Featured Articles from Around the Globe

Individual and Contextual Factors Associated with Community Building in Apartment Complexes

Tabitha Underwood and Roger E. Mitchell (USA)

Peer Reviewed

Although a large portion of American society is housed in rental units, much of the literature on sense of community has focused on homeowners and their role in community development activities within neighborhoods.  Much less attention has been paid to the circumstances under which renters become engaged in local communities.This exploratory study found that managers do have a role to play in building a sense of community among residents, are currently facilitating engagement, and place importance on such activities. It provides a glimpse into community engagement of renters and examines the possibilities for practitioners to work with apartment complexes, managers, and management companies in promoting sense of community among renters.

Photovoice as a Research-Intervention Tool for Youth Neighborhood Activism in Societally Vulnerable Contexts

Giulia Guariso (Italy)

Virginia Paloma, Samuel Arias, Rocío Garrido, & Manuel García-Ramírez (Spain)

Peer Reviewed

Teenagers who live in vulnerable neighborhoods have a higher probability of entering into a vicious circle where they suffer the consequences of an unfair structure and, at the same time, contribute to the maintenance of it. A research-intervention with photovoice was carried out with youth from a vulnerable multicultural neighborhood on the outskirts of Seville (Spain). The objective was to increase the teenagers’ neighborhood activism through an increase in their psychological sense of community, forecast of future participation, and empowerment. Participants increased their level of psychological sense of community and their wish to participate in the future, but continued with the same level of empowerment. Theoretical contributions and useful suggestions for research-intervention with photovoice are discussed.

Nonprofit Use of Social Media: Insights from the Field

Justin Greenleaf (USA)

Peer Reviewed

This study focuses on social media use in nonprofit organizations and how nonprofits perceive and strategize about the use of social media platforms. The study was open to any nonprofit organization actively engaged in the use of social media and fifteen different nonprofit organizations were purposefully selected for inclusion in the study. Analysis of the data resulted in the formation of six themes that included: nature of social media, online/offline action, social media is social, strategic/data driven, authentic, and power of the story.  Together, these themes provide insights into how these organizations approached the use of social media.

The Importance of Considering Local Context When Attempting to Address Human Trafficking: A Qualitative Study with Service Providers and Advocates in Hawai‘i

Kristen D. Gleason, Charlene Baker, Alyssa Carangan, Jared Espinueva, Alma Herrera-Mendoza, Denali Lukacinsky, Andreas Remis (USA)

Peer Reviewed

This study explores how challenges to addressing human trafficking are shaped by the local context in the U.S. State of Hawai‘i. Human trafficking consists of a variety of practices (e.g., sex trafficking and labor trafficking) and potential victims groups (men, women, and children of both international and domestic origin), all of which occur in Hawai‘i. Challenges related to the unique local geography, cultural diversity, and sociocultural context, all of which may shape local practices and discourses related to human trafficking, are discussed.

“More Than Paint on Concrete”: The Winding Path toward Bike Equity

Claire Cahen (USA)

Peer Reviewed

Bike equity refers to the notion that traditionally marginalized populations face disproportionate barriers to being able to bicycle safely in the communities in which they live. Notably, low-income US residents comprise the majority of bike commuters, and yet have less access to adequate bicycling infrastructure than their middle- and high-income peers. This review also suggests that bike equity is an area for future community psychology practice and research.