Trauma and Social Work in South Africa, Need for a Comprehensive Trauma Intervention Model for Social Workers

A significant proportion of South Africans are exposed to traumatic life experiences annually. The trauma is exacerbated by high crime rate which ranges from murder, violence, house breaking and theft. The trauma victims end up in the hands of social workers who are ill prepared to deal with such clients. The motivation for this study was built on assessments that indicated at the time of the study that social work students in South Africa receive little or no training on trauma and trauma intervention. The purpose of this literature study was to draw together relevant knowledge on trauma in South Africa, trauma intervention and the importance of trauma intervention training for social workers in South Africa. Articles reviewed were identified through search engines such as Google Scholar, JSTOR, ProQuest, EBSCOHost, Boloka-NWU Institutional Repository (NWU-IR), Scopus, Science Direct and Web of Science were the databases and search engines utilized in the search. The inclusion criteria that were used to help identify relevant and recent studies using key words regarding the topic of trauma, were chapters in books; conference proceedings; full-text journal articles and higher degree papers. The literature consulted exposes how South Africans are exposed to traumatic life events and provided a deeper understanding of the problem of trauma and trauma intervention. The literature study also clarified why it is critical to have a trauma intervention model for social workers in South Africa and provided guidelines for the development of the trauma intervention manual.

The Ranking of the Western Balkan Countries According to the Degree of Globalization

Globalization does not have the same impact on countries, it acts differently in countries with different levels of political, economic, social and technological development. Its unequal distribution by region, country or community confirms that it is a complex and deeply asymmetric process. It is confirmed by numerous theories and debates that only explained and defined the phenomenon, but paid little attention to the complexity of globalization and measuring its extent. Empirical indicators can be used to measure the differences between the national and the international in different domains. In this way, it is possible to see to what extent the countries are globalized, i.e., to see the strong influence of globalization processes on the overall state of society. That is why a large number of countries try to use the processes of globalization to promote national interests and improve their position in international relations. Therefore, the analysis of the indexes of globalization will help us to understand with which components of national power the countries dominate on the regional and global scene. The focus of the research is on the analysis of several globalization indexes that include the countries of the Western Balkan. Namely, the degree of globalization of countries is empirically analyzed through the prism of several different indicators that are constructed to measure the overall index of globalization, as well as to measure the political, economic and social dimension of globalization. The inclusion of a larger number of variables enables a more objective and accurate ranking of countries. As the results of the globalization rating of the Western Balkan countries show, it is concluded that the processes of globalization greatly contribute to strengthening and improving cooperation between countries, intensify interdependence, affect Euro-Atlantic integration processes, stimulate economic growth and improve the situation in societies. However, according to the elaborated data, these countries are still in the phase of adjustment or “maturation”, therefore, they are in the category of partially globalized countries.

The Online Media Landscape in the Focus of Disinformation Campaigns in the Western Balkans: Albania, Kosova, and North Macedonia

In the conditions of a technological transformation of the media, professional credibility and reliability in information are fading due to the manipulative role that the media have taken. This paper, among other things, highlights exactly the editorial lines of the media, which do not build them on principles based on professional cause, but rather on the causes of political-media oligarchies. The fake news industry in the world is currently the most profitable product, and this is the most serious threat to democracies, which cannot be properly consolidated without a regulation in the dense "traffic" of online communication. In this industry Russia leads with its Sputnik, which has created a widespread establishment in the media space of Central and Eastern Europe. Preventing of this media "pandemic" is extremely complicated and costly, because this type of information is camouflaged in various forms and the public needs a proper media education to identify and differentiate fake news from true ones. Therefore, it is very necessary to create a national strategy of each state, to prevent the spread of this media "pandemic", while the most effective "virus" is the professionalization of the media and its detachment from the influence of political oligarchies. False news is creating its bedrock of influence and this is especially evident in the division of society as a result of political tensions and inter-ethnic discontent. Moreover, this paper shows that in such a divided society, the disinformation that circulates incessantly in the public space, sows fear. If a disinformation protection strategy were to be developed, then public confidence would not be in crisis, as it is currently in the Western Balkans, and the media would return to its primary role: independent and objective information.

Flood Disaster Mitigation Through Citizen Lawsuit

The state is responsible for providing protection and management in accordance with the authority it has so that environmental damage does not occur that causes flooding and is able to anticipate the possibility of flooding again in the future. However, in practice it cannot be denied that state administrators, in this case the central government to local governments, have the possibility of committing a mistake as an act against the law because it does not provide fulfillment of the rights of citizens, so that the community can sue the state for that mistake. Citizen lawsuits do not lead to claims for losses, but demands in the form of issuing general policies by the government. The purpose of this study is to find out about the efforts of citizens to obtain protection from the threat of flooding through the citizen lawsuit mechanism and to find out how the potential citizen lawsuit mechanism in resolving floods so that it does not happen again. This study uses a normative juridical approach by using perspective analysis. The results showed that the problem of flooding resulted in citizens not getting their rights to a good and healthy environment. The citizen lawsuit is carried out so that state officials issue a general regulatory policy as a preventive one (disaster mitigation) so that floods do not occur again in the future.

New Consumers of the Digital Age: Game Players

The game market has become one of the fastest growing industries of the digital age. The availability of internet access from anywhere, the diversification of game platforms, the increase in game options and the increase in application stores especially for mobile devices have accelerated this growth in the sector. The purpose of this study was to determine who the new consumers in the developing game industry are, their various demographics, characteristics and purchasing behaviors. Data which were collected by the survey method from 490 game players who participated in Gamescom, the world's largest game fair held in Cologne, Germany between 20-24 August 2019, were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test and one-way anova. As a result of the findings, it has been determined that majority of the participants were female, young adults and students. Almost half of the participants have more than 12 years of gaming experience, play games for an average of 3.76 hours a day and an average of 5.16 days per week, prefer to play at home and on their personal computers the most, majority were core gamers, and the favorite game category was action.

Consistency of Sustainable Consumption with Values and Lifestyle in Post-Modern Tourists

The concepts of sustainable consumption and sustainable tourism are studied separately within the scope of sustainability. In this study, it has been examined whether individuals' understanding of values and lifestyle are consistent with sustainable consumption behaviors in post-modern tourism by considering both concepts together. Today, post-modern consumers have a more individual and liberal perception and reflect the consumption behaviors shaped in this direction more intensely and more clearly in the tourism sector. Especially in the Turkish tourism literature, it has been found that there are few studies to measure the consistency between post-modern tourism perception, individual's lifestyle and values and sustainable consumption behavior. The main question of this study is whether individuals' understanding of lifestyle and value are consistent with the tendency to display sustainable tourism behavior when manipulated with post-modern tourism perception. In this context; consumers' values, lifestyles and consumption trends were measured through the data obtained through the survey method using the VALS scale and the sustainable tourism scale. The findings of the study revealed that post-modern tourism preferences are related to individuals with principled motivation and individuals with spatial mobility, depending on their sustainable consumption trends. The data obtained from this study are also expected to give an idea about how post-modern tourism perception is related with lifestyle and values and whether there is consistency between the tendency to display sustainable tourism behavior and help further studies.

Perception and use of Contraceptives among Women in Farming Households of Rural Oyo State, Nigeria

The objective of this study was to investigate the extent and perception of contraceptive use among women from farming households in Oyo state, Nigeria. Descriptive statistics were used in profiling the socioeconomic characteristics of respondents, a multinomial logistic model was used to estimate the determinants of contraceptive usage, while the Likert scale was used to measure their perception towards the use of contraceptives. A total of 150 women were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The results obtained indicated that while only 27% of the women were aware of contraceptives, 23% of them had used them. Cost was the most important consideration among the women for choosing a method as indicated by 41% of them. Further, among those who had not used any contraceptive, traditional and religious beliefs were their major considerations. The regression analysis showed formal education to be a significant factor (at α0.05) that increased the probability of women embracing contraception. Perception towards contraceptives among women in rural Oyo State, Nigeria was seen to be generally positive, although convenience of the methods (mean score 1.49) and side effects (means score 1.35) were considered to be drawbacks. It was recommended that more awareness needed to be created on birth control along with the introduction of modern methods of contraception with fewer side effects. Also, family planning interventions in Nigeria should be made context-specific and culturally appealing so as to increase their acceptability in rural farming communities.

A Peer Related Factors Affecting the Provision of Psychosocial Support to Vulnerable Learners: A Case of Selected Secondary Schools in Amathole District in South Africa

School-based peer groups have been identified as a popular and effective method of providing health education and psychosocial support in schools. Children in developing countries as well as some of the poorest children in developing countries like South Africa face daily risks related to poverty, street crime and violence, poor health, lack or low-quality housing, inadequate and ineffective schools. These children and their families live in crisis which render them vulnerable. Thus, this study noted that there is an increase in social and emotional challenges and several risk factors for vulnerable learners globally and South Africa is not an exception. The incidence of child vulnerability and psychosocial support services have not been studied thoroughly in South Africa yet it is recognized widely that there is an increase in child stress and depression. Much of the psychosocial support services are provided by children themselves in terms of peer education groups. However, much of the research that is currently available on children relies on the reports of teachers and parents. This study learnt from literature that adults consistently underreport the effectiveness of these peer led groups in schools. Following this, the study took a qualitative approach using multiple case studies of 4 secondary schools with children as part of the participants. Pre-coded research instruments were administered to 4 teacher coordinators, 4 peer leaders, 1 district official and 1 learner support agent supervisor. Documents were also analyzed in the form of minutes of the meetings held, learner support agents report and registers. The study found that shortage of resources such as, counselling rooms, transport, attitudes of teachers and parents towards peer led programs, lack of training and cooperation of parents still hampered the progress of peer led programs. The study therefore concluded that there were still a lot of challenges faced by vulnerable children in schools because they were not accessed by their peers due to lack of resources, training, shortage of time and negative attitudes from adults towards children’s lives attitudes from adults towards children’s lives. The study recommends that peer led groups be part of the large school curriculum with a specific budget to sustain the needs of the peer led groups. The study indicated that there were no networking opportunities amongst peer-led groups due to lack of time, yet this is very important to all successful organizations of a peer group nature. The participants also revealed that peers are better placed if they had counselling rooms, time tabled services, positive attitudes from parents and long-term training on peer counselling.

Teachers’ Opinions on the Competency of Primary School Administrators in Kosovo

In this study, it is aimed to determine the teachers’ opinions on the school administrators’ competency in Kosovo, who work at primary schools. The data of the study were collected in the 2020-2021 academic year by using the School Administrators Competencies Inventory (SACI). In the analysis of the data, findings were obtained by using statistical analyses such as Correlation, T-test and MANOVA. Based on the findings, it was found that the school administrators' competencies inventory is adequate in all dimensions. No significant difference was found based on the variables of the teachers' opinions, gender and educational level. A significant difference was found in the dimensions of preparing a convenient school building and environment and professional service as a result of the ethnic analysis. A significant difference was found in the dimension of the curriculum development under the views on the school administrators’ competency based on age. Based on the results, it is recommended that school administrators can be encouraged to engage in personal and administrative activities and provide more opportunities, with a central systemic support, in order to have more positive effects on their competencies.

The Impact of Sports Diplomacy on Improving Kosovo's International Image

Public diplomacy which is part of soft power is a branch of diplomacy which has recently taken place and importance in the agendas of large and small states. This segment of diplomacy includes a series of methods and maneuvers which bring positive results to the country it uses and promotes for its own interests. Sports diplomacy is an important dimension of a country's public diplomacy, which has an important and influential role. Different countries aim to use sports diplomacy in the most effective way in favor and profit of their country, and one of these countries is the state of Kosovo. During our work we have tried to present the impact of Kosovo sports diplomacy and its role in improving the international image. Through descriptive, comparative, analytical methods as well as through interviews we have tried to shed light on how much sports diplomacy has influenced the improvement of Kosovo's international image. With the method of interviews, we have interviewed 3 experts in sports diplomacy, and we have analyzed these interviews by implementing the comparison with materials and scientific facts which are related to public diplomacy, with an emphasis on sports diplomacy. In conclusion, we can say that sports diplomacy in Kosovo should be given great importance in order to achieve greater results. Kosovo and its competent institutions need to develop specific strategies and investments for its sports diplomacy.