This article reports an empirical case study of a community self-help group (chama) in Western Kenya, utilising the study circle model promoted by a Swedish non-governmental organisation. Methodologically, it is a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and participant observation for data collection. The results show that the study…

Describes Project HELP, an innovative community self-help program in Nashville, Tennessee which was developed in response to the inability of certain populations to pay their utility bills, and which is staffed primarily with volunteers and funded exclusively through contributions. Reports on the program's first five years of operation, and…

Web sites that support counseling and the use of self-help resources are often used as an integral part of services delivered by organizations. Given the organizational context of these Web sites, effective implementation of these sites within organizations contributes to the overall quality of available resources and services. This document…

Mother Centers are a grassroots self-help movement in Germany that help stay-at-home mothers break through the isolation they experience in German society when they have children and are not available for full-time employment. There are about 300 mother center projects currently in Germany, including 40 in the former East Germany. The programs…

"Parent to Parent" is a telephone-contact self-help group for families of special needs children. Support parents are recruited and trained to provide counseling to other parents. Professionals lead the training course, which focuses on listening, understanding, and action planning. Parents carry out the support group's administrative…

This document presents a discussion of how to set up an on-campus peer support system designed to help college students cope with stress. The possible functions of a peer support center are outlined and features of a proposal for such a center are listed, including a clear mandate of the center, a rationale for the services to be provided, a list…

This guidebook is for community leaders who are implementing the Federal Partners in Self-Sufficiency (PS-S) program, a community-based approach to service delivery that helps families get off welfare. The program offers a comprehensive package of services including housing, education, child care, transportation, counseling, and job training and…

This paper describes a project designed to integrate the Aging/Aged Developmentally Disabled (AADD) person into the larger community. Section 1 presents the ideology of the project. Section 2 describes the Macomb and Oakland Integration projects, two plans designed to evaluate the personal and environmental variables that affect the integration of…

This paper describes the Elder Program, a 3 year Model Demonstration Program designed to strengthen neighborhood support systems for older persons through an educational program emphasizing information, resources, and skill development. A discussion of basic assumptions and the theoretical background of the model focuses on the principles of…

Suggestions are made for establishing a policy for prohibiting smoking on school property. First, a working committee for policy formation should be established. This committee should consist of representatives from all populations affected: students, teachers, parents, staff, bus drivers, cooks, administrators, and union and community…

The thesis of this paper is that, although the concept of teacher support groups is well accepted, their implementation is haphazard at best. Three reasons are cited: (1) Professional literature often mandates conditions for establishing support groups that are unrealistic for most schools; (2) Teachers sometimes see the support group as another…

Three program models, developed for use by agencies and groups wishing to create or expand social services for youth and families experiencing separation, divorce or remarriage, are described in this manual. The three models are a Family Counseling Model, an Education Model, and a Self-Help Model. The manual contains a discussion of the issues to…

This document describes eight models of local and state special education efforts that are providing viable ways for parents to become more involved in their children's education. The models are designed to develop effective two-way communication and collaboration between parents and teachers, develop methods for parents to actively support their…

This paper describes the consumer program, "Helpful People in Touch," a self-help treatment program for people with the multiple disorders of mental illness, drug addiction, and/or alcoholism. First, the terms, "Mentally Ill Chemical Abusers and Addicted" (MICAA) and "Chemical Abusing Mentally Ill" (CAMI) are defined…

Intended for use as a planning tool by adult educators and program administrators, this manual is designed to offer guidance for the development of instructional, self-help, and training programs geared toward rural adults with low education and/or skills. Part I focuses on the "Tribes" process, an educational strategy built around…