A change in political leadership typically signals a growth in organizing campaigns to find and endorse the candidate with ideas most similar to their own. However, what if instead of focusing on finding the best candidate, organizing groups decided to focus on the conversation? How would you then use an election to engage the members of the…

On the weekend of December 13, 2008, 4,000 House Meetings in our nation convened to plan service events. In Jacksonville, Florida, four such House Meetings were held. Of the four, two became official links in Organizing for America, President Obama's grassroots organization. Of the two, one strove to become a learning organization. At the heart of…

The Samuel Brighouse Elementary School, located in Richmond, BC, a city adjacent to Vancouver on the west coast of Canada, is a five-hundred student elementary school. When completed in September 2011, it will replace an existing older school on the same site. This project was identified early on as an opportunity for the Richmond School Board to…

Research at the University of Leeds has evaluated how well changes to healthcare proposed in the Government White Paper "Valuing People" (Department of Health 2001) were being implemented in one locality and their impact on people with learning disabilities. The project had a developmental aspect and incorporated two workshops over the…

Aging 2000 is a Rhode Island organization of community-based networks working to improve geriatric health care through consumer empowerment. Evaluation of workshops on health behavior and the health-care system shows the viability of using older adult volunteers as peer teachers. (SK)

Discusses the value and ethical dilemmas of incorporating community-based workshops into the university education of young artists. Outlines author's experience in the evolution of an arts program. Advocates for a broader conception of art that encompasses individual and communal expression. (PM)

Describes experiences of the Neighborhood Participation Project (Nashville, Tennessee), which studied citizen participation in using research data for neighborhood improvement. Suggests that creating partnerships between social scientists and citizens can improve social science research, enhance research utilization, and help communities to help…

In Ecuador, field workers are trained in community organizing and hygiene education methods to promote maintenance of water and sanitation systems. Workshops based on a community development approach teach workers how to gain entry into communities, collect and analyze information, and develop community education programs. (SK)

Managers and decision-makers are under increasing pressure to engage community members along with experts in considering and resolving environmental degradation. This is especially the case with respect to decisions concerning water quality and quantity in Australia. The commitment of citizens and government to sustainable catchment management and…

As a community-based organization, community leader or activist, individuals are in a unique position to take the lead in raising awareness about resource conservation, good solid waste management, and safeguarding the environment for future generations. This paper is designed to help individuals plan and execute community events that promote the…

This report on the pilot training phase of the Community-Based Criminal Justice Staff Development Project represents an attempt to describe and document project efforts during the months between October, 1975 and June, 1976 with a view toward providing a detailed guide for future implementation of staff development activities for community-based…

The Money Management for Women program was designed and implemented to provide lower-income women with financial planning information geared to their current level of understanding and financial circumstances. Objectives were to develop a model consumer education program and test the efficacy of community-based organizations as agents in…

These three documents report on the activities of Child Care Connection-NS (CCC-NS), a service and support organization providing information and resources on the administration of child care programs to residents of Nova Scotia and Canada at large. Formed in 1989, CCC-NS has established itself as an organization that serves all sectors of the…

This is an examination of the first two years of this school and community project for abused and neglected children. The program was one of three federally funded demonstration projects designed to serve as a guideline for establishing child abuse and child neglect programs on a national scale. The purposes of the program were: early…