An environmental initiative designed to increase the skill and knowledge levels of Peace Corps staff and volunteers is described. The objectives, accomplishments, strategies, and evaluation of the program are discussed. (CW)

Research on the use of paraprofessionals and trained volunteers for visitation programs with elders is limited. To determine the effects of a visitation program on nursing home residents and their college student and elder visitors, and to explore the effectiveness of special training for such visitation, nursing home residents (N=25) visited with…

From October 1982 through May 1984, the Council for Community Services--a private, not-for-profit community planning council--carried out an Institutional Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Project, in close cooperation with the state of Rhode Island's Office of the Child Advocate. The project approach relied heavily on monitoring teams of…

The concept of volunteerism is not well known in Japan and the word itself, "borantia" is borrowed from English. However, voluntary programs do exist in Japan. This report attempts to describe the way in which volunteerism operates (or does not operate) in Japan by discussing the organization of Japanese society, its implications for…

This document reports on a doctoral-level practicum designed to train volunteers as docents to assist in the programs of the NOVA Children's Museum located on the Cedargrove School campus (Covina, California). Docents were found to be essential for more in-depth science learning to take place during hands-on museum experiences which promote the…