The Sheffield (England) City Council used an advisory group approach to solicit citizen participation in community planning. Two important lessons were: ensuring that all target groups are represented and providing training and information to prepare citizen representatives for their consulting role. (SK)

Investigation of the Rural Education Activities Program in New Zealand found that it provided broad, community-embedded service, but there was little capacity to measure these efforts, lessening their legitimacy and credibility. A range of actions remained unacknowledged or hidden, and ideological conflicts and tensions were apparent. (SK)

Twenty-three in-depth interviews with three women involved in leadership training and three "frentors" (mentor/supervisor/friend) revealed that issues of gender, ethnicity, and class affected their participation in training. The researcher faced several dilemmas: (1) having prior close connections with the interviewees; (2) disapproval…

A nongovernmental organization involved in community development in Cambodia adapted De Bono's six thinking hat model to build staff capacity and develop a framework for open-ended conversations. It proved useful for comprehensive analysis of problems and preventing conflicts. (SK)

Describes how the All Stars Talent Network, a youth development program, transformed a pilot donor-acquisition project into a combined site visit and evaluation that engaged youth participants, donors, and adult volunteers in a unique community-building partnership. (SLD)

A review of evaluations of community-based arts projects illustrates the methodological challenges of evaluating the arts and the issue of whether and how quantitative methods should be used. Eight studies revealed self-reports of personal, social, economic, and educational change, with few negative consequences. (Contains 52 references.) (SK)

Discusses how service learning can play an integral role in reclaiming youth. Advocates service learning as an effective part of the reclaiming process because it engages a variety of senses and makes learning more accessible for students with different learning styles. (GCP)

Whole-community organizing is a new approach to community change that is supported by theories of social relations and interaction. It uses an asset-based approach to community development. Empirical studies have identified ways to mobilize community assets and build community from inside out. (Contains 58 references.) (SK)

A literature review identified three perspectives on empowerment: self-efficacy derived from individual action and psychology; mutual empowerment through interpersonal relationships; and social empowerment, the removal of social, economic, and legal obstacles to individual influence. However, many community leadership education programs fall short…

Believes that a historiographic inquiry into Meridel Le Sueur's work as a teacher of writing can extend conversations about textual property that are taking place in English studies today. Concludes that "Worker Writers" stands as Le Sueur's call to working-class women and men to strengthen their communal ties, to make their lives more visible…

Describes Idaho cooperative extension projects funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Decisions for Health Initiatives, focusing on community development and health. Explains how the projects succeed with limited funding and resources. (SK)

Key informant interviews in 46 communities were conducted using a scale designed to measure community readiness to support drug prevention education. Readiness levels clustered around the stages of vague awareness and institutionalization. Ways to improve the scale and use it in community work were recommended. (SK)

Comparison of the sustainable livelihoods approach of a development agency and the British government's "healthcheck" approach to town regeneration found common emphasis on participation and community-led action. However, sustainable likelihoods emphasized a focus on poverty, building on strengths, and social capital as an asset.…

Case studies of three Indian businesses showed they were engaged in different types of community development: defensive, narrow, and positive. Addition of a sustainable livelihoods approach could add depth to business-community relationships with an outward focus, ability to deal with complexity, and emphasis on corporate citizenship. (Contains 27…

Outlines an educational process designed to help provide communities with economic, social, and political information using community economic impact modeling. Describes the process of community meetings using economic impact, community demographics, and fiscal impact modules and the local preconditions that help make the process successful. (SK)