Describes how adult students in Great Britain mobilized research, learning, and action in a campaign to protest building closures and funding cuts. (SK)

Describes the organization of a successful community protest against road construction in an Oxford (England) neighborhood and identifies success factors: coalitions with other interest groups; intensive, sustained lobbying; investment in public meetings, exhibitions, and demonstrations; use of local and national media; and involvement of…

Whole-community organizing is a new approach to community change that is supported by theories of social relations and interaction. It uses an asset-based approach to community development. Empirical studies have identified ways to mobilize community assets and build community from inside out. (Contains 58 references.) (SK)

A literature review identified three perspectives on empowerment: self-efficacy derived from individual action and psychology; mutual empowerment through interpersonal relationships; and social empowerment, the removal of social, economic, and legal obstacles to individual influence. However, many community leadership education programs fall short…

Mobilization of citizen participation in grassroots organizations can be adversely affected when grassroots leaders perceive a lack of support. Periodic organizational diagnosis can lead to more equitable division of responsibilities and recruitment of more leaders and skilled participants. (SK)

Traces one program's history in facilitating grassroots community development. Focuses specifically on group methods by which indigenous peoples can carry out their own developments to relieve the effects of poverty. Discusses effective social, economic, and cultural development. (Author/NB)

Describes strategies used by the Biotechnology Working Group during their efforts to influence state and local policy concerning biotechnology issues. Strategies address methods for framing the issue, educating self and others, recruiting allies, and developing citizen pressure. (MDH)

Types of U.S. library programs supporting literacy include family literacy, programs for homeless people, and specialized curricula for women. Besides the Library Services and Construction Act, federal social legislation provides financial resources for library literacy programs. (SK)

In 1945, the Conrad (Montana) Study Group began a commitment to long-term community action that illustrates the principles of transformative research: awareness, active involvement, and social reconstruction. (SK)

Provides an overview of the issues facing community development in Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Discusses possibilities for international cooperation across Europe in the 1990s. (SK)

Describes the origins and provisions of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA), which addresses community action against toxic and environmental hazards. Federal information policy and the flow of information is discussed, regulatory reform is considered, and participatory information systems are described. (69…

In Canada, innovative use of media for citizen participation is a tradition. Community television's potential as citizen television requires communities with problems that residents want to solve, innovative adult educators committed to citizen empowerment, and cable operators who honor the spirit of the policies and regulations of their industry.…

The effect of ethnicity on community activeness in Iowa farming communities with people of German or English background was studied. Little support was found for the hypothesis that communities with a larger percentage of German ancestry would tend toward more collective action. (SK)

The University of Nebraska's School at the Center works with people in rural communities who are trying to reconcile two worlds: the first representing historical tradition and the second representing future globalization. Reconciling these worlds is about renewing vows of responsibility to individuals who have gone before and who are yet to be.…

Analyzes Chicano murals in Chicago to illustrate how visual images engage communal development and community identity by tapping into shared senses of history, experience, and culture. States these murals present an argument for cultural pride and political activism by inserting into the public space of a community symbolic representations of…