This paper presents a case study of one local Sure Start programme's significant success in engaging large numbers of fathers with its services. The paper details both the levels of male involvement in the programme over time and the strategies found to be effective in involving men. Numbers of fathers using programme services rose to over 100 in…

This report offers information and advice to assist all levels of government in its work to establish evidence-based policies, programs, and practices across the life cycle of disasters. This report provides examples of effective community efforts with respect to people with disabilities, and evaluates many emergency preparedness, disaster relief,…

This paper reports some findings from a longitudinal study of a group of volunteers at an independent school in China. Founded by a committed group of volunteers, Springfield School has been self-sustaining and has provided junior high school education for the past eight years. The author describes the demographic and education background of the…

This study examines nine voluntary working relationships or partnerships between tribal education departments (TEDs) and local education agencies supporting American Indian students. Individual profiles describe how each partnership works, focusing primarily on collaborative activities intended to improve education outcomes for American Indian…

Voluntary organizations exert great influence over how social norms and ethical codes are guided into action. As such, they have a significant impact on societal levels of social cohesion. Although social capital involves generalized trust becoming manifest as spontaneous sociability, social cohesion is determined by how that sociability is…

The central concern of this article is to advocate an inclusive and pluralistic notion of a public sphere similar to those advocated by feminist writers such as Iris Marion Young and Nancy Fraser. These ideas complement the plethora of initiatives from statutory and voluntary agencies to take on board the participation and voices of children and…

Volunteering is doing what you can to help, with everyone welcome to try. (RC)

Under the New Policy Agenda, international development institutions have promoted non-profit organizations (NPOs) in developing countries, on a dual logic: firstly, they deliver social services more efficiently than the state; secondly, they mitigate equity concerns around privatization of basic social services by reaching out to the poor. Based…

The coincident arrival of a European policy space in education and a European Educational Research Association [EERA], and their subsequent relation, will be the subject of this paper. EERA is a hybrid organization--it supports scientific networking, it is a social partner in EU policy, it is a first level social space for networking, and…

Many New York librarians view volunteers as a serious job threat; their unions back them in their opposition to volunteers; and some administrators are afraid to launch volunteer programs during the budget crunch because of their probably adverse effect on staff morale. (Author)

This article discusses how volunteers are serving their communities. (RC)

Voluntary organizations in India may engage in adult literacy projects and followup services, further education (beyond adult basic education), adult educator training, research and evaluation, professional development, and program promotion. (LY)

Summarizes the history of the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) involvement with libraries and describes their current Adopt-a-Library program, which was initiated to promote libraries and literacy. Suggestions for developing a successful joint venture are offered. (22 references) (CLB)

The confluence of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) with the development of China's education is not a mere chance encounter. On August 27, 2004, the author took part in the designing of a meeting held in Beijing by the Twenty First Century Education Salon that received support from the Ford Foundation. Jointly organized by the Twenty-first…

In this paper I describe how self-advocacy has grown in the Czech Republic. First, I talk about how services for people with learning disabilities have begun to change in the last few years. This is because voluntary groups have lobbied and campaigned for change. I learned about self-advocacy during a visit to the UK in the 1990s. I went back to…