Ongoing demographic, social, economic and cultural changes point to the dynamic and continually changing contexts of rural areas in Ireland and Northern Ireland. However, the influence of such changes on the lives of older people remains under-explored, particularly the question of how older people perceive, connect to and engage in their…

While much is known about the critical importance of educative experiences outside of school, little is known about the social systems, community programs, and everyday practices that can facilitate learning outside of the classroom. "Thinking Comprehensively About Education" sheds much-needed light on those systems, programs, and…

This brief explores the link between rural youths' identification with their community, their self-esteem, and their future plans. The panel study of New Hampshire's Coos County youth offers a snapshot into the dynamics of a population that is developing its identity in a region that is undergoing an identity transformation of its own. Place…

An ally, as defined by dictionary.com, is "a person, group, or nation that is associated with others for some common cause or purpose." Therefore, allies are people whose orientation is "outside" of the oppressed group. An ally is often a person who recognizes her privileges and works in alliance with members of oppressed…

In this article, I examine the contested and racially coded cultural politics of creating mixed-income schools in mixed-income communities. Policymakers claim deconcentrating low-income people will reduce poverty and improve education. However, based on activist research in Chicago, I argue these policies are grounded in "culture of…

It is just about impossible to find an adult education department in Canada that does not have a critical social justice orientation, quite often oriented to community development. Many of the faculty identify themselves with the local and or global activist community, and they see their work as merging learning and justice concerns to build up…

In August 2005, the world witnessed one of the most destructive natural disasters on America's mainland. Hurricane Katrina, followed a month later by Hurricane Rita, brought more than broken levees, flooded streets and homes, and destroyed businesses. It caused changes in the dynamics and the demographic and cultural makeup of the region. One of…

The goal of popular education, as articulated by Paulo Freire and others, is the transformation of communities and societies. There is in need to supplement existing literature with assessment of the outcomes of the practice of popular education in the US, especially under women's leadership. This qualitative research study assesses the outcomes…

In 2002, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation launched Children's Futures, a multiyear community-change initiative to improve the well-being of children in Trenton, New Jersey, through a broad range of activities and services, from parenting programs to efforts to improve health and childcare. This report examines programmatic achievements and…

Given increasing political and financial commitments to wildfire preparedness, risk policy demands that risk identification, assessment, and mitigation activities are balanced among diverse resident groups. Essential for this is the understanding of residents' perceptions of wildfire risks. This study compares wildfire-risk perceptions of…

Through cross-disciplinary and participatory processes involving key stakeholders from the Zambian education sector, as well as from the traditional leadership structure, a localized HIV/AIDS-prevention strategy, Interactive School and Community Approach (ISACA), was developed and implemented throughout one province between 2002 and 2006. The…

In 2002, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation launched an early childhood initiative in Trenton, NJ, called "Children's Futures" (CF) to determine if focused efforts to bring about community change could make measurable differences in children's health and well-being and help ensure their readiness to enter school. The Foundation engaged…

Communities and counties in Indiana are continuing to become more diverse. An influx of immigrants over the past years is very evident in some locations. They come for good employment or because they have been displaced from their homelands. In any case, they soon become a part of the fabric of each community in which they settle. Extension has…

Valerie Kinloch describes how the literacy narratives around place-making by Phillip, an African American teenager who resides in this historic community, demonstrate complexities of confronting power, struggle, and identity within an out-of-school community that is rapidly becoming gentrified. (Contains 3 notes.)

In the aftermath of the Bosnian war, the country has been challenged with the task of responding to the atrocities that culminated in the killing of thousands of people. Furthermore, the country's resultant political instability and economic underdevelopment have been complicated by the multiple transitions to which it has been subject since the…