Describes the evaluation training method developed by the San Francisco, California Youth in Focus program and presents three case studies illustrating this organization's approach to bringing youth and community development together. (SLD)

A demonstration project to test the possibilities of ecosystem restoration as a tool for community development was evaluated in 1998 and 2001. The socioeconomic climate and community problem-solving capacity were compared in four demonstration communities and two control communities. Results showed economic development must be coordinated with…

Describes a project at Bergen Community College, New Jersey, that attempts to develop a "sense of place" in students so that their private stake in a place can become a public concern and a personal issue. (SLD)

Two community councils in England (Middlesbrough and Islington) used very different organizational models in implementing decentralization and democratization policies. Both communities considered community development and participation central to the success of the policies. (SK)

A rural development and regeneration project in Northern Ireland used community education as an important part of the community development process. Project workers' involvement with community groups necessitated skills of empathy, networking, and group facilitation above and beyond those needed in adult education. (SK)

Five areas of inquiry shape the sustainable development movement: environmental movement, women's movement, overpopulation concerns, critique of development models, and new indicators of social progress. Community development workers are challenged to prepare local development projects within a sustainable development framework. (SK)

When market-based growth fails to improve community economic development, an alternative approach to economic analysis is a process-discursive method, which considers the roles of human agents and importance of information about reality as experienced by individuals. The process model of community-sensitive transformation is participatory and can…

A survey of 26 human service agencies in an empowerment zone found the following: 73% used interns, few from social work; 57% used empowerment in mission statements (more economic than social agencies); 69% of these wanted community practice interns; and higher-budget agencies were better able to negotiate the empowerment zone system. (Contains 20…

Contradictory expectations facing community development practitioners include innovation versus bureaucratic accountability and professionalization versus grassroots activism. Four operating frameworks affect practice: charity, welfare state, activism, and market. In some instances, these frameworks and their related discourses are being fused,…

Environmental justice provides a linking theme with which community development workers and environmental activists can build cross-sectoral coalitions. Examples of Australian environmental problems illustrate constraints that must be overcome. Building vertical and horizontal links between and within nongovernmental organizations is one solution.…

In the last decade, community development in Ireland has emphasized social and economic inclusion, regeneration, and civic participation. Continuing challenges include designation of diverse community representatives, demand for increased administrative efficiency, and management of mandates and accountability. There are more community development…

Includes "The Czech Republic" (Paula Jindrova); "Working with Romanies and Others in Bulgaria" (Victor Djorgov); and "The Picture in Romania" (Florian Nizu). (SK)

Discusses whether the politics of individual practitioners actually influence the causes they adopt and therefore the outcomes; describes research that reinforces the argument that no such congruency exists; and argues that barriers to radical community work are such that its major impact is to strengthen pluralism while making minimal…

The application of adult education principles to community development is only possible under certain conditions relating to power relationships, institutional structures, community dynamics, and the role of the community organizer. (JOW)

Discusses factors affecting attitudes of community leaders and residents toward community change. Leaders' and residents' attitudes are compared. Presents strategies for more effective local action relevant to community development practitioners. (JOW)