Indigenous community organizations and organizational federations in Ecuador have moved from dealing with issues of land, civil rights, and cultural identity to promoting culturally appropriate, community-based, sustainable economic development ventures. The need for technical training and the success of Indian-to-Indian job training are…

Explores the Johnson administration's most provocative innovation, the Community Action Program (CAP), and how its philosophy of "maximum feasible participation" furthered tribal self-determination. Examines the long-term impacts of CAPs and other Office of Economic Opportunity initiatives related to Head Start, Rough Rock Demonstration…

This book presents a "bottom-up" action learning and action planning approach to community economic development. It is based on a learning experience for adults to promote community economic development that became the Community Economic Development Program. The book is organized in 11 chapters that cover the following topics: (1) framework for…

This manual is intended for extension workers involved in rural development programs in developing nations. The focus is on communication skills and education and is aimed at the trainers of extension workers. There are four main sections with each section divided into units with handouts and activities. Section 1, "Basic Education…

The ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) Rural Adult Education Project was conceived in the spirit of empowering local people to help themselves. This book, a distillation of the experience of the project, was written with the primary object of being of practical use to those who are already involved, or would like to become involved,…

Kentucky's SOS (Sharing Our Selves) Learning Networks are community-owned, volunteer-run, informal learning/development programs incorporating community needs and the skills/knowledge/experience of individuals regardless of academic credentials. The Cooperative Extension Service administers the programs. Interested community members list subjects…

This case study of successful fund raising by a Seattle community coalition is intended to provide information to other community groups as they develop fund raising efforts. The case study begins with a presentation of information gleaned from a review of past newsletters and financial statements of the Southeast Effective Development (S.E.E.D.)…

The contribution of sociologists to social action programs has been notable for being unnotable, with a few important exceptions. Yet the future and survival of sociology lies in moving sociology more obviously from the classroom to the world outside. Sociologists suffer from a restricted vision of what their discipline can do, which causes them…

As part of a broad effort to world peace this resource kit supplies information on China and attempts to motivate people to work in their communities on concerns of China. Emphasis in the kit is upon placing equal weight on both information and action. Four background articles give the reader an introduction to China's self-image in world affairs.…

Rural communities with populations of under 15,000 are the least resilient to negative economic shocks, but local initiatives can reduce the negative impact of rapid economic change. Data from a study of three rural Australian communities and one "community-of-common-purpose" were used to develop a model of how the informal learning…

As local pressures mount and state resources dwindle, intermediary organizations are emerging throughout Latin America. Although theoretically enabling people at the grass roots to participate in their own development and reap the benefits of their labor, the costs and tensions are often not worth the burden. Explores the quandaries that new…

The Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development (COAD), a coalition of community action agencies, takes a regional approach to serving rural communities. Its programs focus on community and leadership development, early education and child care, and services and housing for seniors. Through COAD's Foster Grandparent Program, seniors mentor young…

Discusses the political conditions that have caused the federal government's waning interest in developing constructive urban policies, particularly since the 1994 elections. The author suggests four steps needed to be taken by urban advocates who wish to advance the cause of large cities and help strengthen the nation's metropolitan regions. (GR)

The Canadian city of Lloydminster created an agency to promote import replacement by matching consumer needs of schools and other institutions with local suppliers via monthly newsletters, open houses, reverse trade shows, and a computerized database of regional businesses. Dollars retained in the community, new jobs, and development of local…

NativeSUN, an enterprise to install solar energy systems on Hopi and Navajo reservations, is the star project of the Hopi Foundation, a home-grown nonprofit organization that fosters self-sufficiency and culturally compatible development in Hopi communities. Other projects include preservation of ceremonial Clan houses, support for indigenous…