Some of the ways community action agencies (CAA) can best implement the Community Action Program Mission in rural America are suggested in this paper. Generation of new employment and other income-producing opportunities for the poor within the rural community is recommended as an area for primary focus. The strategy for economic development is…

Results are presented of a study on the economic development efforts of ten rural community action agencies (CAAs). This report describes the role played by the various CAAs in the economic development of their communities: the problems faced by the different agencies, the program approaches tried and how these approaches were developed, what the…

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…

Effective rural education depends on active community involvement. This ethnographic case study examines three models of community organization as an explanation of how community action occurs. The three models are: (1) individuals interacting in formal and informal groups; (2) networks of "weak ties" effective for diffusing information and…

Describes Catholic priest's founding and operation of Servol, grassroots community assistance and development center in Trinidad. Describes Servol's low-profile service-oriented approach to creating education and health services, programs, and facilities. Describes Servol's difficult transition from quixotic neighborhood project to national and…

This Caribbean Regional Workshop was organized to bring together representatives of private, voluntary, and community development organizations, governmental agencies, and other non-governmental organizations in the Eastern Caribbean who were concerned with environmental quality. The conference was intended to improve the level of citizen…

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…

The goal of the Hispanic Agenda is to enhance the quality of life for Colorado Hispanics and all other Coloradans. Responsibility for the program rests with the Hispanic community and leadership. The Hispanic Agenda Steering Committee began work in January 1986 to develop the structure and process for the Agenda. Program components, identified…