This study explored the practices of teachers, nonformal science educators, community organizers, youth program managers, and other educators facilitating youth participation in local environmental action, as well as the experiences of some of the youth involved. We conducted narrative interviews with 33 educators facilitating youth environmental…

During the 1890s and the first three decades of the 20th century, social work in the United States developed a community-based direct practice approach to family assistance and social reform. The basis for this method was a situational view of social life that emphasized the use of interpersonal and transactional methods to achieve social and…

This study focuses on two small communities, the type of community civic actions they have experienced, whether there have been projects to improve their socioeconomic resources, and the context in which they have been carried out. The communities' programs, projects, and other citizen action during the past 10 years are studied. (Author)

In reviewing the attempts to conduct Federal antipoverty programs with "maximum feasible participation" by residents of the communities involved, Daniel Moynihan describes the origin of this provision in sociological theory, then discusses the nature and the internal contradictions of the great national effort at social change conceived under the…

This paper describes the beliefs and values of a pluralistic approach to social change and of four competing approaches: social Darwinism, functionalism, militancy, and conflict theory. Stressing the alienation and dogmatism of the competing approaches, the authors relate each approach to its operation in community action projects. Social…

The portable videotape recorder has made television a fast and cheap medium which can be used in social change and community development. This collection provides a practical handbook for planning a community development project in the form of detailed references and a programed test. Techniques for setting up a project and working with the…

The tremendous economic, cultural, and social changes that have taken place in the United States in the past 30 years have significantly altered family life. To meet the needs of families, communities and family structures have changed. For the past 10 years, the National Government has been redefining its role in relation to the family. While it…

At University High School, an alternative high school for students who failed in the Boston Public Schools system, everyone is learning to implement the more dynamic, socially conscious, and relevant way of learning by doing. Students, teachers, and staff are learning how to develop an educational philosophy and practice that is predicated on…

Promoting social change is the goal of the seven community case studies reported in this book. Each study is a "natural experiment" that involved long-term research, close collaboration between researchers and the host community, and the application of research methods and findings to social change goals within the community. The following reports…

This document, the sixth of seven essays, investigates the relationship of the church, the university and urban society in the area of politics, education, and ministry. This manual describes a basic methodology of the project, "Action-research". The essay is of the "how to do it" breed, with a detailed description of the stages in an…

A program designed to provide input from young people to local governments in California, and to expand participation of young people and families in community affairs, is presented in this proposal. Funding is sought in the proposal to develop materials to implement a pilot program in San Diego County (CA) that would involve more than 100,000…

This document, which is a resource pack for individuals in the United Kingdom who want to become more active citizens, consists of information for group leaders and five learning modules. The section for group leaders contains the following: basic tips on leading a group; strategies for overcoming barriers to learning; glossary; and overview of…