Hikikomori has been recognized as a significant social issue in Japan. It is a Japanese term that refers to young people (aged 18-39 years) who have been in an asocial state of social withdrawal and social isolation for over six months. The Cabinet Office of Japan suggests that the number of hikikomori youth has reached approximately 700,000 and…

Rap Room is a peer counseling service which combines self-help, peer help, and professional guidance to develop supportive relations in the midst of a generally depersonalizing and growth-stifling institution. (Author/AM)

This article describes a self-help center for adolescents which is located in Boston. The functions of the center include counseling, outreach programs, workshops, dances, planning activities at coffee-houses, and special fund-raising projects. (Author/EJT)

One of a series that can be used by New Jersey community action workers, this training manual for antipoverty work is a collection of low-cost, no-cost programs focusing on consumer education and assistance, fund raising, employment and education (including creative writing and teacher aide training), youth services, and recreation. Examples of…

Outlines the evaluation of a suburban hotline. Among its foci is the interrelationship between the growth and development of a core group of youthful phone aides and that of the organization as a whole. (Author/AM)

A discussion of ways in which both adult and young Americans are volunteering to aid in the positive development of young people is presented in this booklet. The wide variety of programs that are designed to use volunteers and the need for additional volunteers are described. These programs are discussed under the following topic headings: School…

Self-help among low-income people is vitally important. In no area is self-help more important than in overcoming poverty's burdens and energizing the escape from poverty. This document comprises an inventory of self-help and mutual-help programs that feature active involvement of members of the low-income population. The programs in this…

This document, which was developed through a decade of research and field testing involving more than 700 people, offers step-by-step strategies that educators, employment specialists, occupational therapists, and other professionals can use to help youths and adults with mild, moderate, or severe disabilities make their own employment choices.…