This article describes the environmental education (EE) program developed in the neighboring community of Serra da Canastra National Park based on a research project focused on the maned wolf conservation. The article assesses three tools used to foster the community's participation in discussing local issues: (1) communal production of a book…

Part of a series on economic recovery strategies and techniques for assessing, managing, and mitigating the impacts of economic decline resulting from plant closures, substantial layoffs, or plant relocation, this paper presents a model local leaders can use to analyze, plan, and organize activities. As a means of illustrating the kinds of impacts…

This guide is written for teenagers who may be considering becoming active in their communities. It explains ways teens can increase their power and effectiveness in community life and some of the things they will encounter along the way. It begins by emphasizing the importance of community service, illustrating the ways that teens already may be…

Rural economic development presents a paradox of growth in population and jobs without corresponding improvement in local economic well-being. Four forces may impede nonmetropolitan development efforts. Growth of multiestablishment corporations makes traditional regional economic development models unrealistic. Rural industrialization is socially,…

While most rural special education leaders agree on the universality of certain problems (funding inadequacies, personnel recruitment/retention, transportation, low-incidence handicapped populations, staff development needs, resistance to change) in rural areas, no agreement exists regarding generalizable solutions which will work in all rural…

Human service agencies, including public schools and institutions of higher education, are playing an increasingly dominant role in the lives of all citizens, especially the poor. The increasingly bureaucratic nature of these agencies has been contributing to the continued powerlessness and dependence of their growing clientele. The perception by…

Popular theatre that speaks to the common man in his own language and deals with directly relevant problems can be an effective adult education tool in the process Paulo Freire calls conscientization--a process aiming to radically transform social reality and improve people's lives. It can also serve as a medium for participatory research. Popular…

The development of a model network for team leadership by the University of Akron and community agencies is described. The major program objectives were to increase understanding of: interpersonal and intragroup dynamics; organizational development and collaborative planned change; and issues at the local, regional, and national levels that relate…