Almost everyone is familiar with the African saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." However, there are very few "villages" that actually engage in this practice. The educational assets of the village include the knowledge of neighborhood residents, the clubs, groups, and associations that are citizen-based learning…

Sara McAlister, in her article "Why Community Engagement Matters in School Turnaround," in this issue (p35-42) of "Voices in Urban Education," lays out the strong research base showing that family and community participation is a crucial resource not only for individual student achievement, but also for catalyzing and…

All corners of the media are scrutinising David Cameron's "Big Society", from every conceivable angle. While the concept has caught the public's imagination, the greater challenge of fleshing out what the Big Society will actually offer and require of communities is unfinished business. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations…

Six community builders in Edmonton, Alberta, planned, developed, and implemented Listen and Learn II, a reflective research project in asset-based community building, over a 6-month period in 1998. They met regularly over 2 months to plan the research and design a method that was open to participation at any stage, encouraged exchange of…

This demonstration project in school health and nutrition services is designed to show that through a coordinated team approach, students from low-income neighborhoods can be better served and improved utilization of existing community resources can be effected. To accomplish this goal, the following five basic programs have been developed and…

New voluntary agencies have grown out of the social changes of the 1960s. These grass-roots organizations, such as coffee houses, legal aid societies, and community counseling centers, differ in program style and attitude from traditional social agencies and may be more effective with alienated and cynical young people. (SJL)

Since the late 1980s, a network of community museums has spread throughout Oaxaca (Mexico), serving as an autonomous force for broad-based cultural development, supporting the maintenance and revitalization of local Indigenous cultures, countering Western cultural hegemony, and involving Indigenous communities in museum development and related…

Suggests strategies for reviving small rural communities. Discusses community development meetings, developing effective leadership, and involving youth and women. Discusses importance of development programs, effective media, good educational systems, and other community institutions. Emphasizes important role of local youth programs, schools,…

This publication describes what approximately 100 groups around the country are doing with regard to food, housing, energy, and health to beat inflation on the neighborhood level. The book is intended as a resource for citizens wishing to take the kind of consumer action that will save them and their neighbors money. Some of the programs featured…

Describes the support given by a Miami (Florida) area chamber of commerce to a group of junior high school students starting a school-based junior chamber of commerce. Visits by chamber members to the school and by students to chamber meetings and local businesses were part of the program. (PGD)

This study of the present and future library needs of residents of Stafford County, Virginia, with emphasis on the North Stafford areas, includes a review of demographic statistics and recommendations for library services. The currently increasing population is highly dependent on the automobile for transportation, and recommendations for library…

Describes how community resources for French have been identified and utilized in Louisville, Kentucky, over a 10-year period. Those resources include the university, public libraries, art museums, planetariums, and local theatre. Organizations such as the Alliance Francaise, Amicale Francaise, and historical societies have provided additional…

This monograph is devoted to the Association of Junior Leagues (AJL), which is involved in both community voluntarism in career education and promotion of the concept of voluntarism. (Membership is composed of young adult women.) It begins with a presentation of the basic nature of AJL aimed at providing initial insights into its potential for use…

A comprehensive community approach to the problem of spouse assault involves education of a grassroots community organization, legal incorporation, establishing organizational goals and plans, publicity, state coalition of all such community groups, and new legislation. Such an approach led to the establishment of Michigan's Domestic Violence…

CHOICES, a community model, was developed to be used by community organizations serving young women. The ultimate goal was to develop programs, using local resource persons, to help young women recognize and take advantage of the many options available to them in preparation for a fulfilling career. Other activities of the CHOICES project staff…