Two PTAs sponsored events that capitalized on Halloween themes, engaged their communities in fall celebrations, and were safe, wholesome, and fun. With help from local volunteers, one school turned its gymnasium into a 19th-century British town with a fall/Halloween theme. Another PTA hosted a carnival, Spooktacular, that involved community…

Presents a planning guide that can be used to improve community-based evaluation. The guide consists of a set of questions to be discussed with all stakeholders. It covers issues of the nature and purpose of the evaluation, research methods and approaches, participation and decision making, conflict resolution, and dissemination and use of…

Describes the play "Voices" created from 30 interviews with local residents and about 50 accompanying slide photographs. Notes that the interview subjects ranged from 15 to 91 years of age across as wide spectrum of the populace as possible. Describes how the production was an attempt to provide a hearing to a range of different voices, opinions…

This article describes activities of the Homeland Neighborhood Cultural Center (Long Beach, California) which is located in the most culturally diverse section of the city and provides accessible artistic outlets for individuals and groups traditionally excluded from art establishments. Program development, staff, activities, and relationship to…

Review of the research on at-risk youth and resilient youth (successful youth despite adverse family and environmental situations) focuses on environmental protective factors such as positive relationships and youth participation. Application to park and recreation systems suggests leisure systems can provide such positive factors as a caring…

Presents an assessment of the Neutral Zone, a community-based gang prevention and intervention program developed in Washington State. The Neutral Zone offers at-risk or gang-affiliated youths a viable alternative for productively spending their time. Evaluation based on direct observation, focus group interviews, and official crime statistics…

Reports preliminary findings of the first national survey of services to identify and provide specialist support to profoundly deaf infants and young children in England and Wales. Notes that the resources available for early identification of deaf infants and the quality of professional support to promote habilitation is quite variable.…

The Exodus Group is a volunteer community agency in Salt Lake City, Utah that provides emotional and material support for both ex-offenders and their families, and indirectly addresses reintegration and stigma issues. Descriptive statistics are provided to assess the characteristics of recidivists and non-recidivists, and to explain the recidivism…

Describes the Florida Tobacco Pilot Program, a focused anti-tobacco initiative that uses youth advocacy training to accomplish its goals. The paper examines several of the Florida Tobacco Pilot Program's youth-related activities, which are designed to empower participating teens to be successful in resisting tobacco products. (SM)

Evaluated 30 Community Action Program for Children (CAPC) projects in Ontario, Canada. CAPC is a Canadian federal government initiative that funds community groups in activities supporting child development and strengthening families. Identified categories of program activities and project outcomes, and found that most projects have adopted…

This article defines managed care from the perspective of each stakeholder and describes how managed care is affecting community services and outpatient care for individuals with disabilities. Various types of managed care models are discussed and trends in the application of managed care to individuals with disabilities are also presented.…

Three adults with severe disabilities received instructional support to make purchases in fast food restaurants. During intervention, participants were prompted to make five distinct choices during the community routine. This prompting resulted not only in increased choice making, but also in collateral increases in the performance of the…

Reports the findings of a study that examined gender differences of local community drug prevention workers regarding client participation, coping and job satisfaction, and the correlation between them. Results and recommendations are discussed. (Author/GCP)

Examined effects of Smart Start, a broad-based community initiative, on the quality of child care for North Carolina preschoolers. Found that care quality, as measured by the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, was significantly higher in 1996 than in 1994. Child care quality in 1996 was related to the number of local quality improvement…

The term 'community arts theatre' is used here to describe theatre created and performed by groups of adults in Telford, Shropshire, a new town in the West Midlands of England. The author, who was the co-founder and a theatre worker at Telford Community Arts (TCA), argues that their work is best understood as grassroots artistic reflections of and…