Given increasing globalization and the foreign-born workforce characterizing many organizations around the world, managers are increasingly called on to effectively manage a culturally diverse workforce. One way to increase the cultural intelligence and empathy of managers was proposed by Ragins, who indicated that mentors in diversified mentoring relationships (DMRs) may become more culturally intelligent and empathic as a result of exposure to the situations and challenges faced by their lower power protégés. To test this proposition regarding the efficacy of DMRs, a quasi-experimental design was employed using an experiential training intervention involving DMRs between primarily White, affluent student mentors and newly resettled refugees to the United States. Grounded in the theoretical foundations of contact theory and DMRs, our findings suggest that DMRs of even limited duration may be influential in increasing cultural intelligence and empathy.

The business world is becoming more diverse and complex with the increase of legally-admitted refugees and immigrants in countries across the globe. The need for culturally-intelligent managers may be more pressing than ever. At the same time, ethnocentrism corresponding to the refugee crisis and mass migration appears to be on the rise. Yet, little is known about the effect of ethnocentrism on diversified working relationships and effective means of reducing ethnocentrism such that it does not impede the successful management of an emerging diverse workforce. Can one be ethnocentric and yet culturally intelligent at the same time? This study examined the relationship between these two constructs in general and the role of cultural intelligence (CQ) as a predictor of ethnocentrism, specifically. The data used to examine the CQ–ethnocentrism relationship was part of an ongoing study examining the efficacy of an experiential training program involving diversified mentoring relationships. In these relationships, primarily white, affluent, university students studying business were assigned to mentor refugees from diverse backgrounds being resettled in the U.S. Using a quasi-experimental design, we found that while ethnocentrism increased for the treatment group, it did not rise as much as it did in the control group, indicating a buffering effect for the diversified mentoring training intervention. Additionally, a negative relationship was found between CQ and ethnocentrism, with CQ predicting ethnocentrism. Discussion focuses on effectiveness of training interventions for increasing CQ and lowering ethnocentrism, and the need for consensus in conceptualization and operationalization of ethnocentrism.

Photovoice is a participatory action research method that empowers participants to photograph their everyday lives as a means of documenting and advocating for their needs; it has rarely been utilized with young people experiencing homelessness. The current study examined the feasibility, accessibility, and preliminary outcomes associated with participation in Asking for Change, a manualized Photovoice intervention, among youth (ages 18–21) staying in a homeless shelter (N=22). Multiple sources of data, including field observation, standardized pre-post measures, and qualitative exit interviews were collected across two cohorts of Asking for Change. Results suggest the intervention was feasible and highly acceptable to many young people, created new opportunities to connect with young people, and, among those surveyed pre and post intervention (n=9), was associated with improvements in communication skills, social connectedness, resiliency, and well-being. This article discusses the challenges and benefits inherent in doing this work and outlines a robust research agenda to move this knowledge base forward.

In considering forced migration as a consequence of global conflict, women with refugee status are especially vulnerable. The influx of refugees into the United States, in this case, refugees from Africa, requires us to examine various aspects of what it means to be a refugee. Drawing upon current and extant literature, this article investigates the challenges faced by women refugees from Africa. A womanist framework is described and applied to four areas of resettlement experience including gendered expectations, trauma and mental health, economic self-sufficiency, and cultural integration. In addition, the policy assumptions of the Refugee Act of 1980 are contrasted with the realities and experiences of women refugees from Africa. Implications for social work practice, policy advocacy, and research are discussed.

Homeless youth frequently experience victimization, and youth with histories of trauma often fail to detect danger risks, making them vulnerable to subsequent victimization. The current study describes a pilot test of a skills-based intervention designed to improve risk detection among homeless youth through focusing attention to internal, interpersonal, and environmental cues. Youth aged 18 to 21 years ( N = 74) were recruited from a shelter and randomly assigned to receive usual case management services or usual services plus a 3-day manualized risk detection intervention. Pretest and posttest interviews assessed youths' risk detection abilities through vignettes describing risky situations and asking youth to identify risk cues present. Separate 2 (intervention vs. control) × 2 (pretest vs. posttest) mixed ANOVAs found significant interaction effects, as intervention youth significantly improved in overall risk detection compared with control youth. Post hoc subgroup analyses found the intervention had a greater effect for youth without previous experiences of indirect victimization than those with previous indirect victimization experiences.

In considering forced migration as a consequence of global conflict, women with refugee status are especially vulnerable. The influx of refugees into the United States, in this case, refugees from Africa, requires us to examine various aspects of what it means to be a refugee. Drawing upon current and extant literature, this article investigates the challenges faced by women refugees from Africa. A womanist framework is described and applied to four areas of resettlement experience including gendered expectations, trauma and mental health, economic self-sufficiency, and cultural integration. In addition, the policy assumptions of the Refugee Act of 1980 are contrasted with the realities and experiences of women refugees from Africa. Implications for social work practice, policy advocacy, and research are discussed.

Engaging and retaining homeless youth in services is challenging; both service providers and researchers have therefore emphasized the importance of using novel methods to better engage and empower this population. Photovoice is an innovative form of participatory-action-research that facilitates participants' use of photography to document their everyday lives and struggles, while also advocating for social change. Due to its empowerment philosophy and visual methodology, Photovoice has the potential to not only better engage this population, but also to help youth build skills as they work as a group to share voices and create change. This approach has demonstrated preliminary success in the arena of community public health, specifically with homeless and unstably housed adults, but rarely with homeless youth. This presentation summarizes the process and outcomes observed in the facilitation of two separate 10-week Photovoice projects with 20 homeless youth residing at a youth-serving shelter in Denver. Drawing on field notes from 20 observations, 12 individual participant interviews, and content analysis of 6 group dialogues about photographs, we will present a model of Photovoice with homeless youth and outline factors related to feasibility and implementation fidelity. The presentation will also display photographs and captions created by youth during the project, and will highlight youths' contributions at community-based events in which they shared their photographs and insights with members of the community to raise awareness and advocate for change. Implications for utilizing Photovoice in future research, service …

The educational landscape for the United States has continued to shift with the arrival of African Muslim youth with refugee status. This phenomenological study examines the lived experiences of college-aged refugees (ages 18-22) attending various public (community and 4-year) colleges in the western United States. The participants' (N=12) narratives address the carryover effects of trauma including the challenges of racism, discrimination, and Islamophobia. This discussion further explores the ways in which African refugee youth navigate and survive these sometimes discouraging challenges within their school setting. The findings suggested that strong parental bonds, religiosity, ethnic and cultural solidarity, as well as youths' determination and motivation to attain their academic goals counterbalanced hostile experiences from their U.S.-born peers. This article concludes by (a) proposing that educators look beyond curriculum goals and the depersonalized structures, and (b) reasserting the important role of social workers in academic institutions providing culturally responsive mental health services to African Muslim students from refugee backgrounds.

Case management, a widely practiced form of service brokerage, is associated with a variety of positive outcomes for homeless youth, but it may be difficult to implement, as youth face logistical barriers to attending in-person meetings. As part of a larger clinical trial, the current study investigates the feasibility of providing electronic case management (ECM) to homeless youth, using cell-phones, texts, email, and Facebook. Youth were given prepaid cell-phones and a case manager who provided four ECM sessions every 2-3 weeks over a 3-month period. Contact logs were used to record how many youth engaged in ECM, how many attempts were necessary to elicit engagement, and youths' preferred technology methods for engaging. Although engagement in the number of ECM sessions varied, the majority of youth (87.5%) engaged in at least one ECM session. Youth (41%) most commonly needed one contact before they engaged in an ECM session, and the majority responded by the third attempt. While youth most commonly answered calls directly, their chosen method of returning calls was texting. The majority of youth (80%) described ECM positively, reporting themes of convenience, connection, and accountability. The use of ECM, particularly of texting, offers promising implications for providing services to homeless youth. (c) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Objectives: Mindfulness-based interventions demonstrate promise in helping individuals cultivate awareness of risks, thereby decreasing likelihood of revictimization; however, mindfulness-based approaches with homeless youth have received little empirical attention. This mixed-methods study investigates a mindfulness-based intervention for homeless youth, investigating (a) quantitatively-to what extent is the intervention effective in increasing youths' mindfulness over time? and (b) qualitatively-in observing homeless youths' participation in the mindfulness groups, what strategies appear most helpful in engaging them in this mindfulness intervention and what challenges are encountered? Methods: Using a randomized experimental design, the current study pilot tests an intensive (3 day), skill-building intervention to train homeless youth (N = 97, ages 18-21 years) to practice mindfulness and avoid risks. Youths' mindfulness was assessed via standardized self-report instruments at baseline and postintervention (1 week post baseline for youth in the control condition). Results: Repeated-measures ANOVA results indicate that although no effect was found on total mindfulness, a significant effect was found for mindfulness subscales. Intervention youth improved in their observation skills significantly more than control youth (F[1] = 3.88, p < .05, partial-eta(2) =.05). Qualitatively, certain intervention strategies (i.e., facilitating, personal sharing, teaching, and peer activation) demonstrated notable utility in actively engaging youth in mindfulness material, whereas challenges (meeting basic needs, a fight or flight instinct, and a generalized distrust of service providers) created challenges in implementing mindfulness skills. Conclusion: The intervention improved youths' attention to internal and external stimuli yet future iterations will need to continue to modify to meet the unique needs of this population.

Homeless youth are at increased risk for involvement in the criminal justice system. This study investigated childhood trauma as a risk factor for arrest or jail among a sample of youth seeking services at drop in, shelter, and transitional housing settings, while controlling for more established risk factors including: substance use, peer deviance, and engagement in survival behaviors. Standardized and researcher developed measures collected quantitative data through face-to-face interviews with youth (N = 202). Two sequential logic regression models identified significant predictors of arrest and jail, with a particular interest in the effects of childhood maltreatment. Youth with a history of physical abuse were nearly twice as likely to be arrested and to be jailed compared to non-abused youth, controlling for the significant influence of drug use and survival behaviors. These findings suggest the need for trauma screening and trauma-informed services for homeless youth at risk of illegal behavior.

The current study investigated forms of technology (phone calls, texts, email and Facebook) for maintaining contact with homeless youth over baseline, 1-week, 6-week, and 3-month follow-up interviews. The study combined quantitative tracking of youths’ response patterns and open-ended interviews regarding youths’ preferred methods of communication. Results indicate that maintaining communication with homeless youth requires persistence, including frequent contact attempts over several days. Cell phone contacts (calls or texts) were most successful in communicating with youth, with e-mail and Facebook messaging useful when phones were lost or stolen. Youth who maintained contact were strikingly similar to youth who discontinued contact.

Emerging adulthood marks a critical developmental juncture during which some individuals disengage from the illegal behavior of their adolescence while others continue to use substances and commit crimes. While risk factors for delinquency during adolescence are well studied, factors that influence persisting or desisting from illegal activities during emerging adulthood have not been fully explored. This mixed methods study utilizes a sample of college students aged 18-25 (N=74) and examines factors differentiating those who abstained from illegal behaviors, desisted from illegal behaviors, and persisted in illegal behaviors. Multinomial logistic regression models indicated peers offending and hours spent studying predicted desisting and peers offending predicted persisting (compared to the abstaining group). Three qualitative themes: family and peer bonds, morals and values, and fear of consequences further explained factors influencing emerging adults’ persisting and desisting choices. Implications for social work practice are explored.