The concept of Big Society provides inspiration--working "bottom up" to promote "collective action, reciprocity and a new, more engaged relationship between local people and public services". With so much written about the theory of the Big Society, this seems like an ideal time to put a little more practical detail into the mix. The authors argue…

Through cross-disciplinary and participatory processes involving key stakeholders from the Zambian education sector, as well as from the traditional leadership structure, a localized HIV/AIDS-prevention strategy, Interactive School and Community Approach (ISACA), was developed and implemented throughout one province between 2002 and 2006. The…

The purpose of this report is to disseminate the findings from an analysis of the proposals submitted by English councils under the Sustainable Communities Act for England 2007 (SCA), conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) in August/September 2009, as requested by the Local Government Association (LGA). It aims to…

Colleges established in urban and rural areas can aid in community and regional development. The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to describe the social and economic impact of the college on various communities, and second, to predict institution-related inputs that are basic to this impact. Important factors in community development…

This booklet presents ideas based on actions taken by community leaders to recruit new and emerging leaders to join in the improvement of a community. The discussion includes: (1) asking the question "who's not here?" to make sure the community organization is representative; (2) looking for skills, not names to discover leadership…

Discusses the Gulbenkian Rhetoric (which sees the purpose of community work as inducing and enabling people to adapt to changed circumstances), outlines different models of change in respect to policy, social relations, and politics, discusses middle-range factors which influence change, and outlines the relevance of the 'social movements'…

Community educators need to provide grassroots leadership training, as can be seen by an examination of five points. First, a positive relationship exists between the quality of participation and the quality of leadership. Leadership should aim for team-directed action that meets member interests and concerns in the team's environment. Shared…

A new county extension agent, having community development responsibilities, will be concerned with identifying projects, organizing for action, identifying key people for the projects, and identifying the resources needed to undertake new initiatives. Three methods of community action planning are discussed step by step. The social action process…

This published dissertation discusses the community development process as applied to urban black ghettoes. It provides extensive documentation on the many issues, concepts, and procedures in the field of community development. The method employed in collecting the data is a through review of existing literature in the topical areas for relevance…

Illustrates historically and politically how geography and ethnicity melded together to provide the foundation for a community consciousness that ultimately evolved into a unique form of community organization in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood. Examines how external structures, internal arrangements, housing patterns, and ethnic patterns…

Since the 1970s, participatory development has become part and parcel of most practitioner-oriented development studies programs. This reflects a shift in the field of development that has been going on for the past few decades. "Participatory Rural Appraisal" (PRA) is one approach to participatory development that has received much…

The workbook which was the subject of this evaluation was prepared to aid disenfranchised community groups participate in the nonprofessional planning and decisionmaking process. It was written at a time when extensive technical assistance to local groups concerned with community planning and housing situations was envisioned. The intent behind…

Rural and economic development efforts are inadequate responses to changing rural conditions. They fail because they are often top-down driven and few influential people are involved. Minnesota's Project Future is designed to help distressed communities take charge of their own direction. Developed on the principle of collective empowerment, this…

This paper focuses on defining and comparing four approaches for identifying the community's power actors. It outlines how professional change agents might use each of the four approaches to identify community power actors who are relevant for community development. The four approaches include the positional, the reputational, the decision-making,…

The community college should be the catalyst to reverse the downward trend of community change. A community renewal college would serve as a change agent for the betterment of life conditions at the local level. Such a college would unite and improve the community by bringing its residents together and teaching them the attitudes, skills, and…