Traces one program's history in facilitating grassroots community development. Focuses specifically on group methods by which indigenous peoples can carry out their own developments to relieve the effects of poverty. Discusses effective social, economic, and cultural development. (Author/NB)

Describes Project HELP, an innovative community self-help program in Nashville, Tennessee which was developed in response to the inability of certain populations to pay their utility bills, and which is staffed primarily with volunteers and funded exclusively through contributions. Reports on the program's first five years of operation, and…

Five case studies of individual and collective learning projects in India demonstrate that (1) the impetus for civic action arises from local conditions; (2) transformative action requires sustained adult learning; and (3) civil society is a complex concept reflecting diverse priorities and perspectives. (SK)

Argues that small-group mutual aid organizations are successful voluntary associations that attract members even in our individualistic and commodity-driven culture because they provide valuable collective benefits that can only be enjoyed in common. Small groups as a source of social capital have implications for the study of helping…

The experiences of the Windsor, Ontario, Canada, chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), in its development and progress through the grief-anger-social action continuum, are described. This article also portrays a model for problem resolution which emphasizes incorporating the respective strengths and efficiencies of self-help groups and…

Discusses emergent citizen groups at the local community level: how they operate in disasters, their characteristics at emergency and nonemergency times, other types of emergence, and implications for emergency management. (CT)

Presents a case study of participatory evaluation which suggests an evaluation method which not only provides meaningful data for decision makers but also provides important feedback to the community. Shows the steps leading to self-evaluation workshops and reviews the evaluation methods that were utilized. (Author/CT)

Traces the history of self-help in the African American community, with emphasis on services and programs for children. Claims that the traditions of self-help are very much alive in the African American community, and are manifest in a range of activities. Illustrates contemporary models of self-help from the example of one adoption agency. (MOK)

Describes individual, community, organizational, and college examples of efforts to promote sobriety and recovery from alcoholism among Native Americans. Discusses a sobriety movement tenet that alcoholism threatens the entire tribe and requires collective action. Highlights links with a broader movement for spiritual and cultural renewal. (DMM)

Examines the success of a Shuswap Indian community in reducing its alcoholism rate from 95 percent to 5 percent. Analyzes and categorizes the community organization methods used by tribal members in relation to the methods of Rothman and Tropman, Alinsky, and Freire. Contains 13 references. (SV)

A New Mexico foundation helps primarily Hispanic and American Indian communities restore adobe churches by supplying technical assistance and matching grants. Community leadership of the projects enhances volunteer commitment. The projects build community cohesiveness and pride, maintain local culture, foster intergenerational relations, teach…

NativeSUN, an enterprise to install solar energy systems on Hopi and Navajo reservations, is the star project of the Hopi Foundation, a home-grown nonprofit organization that fosters self-sufficiency and culturally compatible development in Hopi communities. Other projects include preservation of ceremonial Clan houses, support for indigenous…

The Fresno County Refugee Health Volunteer Project enables individuals, families, and community groups to meet their health care needs. In spite of various problems, valuable progress has been made since 1984. The program is a model approach to health care which builds on the strength and skills of the community. (VM)

In 1979, the Learning Enrichment Foundation was established with assistance from the York Board of Education, as a not-for-profit community development corporation devoted to the promotion of multicultural arts enrichment, the provision of child care services, and mounting employment-training schemes, particularly for youth. The group's…

The recent public discussion of self-help within the African-American community is examined in light of the Reagan administration's rhetoric about reducing the federal government's role in providing social welfare. An alternative perspective is offered on African-American self-reliance in the postindustrial managerial society. (SLD)