Life is Precious (LIP) was developed to help reduce suicidal behavior in Latina adolescents. As part of an external evaluation of the LIP program, we conducted focus groups with adolescent participants and mothers to learn whether participants and families believe that the activities of LIP address risks for suicidal behavior. Four focus groups…

This article was inspired by a belief in the need to connect physical education with community-based physical activity programming in minority communities. The initial steps of this reflective narrative were described in a previous article. This article describes a program called Project Guard: Make A Splash E.N.D. (End Needless Drowning), a…

These "Stories From the Field" describe five Wallace-funded programs working to expand learning and enrichment for disadvantaged children, so they can benefit from the types of opportunities their wealthier counterparts have access to, from homework help to swimming classes. The report details each program's approach, successes and…

This article provides an overview of the activities included in a 3-year, multidisciplinary, intergenerational service-learning project conducted as part of a Foundation for Long-Term Care Service Learning: Linking Three Generations grant. Courses from four departments (gerontology, psychology, occupational therapy, and health promotion and…

In August 2006, the Foundation for Long Term Care (Albany, New York) received funding for a variant on service learning in elder care in which Boomers, other older adults, as well as college students would jointly engage in service-learning projects designed to address community needs in five different college towns and cities. This article…

Adolescence is a period of rapid developmental changes. Only in the early years of childhood do individuals experience such a brisk pace of change. However, all too often, out-of-school time (OST) programs do not recognize how quickly the needs and interests of adolescents shift along with their developmental changes. Program staff know--and…

A growing body of literature on community gardening, watershed restoration, and similar "civic ecology" practices suggests avenues for integrating social and ecological outcomes in urban natural resources management. In this paper, we argue that an environmental education programme in which learning is situated in civic ecology practices…

In the more than 10 years since the inception of EPA's (Environmental Protection Agency) Brownfields Program, brownfields have been redefined. Properties that were shunned or eyed warily by those with the resources to transform them are now viewed as dormant opportunities for economic and environmental rebirth. Communities that suffered aesthetic…

Access to a quality, affordable college education remains a cornerstone of American economic and social development. Individuals from all backgrounds need the knowledge and skills afforded by higher education to compete in an increasingly integrated--and competitive--global economy. Greater educational attainment correlates with many positive…

This report on the status of SEARCH provides information about its beginnings, funding considerations, case studies of project success, evaluation methods, and application and testing of SEARCH in a number of school districts throughout the state of New York. Project SEARCH is geared to humanizing education by making students aware of the values…

The problem of homelessness in Westchester County, New York has escalated sharply in the past few years. Estimates suggest that 5,000 people live in motels throughout the county. The largest segment of this population consists of families--women with young children. Mothers are often unable to participate in training programs due to a lack of…

This report describes 45 adult literacy education programs in New York State funded under Section 353 of the Adult Education Act. The projects are grouped in the following categories: statewide initiative grants; installation grants (GRASP--Giving Rural Adults a Study Program, external high school diploma grants, Job Club grants, adult career…

Nine components of Westchester County's Family Day Care System in White Plains, New York, are outlined in some detail. Westchester County, comprising 450 square miles of cities, suburbs, towns, and villages, borders on the Bronx, and, while very affluent, has the second largest number of homeless persons in the nation, and an ethnically and…

Presented are duplications of the responses given by the Nassau County Department of Recreation and Parks (East Meadow, New York) as part of a project to collect, share, and compile information about, and techniques in the operation of 18 community action models for recreation services to the disabled. Model programs are categorized as consumer,…

A demonstration project, called the Cultural Voucher Program, was implemented through support from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education of The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The project enabled cultural institutions to reach a new public, develop new educational programs specifically suited to the needs of new…