Highlights changes in the Catholic church over the past few decades that have broadened Catholic culture and made it more ambiguous for young Catholics. Describes ways to reach out to youth and involve them in social projects, volunteer ministries, religion teaching, nursing home visits, parish councils, choirs, and liturgical functions. (MAB)

Reviews attitudes toward art in the early Catholic Church, considering the ability of art to influence those who experience it. Highlights the spiritualism of the Russian painter, Wassily Kandinsky. Suggests ways in which today's religious institutions can use art as a form of outreach to bring greater meaning to members of their congregations.…

Describes Park City (Utah) School District's strategy for convincing its tax-resistant citizens to pass two expensive bond issues for educational facilities and technology. The key to success was a strong, broadly based, five-week campaign that focused on positively inclined voters, provided detailed information, separated ballot issues, stressed…

Describes the President's Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA) program which encourages individuals, school classes, summer camps, public interest groups, and youth organizations to promote environmental awareness and community involvement. Describes the 10 projects that won the national award in 1994. Lists environmental education regional contacts.…

Responses from 565 of 1,200 former urban residents who moved to a simpler rural lifestyle show that they hold progressive views on environmental and social issues. However, their levels of community organizing and activism are much more modest. (SK)

Survey responses from 179 community members in 3 rural Northern Ontario areas determined that involvement with information technologies that link individuals with sources outside the community was not related to local community participation. The exception was a negative relationship with participation on committees. (SK)

Examines the educational thought of W.E.B. DuBois, extrapolating from his work a model of educational principles that raise awareness of the need for African American based education and encourage further development of African American based education models. The principles are: African American centered education; communal education; broad based…

The effect of social exclusion on older people has not been examined. Three issues regarding their participation in community life can be discerned: (1) participation and integration beyond the labor market; (2) spatial segregation, including geographic, economic, and social isolation; and (3) exclusion through withdrawal of institutions from…

To reduce violent behavior in the schools, the problem must be identified and the administration must set a positive tone for students and staff by focusing on four areas: (1) turn cynical attitudes into hopeful ones, (2) welcome all students, (3) replace discipline based on rewards and punishment with teaching values; and (4) ask students to…

A participatory dialogue model was used to engage a Scottish community in identifying expressed and unmet needs for children's services. The move toward a partnership model needs to be made gradually so that participatory ownership and empowerment can develop. (SK)

This introductory article discusses the benefits of participatory action research (PAR), including the empowerment of participants in research and the research process, the difficulties PAR presents, and summarizes following articles in a special series on the facets of PAR. (CR)

Reviews the normative theory of restorative justice in youth crime, highlighting three core principles: repairing the harm of crime; involving stakeholders; and transforming community and government roles in response to crime. Considers connections between restorative intervention theories and informal social control and social support mechanisms…

Growing out of Northern Ireland's 1980s Peace Education Project (aimed at breaking down Protestant/Catholic barriers), the Education for Mutual Understanding initiative focuses first on helping schoolchildren deal with everyday conflicts in their lives. EMU uses conflict resolution and peer mediation to help schools organize into learning…

Action-oriented research is a methodological approach for doing collaborative research with practitioners and community partners that can inform practice, programs, community development, and policy while contributing to the scientific knowledge base. This article discusses how family scholars can use action-oriented research to work together with…

Research indicates that competition can be an important context whereby youth gain positive outcomes such as intrinsic motivation and engagement in the environment. However, other studies indicate that sports activities may also relate to negative outcomes such as aggression and cheating. One of the challenges for educators and youth development…