Hardly anyone can have failed to pick up on the recent flurry of stories in the national press about the Big Society, sparked off by Dame Elisabeth Hoodless's remarks that funds for volunteers are disappearing at an alarming rate, and that this is undermining the very idea of a "Big Society". At the same time, under the government's…

Economic changes and the machinations of the treadmill of production have dramatically reduced the number of jobs provided by extractive industries, such as mining and timber, in the United States and other affluent nations in the post-World War II era. As the importance of these industries to national, regional, and local economies wanes,…

Increasing community involvement in out-of-school time programs can yield significant benefits to programs and the students that they serve. Community partnerships have the potential to meet a wide variety of needs, from improving participant recruitment and attendance to contributing volunteers or other resources to programs. This research brief…

Presents a philosophical and theoretical critique of community development's transformation into economic development. Introduces a successful rural revitalization process termed "community encouragement" and integrates a community's traditional values with progressive revitalization plans. (JOW)

Provides suggestions on how to publicize the dependent care tax credit. (Author/BJD)

The America Reads Challenge, created in 1997, is a nationwide effort to expand the use of volunteers to help ensure that all children can read "well and independently by the end of third grade." State involvement in the America Reads Challenge has been primarily through the Federal Work Study (FWS) program for college students. The…

Suggests tools to increase community interest and support for public libraries including a public relations campaign, neighborhood action group, and community board. The advantages of community independence and decision sharing are discussed. (SW)

An increasing number of people with disabilities live in the community in Australia and internationally. Many of these individuals live in the family home, on their own, in hostels or in the traditional "group home" model, and receive varying levels of support and care. There is a growing concern that many of the care and support needs…

Discusses ways in which Australian families may be supported by government policies in the 1990s. Topics include conservatism and family issues; changing trends; basic resources for families; and the process of mobilizing community support. (RJC)

Describes the Community Farm of Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the context of critical social, economic, and environmental issues related to agriculture and the rural environment and the emerging movement for community-supported agriculture (CSA) in the United States. Discusses how CSA works, biodynamic agriculture, and opportunities for environmental…

The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) attempts to profoundly change the practice of museology and the role of Indigenous people in museums on a grand scale. In some ways it is successful in its mission, yet other areas leave room for improvement. This article focuses on the improvements that NMAI should adopt. The author also offers…

Argues that librarians should become politically involved in order to support their library systems. The work of public librarians in Berkeley to get a special tax referendum passed is described, as well as the experiences of school librarians in Contra Costa County in organizing to protect their program. (BK)

Mobilization of citizen participation in grassroots organizations can be adversely affected when grassroots leaders perceive a lack of support. Periodic organizational diagnosis can lead to more equitable division of responsibilities and recruitment of more leaders and skilled participants. (SK)

Consists of the transcript of a public colloquium on education. Major discussion centered on (1) the role of present life experience in exploration of the past and future, (2) the role of human interest in constructing and reconstructing the individual and collective life, and (3) the dominant metaphors that guide educational practice. (CH)

This article deals with the task which the President's Commission gave the professional associations to mount a vigorous campaign to educate the nation about the critical need to learn other languages and customs. It deals with the campaign, first in terms of program planning to bridge the gap between where we are and where we want to be; and…