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Do Trent University Students Support the Divestment From Fossil Fuels Movement? A Methodology Development
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By Alaine Spiwak & Kristina Dergacheva, Date of Project Submission: April 2015., Completed for: Climate Justice Trent; Supervising Professor: Dr. Michal Avram; Trent Community Research Centre, IDST 4220 - Assessment of Development Projects, This paper explores the divestment from fossil fuels movement, which is a recent socioenvironmental movement aimed at pressuring Canadian universities and colleges to dissolve current investments, stocks, or bonds in the fossil fuel industry. This divestment campaign took
place at Trent University from 2012-2015, but was unsuccessful in their lobbying for full fossil fuel divestment. As this is a recent movement at Trent, this paper aims to collect data on how to
best survey the level of knowledge and support Trent students have for the divestment campaign.
The specific research questions investigated are: What is the best method of collecting data to
determine if Trent students support divestment from fossil fuels? What is the best method to
engage students with the divestment from fossil fuels movement?
The methods used to answer these research questions involved implementing and testing
four different types of data collection: online surveys, focus groups, semi-structured interviews,
and opportunity sampling. After analyzing all of the data collected, a methodology was developed which will be used by Part II of this project to survey the widest student population
possible, and to break into previously untapped student demographics.
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Supporting Immigrant Entrepreneurs [posters]
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By Brieanna Elliot, Date of Project Submission: April 2015., Completed for: New Canadians Centre ; Supervising Professor: Heather Nicol; Trent Community Research Centre, GEOG4030 -
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Analysis of Regional Acutley Elevated Risk (AER) "Situation Tables"
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By Callum Stanford, Date of Project Submission: April 2015., Completed for: HKPR Regional HSJCC; Supervising Professor: Sharon Beaucage-Johnson; Trent Community Research Centre, FRSC4890 - Forensic Community-Based Research Project, The purpose of this project was to analyze three regional Situation Tables located in Northumberland, City of Kawartha Lakes and Peterborough. A literature review was conducted to explain the history, working practices and Provincial guidelines of Situation Tables. Data that each regional Situation Table records was analyzed in order to identify trends among the three regions in regards to which human services and justice organizations are most involved and what risk factors are most commonly present. Surveys and interviews were completed to capture the experiences and opinions of individuals who participate at each regional Table and gather their ideas for improvements.
Findings include that police services are heavily involved in both the referral process and intervention responses across all three regional Tables. Mental health services are also very commonly involved in the intervention responses as mental health was found to be the most common risk factor discussed and actioned at all three regional Tables. Ideas for improvements such as ensuring a more fulsome understanding of Situation Tables among all members are presented. Additionally, possible missing agencies for each regional Table are suggested based on the survey and interview responses of participating Situation Table members. Potential future research and limitations in this study are also discussed.
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Impact of Volunteering at the Warming Room (Peterborough) on Civic and Political Engagement
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By Bhisham Ramoutar, Calire Smith & Sarah Strom, Date of Project Submission: April 2015., Completed for: The Warming Room; Supervising Professor: Dr. Michal Avram; Trent Community Research Centre, IDST 4220 - Assessment of Development Projects, On any given winter night in Peterborough, Ontario, there are approximately 120 homeless people on the streets and in the emergency shelters like the Warming Room. The Warming Room, through numerous volunteers, provides meals, a safe place to sleep, comfort and support to its guests. This research addresses the Warming Room’s goal of providing the volunteers with a more personal relationship with those who experience homelessness, and thereby giving them a deeper understanding of the depth and complexity of this subject. The Warming Room has approximately 50 overnight volunteers who facilitate overnight shifts and are the only volunteers who engage directly with the guests. We utilize quantitative research in the form of an online survey to which we received 36 responses, and qualitative research through the facilitation of 11 interviews to assess the impact that volunteering at the Warming Room has on volunteers. We found that volunteering at the Warming Room transformed individual’s attitudes and opinions regarding homelessness, and that many volunteers desired to engage further, but were unsure how to do so. Through our research, we have made recommendations for the Warming Room to promote civic and political engagement in the form of collaboration, policy involvement and future research that focuses specifically on addressing how the Warming Room can provide opportunities for further engagement.
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History of Peterborough County Jail
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By Logan Taylor and Laura Schindel, Date of Project Submission: April 2015., Completed for: County of Peterborough; Supervising Professor: Joan Sangster; Trent Community Research Centre, HIST4100 - Topics in Canadian History, This is the study of an institution which stood as a monument of authority for about one-hundred sixty years and then unceremoniously sat dormant for fourteen1. It was structure that saw grave histories like the execution of six men, and the incarceration of people dealing with poverty, addiction and mental illness.2 Therefore, the following is a brief introduction to what is a massive piece of local history.
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Education and Outreach at the Trent Vegetable Gardens Part 2
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By Emmanuelle Roy & Emma Stapleton, Date of Project Submission: April 2015., Completed for: Trent Vegetable Gardens; Supervising Professor: Heather Nicol; Trent Community Research Centre, GEOG 4030 - Community Based Research in Geography, This community-based research project evaluates the Trent Vegetable Gardens (TVG) and the effectiveness of their community outreach and educational programming. The current project is Part 2 of a three-part project, of which Part 1 was completed in 2016. The purpose of this project is to conduct an impact assessment of current educational programming at the TVG, which will identify strengths and weaknesses of the garden and ways to improve its experiential learning and outreach strategies. The methodology used for this research project consists of email surveys, which were distributed to past and present garden participants. Four groups of TVG participants including, community gardeners, regular/drop-in volunteers, workshop participants, and service placement students were surveyed and sent group-specific surveys. The purpose of the survey was to indicate by what degree TVG participants are satisfied with their experience and what they are looking to gain out of garden programming and participation. Overall, we found that participants were pleased with their involvement with the TVG and were enthusiastic about sharing their suggestions, which demonstrates the positive community dynamic within the TVG and the success of current programming. After evaluating participant feedback from workshops and other experiential learning opportunities at the TVG, we offer recommendations on how the Trent Vegetable Gardens (TVG) can improve educational programming within the context of their mandate. Our recommendations include new events and programming at the gardens, better advertising, and new partnerships. Part 3 of this three-part research project can apply our findings and conduct further research on key concepts.
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