Explores multiple meanings of empowerment and community participation and what health means in this context. Considers whether the tyranny of the professional has been replaced by the tyranny of the community. (SK)

Community surveys in rural Pennsylvania (393 responses) investigated how residents view women in their local community. Results suggest that women are as involved as men and perceive similar characteristics as important to being influential, but their underrepresentation as leaders has resulted in perceptions that women are not very influential.…

ASSET (Allegheny Schools Science Education and Technology) Inc. is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving science and technology achievement of all Pittsburgh-area students. Program elements include developing and articulating the vision, forming dynamic teams, sustaining collaborative support systems, and maintaining a…

This article presents the case study of an individual with a significant psychiatric disability who identified spirituality as the primary facilitator of her community integration. Recommendations are made for human service practice. (Author)

Survey responses from 969 (of 2,552) Oregon Extension volunteers revealed personal benefits, including gains in knowledge, self-confidence, and interpersonal relationships. Community benefits were noted by more than one third. A few noted economic benefits (increased job skills and useful contacts). The costs of volunteering were perceived as low…

Analysis of data from 10,798 residents of 99 small Iowa towns revealed that smaller communities, those with a high percentage of full-time employed residents, more college graduates, and more people working in town have higher community participation levels. (Contains 41 references.) (JOW)

Inauthentic participation may be limited to providing inputs, giving the community no power. However, even weak participation in the form of utilization, contributions, enlistment, cooperation, and consultation can have benefits. (Author/SK)

Oregon 4-H program conducted focus groups with 18 volunteer managers experienced in working with Latino adult volunteers. Latino volunteerism occurs first in the context of family and neighborhood, and they do not think of their contributions as volunteering. Organizations must establish a presence and build trust in the Latino community.…

Dutch participatory community-based theatre has thus far been largely text-based and quite apprehensive of abstract site-specific performance, which it regarded as the product of "outsider gazing" and exploitative of local residents. Quite recently, the two veteran Dutch community-based companies Stut and RWT were forced by extraordinary…

Despite the General Medical Council emphasising the value of service users to medical students' education, there is scant literature about service user involvement in medical education. Although some research has outlined the effectiveness of service users as teachers, none has explored social issues surrounding how medical students learn "with"…

The study analyzes a strand of online discussion messages entitled "a Tale of Blue Rain Cafe" from an online community of English learners on the Chinese mainland. The strand of messages was part of the collective reflection made by members of an English learning club on their participation. Using sociocultural learning theory, the paper…

This research examined American Indians' recall of cultural inclusion from their elementary through high school education. Sixteen American Indians described their experiences of schools to peer interviewers. Analysis of interviews revealed three themes: the nature of cultural inclusion, factors influencing cultural inclusion, and recommendations…

The paper is an attempt to understand and analyse the status of universal primary education among tribals in Jharkhand and its challenges. Considering the low literacy among tribals and high drop out rates at elementary and higher levels, there is need of special focus on tribal's education, inclusive of context-specific traditional and innovative…

This article presents a case study of egalitarian educational practices evident in a rural school that served a large proportion (40%) of Amish students. The Amish are a pacifist Christian sect widely misunderstood as quaint and even backward; their traditional work is small-scale farming. In 1972 the Amish wrested the national right--via a US…

Education contributes, in peace time and war time, to the cultivation of human capital as well as social capital of the society. It is in this light that this article seeks to explore the close interplay between education and the community in the present-day stateless Somalia. In order to explore how the Somali community has coped or is coping…