This volume, the first in a series of three, contains the reports of four European experiments that were part of a process of cooperative monitoring of a project on adult education and community development. The theme of these experiments is "participation of women and men in decisions affecting their daily lives over a wide range of local and regional issues." The four experiments are the Romansch League in the Canton of Graubuenden in Switzerland, the Spanish experiment of Coria in Estremadura, the Portuguese experiment of Braga, and the Italian experiment in Sicily. Each experiment is described as it was observed by the Monitoring Group in terms of socioeconomic context, project objectives, project development, and activities. A summary of the impressions, observations, and questions of all participants concludes each report. Prospects for European cooperation are also discussed here. Appendixes include the description of a Belgian experiment, the Fondation Rurale de Wallonie, similar in themes and methods to the four other monitored experiments. (YLB)