Recognizing the special relationship that exists between neighbors, communities across the nation are spearheading innovative programs to build, amplify, and leverage social networks in distressed communities to reach residents not yet enrolled in higher education. Grounded in existing relationships and established trust, the Chamber of Commerce…

This guidebook aspires to build a community where learning for sustainable development takes place everywhere for everyone as an ongoing practice. It introduces you to "Reflect-Share-Act," a process to discover and define sustainable development in your own contexts together with others in your community. The guide compiles resources…

Because researchers know so much more about the brain and development than they did when the 20th-century U.S. education system was designed, this knowledge can now be used to design a system in which all individuals are able to take advantage of high-quality opportunities for transformative learning and development. This playbook suggests a set…

Youth mentoring can be an effective way of supporting troubled youth, helping them sustain positive mental health, cope with stress, and lead successful lives through adolescence and into adulthood. This book is a comprehensive guide to youth mentoring programmes, illustrating how, if managed well, they can increase the social support available to…

Teen pregnancy in the United States has declined significantly in the last two decades. Despite these declines, rates of teen birth, HIV, and STIs in the United States remain among the highest of any industrialized nation. Socio-economic, cultural and structural factors such as poverty, limited access to health care, racism and unemployment…

This report is designed to assist communities engaged in or contemplating initiatives focused on at-risk youth. Much of the information comes from evaluations of the Communities in Schools, SafeFeatures, and Children at Risk initiatives. Brief descriptions of experiences or practices of the community programs are used to illustrate points made or…

The workbook is intended to help people working on a community level to secure services for handicapped children. It assumes that the reader already has gathered data to determine gaps in the community's existing service system and that a list of needed services has been identified and prioritized. An introductory section examines what is meant by…

The development of effective community integration training programs for persons with severe handicaps is examined in terms of the human needs of severely disabled persons, the importance of comprehension and community-oriented training, emphasis on generalization, and consideration of individual preferences and interests. (CL)

Coalitions have been used successfully in the United States to tackle a number of seemingly intractable problems. For communities that want to reduce their underage drinking problem, putting together a broad-based coalition can bring substantial dividends. In this guide, readers will learn the steps that bring together a diverse group of people in…

This handbook was created to serve as a guide for all programs. It describes mentor roles, responsibilities, and successful individuals engaged in one-to-one relationships in mentoring programs. It describes mentor roles, responsibilities, and successful strategies and techniques designed to assist mentors in their work as role models and trusted…

Identifying the voluntary activities, programs, and services that children and families use during students' out-of-school time as primary supports, this self-study guide provides a framework for developing primary support programs that allow school-aged children and adolescents to develop physical, cognitive, social, and emotional skills. The…

This guide contains examples of volunteer projects related to solid waste management. Volunteering provides the opportunity to enjoy new experiences, meet new people, learn new skills, and put ideas and talents to work. The stories included in this guide are: (1) Raucous Revelry and Recycling: Penn State Beaver Stadium Post-Game Recycling…

This Monthly Action Kit introduces some approaches to defining local substance abuse indicators and provides ideas on how to measure them. The kit also contains examples of what some communities are doing to measure their local progress. A few indicators worth considering are outlined with suggestions about what to measure, where to find the data,…

This document contains materials necessary for setting up a McGruff House Program in a neighborhood community. A McGruff House is described as a temporary haven for children who find themselves in emergency or frightening situations such as being bullied, followed, or hurt while walking in a neighborhood. It is noted that persons who volunteer…

Dental services for mentally retarded persons in the community provided by Tufts Dental Facilities in Massachusetts are described. Principles of developing a community program including establishing a data base, interacting with the generic system, and developing a strategy for service delivery are explained. (DB)