Dissertation Proposal Defense by Corey Pahanish

Dissertation Proposal Defense by Corey Pahanish

Date and Time

Monday, April 11, 2016

This event occurred in the past

  • Monday, April 11, 2016 at 1:00 p.m.

Location

Mother Rosalie Hill Hall, 201

5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110

Cost

Free*

Sponsor(s)

Details


MINDFULLY IMPACTING TRANSFORMATION: MINDFULNESS STRATEGIES FOR AN ADULT LEADERSHIP ACADEMY IN A LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY

Committee:

Zachary Gabriel Green, PhD, Chair
Fred J. Galloway, EdD, Member
Frank R. Kemerer, PhD, Member

Abstract

     Linda Vista is a diverse community where the scope of cultural multiplicity varies as much as the economic levels. U.S. Census data indicate that neighborhoods within Linda Vista are among the most diverse communities in San Diego. Contrasting groups characterize the community. One group is an immigrant population of Mexican and Vietnamese immigrants who also tend to be of lower income. The other face of Linda Vista is university-aged students and young professionals. Data also suggest that the former of these two groups has significantly higher levels of poverty, with a median income of $29,422. The other segment of the community has a median income of $108,652. This disparity produces tension and creates the illusion that the community as a whole is thriving.
     A community center in Linda Vista, with a mission to empower its diverse community, works with the distressed, immigrant, and impoverished population to create opportunities for leadership and to promote community action. Through this community center, the Resident Leadership Academy (RLA) program, a county-sponsored initiative, recruits grassroots community leaders who are committed to making a difference by addressing community-identified issues. While RLA trainings are focused on tangible issues, the program’s graduates expressed the need for ongoing training that would allow them to cope with the stressors created by poverty. Through a reciprocal partnership with the local university, the graduates of the RLA have been accepted to audit the university’s courses as part of a new leadership program titled the Cooperative Leadership Academy.
     Literature suggests that those from impoverished backgrounds often experience tremendous stress in novel environments. Anecdotal evidence and literature also indicate high levels of poverty create a range of stressors from those who are from communities such as Linda Vista. These stressors have serious psychological, health, economic, and employment consequences. This mixed methods study explores the use of mindfulness strategies to help the community leaders address these stressors and better integrate into the university setting. Using existing archival data, this study further explores whether such strategies increase the capacity of the members to make optimal use of the opportunities offered through these university courses.