Enthusiastic learners acting as community learning champions (CLCs) are scarcely a novelty. There has been a surge of interest in what they have to offer in the last couple of years, thanks in large part to a government programme, which has funded training and support for learning champions through 50 community projects across the country, and a…

This article describes a model of civic engagement based on four key community organizing practices, created at Occidental College and implemented since 2001. The foundations of this model do not include confrontation, mass mobilization, or demonstrations--tactics commonly associated with the term community organizing. This model, instead,…

Social change on behalf of the disadvantaged in a neighborhood or community can be achieved through various types of change agents, models, and approaches. One of the most effective models was developed by Saul Alinsky, a well-known American community organizer, and it was this model that provided the theoretical framework for the development of…

Oakland Community Organizations (OCO) has worked for over ten years to improve educational opportunities in low-income neighborhoods in Oakland, California. The work of thousands of parent, teacher, youth, and community leaders has resulted in the formation of nearly fifty new small schools and more than ten charters, creating settings for…

This monograph is the fourth in a series summarizing the work progress of the Human Services Manpower Career Center, a special research and development project funded by the U. S. Department of Labor. This report presents a developmental model and guidelines for organizing a working coalition of concerned community groups, for identifying major…

A system for career advancement in the community action agency must be based on the fundamental principle that it is the responsibility of the community action agency to develop the full potential of the nonprofessional staff. The agency must take the initiative on several aspects of its policy and program. Nonprofessional employees must be able…

This implementation manual has been developed to describe four model mathematics and science programs designed to increase African-American students' interest in mathematics and science. The manual will help affiliates of the Urban League to mobilize existing community resources to achieve the goals of the national education initiative. The four…

An integrated job preparation model with development rationale is presented for use by social action agencies in serving Puerto Rican/Hispanic youth clientele. Findings of background research to isolate demographic and cultural variables of the primary target audiences are summarized. An organizational evaluation is also described which studied…

Ireland's economic and social problems in the 1980s spawned a new kind of community education. Key characteristics of the new community education are as follows: (1) it is a learning environment and located in the community; (2) it provides learning programs based on identified needs; (3) its control remains in the local community's hands; (4) its…