This manual describes an educational program for helping rural, small community leaders, decision-makers, and residents analyze their communities, think about alternatives, and plan economic development action strategies. The program is an effort to help communities explore short- and long-term development strategies, gain a vision of their…

Many communities are unaware of the power they have and are therefore unfamiliar with how to use it. This document, by the Regeneration Project in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, is directed toward helping community leaders identify and develop opportunities that will help them expand their businesses, employment, and tax base, and improve their overall…

The community networking model presented in this report was prepared to aid community members in strenthening and developing the networking process among business, community service agencies, government, churches, arts, recreation, and education. The model is designed to be used in a workshop in which participants are grouped in teams of…

More people than ever are using coastal waters for recreation and business activities and living along the shores. This puts more pressure on natural resources and creates more conflicts between the people using the resources. This guidebook is designed to help citizens develop an understanding of how coastal management works. Four chapters in…

A mini-conference on rural schools and community development brought together experts in rural community, rural education, and economic development to brainstorm ideas for collaborative projects and produce a helpful conceptual design for use both by rural communities and their schools. This document offers a synthesis and overview of the experts'…

The main objective of this Handbook is to build the capacities of facilitators and other literacy and non-formal education personnel to promote learning and development at the community level. It aims at developing their skills and knowledge in literacy training, while sensitising them to issues that are at the very heart of adult literacy and…

This document is designed to help states and communities develop technical assistance relationships and secure assistance that is responsive to the unique needs of the jurisdiction being served. It is based on the experiences of individuals who have studied and participated in service integration efforts at the state and community levels. It draws…

This document presents a step-by-step approach to a community development process for addressing child care needs in rural Canada. Part 1 of the document introduces the need for child care in rural areas in Canada and describes challenges to meetings those needs. This section also presents the principles underlying community development and…

The California Main Street Program (MSP) provides technical assistance to rural communities facing rapid growth and downtown decay, serving as a vehicle for local stimulation and revitalization of downtown area businesses. This five-part handbook presents strategies for creating partnerships between California's MSPs and the state's community…

This document is intended to assist local authorities in England and Wales who are interested in forming local strategic partnerships (LSPs) with the community and voluntary sectors. Section 1 presents the following guidelines for LSPs when developing a community strategy to meet local priorities: (1) have each local area prepare a plan to improve…

This manual collects experiences of successful linkage programs to demonstrate the promise of linkage and to show its limits and risks. It is intended to help communities assess the capacity of linkage to meet their needs and evaluate the considerable commitment this strategy requires. (In linkage programs, developers who receive community…