This writing resource book offers ideas for sharing stories, turning them into text, and reaching a wider audience through simple publishing processes in community settings and through group processes. Chapter 1 shows how the "Building Canberra" project, on which the book is based, came about. It discusses the policy framework in which…

The Educational Learning and Enrichment Center (ELEC) entered into a contract with the Houston Independent School District (HISD) (Texas) to provide a community-based alternative education program for HISD eligible students who had dropped out of school and were considered to be at risk of not completing their basic education. The 1996-97…

This report highlights the major issues discussed during a 2-day workshop on Medicaid funding for community-based mental health services for children and youth with severe emotional disturbances. The report opens with a brief description of the service needs of children and youth with severe emotional disturbances and the system of care that can…

Although many programs and agencies exist to serve the needs of at-risk children, their fragmented organization results in a failure to meet all students' needs. Ways for agencies working together to provide integrative services to at-risk youth are presented in this paper. First, emerging principles for interagency collaboration are summarized.…

The emerging field of assistive technology offers employment and independent living for people with disabilities. However, agency staff, people with disabilities, and their guardians often spend substantial time finding appropriate technological solutions. The integration of technology into the existing service system is needed to maximize scarce…

A Youth Career Centre in South Alberta has been proposed to fulfill the career development needs of youth. The center should be based on the tenets of career development theory that suggest that five basic processes are necessary to facilitate the career development of youth: initiation, exploration, decision making, preparation, and…

The Job Designs Project, a 3-year federally funded project, provides students (ages 16-22) at an Oregon residential treatment center for youth with emotional and behavioral disorders with supported paid employment in the community. The project has provided job supported employment services to 36 students working in such positions as restaurant bus…

Collaboration as an effective means for developing resiliency in children is examined in this document. The first section summarizes findings of literature on collaboration to develop a new paradigm based on the following features: obtaining community ownership; developing and utilizing people's strengths; and actively engaging children.…

Intended for parents, school personnel, and leisure staff, this booklet outlines ways a community can overcome obstacles that keep youth with disabilities from enjoying their leisure. First the nature of leisure is considered and a self-evaluation questionnaire is presented. Consideration of leisure in the lives of teenagers with disabilities…

The goal of the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges' Beacon Colleges Initiative is to disseminate information about exemplary collaborative programs and services. In Oregon, Chemeketa Community College is the Beacon College which has been working in association with five other community colleges in the state to build community…

Guidelines designed to help individual communities achieve the second National Education Goal are offered in this document. The goal states that by the year 2000, the high school graduation rate will increase to at least 90 percent. Eight suggestions for creating successful dropout prevention efforts are discussed: start early; set high…

This paper examines two states operating under Federal Court Orders concerning deinstitutionalization of individuals with mental retardation. New Hampshire is presented as a state in which sociopolitical realities have interfered with efforts to monitor the quality of care, as the Laconia State School was closed for economic reasons, thereby…

Partners in Community Leadership is an educational program for rural youth aged 15-18 and adult volunteers that blends youth leadership, community development, and youth-adult partnerships. In addition to sections on program preparation, adult orientation, and facilitator orientation, this handbook contains 10 program modules requiring about 15…

What can be done to solve the problem of crime in schools? "Project Freedom," in Wichita, Kansas, is creating programs to help children learn about dangers that come with joining gangs and becoming involved in drugs. A community program in Los Angeles, Community Youth Gang Services," is a crisis intervention team working with…

This document presents an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Growin' to Win Project, an after-school and summer program targeted at elementary and middle school aged youth at high risk of substance abuse and gang involvement. Growin' to Win is an expansion of a model latchkey program piloted at two Tacoma (Washington) schools in 1990. The…