Notes that the family support and positive youth development movements represent considerable change in both philosophical and programmatic approaches to the delivery of services. Examines the key elements and the relative success of family support and youth development practice, compares the two streams of literature and programming, and suggests…

America today is experiencing the erosion of public commitment to public schools. Argues that change must start with the community and its concerns. Deliberative forums can produce an agenda for action linked by a shared sense of purpose and directions. (MLF)

Current community-engagement models, which relegate the public's role to insignificant activities, play into special-interest groups' hands. One new approach creates alternative forms of community forums to encourage public deliberation. Forums frame issues to invite deliberation; allow participants to deliberate, not debate issues; and provide…

Represents stories of eight former composition students, Appalachian working class women, who move from silence in the academy to voice in their communities to a more self-confident identity without destroying the community from which they came. Argues that compositionists need to consider the two-edged nature of literacy as well as several other…

Community development practitioners (n=33) in Australia, Botswana, Canada, Malaysia, and the United States held strong beliefs about community involvement in change. They developed theories-in-action that guided practice and derived ideas and information form colleagues and the literature. A conceptual framework about reflective practice was…

Evaluation of public service programs uses language and techniques inimical to community development. Key elements of a better approach are as follows: (1) community participation; (2) emphasis on qualitative measures of success that complement the quantitative; (3) strong awareness of the importance of process goals; (4) concern with sustainable…

Contends that community-based theatre (CBT) can productively redefine the parameters of what "political performance" can mean. Draws on the work of community-based performance artist Tim Miller and on the author's experience as a dramaturg to suggest that artists and scholars must develop a revised idea of what constitutes activist democratic…

Conducted 10 focus groups in which adolescents discussed their "growth experiences" in extracurricular and community-based activities. The 55 participants reported personal and interpersonal processes and generally described themselves as agents of their own development and change. (SLD)

A renewable energy project in South Wales was enriched by elements of the sustainable livelihood approach: people centered, holistic, and dynamic. The approach shifted the focus from technology to people and from product to process; it combined micro and macro issues. (SK)

Examines the potential role of culture in health-related physical activity participation, discussing kinesiology and reporting results from a health-related physical activity study of women, some of whom had taken a culturally designed aerobics class. Participants demonstrated the positive impact of culture on physical activity participation.…

Analysis of Australian Community Survey data (n=6,242) identified three categories of volunteer involvement: assisting those who need help, serving the wider community, and being involved in volunteer groups. Volunteers in each category had different characteristics. Key influences were having resources to contribute, existence of recruitment…

Dan Mader, CEO of Fanning/Howey Associates, Inc., discusses his firm's uses of the design charrette (an intense design work session), and talks about how important it is to have the community involved in each project. (EV)

Describes place-based education, a curricular approach that encourages students to engage in solving local problems, stimulates a desire to learn, and helps students connect to their community. (PKP)

Describes Cheney's successful use of volunteers in parks and recreation programs. They raised funds, worked for park maintenance and improvement, and organized sports programs and special events. Reports survey results from Washington communities on voluntary efforts of fraternal and social organizations, businesses, and senior and youth groups.…

Suggests that communication between teachers and parents and other community members is noticeably enhanced when the following indicators can be clearly observed among the communicators: warmth, empathy, respect, genuineness, listening, and concrete practicality. (MG)