Adversity and Advancement
The Role of Mentorship in the Advancement of Black Women in Higher Education Leadership View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Dr. Kimberly Colclough
Literature has suggested that mentorship is one of the most influential components of career advancement. However, for Black women in higher education administrative roles, mentorship also serves to garner community and support. This research study focuses on the lived experiences of Black women administrators in higher education institutions, the obstacles they face in pursuit of support and career advancement, and how they benefited from a relationship with a mentor. This descriptive phenomenological qualitative study was implemented by conducting in-depth interviews with a small sample of (6) six African American women administrators from various higher education institutions located in the Northeast, West Coast, and Midwest regions of the United States.
Career Challenges and Opportunities for Refugee Women: A Bibliometric Analysis
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Meda Andrijauskiene
Recent geopolitical events have led to an increased research focus on the experiences of women refugees. However, more attention is given to the difficulties encountered during their journey or while residing in refugee camps, including issues such as violence or trafficking. As career plays a crucial role in fostering integration, this study aims to evaluate the scope and characteristics of research findings on the career challenges and opportunities for refugee women in the host countries. Bibliometric analysis was used to retrieve papers from peer-reviewed journals. The Web of Science database was screened for 8,410 publications that were further evaluated by analyzing article titles, keywords, and abstracts. As a result, 466 publications were selected as being related to the career challenges and opportunities of refugee women. The authors collectively assessed the articles' eligibility for inclusion based on predetermined criteria. Among the most represented thematic areas were post-traumatic stress, mental health and how it affects women's productivity and further integration; language barriers to career opportunities; discrimination and wage differentials; the effects of mentoring programs and social support networks. This study contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the current research landscape on refugee women's career trajectories in host countries. The findings have the potential to inform policy makers, practitioners and researchers, ultimately leading to more targeted and effective support mechanisms for this vulnerable group.
Crafting and Organizing Ethical Environmental Futures: Community Ecological Health and Social Well-being
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kara Miller
In response to overlapping crises of environmental and mental health, this paper showcases examples of attuning to place, as empowering practices for communities to enact for the solidarity and wellness of residents. This work explores transformational actions of meaning-making through art, craft, and collective healing, as well as enactments of identity through place-building. Centering scholarship in anthropology, cultural ecology, community psychology, and embodiment theories, this study dives into the generative and healing potentials of inquiry-based experiences, particularly recreation and socialization in wild spaces and activities based on sensorial interactions with natural materials. With implications for policy, education, city planning, public mental health and more, this research poses questions for resource management and cultural curation, as well as environmental valuation, care, and stewardship. Exploring possibilities of transformational experiences through knowledge-building activities with art and in nature, this paper discusses examples of cultural attunements to place, self, and environment that contribute to greater personal and collective well-being. This work infuses ethnographic understandings of belonging and restorative justice, with innovative models in eco-therapy and nature-based healing, highlighting participatory methods and culturally-relevant heritage practices. This paper asks what we can do as societies to re-imagine equitable human-nature relationships and cultivate hope and investment in place? How can we create and integrate meaningful, interactive experiences that help communities heal from loneliness, trauma, or dispossession? How can we tend to place in ways that safeguard traditional lifeways in the face of globalizing technologies? How can we use body-based knowledge to craft healthy futures and sovereign communities?
