The Penn State Outing Club at Pennsylvania State University redesigned operational procedures to better address fiscal, managerial, and leadership development concerns. The student-run club dissolved its old divisional structure, centralized operations, and split into two branches: club officers and the apprentice-style Wilderness Instructional…

Noting that volunteer programs succeed only with careful forethought and maintenance, this book is designed to provide information necessary to create and operate a successful volunteer program in an elementary school setting. Steps in thinking about volunteers in innovative ways, recruitment, training, maintaining program effectiveness, and…

Assessed the effectiveness of trained volunteers in leading parent education programs. Compared volunteer and professionally led groups in an ongoing extension-sponsored parenting program. Urban/rural comparisons were also made. There were no significant differences between volunteer and professionally led groups on child gains or parent…

The results of this study support the use of trained volunteers in systematic controlled activities with prisoners. On the institutional measures, prisoners who participated in discussion groups with trained volunteers showed more positive change than did prisoners exposed to untrained volunteers. (Author/CS)

Additional volunteer middle managers to work with extension agents in Four-H Clubs are needed for effective organizational structure and quality programs. The article discusses the value of these middle managers and their recruitment, selection, training, use, recognition, and evaluation. (MF)

Discusses the benefits, recruitment and training possibilities, as well as teacher adjustments of involving the elderly as volunteers and regular participants in a school program. (BF/JH)

A survey of 1,017 principals in Ontario (Canada) indicates that Ontario elementary schools and secondary schools rely heavily on volunteers, especially in younger grades. Volunteers are mainly co-op students, community college students, and parents. Principals are key players in initiating volunteer programs because they believe volunteers improve…

Describes the manual for a Young Adult Library Advisory Board, a teen group that helps to plan and implement public library youth services. The board's purpose, the recruitment of teen volunteers from which board members can be drawn, volunteer guidelines and assignments, a step-by-step procedure for establishing the program, and a sample agenda…

Describes service-learning program with opportunities for students to make a difference. Notes four core areas of the service-learning model: (1) preparation, including identifying, choosing and planning activities; (2) action; (3) reflection, both individual and group; and (4) recognition, both individual and group. (LBT)

Background: One of the most disabling consequences of aphasia is the way it excludes the person from conversation. A number of studies have attempted to tackle this problem by training the conversational partners of aphasic people. This study offers an evaluation of this approach. Aims: Six volunteers were trained in conversing with people with…

The distinction between what people "can" do (maximum performance) and what they "will" do (typical performance) has received considerable theoretical but scant empirical attention in industrial-organizational psychology. This study of 138 participants performing an Internet-search task offers an initial test and verification of P. R. Sackett, S.…

The impacts of community service participation on college student development are extensive and well documented. The characteristics of students that predict volunteerism, however, are not well understood. The purpose of this study is two-fold: first, to estimate the differences in first-year students' decision to volunteer while in college by…

"Citizen participation" is the active involvement of individuals in changing problematic conditions in communities and influencing policies and programs that affect the quality of their lives. Neighborhood organizations in poor communities often rely on volunteers to accomplish their goals. Therefore, social workers must understand how…

The Plus 50 Initiative is a three-year initiative of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), launched in June 2008 and funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies. It was created to support a pilot group of two-year institutions to develop or expand campus programs that engage plus 50 learners. The overarching goal of the Plus 50…

The concept of cultural competency, its application, and impact on K-12 learning have not received much attention in the literature. Teachers need to understand the connection between culture and pedagogy when teaching minority and underrepresented students. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine whether the skill sets in…