A survey of cooperative education coordinators in Canada (96 of 130) found that more than half had positive attitudes, philosophically and practically, toward volunteer/unpaid positions for co-op students, especially among coordinators of mandatory programs. They had extremely positive attitudes toward entrepreneurial positions. (SK)

At southwest Virginia's new Appalachian School of Law, students volunteer 25 hours each semester on community service projects. Projects fall into two categories: pure service by sharing a skill or interest, and service that draws on legal skills, such as presenting legal seminars to senior citizens' groups or conducting conflict resolution…

The Edgecombe County (North Carolina) Schools have successfully adopted HOSTS (Help One Student To Succeed), a nationally recognized language-arts program that uses individualized, prescriptive learning through one-to-one mentoring by teams of volunteers. HOSTS begins where Reading Recovery leaves off and helped 240 low-performing students improve…

School districts must properly manage volunteers to protect children from negligent behavior. Districts can reduce the risk of using volunteers by developing volunteer-management policies and procedures; maintaining adequate liability insurance; developing descriptions of volunteer responsibilities; screening interested persons; and providing…

The Make a Difference model transforms community service from free labor and low-level tasks to efforts yielding genuine community improvement and enhanced academic performance. Students study the organization they work for and/or the chosen problem. California middle-school students conducted interviews, located primary sources, and created a…

In India development strategy is shifting toward recognition of the importance of initiative and the role of nongovernmental organizations. Revival of communitarianism (community volunteer action) is playing a major role in improvement of the rural environment. (SK)

Describes the use of docents at the Denver Public Library and explains how to develop a successful volunteer docent program. Discusses their educational background; duties, including training patrons in computer use; cooperation of and acceptance by the professional staff; administrative support; and improved customer service. (LRW)

Monday Creek Restoration Project is a collaborative effort of 20 organizations to clean up an Appalachian Ohio stream fouled for generations by acid mine drainage and industrial waste. The grassroots effort has involved state and federal agencies, VISTA volunteers, community volunteers, and college students who monitor the watershed and share…

Introduces service learning for those who teach health or the methods of health promotion, tracing the development of service learning, identifying two schools of service learning practice (the service-first orientation and the learning-first orientation), and proposing a definition of service learning that is broad enough to include both schools.…

Reports on a survey of 111 classroom volunteers in nine Catholic elementary schools. Finds that most volunteers: (1) were female, age 36 or older; (2) worked between 80-200 hours each year in a first grade classroom; and (3) were not employed and had earned at least a bachelor's degree. (CJW)

Describes use of a "curbside critique," a weekly assessment by community volunteers and school leaders to maintain an appealing appearance of the schoolyard and building exterior. (PKP)

Project InSights trained elderly volunteers to conduct peer education programs on vision health. A majority of 55 volunteers felt they provided an important service and made a useful contribution. A majority of 560 participants in the vision education learned something new and about half intended behavior changes related to vision. (Contains 19…

Guidelines for creating a local business component of a college or university's annual fund include: (1) create the case; (2) find prospects; (3) recruit and train volunteers; (4) screen prospects; (5) cultivate and solicit donors; and (6) recognize volunteers and donors. (DB)

Examined how five South African interprofessional partnerships involved local communities and voluntary agencies in long-term health care planning and delivery, highlighting barriers to participation, comparing the views of four stakeholder groups, noting the costs and benefits of participation, and evaluating satisfaction, ownership,…

Research review suggests that parent involvement in middle school and high school has positive effect on the academic success of students. Proposes strategies for middle and high school principals to recruit parent and community volunteers and to train teachers to work with volunteers. (Contains 23 references.) (PKP)