeholders are currently realigning for the next decade of NTD programming with the launch of WHO’s new NTD roadmap for 2012–2030. The aim of this paper is to assess different perspectives to generate a working definition of sustainability for NTD programs. Methodology/Principal findings This study surveyed affiliates of the NTD NGO Network (NNN) about their definitions of sustainability and then analyzed the data using an inductive and deductive process. The research team drafted a sustainability statement based on the survey findings and then solicited and incorporated feedback on the statement from a diverse group of expert reviewers. The final statement includes a working definition of sustainability for NTD programs that highlights three key essential components to sustainability: domestic commitment, responsive resource mobilization, and accountability. Conclusions/Significance This research resulted in a sustainability statement, based on a survey and extensive consultation with stakeholders, that represents a starting point for shared understanding around the concept of sustainability for NTD programs. Future collaborative work should build off this definition and seek to incorporate indicators for sustainability into programmatic decision-making.

Urban Greening for New Capital Cities. A Meta Review

In light of the discussions on relocating the capital city of Indonesia to a new location in Kalimantan, and create a new green capital city (referred to as IKN), the purpose of this meta-review paper is learn from experiences from other relocations of capital cities and creations of green cities in the world. Specific emphasis is hereby given to urban greening and gentrification. This article applies a meta-analytical approach by connecting the basic tenets of the 8R framework of responsible land management to assess the pros and cons of a selected set of capital city relocations and green cities. From the comparison, it is possible to generate general recommendations for Indonesia's new green capital city. The comparison reveals that each of the selected cases falls short in one or more aspects of the 8R framework. In all cases, constructing green capitals requires a mixed and integrated land use planning, a transparent regulatory framework toward land use control, extensive consultation with both local, national and international stakeholders, and participation with local residents. Only under these conditions, one can ensure ownership, respect and trust in the decision. The quandaries highlight the complexity of capital city relocation and green city creation. The originality lies in the specific land management framework perspective and discursive analysis of documented discourses on constructing new capital and green cities. This provides new options for devising and extending regulatory guidelines and for assigning responsibilities for such new mega-endeavors. Given the conceptual and discursive character of the paper, a limitation of the approach may be that there are no specific empirical data collected, yet several recommendations for further research include expanding the boundary work between the land management, the spatial planning and governance domains.

Parents’ awareness and monitoring of teenage children’s use of social media in Delta State, Nigeria

The study examined parents’ awareness of their teenage children use of social media in Delta State, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study using a self-constructed questionnaire as instrument of data collection.The questionnaire was constructed after extensive consultation of related literature in order to ensure that relevant items were included in it. The population of the study comprised of all parents in Delta State, Nigeria but the study adopted a purposive sampling technique to select respondents for the study. Data were collected through the use of a self-constructed questionnaire entitled “Parents’ awareness of their teenage children use of the social media (PATCUSM)”. The data collected were analysed using frequencies and simple percentages.The study has revealed that all parents’ were aware that their teenage children used social media; a majority of them indicated that their teens used their mothers’ device to access social media; teenagers use of Facebook attracted the highest responses followed by WhatsApp; a majority of the parents indicated that their teenage children access social media during the day, though most of them were not aware of the length of time their teens spent per visit to social media site; a majority of the respondents were aware that their teens used social media for academic matters and they monitored their teenage children. The study recommended that parents should ensure that they guide the children on fruitful use of social media to enhance their academic achievement and advancement; efforts should be made by parents to regularly monitor and supervise their teens children on social media in order to mitigate their use for antisocial purposes; parents should provide their teenage children with smart phones, but should monitor their use to ensure the teens use them for productive purposes.

Net zero carbon: Energy performance targets for offices

The UKGBC Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework was published in April 2019 following an industry task group and extensive consultation process. The framework acts as guidance for achieving net zero carbon for operational energy and construction emissions, with a whole life carbon approach to be developed in the future. In consultation with industry, further detail and stricter requirements are being developed over time. In October 2019, proposals were set out for industry consultation on minimum energy efficiency targets for new and existing commercial office buildings seeking to achieve net zero carbon status for operational energy today, based on the performance levels that all buildings will be required to achieve by 2050. This was complemented by modelling work undertaken by the LETI network looking into net zero carbon requirements for new buildings. In January 2020 UKGBC published its guidance on the levels of energy performance that offices should target to achieve net zero and a trajectory for getting there by 2035. This paper describes the methodology behind and industry perspectives on UKGBC’s proposals which aim to predict the reduction in building energy intensity required if the UK’s economy is to be fully-powered by zero carbon energy in 2050. Practical application: Many developers and investors seeking to procure new commercial offices or undertake major refurbishments of existing offices are engaging with the ‘net zero carbon’ agenda, now intrinsic to the legislative framework for economic activity in the UK. A UKGBC initiative effectively filled a vacuum by defining a set of requirements including energy efficiency thresholds for commercial offices in the UK to be considered ‘net zero carbon’. This paper provides all stakeholders with a detailed justification for the level of these thresholds and what might be done to achieve them. A worked example details one possible solution for a new office.

Valuation uncertainty – when and why this is important

PurposeThe recent coronavirus pandemic created uncertainty across most markets. This has resulted in many valuations being reported with caveats warning that they are uncertain. However, many valuers and their clients remain unclear as to what these warnings are supposed to convey and why they are required by many valuation standards, including the International Valuation Standards. The purpose of this paper is to explain how recognition of the need for uncertainty disclosures has developed over the past 25 years and how such disclosures can enhance overall trust in valuation.Design/methodology/approachThe author has been involved in the development of the guidance issued by both the International Valuation Standards Council and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, which included extensive consultation with financial regulators and valuation users alike. He has also examined the wider economic theories of risk and uncertainty and how these need to be clearly distinguished in valuations.FindingsThis paper identifies the situations under which valuation uncertainty can occur, and steps that a valuer can follow to determine whether it is sufficiently material to require an appropriate caveat to be issued alongside the valuation. It also examines the merits of different ways in which material uncertainty can be disclosed.Practical implicationsThe paper should provide valuers with a better understanding of the reason why uncertainty disclosures are required and the circumstances in which they are required. It also provides principles to help them formulate disclosures that are appropriate in different circumstances.Originality/valueThis is an abridged version of a Valuers' Briefing “Valuation Uncertainty – Reporting the unknowable” by the author and published as either an eBook or paperback available from Amazon.

HESRi potential for action

Resolution on Health Equity (EUR/RC69/R5) puts equity, gender equality, human rights and social determinants as high priority for action of all 53 WHO EURO Member States (MS) and partners. The resolution was unanimously adopted following a year of extensive consultation and dialogue with MS and partners: NGOs, scientific community, professional associations and UN and bilateral agencies. WHO scientific leadership role in health equity in EURO was key to success as it brought forward innovations in health equity analysis and solutions which were also presented and debated at the high-level regional conference. Together with member states WHO is now developing Health Equity Solutions Platform to connect innovative life policy sites with the latest available evidence and practical tools to accelerate development of solutions. New narrative, set of tools and innovative methodology in data analysis were taken up globally, represent a model for the global report on health inequities and feed into global strategy on social determinants of health.

From the Canadian Library Association to the Canadian Federation of Library Associations: A Confluence of Evolution and Circumstance

This paper explores the history of the Canadian Library Association (CLA-ACB), from its inception in 1946 to its disbanding in 2016. While the CLA-ACB is not without accomplishments, especially in the areas of lobbying and advocacy, the association’s financial instability and challenges encountered in meeting member expectations ultimately led to its dissolution. Extensive consultation with the library community confirmed the continued need for a national library voice, best achieved through a new model, a federation of library associations.

PARE0007 PATIENT AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IN CLINICAL TRIAL DESIGN

Background:Patient and public involvement (PPI) is gaining increasing recognition as important in ensuring research is relevant and acceptable to participants. Rheuma Tolerance for Cure (RTCure) is a 5 year international collaboration between academia and industry; focusing on earlier detection and prevention of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through the use of immune-tolerising treatments.Objectives:To bring lived experience and insight into scientific discussions; and to evolve collaboration between lay representatives and academia/industry.Methods:9 Patient Research Partners (PRPs) from 5 European countries were recruited via the EULAR PARE Network and institutions within the RTCure Consortium (8 PRPs with RA and 1 ‘at risk’). They were asked to enter into a legal agreement with the Consortium. PRPs participated in teleconferences (TCs) and were invited to attend face-to-face (F2F) meetings at least annually. Requests for input/feedback were sent from researchers to PRPs via the project’s Patient Engagement Expert [SK].Results:PRP involvement has given researchers and industry partners a new perspective on patient priorities, and focused thought on the ethics of recruitment for and participation in clinical trials of people ‘at risk’ of developing RA. PRPs have helped define the target populations, given their thoughts on what types of treatments are acceptable to people ‘at risk’ and have aided the development of a survey (sent to EULAR PARE members) regarding the use of animal models in biomedical research. Positive informal feedback has been received from researchers and industry regarding the contribution of PRPs to the ongoing project (formal evaluation of PPI in RTCure will be carried out in 2020 and at the project end in 2022).Challenges:Legal agreements- Many PRPs refused to sign the Consortium’s complex PRP Agreement; feeling it unnecessary, incomprehensible and inequitable. After extensive consultation with various parties (including EULAR and the Innovative Medicines Initiative) no similar contract was found. Views for its requirement even varied between legal experts. After 2 years of intense discussion, a simple non-disclosure agreement was agreed upon. Ideally any contract, if required, should be approved prior to project onset.Meeting logistics- Other improvements identified were to locate the meeting venue and accommodation on the same site to minimise travel, and to make it easier for PRPs to take breaks when required. This also facilitates informal discussions and patient inclusivity. We now have agreed a policy to fund PRPs extra nights before and after meetings, and to bring a carer if needed.Enabling understanding– Future annual meetings will start with a F2F meeting between PRPs and Work Package Leads. Researchers will be encouraged to start presentations with a summary slide in lay language. Additionally, an RTCure Glossary is in development.Enabling participation– SK will provide monthly project updates and PRP TCs will be held in the evening (as some PRPs remain employed). PRPs will be invited to all project TCs and F2F meetings. Recruitment is underway to increase the number of ‘at risk’ PRPs as their viewpoint is vital to this study.Conclusion:Currently PPI in RTCure is an ongoing mutual learning process. Universal guidance regarding what types of contracts are needed for PPI would be useful. Communication, trust and fruitful discussions have evolved through F2F meetings (both formal and informal) between PRPs, academia and industry. It is important that all parties can be open with each other in order to make PPI more meaningful.Acknowledgments:This work has received support from the EU/EFPIA Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking RTCure grant number 777357.Disclosure of Interests:Savia de Souza: None declared, Ruth Williams: None declared, Eva Johansson: None declared, Codruta Zabalan: None declared, Tom Esterine: None declared, Margôt Bakkers: None declared, Wolfgang Roth: None declared, Neil Mc Carthy: None declared, Meryll Blake: None declared, Susanne Karlfeldt: None declared, Martina Johannesson: None declared, Karim Raza Grant/research support from: KR has received research funding from AbbVie and Pfizer, Consultant of: KR has received honoraria and/or consultancy fees from AbbVie, Sanofi, Lilly, Bristol-Myers Squibb, UCB, Pfizer, Janssen and Roche Chugai, Speakers bureau: KR has received honoraria and/or consultancy fees from AbbVie, Sanofi, Lilly, Bristol-Myers Squibb, UCB, Pfizer, Janssen and Roche Chugai

The Australian non-profit sector and the challenge of ICT

In recent years, the Australian Government has been encouraging the adoption of information and communications technologies (ICT) by non-profit organisations. In 2006, as a part of that process, the Government initiated a project to develop a possible model and business plan for a National Non-profit ICT Coalition (NNIC), conceived of as a coalition of leading non-profit organisations and social enterprises that would assist the sector in making more effective use of ICT. This paper draws on data collected during an extensive consultation process conducted to inform that model, and examines the data in terms of the response of non-profit organisations to the challenge of ICT within an Australian context. It then considers the implications for both the management of non-profit organisations and government policy.