Defines community level interventions for prevention and health promotion, describing their appeal, offering examples of community level interventions that demonstrate their promise, summarizing literature reviews that document that the promise is not realized regularly, and proposing that models to bridge the gap between science and practice via…

Two community-based projects employed social marketing to design and implement interventions to promote health. The Arkansas project involved key informant interviews, actuarial analysis, citizen and student surveys, and participant observation. The Florida approach included focus groups and provider, worker, and employer surveys. (Contains 25…

A review of evaluations of community-based arts projects illustrates the methodological challenges of evaluating the arts and the issue of whether and how quantitative methods should be used. Eight studies revealed self-reports of personal, social, economic, and educational change, with few negative consequences. (Contains 52 references.) (SK)

Examines the literature on preventing firesetting behavior in preadolescents and adolescents, suggesting the need for policies and programs designed to help juveniles by providing community support and stability. Alternatives to juvenile justice interventions include making changes in the home environment, acquiring a greater sense of self, and…

The Belgian government funds one central community development institute and eight regional institutes. Challenges include an increasingly multicultural society, emphasis on the integration of ethnic-cultural minorities, and decentralized decision making. A broader social role for community development is being recognized. (SK)

Describes a regional substance abuse prevention coalition in Southeast Alaska that has thoroughly integrated a youth/adult partnership model. The principles and key components of the partnership model are described, followed by an overview of how this model has been incorporated at the community level, and some of the lessons learned. (Contains 41…

The article describes Benhaven, a residential program of group homes in Connecticut, which provides intensive programing for autistic and neurologically impaired children. Examined are the program's administration and management, treatment services, support services, and family and community involvement. (DB)

The article addresses issues concerned with community-based vocational preparation for secondary school students with disabilities. Implications for preservice preparation of teachers, training models, and service implementation are described. (DB)

The methodology and design of the process evaluation system of the Pawtucket Heart Health Program (an 11-year project for changing/documenting change in cardiovascular disease risk status of a northeastern city's residents) are described. Examples of the system's use are provided. The maintenance of such a system without substantial evaluation…

This annotated bibliography lists nine items retrieved from the ERIC database that deal with networks and library cooperation at the local, national, and international levels. Instructions for placing orders for copies of these items are provided. (CLB)

Community-based rehabilitation for disabled people has proved to have serious shortcomings, especially in terms of vocational training. The broader concept of community integration programs involves disabled people and local institutions in training and employment efforts to integrate the disabled into normal community life. (SK)

The model, which assesses the mental health needs of deaf adults, uses a two-tiered approach that combines social indicators and key informant methods to establish a discrepancy between needs and usage. The model is applied to a large metropolitan community in the southwestern United States with a sizable Hispanic population. (JDD)

This article describes the child protection team model emerging in rural Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada). Child protection teams encourage a community-based response to child abuse involving first, a community-wide focus on prevention through public education and awareness, advocacy, and professional development, and second, case conferences by…

To help the community encourage reading, a Texas elementary school's community involvement committee established a children's lending library in a nearby rent-subsidized apartment complex. Several thousand books were donated over a two-week period, hours have been extended, and teachers and staff generously donate time and expertise to manage the…

This survey, which obtained responses from 37 countries, concluded that there are more than 4,500 toy libraries in the world in 31 countries on all continents. Libraries include (1) community-oriented toy libraries; (2) lekoteks for children with special needs; (3) toy libraries as a cultural, social, and recreational center; and (4) toy lending…