The use of social networking and e-health technology through mobile (and other) devices, like smartphones and tablets, has been increasing in the last 20 years. This is equally true for people in marginalized situations, like homeless people. Earlier research shows that the majority of homeless people own a smart phone (Heaslip et al., 2021) and that mobile technology has the potential to support the health and wellbeing of persons who are homeless (Calvo & Carbonell, 2019). In our presentation, we will explore this potential further and shed light on how and why online social networking is used by homeless people and their social workers.We will present findings from our two-year qualitative research project ‘Social Network First?’ on network support offered to homeless people in Amsterdam and Haarlem, two cities in the Netherlands. In the recent decade, the Netherlands has seen the number of homeless people doubled (CBS, 2021) and the urgency to support this disadvantaged group has increased. Whereas policy in previous years focused predominantly on a ‘housing first’ approach, in which the main priority is to accommodate homeless people, the belief grows that this approach is not sufficient. For that reason, in addition to housing, Dutch shelter organizations are implementing a novel network support approach in the care of homeless people. With this approach, loosely based on the resource group method, social workers attempt to empower their homeless clients by involving and strengthening their clients’ social contacts. To understand the network support approach and its contribution to the empowerment of homeless people, we have conducted 25 semi-structured interviews with homeless people, their relatives and friends, social workers, and other professionals involved. The analysis of the interview data reveals that online social networking is of crucial importance for the network support approach. Our (preliminary) results show that especially WhatsApp is used by social workers to connect the homeless person to his/her social network in two ways. Firstly, WhatsApp is used for thoroughly mapping the social network of the client. Secondly, WhatsApp is used to create an online support group, which offers the client and his/her network possibilities for (re)connection and mutual support. In addition, WhatsApp is used extensively by social workers to easily maintain contact with homeless clients. This is important because, especially with clients who are not ready yet to work on their recovery, using WhatsApp allows social workers to just check in once in a while, while giving control of the process to the client. Whereas these results are predominantly positive, we will also discuss the cons of social networking technology, like privacy issues. In conclusion, our presentation offers a comprehensive exploration of the opportunities of social networking technology in the context of supporting homeless people. By examining the implications for social workers, we aim to inspire attendees with insights in how digital communication methods can be used to improve their social work practice. Subsequently, we aspire this contributes to developing pathways out of homelessness with the help of others.
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Purpose: This study aims to extend literature on academic entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial networking by examining how academics, in their role of entrepreneurial educators, network for the creation and execution of novel teaching practices in cooperation with external actors. Design/methodology/approach: The empirical investigation is based on qualitative inquiry, using a case study approach. Specifically, eight cases originating at three universities in Germany, The Netherlands and Mexico were examined. The cases which constituted innovative teaching practices were selected following a replication logic. Each involved extensive participation of societal actors in course development or delivery and aimed to stimulate students to work on real life challenges and disseminate novel knowledge back to the world of practice. All courses were either introduced or taught by educators who possessed different levels and types of academic and industrial or entrepreneurial experience. Findings: Based on eight cases the authors found that the networking behaviour of entrepreneurial educators is crucial for the generation of proximity with external actors and for the acquisition of key resources, such as an external actor to participate in teaching practice and for the generation of legitimacy for their innovations in teaching. The entrepreneurial and industrial experience of entrepreneurial educators emerges as an affordance to network with external actors, helping them to achieve a common understanding of the opportunity and to generate trust among them. Practical implications: This study equips managers of higher education institutions with critical insights into innovating the teaching mission of the university and developing closer and stronger relationships with external actors of the university. Originality/value: This study seeks to advance the literature on academic entrepreneurship by shifting the attention away from academic entrepreneurs as merely founders of spin-offs and collaborators with business on research and development towards entrepreneurial educators who see opportunities in establishing collaborations with external actors as part of their teaching activities. Further, it introduces the “social networking perspective” to this field. Vissa (2012) and Stam (2015) introduced this perspective as a logical extension to the study of the generation of social capital to reach entrepreneurial goals.
Worldwide, a third of all adults is suffering from feelings of loneliness, with a peak at young adulthood (15-25 years old). Loneliness has serious consequences for mental and physical health and should therefore be urgently addressed. However, existing interventions targeting loneliness mainly focus on older adults [1], and rarely consider the physical living environment, while studies prove that the physical environment (e.g. amenities, green, walkability, liveliness) has a significant impact on loneliness. Collaboration between the psychosocial and physical domains is key, to gain insight into the mechanisms and pathways linking characteristics of the physical living environment and loneliness among young adults and which spatial interventions are effective in managing loneliness. The main research questions are thus: how are physical environment and loneliness related, and which interventions should be implemented? The I BELONG proposal aims to build a European consortium that will address these questions. WP1 encompasses collaboration and networking activities that will form the basis for future collaboration, for instance a European research grant application. WP2 will provide insight in the pathways linking spatial attributes and loneliness. This will be achieved by doing a systematic literature review, a photovoice and interview study to collect data on specific locations that affect young people’s experiences with loneliness, and Group Model Building with experts. Building on this, WP3 aims to co-create spatial interventions with partners and young adults, and test ‘proof of concept’ interventions with virtual environments among young adults. WP3 will result in a spatial intervention toolkit. This project has both societal and scientific impact, as it will provide knowledge on pathways between physical environment characteristics and feelings of loneliness among young people, evidence of what spatial interventions work, and design guidelines that can be used in urban design and management that can contribute to managing loneliness and related health risks.
ILIAD builds on the assets resulting from two decades of investments in policies and infrastructures for the blue economy and aims at establishing an interoperable, data-intensive, and cost-effective Digital Twin of the Ocean (DTO). It capitalizes on the explosion of new data provided by many different earth sources, advanced computing infrastructures (cloud computing, HPC, Internet of Things, Big Data, social networking, and more) in an inclusive, virtual/augmented, and engaging fashion to address all Earth Data challenges. It will contribute towards a sustainable ocean economy as defined by the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Ocean, a hub for global, multi-stakeholder co-operation.
