The Centralia 21st Century Visioning Project was undertaken by the city of Centralia, in Washington, and Centralia College to determine a vision for the city for the next century based on citizen and business input. In summer 1994, the college conducted a survey of 185 businesses from the city's downtown core to gather retailers' perceptions on…

The report contains information on significant developments in the 1971 Washington State Farm Labor and Rural Manpower Program. Part I, the Annual Summary, recommends that state agencies should devote more effort to the Annual Worker Plan and that farm placement personnel should try to advise persons who have job commitments of any delays in the…

The report contains information on significant developments in the 1972 Washington State Farm Labor and Rural Manpower Program. Part I, the Annual Summary, recommends that farm labor programs be designed to insure an adequate number of efficient workers and that a means be developed to prolong employment periods for the worker, thus reducing…

Concurrent with a needs assessment and community input study, a research team undertook two behavioral science research efforts. The first was an identification and examination of the influence network through which local leadership was organized. The second was an examination of how those who constituted the network of policy-making influentials…

This essay explores Eastern Washington University's East Central Neighborhood Partnership Center project, which utilized coordinated community service-learning classes and internships to create a neighborhood revitalization plan in partnership with a neighborhood council and community-based organizations. The author explores the ways in which the…

A series of four workshops for community administrators and public agency program directors in rural Stevens County, Washington, was intended to introduce and support the idea of networks among rural agencies and to increase community development skills in communication, problem solving, community organization, and group process. Trainers designed…

A guide for community leaders, extension staff, and community or rural development practitioners outlines the evolution of a regional training model for community-based problem solving in rural areas experiencing economic decline. The paper discusses the model's underlying concepts and implementation process and includes descriptions of four…

Despite challenging financial conditions in 1981-82, the Partnership for Rural Improvement (PRI) continued its traditional emphases on project development, organizational development, interorganizational coordination, and training and education as well as its newer emphases on task forces, community education, internships, community service…

The annual report of the Rural Manpower Program, Employment Service Division, contains narrative and statistical data that describe important developments in Washington State during 1973. In terms of man-months of labor, rural counties provided less than 25% of the total seasonal farm employment in 1973, while urban Yakima County alone provided…

Offering a contribution to additional clarity in the debate about the viability of "rural development" as an explanatory concept and program of action, the paper presents details of a causal model which underlies the approach to rural development taken by a W. K. Kellogg Foundation supported program in eastern Washington called "The…

Covering 1979-80, which was the final year of the initial four year grant period for the Partnership for Rural Improvement (PRI), this report details the major assessments and program adjustments made during that year. Several program developments of critical importance to understanding the transition occurring in PRI are highlighted in the…

This book explores how community functions in "Bremer," a small rural town in eastern Washington. Human interactions in a variety of contexts are analyzed within a framework that posits three distinct eras of social and economic organization: community-control, mass-society, and information eras. Contexts examined are farming (the…

THIS REPORT DESCRIBES THE INVOLVEMENT OF HOWARD UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN A FIVE-YEAR COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT IN THE SECOND PRECINCT IN WASHINGTON, D.C., BETWEEN 1961 AND 1966. THE PROJECT WAS PLANNED TO--(1) MOBILIZE AND ASSIST THE MORE THAN 160 CHURCHES IN THE AREA, (2) SURVEY THE NEEDS OF THE RESIDENTS AND HELP THEM SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS, (3)…

Now completing its second year, the Partnership for Rural Improvement (PRI) is a four year rural development program funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. Its fundamental purpose is the development of a linkage system connecting the research and development of knowledge about rural improvement with the dissemination and use of that knowledge.…

Covering 1978-1979, the third annual report of the Partnership for Rural Improvement (PRI) highlights the progress made toward major program objectives and points out certain weaknesses in the model. Section I discusses program rationale, program design, and evaluation research design. Section II summarizes a selection of the major achievements…