This report of the authors' study and reflections about voluntarism and the present and future of volunteer activity is intended to be useful as a resource, stimulus, and guide for those using volunteers; for organizers of "cause movements"; for professors of graduate students in service professions; and for anyone interested in…

The project presented here provides a role-playing game simulation that points out the complexities of locational decision and indicates ways in which those decisions might be influences by various public and private citizens groups. It focuses on the bargaining, citizen reaction, and possible side payments. Designed as a heuristic devise, the…

Seven schools located in and around an impoverished West Philadelphia community are highlighted. While all seven schools are representative of a movement toward the decentralization of authority, the involvement of people in their schools, and the humanization of the educational process, each is innovative in its own way. The authors first discuss…

In 1997, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) published the first edition of "Preventing Drug Use among Children and Adolescents: A Research-Based Guide" to share the latest NIDA-funded prevention research findings with parents, educators, and community leaders. The guide introduced the concept of "research-based prevention" with questions…

This book compiles testimonies of the struggles, everyday life, and accomplishments of Indian women from Central and South America. Following an introduction to the increasing role of Indian women in international forums and indigenous organizations, the words of individual women describe the problems that affect them and their determination to…

In order to meet today's financial challenges, libraries must be ready, willing, and able to enter the arena of politics and compete for scarce public funding. This book offers librarians, library workers, trustees, and friends' organizations practical advice, case studies, and step-by-step guidance for evaluating the existing local political…

Homelessness in small towns and rural areas is on the rise, and a substantial portion of the rural homeless consists of families with children. This book draws on interviews and case studies of over 300 homeless children and their families, primarily in New Hampshire, and on supporting statistics to provide individual and sociological perspectives…

This paper analyzes the ways in which the Cleveland (Ohio) Hispanic community, made up mostly of Puerto Ricans, has been organizing to increase its involvement in the education of Hispanic youth. In particular, this paper focuses on the past 3 years when new styles of involvement were attempted. This involvement has taken the form of program…

This document contains a curriculum for training people with disabilities and parents of young children with disabilities to become community leaders. The curriculum contains highlights of nine topical areas, including: the history and future of services for people with developmental disabilities; the history and future of self-advocacy; inclusive…

A growing trend in social science research is to reject those modes that treat individuals as objects of research and to accept the role of catalyst in helping the people to do their own research. Also, there is an increasing demand that results of social research must serve in a timely way to improve the situation of those involved. Participatory…

This document describes the essential elements of jobs for the Future's (JFF) four-state work force preparation policy proces. It begins with a brief outline of the following five steps: (1) use information to clarify necessary action; (2) create regional and community forums; (3) educate and empower the citizenry; (4) assess employer practices…

To help increase leader effectiveness in planning and implementing local action projects, the booklet presents discussion and examples of the nature and characteristics of planned community action leading to community development. The booklet first explains why leaders should be involved with community action and then gives abstracts of seven…

An increase in gang violence and mobility in the last 20 years has alarmed members of the public school community. Gang membership, formation, location, and growth are described. Strategies to counteract gang activity, such as school discipline policies, school and community prevention programs, information sharing networks, and state legislation,…

The advent of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) has changed the way community-based organizations (CBOs) can serve unemployed youth, according to the findings of the National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC) survey of CBOs; analysis of reports, surveys, and studies of the JTPA; and conversations with NYEC members and others concerned with…

A MULTI-PURPOSE CENTER WAS ORGANIZED TO PROVIDE PSYCHOTHERAPY AND SOCIOPSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES TO A COMMUNITY. INITIALLY A SERIES OF MEETINGS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY DETERMINED THE SERVICES THAT WERE NEEDED. THE STAFF FOR THE PROJECT WAS SELECTED FROM THE RANKS OF PROFESSIONALLY EDUCATED WOMEN WHO WERE NOT WORKING, RETIRED PROFESSIONALS, COLLEGE…