As knowledge of effective treatments for mental disorders has grown, so too has the field of mental health promotion and positive development. Studies completed during the last two decades have synthesized the state of mental health promotion and documented that universal mental health supports positively affect child and adolescent developmental…

Community organizing for school reform is a growing national phenomenon, as young people, parents, neighborhood residents, and faith-based institutions struggle to improve the quality and equity of public schooling, particularly in urban school districts. Now a decade old, community organizing projects are influencing local public schools in…

The Minnesota Heart Health Program's Quit and Win smoking cessation contests occurred between 1982 and 1989. The contests used large prizes to encourage smokers to quit smoking. Evaluations indicated that the contests succeeded in recruiting relatively large proportions of smokers in entire communities, and abstinence outcomes were encouraging.…

This final report summarizes a six-year project, the Northern California Coalition, which sought to provide information and training to families within their communities and to increase the capacity of community-based parent groups. The coalition was a collaboration of three parent-directed agencies serving families of children with disabilities…

A conference in Washington, D.C., brought together leaders from six communities to share their strategies to mobilize residents to fight substance abuse problems. The actions taken by community groups and leaders in the following cities are described: Portland (Oregon); Hampton (Virginia); Baltimore (Maryland); New Haven (Connecticut); Newark (New…

The question of drug abuse prevention is examined in this booklet. Addressing itself to a variety of disciplines and professions, the book reveals the effectiveness of prevention programs implemented in classroom, school and community settings. It draws on the experiences of several dozen drug abuse prevention programs that were either visited or…

This monograph presents a comprehensive, community-based framework to support individuals, agencies, and communities in efforts to improve the well-being of children and youth. The monograph, with accompanying executive summary, features five childhood needs and describes promising strategies for meeting those needs. Chapter 1 of the monograph…

This document presents a report on a 2-year study of community anti-drug coalitions in 11 cities that have community initiatives programs. Through an extensive review of the literature, conversations with prevention experts, and interviews with members of the programs, an examination was made of the lessons learned by the coalitions. Since formal…

Traces the history of self-help in the African American community, with emphasis on services and programs for children. Claims that the traditions of self-help are very much alive in the African American community, and are manifest in a range of activities. Illustrates contemporary models of self-help from the example of one adoption agency. (MOK)

From the perspective of the project leader, this book traces the growth and development of the Early Childhood and Family Education Project in Morasha, Israel, during the 8 years of its existence (1982-1990). Chapter 1 describes Morasha, a poor, immigrant neighborhood in Ramat HaSharon, and the author's childhood there. Chapter 2 describes the…

The Manuela Ramos Movement began in the 1970s when seven women in Lima, Peru, started meeting each Tuesday to reconsider their assumptions about everyday life. By 1980, the group formed a nongovernmental organization whose strategy was to train women community leaders in Lima's barrios through workshops focusing on the following themes: identity…