Conducting Virtual Youth-Led Participatory Action Research (YPAR) During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Kortisarom Prijambodo C., Lie A.

Aim/Purpose: This study aimed at exploring students’ online-learning exposures involving their readiness and motivation to learn English using synchronous video conferences, as well as investigating the possible relationship between the readiness and motivation. To fulfill these objectives, three research questions were formed: (1) What is students’ readiness to learn English using synchronous video conferences? (2) What is students’ motivation to learn English using synchronous video conferences? (3) Is there any correlation between students’ readiness and their motivation to learn English using synchronous video conferences? Background: Due to the urgency of Covid-19 pandemic in the educational field, the Indonesian Minister of Education requested that all schooling activities must be conducted online as announced in the Learning from Home Policy starting on March 24, 2020. In this case, students are forced to struggle with the unfamiliar and challenging learning situations that their readiness and motivation to learn are worth questioning. Methodology: The participants in this descriptive research, combining both a survey and correlation study, were 116 Indonesian high schoolers. They came from two different private schools as the particular adaptive curriculum has been reshaped and implemented in each school during this pandemic. In order to collect the data of students’ readiness and motivation while they were learning English using synchronous video conferences, an online Likert-Scale questionnaire was distributed to all participants. Furthermore, a semi-structured interview was conducted to dig deeper into students’ online-learning exposures. Contribution: The results of this study can become reference to create the effective and successful online learning environment. This study offers fresh and genuine insights coming from students on how ready and motivated they were within the unfamiliar learning situations. Besides, the obstacles faced by students are also presented. Three pillars were used to construct the questionnaire and to analyze the findings: 1) Four Online Readiness Factors, 2) ARCS Model of Motivation, and 3) the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Framework. Hence, the findings of this research can also expand educators’ and researchers’ knowledge whether the readiness and motivation can be improved through the three frameworks. Findings: This study shows how students’ readiness and motivation are influenced by unfamiliar situations of synchronous online learning. Firstly, students are already confident with their technical skills and their familiarity with the use of technology. However, their readiness in terms of self-discipline is the lowest. Secondly, students’ motivation cannot be consistently high because of two drawbacks that demotivated them within their online learning. Furthermore, this study also found that there is significant positive correlation between readiness and motivation. Hence, the readiness and motivation factors cannot be simply ignored within the online learning progress. Recommendations for Practitioners: As our findings reveal, Teacher Presence is important as it enhances Cognitive Presence and supports students to experience Social Presence. Therefore, the roles of teachers that cover designing and providing meaningful learning activities, acting as a model to engage students in online discussion, employing effective strategies to deliver direct instruction and managing class, should be completely fulfilled. Instead of consistently sustaining the teacher-centered style, teachers may sharpen their technical skills along with their pedagogical knowledge. Online learning can be effective as teachers could design and implement the student-centered learning style in synchronous virtual meetings. Recommendation for Researchers: Learning from Home is a new policy that was published because of the Covid-19 pandemic urgency. The learning process happening in a synchronous virtual environment is new for both Indonesian teachers and students. Accordingly, more researchers in this topic involving a wider level of students coming from rural and urban areas are still needed. Impact on Society: By showing how students’ readiness and motivation are influenced in the online learning process, this study offers a reference that students can have better opportunities of an effective and successful online-learning environment. This study also discusses the obstacles mostly faced by students. Following the frameworks used, this study also gives an opportunity for educators to expand their knowledge to take part in solving any problems related to the investigated issues. Future Research: As technology must still be developing and online learning is possibly sustained closely after the pandemic, its development must be continuing. As the idea of online learning through synchronous meetings is new, issues related to this learning situation can still be investigated so that Indonesian teachers can gradually create more effective and successful online learning.

Rathakrishnan M., Sarjit Singh M.K., Raman A., Dzakiria H., Bin Don Y.

Syaharuddina S., Husain H., Herianto H., Jusmiana A.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the education system to suddenly move from offline to online learning, so it takes a variety of effective learning design trials. This research aims to find out the effectiveness of the advance organiser learning model assisted by the Zoom Meeting application. This research was conducted at State Junior High School 3 Binamu, Jeneponto Regency. The research sample was 20 people. The research was conducted with an embedded design model of mixed methods. The findings show that the online advance organiser learning model uses an effective Zoom Meeting application for use, where 1) the application of advance organiser learning has a positive relationship with student learning outcomes; 2) the implementation of learning takes place in the category of ‘good’; 3) students’ positive activities increase in each meeting and 4) students respond well to the implementation of the advance organiser learning model/ using the Zoom Meeting application. The implementation of advance organiser online learning using the Zoom Meeting application, however, is no more effective when compared to the implementation of learning conducted offline or under normal conditions.            Keywords: Advance organiser, distance learning, pandemic COVID-19, Zoom meeting.

Souheyla B.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when classroom instructions are interrupted, teachers and students approach digitalization and become familiar with web conferencing. The present research aims to examine Algerian EFL students’ motivation about the use of Zoom, as an asynchronous learning approach, to help ‘bridge the gaps’, and cope with the changes they encounter while exploring online learning. As such, the main questions that set the study are: How academically appropriate is the Zoom’s integration for enhancing EFL students’ motivation? How can the perceived obstacles be challenged for the proper integration of Zoom? To answer these problematic questions, the researcher conducted a case study with twenty EFL students at Oran university of Algeria. Informal, structured interviews and semi-structured questionnaires were employed. This study concluded that participant students have overall positive perspectives about using Zoom sessions with some limitations. Training students to use ICTs and developing positive perceptions about using online educational platforms and applications were the main recommendations for using zoom classes.

Raider-Roth M., Gold M., Brydon-Miller M., Dorph G.Z.

In this brief report, the authors share their process for taking the Future Creating Workshop (FCW), a participatory research method intended to help organizations envision new futures, into an online space. Using both synchronous and asynchronous processes in three linked platforms, graduates of a program dedicated to educational leaders’ professional development engaged in the three central phases of the FCW – critique, utopian and realization. The authors discuss key technological considerations as well as challenges and affordances of facilitating this method online. They also share ways that this online adaptation has already informed ongoing and future research partnerships.

Hoyt L.T., Cohen A.K., Dull B., Maker Castro E., Yazdani N.

AbstractPurpose The purpose of this study is to document young adults' perceived stress and anxiety in a diverse sample of college students across the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We recruited, via Instagram, a sample of full-time college students aged 18–22 from across the U.S. We surveyed them in April (baseline; N = 707; mean age = 20.0, SD = 1.3) and July (follow-up) 2020. This study presents overall levels of perceived stress and general anxiety symptoms and inequalities across each of these outcomes by gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and household income. We also explore potential explanations for these health issues by analyzing baseline qualitative data. Results All students, on average, were suffering from perceived stress and anxiety, with especially high levels in April. We also identified inequalities in college student mental well-being, particularly by gender identity and sexual orientation. Women reported worse well-being compared with men; transgender and gender diverse and sexual minority youths reported worse outcomes than their cisgender, heterosexual peers at both time points. Qualitative data illustrate how the COVID-19 pandemic has generated educational, economic, and environmental stressors that are affecting college students' well-being. Conclusions As colleges and universities think about how to manage and mitigate the infectious disease dimensions of COVID-19 among their student populations, they must also consider who is most at risk for increased stress and anxiety during the pandemic.

Baldock B.L., Fernandez A.L., Franco J., Provencher B.A., McCoy M.R.

During the Spring 2020 semester, many institutions abruptly transitioned their courses from face-to-face instruction to remote learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To address the unique challenges posed by the remote teaching and learning modality, our department used mobile technology to adapt empirically validated instructional strategies for use in our remote courses. At Merrimack College, all faculty and students have iPads and Apple Pencils, and the members of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have incorporated this mobile technology into all of our course offerings. Our continued use of this technology eased the transition for both faculty and students by promoting course continuity and decreasing the cognitive load imposed by the transition. Survey responses suggest that students appreciated the structure provided by scaffolded course materials and synchronous class meetings, which helped keep them engaged in their chemistry courses. Coupling active learning instruction with the Zoom video conferencing platform allowed students to connect with the instructor and other students; this was highly valued by our students. Overall, we can conclude that universal access to technology, creating community using videoconferencing software, and intentional pedagogical choices to incorporate active learning created a positive learning environment for students.

Eman S.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, students, and teachers of the developing countries had to shift from the face-to-face traditional classroom to an e-learning environment, which elicited various reactions to teaching and learning. I conducted this research to understand how students perceived online learning and to share my reflexive experiences about this shift in a Pakistani public sector women university. I administered a short survey in seven domains. As a teacher, I found (working from home) online teaching, assessment, internship, and research supervision extremely productive, interesting, rewarding, and excellent for my health and wellbeing. More than 50 per cent of the students appeared adjusted to online mode of learning. Improvement in internet connection, development of teachers’ and students’ computer skills, and development of teachers’ cultural sensitivity can enrich students’ learning outcomes. Online educational systems need to be improved in developing countries. Students engaged in practical work or those progressing to online careers need more online hands on experience.

Long N.N., Khoi B.H.

This study uses the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) model combined with risk perception variables to examine the intention to study using Zoom during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. All assumptions are confirmed by the TRA model 's conventional, independent variables affecting the intention to test using Zoom. However, the results of this study differ from expectations. The security risk perception has the lowest impact on the intention to adopt Zoom. The two key determinants of using Zoom for teaching and studying are attitude and subjective norms. Moreover, COVID-19 risk perception has a remarkable influence on the target variables. Thus, the combination of the TRA model and risk perception factors is a very good choice to assess the factors affecting the intention to adopt Zoom as an educational learning tool.

Abbasi M.S., Ahmed N., Sajjad B., Alshahrani A., Saeed S., Sarfaraz S., Alhamdan R.S., Vohra F., Abduljabbar T.

BACKGROUND: E-learning is increasingly used during the COVID-19 pandemic, however the impact of this change on students is not known. This study aimed to evaluate perception and satisfaction of health sciences students towards E-learning during the COVID-19 lockdown. METHODS: A structured questionnaire was distributed to 2000 health care students either through email or social media platforms. The questionnaire was divided into two sections: the first section addressed demographic information such as age, education level, course of study, number of lectures attended and country. The second section gathered information on perception and satisfaction of students using 13 close-ended questions. Frequencies and percentages were assessed for demographic data, perception and satisfaction level of students. The paired sample t-test, independent t test and Spearman correlation were applied to evaluate statistical significance between different variables of the study. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Data from 1255 participants were included at a response rate of 66.4%. More than one third (37%) of the students took 25 or more online E-learning sessions and 47% preferred Zoom as an online platform. Participants belonged to 11 countries from developed and developing nations. 41% reported interference of E-learning due to network problems. 60% considered that clinical and practical skills are best learned in clinics and laboratories. More than one third of the students preferred classroom teaching and 34% of the students did not feel confident enough to take exit exams after E-learning sessions. CONCLUSION: E-learning satisfaction levels were better among developed countries (7.34) compared to developing countries (5.82). The majority of participants agreed that E-learning was satisfactory in acquiring knowledge, however not effective in acquiring clinical and technical skills. As the COVID-19 lockdown eases, there is a need for improvement in the methods employed in E-learning and more blended learning among healthcare students is recommended.

Canady V.A.

A new public opinion poll released Oct. 21 by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) found that 62% of Americans feel more anxious than they did at this time last year. That marks a sizeable increase over APA polls of the past three years, in which the number has ranged between 32% and 39%, APA officials stated in a news release.

Serhan D.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and during the middle of the spring 2020 semester, many universities were forced to move from face-to-face (FTF) in-classroom to remote instruction. Many institutions used Zoom as their delivery platform.  The purpose of this study was to investigate students’ attitudes towards the use of Zoom in remote learning, and their perceptions of its effects on their learning and engagement in comparison to FTF learning. Thirty-one university students participated in this study. Data were collected using a 5-point Likert-type survey. The results indicated that students had a negative attitude toward the use of Zoom and perceived it as having a negative effect on their learning experience and their motivation to learn. Students listed flexibility as a main advantage to using Zoom for learning.

Guessoum S.B., Lachal J., Radjack R., Carretier E., Minassian S., Benoit L., Moro M.R.

• The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown may have a negative impact on the mental health of adolescents. • Epidemics and disasters are associated with adolescent Post Traumatic Stress, Depression, and Anxiety symptoms. • Home confinement may be associated with increased intrafamilial violence. • Healthcare system adaptations are necessary for mental health support despite the lockdown. • Data is scarce on adolescent psychiatric disorders during epidemics and pandemics. The aim of this paper was to review the literature on adolescent psychiatric disorders related to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. Stressful life events, extended home confinement, brutal grief, intrafamilial violence, overuse of the Internet and social media are factors that could influence the mental health of adolescents during this period. The COVID-19 pandemic could result in increased psychiatric disorders such as Post-Traumatic Stress, Depressive, and Anxiety Disorders, as well as grief-related symptoms. Adolescents with psychiatric disorders are at risk of a break or change in their care and management; they may experience increased symptoms. The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown may have a negative impact on the mental health of adolescents, although there is still no data on the long term impact of this crisis. Adolescents’ individual, familial, and social vulnerability, as well as individual and familial coping abilities, are factors related to adolescent mental health in times of crisis. Adolescents are often vulnerable and require careful consideration by caregivers and healthcare system adaptations to allow for mental health support despite the lockdown. Research on adolescent psychiatric disorders in times of pandemics is necessary, as such a global situation could be prolonged or repeated.

Gibbs L., Kornbluh M., Marinkovic K., Bell S., Ozer E.J.

Purpose Rapid advances in technology create opportunities for adolescents to influence practice and policy in health and other domains. Technology can support the scaling of Youth-Led Participatory Action Research (YPAR), in which adolescents conduct research to improve issues that affect them. We present the first known published systematic review of the use of technology to scale YPAR. Methods A systematic review of the empirical literature was conducted from 2000 to 2018 using databases PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, and PubMed. The review included peer-reviewed articles of YPAR studies involving adolescents (aged 10–19 years) using technology for scaling. Appraisal of papers included the role of technology and consistency with YPAR principles. Results Nine peer-reviewed YPAR publications focusing on a range of health issues with adolescents aged 11–19 years were identified. Technology included Facebook (most common), Twitter, Instagram, Skype, e-mail, blogs, and personalized mapping applications. Overall, technology was primarily used for adolescent participants to gather data. The appraisal revealed the complexities inherent in conducting YPAR using technology across multiple sites, with different adults in supportive roles and varying levels of opportunities for adolescent engagement. Conclusions This review provides insights at the intersection of youth-led research and technology, highlighting opportunities in a changing technological landscape and the challenges of YPAR at scale.

Altares A., Sobel D., Hobbs S., Nelson T., Serpa M., Bellows L.

Background The Youth CAN (Change.Activity.Nutrition.) project engages and empowers adolescents to become agents of change for health within their community. Students become active researchers through youth-led participatory action research (YPAR), an innovative approach to youth-driven community assessment and project development. Objective To engage low-income, urban youth to identify an issue; connect with community stakeholders; and propose, develop, and implement a community-based project to promote healthy eating and active living. Study Design, Setting, Participants Two cohorts of high school students were recruited to conduct community assessments; cohort 1 (n = 20) consisted of students from a neighborhood high school and cohort 2 (n = 30) included participants in a summer leadership program at a local, non-profit organization. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Youth shared their experiences through multiple mediums of YPAR: PhotoVoice (photography), Spoken Word (poetry), and Street Art (graffiti-style artwork). Project themes were compiled and used to facilitate discussions between youth and community stakeholders using the World Café method. Perceived barriers and facilitators to healthy eating and active living were explored and discussion outputs were synthesized into common themes to determine potential community-based projects. Results Students' projects were displayed in an exhibit to inspire dialogue for the World Café. PhotoVoice (n = 32), Spoken Word (n = 8), and Street Art (n = 10) projects portrayed the lived experiences of youth in their community. The World Café consisted of discussions driven by youth (n = 20) with input from community stakeholders (n = 20). Themes included addressing the current school lunch environment, implementing community gardens, and introducing composting at schools. Students are currently working with community stakeholders and researchers to design and implement a community project. Conclusions Youth empowerment is fundamental in building connections within the community and yielding community projects to promote health. Future research efforts should incorporate multiple applications of YPAR into nutrition education programs to engage a broader youth audience.

Fuentes K., Mahajan S., Switzer S., Saroya G., Giannarakos A., Mansfield E.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a growing number of health researchers working with participatory visual methods (PVM) such as Photovoice and Digital Storytelling (DST) have shifted from in-person to online and hybrid settings. The purpose of this scoping review was to explore what the existing methodological literature tells us about these adaptations. Our review was oriented around two research questions: (1) What practices and adaptations have been implemented to create and deliver participatory visual methods projects, namely Photovoice and Digital Storytelling, in online and hybrid settings? (2) What are the ethical and equity considerations for promoting community member engagement in online PVM? We searched six international databases for peer-reviewed methodological articles published in all years, and a total of 32 articles met our inclusion criteria. Findings reveal that many adaptations were focused on methodological experimentation and extra planning and preparation. Ethical and equity considerations for promoting community member engagement focused on opportunities for flexible practice adaptations as well as recognizing potential tensions and tradeoffs. The review findings suggest that while there are reasons to be optimistic about the possibilities for increasing reach, accessibility and inclusivity in online PVM initiatives, ambiguities exist regarding participatory engagement, methodological adherence, and the sustainability and future of these methods in online settings. Future qualitative research should explore the experiences of PVM project teams along with further engagement with the post-pandemic literature as it emerges.

Wanjala E.S.

This article centers the experiences and voices of eight Kenyan youth climate change activists by highlighting how they navigate local and global challenges while engaging in climate change action. Specifically, this article examines how the activists are combating food insecurity and promoting biodiversity restoration by discussing findings from two projects. The first project is the Ondiri Wetland Botanical Garden, where youth activists have planted over 10,000 indigenous trees, of which about 58 are different species of trees native to the Kenyan highland community of Kikuyu, to counter biodiversity loss and alleviate the impact of climate change on flora and fauna. The second project is the One Million Trees for Kilifi project, where activists are planting orchards in various schools in Kilifi County in Kenya to mitigate the impact of climate change and end malnutrition among K-12 learners. Guided by the Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) methodology, this study counters the deficit and exclusionary narrative that has often left out young people from climate change education and governance policy decision-making and advocates a more equitable and inclusive approach that centers their voices and perspectives in solving existential problems like climate change.

Moghimi E., Belfry K., Farr S., Stafford S., Bogdan A., Brush M., Canning C., Kim S.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, youth in Ontario, Canada experienced a steep rise in mental health concerns. Preventative intervention programs can address the psychological impact of the pandemic on youth and build resiliency. Co-design approaches to developing such programs actively involve young people, resulting in solutions tailored to their unique needs. The current paper details the co-design approach to creating a Preventative Online Mental Health Program for Youth (POMHPY)—a virtually delivered program designed for Ontario youth ages 12 to 25 that promotes mental, physical, and social wellbeing. The Participatory Action Research (PAR) framework guided the development of the initiative. Literature reviews were conducted to identify existing evidence-based programs targeting youth. Youth perspectives were primarily gathered via the Youth Advisory Group, comprising a Youth Resilience Coordinator and a Youth Engagement Lead, who contributed to a literature review, surveys, focus groups, and program assets. Community insights were gathered through Community Reference Group (CRG) meetings, which engaged participants from local and provincial organizations, as well as individuals either directly representing or affiliated at arm's length with youth. A review of the current literature highlighted the importance of regular physical activity, social connectedness, good sleep hygiene, and healthy family relationships to emotional wellbeing. Survey findings informed program session length, duration, delivery, and activities. Focus groups expanded on the survey findings and provided an in-depth understanding of youth preferences for program delivery. CRG meetings captured community insights on program refinements to better meet the needs of youth. As such, the development of POMHPY was a collaborative effort among researchers, youth, and community partners. The findings highlight the value of co-design and PAR-informed approaches in developing youth-targeted online wellbeing programs, providing actionable insights for iterative improvements and future pilot testing. The resulting 6-week program, led by youth facilitators, will focus on teaching mental, social, and physical wellness strategies and skills through various evidence-based, interactive activities.

Guerrero G., Dobson J.

Collaborative and Participatory Research (CPR) presents different challenges for doctoral students, compared to other researchers. Even under ‘normal’ circumstances, engaging with CPR poses intricate practical and ethical challenges. For instance, understanding CPR or forming alliances to co-create knowledge can be particularly challenging. Moreover, the increasing popularity of CPR within universities is not always accompanied by sufficient training in these approaches for doctoral students. In this paper, we first present reflections on a participatory research project developed by one of the authors during the COVID-19 emergency. Specifically, we discuss the difficulties faced during their PhD fieldwork in Santiago, Chile, in 2020. One of the main obstacles was the need for a university network of peers to support and facilitate discussions regarding practical and ethical issues that emerged during the collaborative process. Secondly, we present our reflections on our shared experience of participating in and facilitating an interdisciplinary and inter-university reading group about CPR. This group was set up due to a need for more spaces to discuss CPR and an ongoing need for an in-person doctoral community in the hybrid post-lockdown world. We ask and reflect upon two questions: how can we negotiate the tensions involved in employing CPR during and after the COVID-19 emergency to produce an individual PhD thesis? How can an in-person community help us to navigate ethical and practical challenges? We suggest the significance of enabling community-driven, student-led spaces that foster interdisciplinary collaboration within universities. In particular, we advocate for dialogic spaces to discuss ethical issues and express shared vulnerabilities. We suggest that these spaces can help to nurture reflexive openness to new and unexpected possibilities in research. Such spaces are particularly important for tackling the complexities of CPR.

Mansfield E., Jalal N., Sanderson R., Shetty G., Hylton A., D’Silva C.

Abstract Background Digital storytelling is an arts-informed approach that engages short, first-person videos, typically three to five minutes in length, to communicate a personal narrative. Prior to the pandemic, digital storytelling initiatives in health services research were often conducted during face-to-face workshops scheduled over multiple days. However, throughout the COVID-19 lockdowns where social distancing requirements needed to be maintained, many digital storytelling projects were adapted to online platforms. Methods As part of a research project aiming to explore the day surgery treatment and recovery experiences of women with breast cancer in Peel region, we decided to pivot our digital storytelling process to an online format. During the process, we observed that the online digital storytelling format had multiple opportunities and challenges to implementation. Results This paper outlines our promising practices and lessons learned when designing and implementing an online digital storytelling project including pre-production, production and post-production considerations. Conclusions We provide lessons learned for future teams intending to conduct an online digital storytelling project.

Morgan K.Y., Christens B.D., McCormick M.L.

Empowerment processes refer to people and groups taking collective action to gain greater control over their lives and environments. This article provides an ecological view of adolescent empowerment processes, with an emphasis on organizational settings. We describe three approaches that can catalyze adolescent empowerment processes: associations, participatory action research, and community organizing. We then describe features that characterize empowering community settings, drawing on examples from a youth organizing initiative. Creating more of these settings and establishing the setting features discussed in this article will be key to a more just and equitable future.

Matos F.A., Alves F.M., Roebeling P., Mendonça R., Mendes R., López-Maciel M., Vizinho A.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that spread through the world in 2020 had a major effect on academia. Research projects relying on participatory methods and action research approaches were especially harmed by the restrictions and changes the situation imposed. This study performs a rapid literature review to identify common themes in the narratives of published studies concerning the difficulties of carrying-out participatory research during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perceptions and experiences of the authors of these studies are compiled and summarized. Additionally, insights and lessons learned from two projects in which the authors of this study participated are discussed and used to establish a comparison with the common challenges found in the literature. Over 90% of authors experienced challenges related to digitalization and methodological changes, 70% encountered difficulties with organizational and operational aspects of research, and over 30% felt that personal challenges, as well as issues with participatory aspects of research, were significant. On a positive note, almost 40% of authors from our sample recognize that the pandemic also brought unexpected benefits, such as a reduction in logistical expenses, and the creation of new opportunities for participation. This study adds to the growing body of literature regarding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the research community. Additionally, it comments on the adaptation of participatory action research methods for added sustainability and social inclusion in the face of global crises.