Linguists understand metaphors to be shortcuts to an individual's tacit knowledge about the world. As ethnographers and planners building a university-school partnership and seeking to understand residents' perceptions of their urban neighbourhood, attention to use of metaphor allowed us insight into an insider's mental model of who is in the…

Investigates ways communities can assess their needs and plan ways to use telecommunications technologies to address those needs. Experiences from four urban communities are examined, as are barriers to access and issues regarding telephone service access. (GR)

This report identifies funding priorities to assist governmental and philanthropic agencies in meeting the long-range needs of the Latino community of Los Angeles (California). Information was gathered from a community survey, a survey of Latino community leaders, and focus groups comprised of representatives from various sectors of the Latino…

This document describes the vision and priorities of Howard Community College's (HCC's) Economic and Workforce Development Task Force. The task force's commission was to identify the long- and short-term skills businesses will demand of the workforce in the Greater Baltimore area and what Howard Community College must do to continue developing…

This document identifies steps in organizing and conducting a community survey and provides materials for assembling a well-focused survey form. Planning and conducting a successful survey involves the organization of a planning group, selection of relevant topics and information to be collected on each topic, preparation of a survey form,…

A case study was conducted of the organized, cooperative efforts of women in six communities in Bolivia. From December 1978 through January 1988, visits were made to women's organizations called "mothers' clubs." Effects of club membership on members, their families, and their communities were examined. A research review showed that: (1)…

Public libraries are often a vastly underused resource for businesses and business people. This book shows librarians how to aggressively pursue businesses until they turn naturally to libraries for their information needs. The book provides a step-by-step process which teaches librarians how to identify the information needs of businesses,…

This paper describes the use of the Nominal Group Technique as a tool to assist community leaders in 23 Georgia counties, most of them rural, in identifying and prioritizing community issues. The counties and individuals involved were participants in the Georgia County Perspective, a 12-week leadership program designed to give local leaders skills…

Based on the view that strong families create healthy local economies and that family support is key to helping families become self-sufficient, active participants in the marketplace, this workbook is part of a wider effort at Family Support America to apply the principles of family support and the strategies of community economic development to…

This manual is designed primarily to assist Education Peace Corps Volunteers undertake community projects in addition to their primary job assignment. Chapter 1 discusses the factors that determine the measure of success of the project. The process, not the product, is emphasized. Chapter 2 on situational analysis outlines areas of investigation…

A strong local economy which allows residents of a community to work and shop near their homes is perhaps the best safeguard against the threats of urban sprawl, economic stagnation, physical deterioration and loss of unique identity facing many small towns. Utilizing a six-phase process advocated by the University of Wisconsin-Extension,…

This document explores the application of the community education process to restructuring activities at both the state and local level. The monograph contains the following papers: "In the Forefront of Restructuring" (Larry Decker, Valerie Romney); "Building Learning Communities: Realities of Educational Restructuring" (Larry…

Assessing the potential impact of telecommunications technology upon rural economic development, this study for the Economic Development Administration (EDA) employs data assembled and analyzed from the following: "informed experts;" research information and demonstration projects; and federal legislation, research, and agency interests.…

Intended for community development professionals and volunteers who work with preliterate communities, this illustrated handbook accompanies a library of visual aids that allow rural people to formulate their own projects. (The curriculum, called Pictorial Apprenticeship, transfers the process of project design into visual forms that literate and…

This manual contains materials for a 2-week workshop to train extension staff and community leaders working at the village level in the Solomon Islands. The aim of the course is to improve participants' skills so they are better able to help communities and community groups design and manage community projects. An introduction addresses the team…