The author states that there are inherent contradictions and assumptions in community development (CD) theory and practice. Contradictions spring from a tendency to apply CD on an inappropriate level and for incorrect purposes. Assumptions spring from CD's Western cultural origins. (CH)

Focuses on ways that an Oklahoma Amish community creates, defines, maintains, and manipulates various symbols in an effort to deal with five problems that threaten the survival of Amish life: disenchanted youth, inroads of modernity, tourism, vanishing farm land, and governmental intervention. (Author/GC)

The Single European Market will have serious effects on employment, production, and consumption in the United Kingdom. Of particular concern to voluntary and community organizations are the skills, gender, and racial gaps in the labor force. Organizations must develop the capacity to think and work within a European framework. (SK)

Volunteering is a vital and widespread activity in the United States; in fact, volunteers perform many essential community functions. Those who believe that most volunteers are women with time on their hands, that volunteers just do "charity work," and that volunteers are a source of cheap labor who can replace paid professionals and…

Presents community development as a strategy for achieving goals of prevention in small communities in Appalachia. Emphasizes the organization of social structures and collective efforts in problem and enhancing levels of physical and mental health in these vulnerable communities. (Author)

Family recreation programing is being restructured because of changing family structures. Studies show individuals still consider family recreation experiences extremely important. Substituting the word "community" for "family" in promoting special events may attract more people as traditional families decline. The article presents guidelines and…

Family conservation is a new approach for strengthening nuclear families on a system level. The family communiversity is an agency developed to effect that approach. A discussion of family conservation on the systems level concerns the need for coping with those forces detrimental to families. The objective of family conservation is to maximize…

This final report for the PUSH-EXCEL project was designed to provide readers with an idea of the major actors and events that shaped the project's history and implementation, and to describe results of a 3-year evaluation of its impact (Chapter 1). Chapter 2 describes the original impetus for PUSH-EXCEL as arising from the Reverend Jesse Jackson's…

Taken together, the contents of this document provide a picture of the Puerto Rican community, both on the mainland and on the island, in the mid-1980s. First, a brief overview of the Puerto Rican community is provided. Next, a demographic profile compares Puerto Ricans on the mainland with those on the island and both with the general U.S.…

For Kung hunter-gatherers and Fijian fishing people, healing is a central community ritual with significance beyond the cure itself. An enhanced state of consciousness, experienced most intensely by the healer, but also shared by the community, is at the core of Kung and Fijian healing. Although in contemporary Euro-American culture the spiritual…

Examines tensions and contradictions associated with proposals to restructure schools, empower teachers, and create a professional, collaborative work environment. A broad school democracy must include parents, community members, and students in structured decision-making processes. Teacher empowerment and school restructuring must coincide with…