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A number of reports on child sexual exploitation (CSE) have pointed to the importance of community awareness raising as a preventative measure, a means of extending the reach of CSE services and widening the scope of social responsibility to protect children. However, little has been said about how to undertake such activities; how to do this well and the potential pitfalls to avoid. The purpose of this paper is to draw out critical questions about the notion of community and highlight what can be learnt from historical debates about multiculturalist practice. While the paper does not focus solely on ethnic minority communities, the authors do take stock of pertinent points from that literature in relation to issues of engagement, power and representation and applicable learning for awareness raising around CSE. In the second half of the paper, the authors consider the issue of awareness raising within communities. The authors draw on the limited literature on community awareness raising in CSE, contextualising this with reference to relevant learning from other pertinent bodies of work, to reflect on implications for practice.

This is a conceptual paper based on a review of various bodies of literature. The first half reviews the literature about community, community engagement, and multiculturalism as policy and practice. The second half draws evidence from the literature on forms of awareness raising on CSE and other sensitive social issues to discuss implications for practice arising from the authors’ reflections on the literature.

The review produces three key findings. First, the need to transfer historic insights into the limits of “community” and multiculturalism and apply these to the emergent field of CSE. Second, despite theoretical distinctions between “community” and “society”, evidence from the literature suggests that the term “community” is being applied more generally to refer to a wide range of events and practices. Third, the authors conclude with some points about what may work well for CSE professionals developing work in this field; that is, clear aims and objectives, nuanced approaches and targeted messages.

This is an under-researched area where there are currently no published evaluations of community awareness raising interventions for CSE. Effective evidence-based strategies for engaging communities are urgently needed for CSE prevention work to be extended in positive ways which protect those affected.

This paper is original in drawing insights from historical debates about multiculturalist practice to inform thinking on community awareness raising on CSE. It makes a valuable contribution by bringing together insights from a number of distinct bodies of literature in ways which can inform practice.

This article considers the effectiveness of two one‐day events designed to raise awareness of The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) in BME communities. The events were held using specially developed materials and were evaluated with the help of a 12‐item questionnaire. The results of the evaluation showed that there was an increase in the proportion of correct responses for 10 of the 12 questions after attending awareness‐raising events. The total score for all correct responses on the 12‐item questionnaire significantly increased after attending the awareness‐raising events. Collectively, the findings suggest that the awareness‐raising events were able to improve awareness of the MCA among representatives of BME communities. Such awareness‐raising events should be encouraged by health and social care providers

The purpose of this paper is to present a study of age management in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK.

Qualitative data collection and exploratory research with six SMEs comprising of: initial interviews with representatives from the SMEs; action research activities designed to raise awareness of age management issues and age discrimination legislation; and follow‐up interviews to ascertain if awareness raising activities resulted in any changes, or planned changes, in policy, practice and attitudes towards older workers.

Good practice in age management can be found in SMEs, but was not found to be part of a systematic strategy. Negative practices and attitudes towards older workers are observed, with positive and negative age stereotypes coexisting. Negative stereotypes displayed can undermine the perceived economic value of older workers. There may be a gap between policy and practice, but awareness raising campaigns that reach employers can influence existing ways of working by showing the benefits of an age diverse workforce and helping reduce prejudices against older workers.

The sample size is small and context specific. However, the study usefully illustrates different approaches to age management policies and practices in SMEs, and the potential benefits of age management awareness in influencing attitudes and practices towards older workers in SMEs.

The experience of age management in SMEs is under researched and examples of good practice in age management are often drawn from large organisations. The paper highlights that SMEs often lack the resources to seek advice regarding age management; therefore, those responsible for age management awareness raising activities may need to approach businesses directly.

This paper examines three approaches to increasing awareness in an academic setting: a discussion session, a checklist and a web based tutorial. All three are found to be effective in raising motivation and understanding of security because they present the issues in an accessible, interesting way. The research for the paper was funded by the JISC Committee for Awareness, Liaison and Training as part of a project on the human and organisational issues associated with network security. http://litc.sbu.ac.uk/calt/

The purpose of this paper is to summarise the authors' experience in furthering the educative use of Information Technology and the internet in the primary schools of northeast Portugal. The main goal of the Programme “Internet in Schools” is the development of Information Technology in Portuguese schools. It focuses on the use of the technology, rather than on its immediate pedagogical use. The characteristics of the target regions help in understanding this aim: teachers and students, as well as the population in general, were largely unaware of the potential of IT in general.

The project, the first and still the largest of its kind in Portugal, ultimately involved 1,137 schools, more than 1,700 teachers, and roughly 13,000 pupils. It was decided to centre the training process in the schools and communities themselves. The methodology implemented is distributed rather than centralised, and involves a series of school visits interspersed with training sessions.

The transfer of the training process from the university campus to the schools and communities themselves allowed for a very high degree of teacher participation. The first school visit was vital, allowing for the creation of a strong feeling of empathy between the trainer and the teachers and pupils. This was undoubtedly one of the main factors that lead to an easier and more enthusiastic participation from the teachers. The efforts to put theory into practice in the classrooms were rewarded by a quicker rate of acceptance of IT in the classroom. The use of the internet, namely of web services and e‐mail, was stimulated through the various training and awareness raising sessions (supported by Netmobiles) directed at the community in general. Such sessions enabled many individuals in the region to have their first contact with and experience of IT. This constitutes a sound and valuable contribution in terms of awareness raising, training and development towards IT in the region. The following factors played a very important role in the achievement of the goals: the training team was always present or could be easily contacted; both teachers and pupils contributed with material and resources; there was a continuous exchange of experiences; a vast number of individuals and entities participated in the project.

This was the first and still the largest approach of its kind in Portugal, and this is the only paper purposing and describing the used methodology in detail and the main conclusions reached.

Violence and abuse often occur within the immediate family. However, violence against older women in families is still a taboo topic and professionals who work in community health and social services are often the only persons who have access to the target group. The purpose of this article is to describe research results and a training course developed within two linked European projects.

Both projects were divided into a research and a practical phase. In the first project, data were gathered via a literature review and interviews with health and social services staff. Additionally, a short survey of health and social services organisations, about what provisions they had for dealing with abuse against older women within families, was conducted. In Breaking the Taboo Two, research on existing training material for health care staff concerning violence against older women within families was carried out. Analysis of this material formed the basis for designing a two‐day training workshop for staff members in nine modules on aspects like defining and recognizing violence as well as intervention, cooperating with other organisations and caring for oneself.

A total of 14 trial workshops were carried out in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Portugal and Slovenia in September and October 2011. The target groups ranged from nurses, home helps, care assistants and social workers to Red Cross volunteers from visiting services and crisis intervention. It was established that the topic is very relevant to the participants' work; however, it became clear that this is a very sensitive topic and participants need time to be able to talk openly about such sensitive issues. It also became clear that offering such workshops is an important pillar in developing service providers' policies and procedures concerning violence against older women and can contribute well to networking in this field.

No specific training courses on violence against older women for staff of health and social services could be found until now. This article highlights two projects that deal with raising awareness and training in this field. It also includes findings from a number of European countries that participated in the projects and combines findings gained from research and practical experience.

This paper aims to the environmental awareness raising as a key issue of education for sustainable development. Youth Environmental Volunteers Movement in the area of coastal oil response operations in St. Petersburg is presented in this paper as a successful initiative in the field of environmental awareness through universities and city authorities’ cooperation.

The main approach is to explore ways of environmental awareness raising through the cooperation between universities and city authorities in practice. It is shown as a system of preparation by environmental volunteers for oil recovery operations in the coastal zone of the Baltic Sea. The use of a voluntary rescue movement as an organization for support state authorities is investigated.

The program for environmental volunteers' tuition was created due to mutual cooperation between universities and state authorities. The purpose is to give necessary knowledge to and skills required by experts and young people on how to run together rescue and oil spill response operations. Practical field trainings with simulated oil accidents were realized in situ on the coastal zone of the Gulf of Finland.

Coastal oil recovery operations are the key responsibility of state authorities and professional organizations in all countries around the Baltic Sea. Active involvement of young people in public participation helps to solve environmental problems at local and regional levels.

The Environmental Committee, City of St. Petersburg together with universities, provided practical implementation of the Youth Environmental Volunteers Movement. It contributes to the improvement of the marine environment and gives a necessary experience for implementation of new initiatives in the field of sustainable education and environmental protection in the Baltic Sea region.

This paper aims to present the evaluation of a self-paced tool, CyberSecurity Coach (CYSEC), and discuss the adoption of CYSEC for cybersecurity capability improvement in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Cybersecurity is increasingly a concern for SMEs. Previous literature has explored the role of tools for awareness raising. However, few studies validated the effectiveness and usefulness of cybersecurity tools for SMEs in real-world practices.

This study is built on a qualitative approach to investigating how CYSEC is used in SMEs to support awareness raising and capability improvement. CYSEC was placed in operation in 12 SMEs. This study first conducted a survey study and then nine structured interviews with chief executive officers (CEOs) and chief information security officers (CISO).

The results emphasise that SMEs are heterogeneous. Thus, one cybersecurity solution may not suit all SMEs. The findings specify that the tool’s adoption varied quite widely. Four factors are primary determinants influencing the adoption of CYSEC: personalisation features, CEOs’ or CISOs’ awareness level, CEOs’ or CISOs’ cybersecurity and IT knowledge and skill and connection to cybersecurity expertise.

This empirical study provides new insights into how a self-paced tool has been used in SMEs. This study advances the understanding of cybersecurity activities in SMEs by studying the adoption of CYSEC. Moreover, this study proposes significant dimensions for future research.

What strides have been made to increase the participation of women in the work force? Should we be concerned particularly about women's place in our industries and organisations, and if so, what can be done to improve it? This article outlines the aims, approaches, achievements and future plans of a group which has been involved for the past seven years in promoting the development of women through training as a means of improving the position of women in employment.

Because food waste is a serious problem today, society is currently aiming for more responsible consumption to minimize it, as defined in the 12th goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This study aims to examine whether an informative initiative can help to raise university students’ awareness of food waste consequences.

The initiative consisted of explaining the problem of food waste to students of two marketing subject modules within economics and business administration degrees and asking them to participate in an activity in which they analyzed their own behavior. To assess its impact, two questionnaires about the students’ food waste behaviors were administered, before and after the initiative, adopting an experimental design.

The results show that the information and awareness activities were successful, because, after the initiative, the students were more aware about the food waste problem and its consequences and were more critical of their behavior regarding the management of leftovers at home.

Despite some circumstances under which the study was conducted (the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown), the practical and social implications are relevant.

This study offers some interesting practical implications for educational institutions that want to inform and train students in more responsible consumption behavior. It shows that an initiative in which students are involved, like collecting data about food waste, in their homes with a diary, and informative sessions can be useful to increase students’ awareness of food waste to behave in a more sustainable way.

These findings may be of interest to academics for designing initiatives that try to train and educate young people in making more responsible personal and professional decisions.

This study analyzes the impact of an awareness-raising initiative about food waste in higher education, which is a relatively neglected topic in the literature.