Category: Masters Theses

Title: Walking a tightrope: Latina immigrants in Worcester

Author: Miller, Kristen Marie

Date: May 2002

Description: Master’s Paper, Clark University, Department of International Development and Social Change

This research examines the strategies used by twelve Latina immigrants in Worcester, Massachusetts to navigate structural obstacles to success. The findings indicate these strategies allow Latinas to adapt to mainstream American society while preserving their own culture’s habits, customs and traditions whenever possible.

Keywords: Latin Americans, women immigrants, social adaptation

Cataloged by: Peter Nelson/ B. J. Perkins

Title: Land of plenty? : Vietnamese neighborhoods in Worcester, MA

Author: Donin, Amy

Date: May 2012

Description: Master’s Paper, Clark University, Department of International Development, Community and Environment

This research study of the Vietnamese community in Worcester, Massachusetts examines their neighborhood locations in the city and whether they have the qualities of traditional ethnic enclaves. Driven largely by informant interviews, it then analyzes the social and material benefits available to this population. The author finds that although many in the Vietnamese community in Worcester are upwardly mobile and integrated into the greater Worcester community, a large portion are struggling and in need of services. The paper concludes that a better understanding of the gaps in service, particularly in terms of language, will allow city agencies and local service organizations to better respond to the unmet needs of the growing Vietnamese population so they can more fully adapt to life in the U.S.

Keywords: Vietnamese, communication barriers, social adaptation

Cataloged by: Peter Nelson/ B. J. Perkins

Title: Uncovering the gap: A study of organizations’ perspectives of and responses to violence against immigrant women in Worcester, Massachusetts

Author: Byrne, Sarah E.

Date: May 2008

Description: Master’s Paper, Clark University, Department of International Development, Community and Environment

The paper explores the perceptions of and responses to violence against immigrant women by anti-violence and immigrant organizations in Worcester, Massachusetts. The author conducted interviews with leaders of these organizations in order to identify the gaps in extending services to immigrant women by examining the structural violence deeply embedded in their organizations.  The author concludes that organizations can begin to bridge the gap between their perceptions and responses by increasing cultural sensitivity, building partnerships between themselves and immigrant communities and critically assessing the structural violence within their own organizations.

Keywords: women, immigrants, violence against women, immigrant women

Cataloged by: Peter Nelson/ B. J. Perkins

Title: A marketing plan for the Bahati Mamas

Author: Gallardo, Adriana

Date: May 2014

Description: Master’s Paper, Clark University, Department of International Development, Community and Environment and Graduate School of Management

Refugee farmers are important and often overlooked actors who contribute to the local agricultural industry. This paper explores the entrepreneurial opportunities available to immigrants and refugees participating in small scale agricultural programs in San Diego County and identifies small farming enterprises as vehicles to achieve social and economic self-sufficiency. The author used a combination of primary and secondary data including qualitative interviews with representatives of farming organizations working with refugees and immigrants in the Bronx (New York) Worcester and Lowell (Massachusetts) and Portland (Maine). The paper provides a case study of Bahati Mamas, a Somali Bantu women’s cooperative in San Diego that is contributing to the local food movement through small scale farming. The report concludes with a marketing plan for Bahati Mamas that recommends some short and long-term strategies to expand their market reach.

Keywords: refugee farmers, farming, food production, entrepreneur, Somali Bantu, San Diego, CA

Cataloged by: Selina Sikder/ B. J. Perkins

Title: From sheeps and tobacco to pizza and pancakes: Greek immigrant entrepreneurs in Worcester’s food business

Author: Lenis, Catherin

Date: May 2014

Description: Master’s Paper, Clark University, Department of International Development, Community and Environment

This paper explores the phenomenon of Greek immigrant food entrepreneurs in Worcester, Massachusetts. Throughout the twentieth century major waves of Greeks immigrated to Worcester and through the process of kinship migration and familial networks gravitated towards specific business niches. This study examines the high volume of Greek owned pizza places and diners in Worcester from the late 1980s to the present as one such business niche. The hard work of the Greek immigrants and familial support led them to entrepreneurial success in the food business. However, all participants in this study emphasized the importance of education for their children and for their continued success in reaching their goals.

Keywords: Greek immigrants, business niche, food entrepreneur, pizza

Cataloged by: Selina Sikder/ B. J. Perkins

Title: Using the PEERS program to decrease isolation among elderly refugees in Worcester, MA

Author: Goldner, Deanna

Date: May 2013

Description: Master’s Paper, Clark University, Department of International Development, Community and Environment

This paper explores the problem of isolation of elderly refugees in Worcester, Massachusetts. It also looks at the role resettlement agencies play in that isolation. To explore the status of the city of Worcester, the study analyzed mental health programs for refugees in the United States and outlined the best practices and gaps in services for refugees suffering from mental illness. The author highlights the challenges of western based diagnosis and perceptions of mental illness in a multicultural context. The report concludes that an expanded PEERS program (Program to Enhance Elderly Refugee Services) will be most effective in combating elderly isolation and providing positive mental health outcomes with elderly clients in Worcester.

Keywords: refugees, mental health, suicide, multicultural, PEERS, geriatric health

Cataloged by: Selina Sikder/ B. J. Perkins

Title: Enhancing health promotion through community collaboration: Working with Ghanaian and Liberian immigrants in in Worcester, MA

Author: Parmenter, Sarah

Date: May 2008

Description: Master’s Paper, Clark University, Department of International Development, Community and Environment

This paper provides research into the Liberian and Ghanaian immigrant populations in Worcester and how they make health care choices. By way of interviews with members of these immigrant populations as well as with community leaders and community health care providers, the research sheds light on the context of health care choices and strategies for effective health promotion. The author discusses multiple interacting issues involved in health choices and concludes that approaches to effective health promotion within these communities should be collaborative in nature among health centers, community groups and the immigrant populations.

Keywords: refugees, health care, health education, community health workers, resettlement

Cataloged by: Amy Totten/ B. J. Perkins

Title: Connecting the dots: An evaluation of Worcester’s coordinated community response network to end domestic violence

Author: Getto, Erica Leigh

Date: May 2010

Description: Master’s Paper, Clark University, Department of International Development, Community and Environment

This paper evaluates the current successes and challenges of the Coordinated Community Response Network (CCRN), which is an active coalition of organizations and institutions in Worcester, Massachusetts working to respond to and end domestic violence. The author reviews best practices of response networks in other parts of the U.S. and supplies data obtained from both semi-informal interviews with CCRN members and from participant observation at CCRN roundtable meetings. Five key successes and challenges are identified along with recommendations for further operation of the network in pursuit of their mission.

Keywords: domestic violence, refugees, community response network

Cataloged by: Amy Totten/ B. J. Perkins

Title: Mental health of Iraqi refugee women in Worcester, Massachusetts

Author: Almadbooh, Ronza

Date: May 2014

Description: Master’s Paper, Clark University, Department of International Development, Community and Environment

This paper investigates the mental health of Iraqi refugee women from the Mandaean sect who live in Worcester, MA. Qualitative data was gathered through focus groups and interviews with Iraqi women refugees of various ages. Two research questions framed the interviews. What happened to the women’s lives when they became refugees in Worcester, Massachusetts after the Iraq war in 2003? What are the challenges they faced during their resettlement in the city? The author argues that poverty, difficult lived conditions and disrupted social cohesion have negatively influenced the mental health of the interviewed women, resulting in increased stress, anxiety and depression.

Keywords: refugees, community groups, immigration services, refugee services, refugee health, mental health, resettlement.

Cataloged by: Amy Totten/ B. J. Perkins

Title: Remaking home: The importance of engagement in agricultural livelihood activities for resettled refugees

Author: Penkala, Kristen

Date: May 2014

Description: Master’s Paper, Clark University, Department of International Development, Community and Environment

Forced displacement separates individuals from their homes, land and livelihoods. This study explores the experience of resettled refugees in the U.S. who were farmers in their homeland and the impact of their reconnecting to the land through farming in the U.S. The study uses the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach to assess the importance of the project. Based on a combination of participant observation and informal and in-depth interviews with the resettled refugees on New Land Farm in Worcester, Massachusetts, the author identifies the factors that enable refugees to feel “at home” through livelihood activities. The findings emphasize the importance of livelihood for individuals during their transition to a new home.  The author concludes that resettlement agencies need to reevaluate their programs and include participation in familiar livelihoods.   

Keywords: refugees, resettlement, farming, livelihood, sustainable livelihoods

Cataloged by: Selina Sikder/Peter Nelson/ B. J. Perkins