Social Inclusion/Exclusion: Parents and Grandparents Participating in Community Development in Rural Alberta

• Author / Creator

  Yanicki,Sharon M

• Social inclusion/exclusion (SI/SE) has been described as a social determinant of health and an urgent matter of social (in)justice. SI/SE involves dynamic relational processes and structures that enable or constrain participation in community life. Many low-income families report barriers to participation and experiences of exclusion, yet limited Canadian research has examined the SI/SE dialectic or the relational processes and conditions enabling participation and inclusion. Participation in the programs and activities of a community organization may help reduce barriers to participation and promote inclusion. SI/SE has largely been explored in urban contexts in Canada and rural research is needed. The purpose of this critical ethnographic study was to explore experiences of SI/SE among parents and grandparents with young children participating in the activities of a rural Family Centre in Alberta, Canada. Individual and group interviews were conducted with seventeen parents and grandparents, and individual interviews and one group interview were conducted with twelve key informants in leadership, staff, or volunteer roles. The relational processes and conditions supporting participation and SI/SE were explored. Three relational patterns (permanent strangers, newcomers, and boundary crossers) and transitions towards greater participation and inclusion were identified from parent and grandparent interviews. Insights into the meaning of participation and the key strategies of the Family Centre to promote participation and address SI/SE were identified from the perspectives of key informants. Challenges were identified for community-level efforts to address SI/SE. The implications for nursing and community development practice are described, and recommendations for future research are identified.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Children
  • Stigma
  • Nursing
  • Canada
  • Social exclusion
  • Community development
  • Parents
  • Grandparents
  • Participation
  • Social justice
  • Poverty
  • Social inclusion
  • Aboriginal peoples
  • Racism
  • Rural

• Graduation date

  Spring 2016

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Philosophy

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3T14V10Z

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.