This book documents the history, successes, and failures of Save the Children's farmworker program in Zimbabwe, 1981-98. The report explores workers' past and present living and working conditions on commercial farms and describes how the program promoted a progression from workers with a migrant mentality to the building of functional…

In a competitive market training economy, vocational education and training (VET) and small business in Australia face a number of challenges. They need to qualify the extent of lifelong learning skills being used in the small firm workplace, define the range of learning partnerships both within VET and the wider informal learning community in…

This article presents a case in which age was isolated as a highly significant factor affecting reported community satisfaction. Authors explain the findings as the result of four factors: (1) selective migration, (2) influence of length of residence, (3) acceptance of one's surroundings as one ages, and (4) rising expectations among the younger…

One way geographical educators can help local communities understand their environment is to offer a course focusing on local regional geography using the concept of regional synthesis. Describes specific mechanics and evaluates short-term outcomes of such a course in Hawaii. Discusses potential uses. Journal availability: see SO 507 262.…

Two White Pass School District (Washington) programs increase community cohesiveness despite troubled economic times: (1) the school district offers adult education, utilizes community talent, and hosts community recreation events; and (2) the Forest Service, school district, and community college developed a summer job program for secondary…

This article examines open-distance learning in Nigeria and the role it plays in personal, community, and national development. Following consultation with existing literature, a qualitative survey was conducted using questionnaires, interviews, and participatory experience. Although particular emphasis was paid to the Nigerian context, the…

This study examines the role of adult education in bringing about social change through community development initiatives at a grassroots organisation called SUCCESS (United Chinese Community Enrichment Services Society), an immigrant community organisation in Vancouver, Canada. It adopts a case study approach. The study focuses on the historical…

This chapter addresses the role of action research in projects that link literacy education and cultural action in peripheral rural areas. These programs aim to improve the living conditions of a population without destroying its cultural heritage or way of life. Action research begins with three broad questions: In what terms do local people pose…

This proceedings contains approximately 100 conference papers and workshop summaries on rural health, education, and community development. The majority of the papers are concerned with conditions in rural Australia; about 20 examine rural issues in the United States; while a smaller number cover Canada, New Zealand, and European countries. A…

"Our Town: An Architectural Perspective" is a program for at-risk elementary school children which was instituted at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). The goal of this effort was to introduce built-environment awareness in the public schools, where the neighborhood serves as the classroom and as a vehicle for…

This "Civic Index" is intended to help communities evaluate and improve their civic infrastructures, as well as look at the issues and find approaches to dealing with them. The 10 components of the Civic Index serve as a description of the types of skills and processes that must be present for a community to deal effectively with its unique…

In 1986, three neighborhood development organizations in Cleveland, Ohio, created the Westside Industrial Retention Network (WIRE-Net) to retain manufacturing jobs on the city's West Side. In 1989, WIRE-Net launched its Hire Locally program, which was designed to provide local business with candidates judged to be effective workers and help…

This five-part anthology presents descriptions of 22 classroom projects undertaken by a consortium of Missouri community colleges and elementary and secondary schools, directed by St. Louis Community College. The collection comprises the following articles: "Views of an Elementary Teacher" (Susan Biffignani); "Writing To Learn and…

An operational seminar is an in-the-field demonstration for those involved in the process of change that all community development projects require. It does not require previous theoretical exposure of any kind. On the basis of the analysis of a specific milieu, the seminar participants put together a program of activities, choosing appropriate…

In the third year of its finish-up program, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) used its area development appropriation of $44 million to target three broad areas: (1) creating and retaining jobs in the region; (2) providing basic public facilities in the worst-off Appalachian counties; and (3) improving health care throughout the region.…