Sample records for community development projects

  1. A systematic review of studies evaluating Australian indigenous community development projects: the extent of community participation, their methodological quality and their outcomes.

    PubMed

    Snijder, Mieke; Shakeshaft, Anthony; Wagemakers, Annemarie; Stephens, Anne; Calabria, Bianca

    2015-11-21

    Community development is a health promotion approach identified as having great potential to improve Indigenous health, because of its potential for extensive community participation. There has been no systematic examination of the extent of community participation in community development projects and little analysis of their effectiveness. This systematic review aims to identify the extent of community participation in community development projects implemented in Australian Indigenous communities, critically appraise the qualitative and quantitative methods used in their evaluation, and summarise their outcomes. Ten electronic peer-reviewed databases and two electronic grey literature databases were searched for relevant studies published between 1990 and 2015. The level of community participation and the methodological quality of the qualitative and quantitative components of the studies were assessed against standardised criteria. Thirty one evaluation studies of community development projects were identified. Community participation varied between different phases of project development, generally high during project implementation, but low during the evaluation phase. For the majority of studies, methodological quality was low and the methods were poorly described. Although positive qualitative or quantitative outcomes were reported in all studies, only two studies reported statistically significant outcomes. Partnerships between researchers, community members and service providers have great potential to improve methodological quality and community participation when research skills and community knowledge are integrated to design, implement and evaluate community development projects. The methodological quality of studies evaluating Australian Indigenous community development projects is currently too weak to confidently determine the cost-effectiveness of community development projects in improving the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians. Higher quality studies evaluating community development projects would strengthen the evidence base.

  2. 28 CFR 551.60 - Volunteer community service projects.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... MANAGEMENT MISCELLANEOUS Volunteer Community Service Projects § 551.60 Volunteer community service projects. (a) A volunteer community service project is a project sponsored and developed by local government or... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Volunteer community service projects. 551...

  3. 28 CFR 551.60 - Volunteer community service projects.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Volunteer community service projects. 551... MANAGEMENT MISCELLANEOUS Volunteer Community Service Projects § 551.60 Volunteer community service projects. (a) A volunteer community service project is a project sponsored and developed by local government or...

  4. 28 CFR 551.60 - Volunteer community service projects.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Volunteer community service projects. 551... MANAGEMENT MISCELLANEOUS Volunteer Community Service Projects § 551.60 Volunteer community service projects. (a) A volunteer community service project is a project sponsored and developed by local government or...

  5. 28 CFR 551.60 - Volunteer community service projects.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Volunteer community service projects. 551... MANAGEMENT MISCELLANEOUS Volunteer Community Service Projects § 551.60 Volunteer community service projects. (a) A volunteer community service project is a project sponsored and developed by local government or...

  6. 28 CFR 551.60 - Volunteer community service projects.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Volunteer community service projects. 551... MANAGEMENT MISCELLANEOUS Volunteer Community Service Projects § 551.60 Volunteer community service projects. (a) A volunteer community service project is a project sponsored and developed by local government or...

  7. Utilising Planning and Financing Strategies in the Management of Community Development Projects in Enugu State, Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Obetta, Chukwuemeka K.; Oreh, Catherine I.

    2017-01-01

    Utilisation of community management strategies is an approach to governance that is based on community and organisational involvement. Communities with development projects have formed community projects management committees (CPMCs) that are encouraged to adopt the community management strategy in the planning and financing of community…

  8. The Project Dimension in Community Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thompson, J. D. Ekundaye

    1994-01-01

    Describes three projects sponsored by the International Community Education Association: (1) functional literacy for railway workers in Ghana; (2) youth farmers' community development project in Ghana; and (3) participatory research in a community education and development network in Sierra Leone. (SK)

  9. Professional development using student-led, community-based activities.

    PubMed

    Martin, Ashley E; Cunningham, Stacey C; Magnus, Jeanette H

    2011-01-01

    As a community health education center affiliated with an academic institution, we recognize that by investing in the professional development of our students, we not only maximize our own outcomes but those of our students as well. Our project, Creating Community Connections, was developed to aid the work of our Center in characterizing the evolving community landscape following Hurricane Katrina while providing opportunities for students to engage in experiential learning. Students in the project could gain skills in program planning and community assessment, as well as leadership and communications. Twenty-three students worked on the project during its 2 years, developing data collection tools, organizing and conducting key informant interviews, facilitating focus groups and community forums, managing data, and summarizing project findings for community presentations. Participation in this project allowed our students to grow as public health leaders and researchers while gaining a greater appreciation for community collaboration.

  10. Avoiding re-inventing the wheel in a people-centered approach to REDD+.

    PubMed

    Holmes, Ignacia; Potvin, Catherine

    2014-10-01

    One important debate regarding Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) in developing countries concerns the manner in which its implementation might affect local and indigenous communities. New ways to implement this mechanism without harming the interests of local communities are emerging. To inform this debate, we conducted a qualitative research synthesis to identify best practices (BPs) from people-centered approaches to conservation and rural development, developed indicators of BPs, and invited development practitioners and researchers in the field to assess how the identified BPs are being adopted by community-level REDD+ projects in Latin America. BPs included: local participation in all phases of the project; project supported by a decentralized forest governance framework; project objectives matching community livelihood priorities; project addressing community development needs and expectations; project enhancing stakeholder collaboration and consensus building; project applying an adaptive management approach; and project developing national and local capacities. Most of the BPs were part of the evaluated projects. However, limitations of some of the projects related to decentralized forest governance, matching project objectives with community livelihood priorities, and addressing community development needs. Adaptive management and free and prior informed consent have been largely overlooked. These limitations could be addressed by integrating conservation outcomes and alternative livelihoods into longer-term community development goals, testing nested forest governance approaches in which national policies support local institutions for forest management, gaining a better understanding of the factors that will make REDD+ more acceptable to local communities, and applying an adaptive management approach that allows for social learning and capacity building of relevant stakeholders. Our study provides a framework of BPs and indicators that could be used by stakeholders to improve REDD+ project design, monitoring, and evaluation, which may help reconcile national initiatives and local interests without reinventing the wheel. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

  11. Partnering Community Decision Makers with Early Career Scientists - The NASA DEVELOP Method for Dual Capacity Building

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ross, K. W.; Childs-Gleason, L. M.; Cripps, G. S.; Clayton, A.; Remillard, C.; Watkins, L. E.; Allsbrook, K. N.; Rogers, L.; Ruiz, M. L.

    2017-12-01

    The NASA DEVELOP National Program carries out many projects every year with the goal of bringing the benefits of NASA Earth science to bear on decision-making challenges that are local in scale. Every DEVELOP project partners end users with early/transitioning science professionals. Many of these projects invited communities to consider NASA science data in new ways to help them make informed decisions. All of these projects shared three characteristics: they were rapid, nimble and risk-taking. These projects work well for some communities, but might best be suited as a feasibility studies that build community/institutional capacity towards eventual solutions. This presentation will discuss DEVELOP's lessons learned and best practices in conducting short-term feasibility projects with communities, as well as highlight several past successes.

  12. Community Learning Is Community Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Plested, Julian; Dale, Lesley

    2001-01-01

    A British project to develop a learning community had to overcome challenges of trust, lack of participation by young men, and the tendency to be led by funding. Project lessons include the following: community learning is community development; providers are co-learners; and information technology is an inspirer and an equalizer. (SK)

  13. National Community Solar Platform

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rupert, Bart

    This project was created to provide a National Community Solar Platform (NCSP) portal known as Community Solar Hub, that is available to any entity or individual who wants to develop community solar. This has been done by providing a comprehensive portal to make CEC’s solutions, and other proven community solar solutions, externally available for everyone to access – making the process easy through proven platforms to protect subscribers, developers and utilities. The successful completion of this project provides these tools via a web platform and integration APIs, a wide spectrum of community solar projects included in the platform, multiple groupsmore » of customers (utilities, EPCs, and advocates) using the platform to develop community solar, and open access to anyone interested in community solar. CEC’s Incubator project includes web-based informational resources, integrated systems for project information and billing systems, and engagement with customers and users by community solar experts. The combined effort externalizes much of Clean Energy Collective’s industry-leading expertise, allowing third parties to develop community solar without duplicating expensive start-up efforts. The availability of this platform creates community solar projects that are cheaper to build and cheaper to participate in, furthering the goals of DOE’s SunShot Initiative. Final SF 425 Final SF 428 Final DOE F 2050.11 Final Report Narrative« less

  14. Kothmale Community Radio Interorg Project: True Community Radio or Feel-Good Propaganda?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harvey-Carter, Liz

    2009-01-01

    The Kothmale Community Radio and Interorg project in Sri Lanka has been hailed as an example of how a community radio initiative should function in a developing nation. However, there is some question about whether the Kothmale Community Interorg Project is a true community radio initiative that empowers local communities to access ICT services…

  15. Community organizing network for environmental health: using a community health development approach to increase community capacity around reduction of environmental triggers.

    PubMed

    Parker, Edith A; Chung, Lynna K; Israel, Barbara A; Reyes, Angela; Wilkins, Donele

    2010-04-01

    The Community Organizing Network for Environmental Health (CONEH), a project of Community Action Against Asthma, used a community health development approach to improve children's asthma-related health through increasing the community's capacity to reduce physical and social environmental triggers for asthma. Three community organizers were hired to work with community groups and residents in neighborhoods in Detroit on the priority areas of air quality, housing, and citizen involvement in the environmental project and policy decision-making. As part of the evaluation of the CONEH project, 20 one-on-one semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted between August and November 2005 involving steering committee members, staff members, and key community organization staff and/or community members. Using data from the evaluation of the CONEH project, this article identifies the dimensions of community capacity that were enhanced as part of a CBPR community health development approach to reducing physical and social environmental triggers associated with childhood asthma and the factors that facilitated or inhibited the enhancement of community capacity.

  16. The Partnerships Project: Linking Educational Opportunity and Community Development To Revitalize Rural Communities into Global Villages. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Emery, Mary E.

    Lewis-Clark State College, Idaho, developed a model program, Partnerships Project, designed to provide rural community residents with access to higher education and to assist communities in increasing their local capacity for development. In pursuing these objectives, the program helped to change the nature of the postsecondary undertaking in…

  17. Developing Partnerships with the Community for Coastal ESD

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kawabe, Midori; Kohno, Hiroshi; Ikeda, Reiko; Ishimaru, Takashi; Baba, Osamu; Horimoto, Naho; Kanda, Jota; Matsuyam, Masaji; Moteki, Masato; Oshima, Yayoi; Sasaki, Tsuyoshi; Yap, Minlee

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to draw lessons for developing community-university partnerships from experiences in promoting coastal education for sustainable development (ESD). Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative data collected from two coastal community outreach projects were analyzed. Findings: The outreach projects improved the…

  18. Community Organizing Network for Environmental Health: Using a Community Health Development Approach to Increase Community Capacity around Reduction of Environmental Triggers

    PubMed Central

    Chung, Lynna K.; Israel, Barbara A.; Reyes, Angela; Wilkins, Donele

    2010-01-01

    The Community Organizing Network for Environmental Health (CONEH), a project of Community Action Against Asthma, used a community health development approach to improve children’s asthma-related health through increasing the community’s capacity to reduce physical and social environmental triggers for asthma. Three community organizers were hired to work with community groups and residents in neighborhoods in Detroit on the priority areas of air quality, housing, and citizen involvement in the environmental project and policy decision-making. As part of the evaluation of the CONEH project, 20 one-on-one semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted between August and November 2005 involving steering committee members, staff members, and key community organization staff and/or community members. Using data from the evaluation of the CONEH project, this article identifies the dimensions of community capacity that were enhanced as part of a CBPR community health development approach to reducing physical and social environmental triggers associated with childhood asthma and the factors that facilitated or inhibited the enhancement of community capacity. PMID:20306137

  19. Short & Sweet: Community Action for Widening Participation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aldridge, Fiona

    The Adult and Community Development Project (Project 99) was established to distribute one-time development grants to all local education authorities (LEAs) in England and some voluntary and community organizations for implementation of short-term activities in the adult and community education field. Organizations receiving grants were requested…

  20. An Exploration of the Effect of Community Engagement in Research on Perceived Outcomes of Partnered Mental Health Services Projects*

    PubMed Central

    Khodyakov, Dmitry; Stockdale, Susan; Jones, Felica; Ohito, Elizabeth; Jones, Andrea; Lizaola, Elizabeth; Mango, Joseph

    2011-01-01

    Mental health research projects address sensitive issues for vulnerable populations and are implemented in complex environments. Community-Based Participatory Research approaches are recommended for health research on vulnerable populations, but little is known about how variation in participation affects outcomes of partnered research projects. We developed a conceptual model demonstrating the impact of community engagement in research on outcomes of partnered projects. We collected data on key constructs from community and academic leaders of 21 sampled partnered research projects in two cycles of an NIMH research center. We conducted empirical analyses to test the model. Our findings suggest that community engagement in research is positively associated with perceived professional development, as well as political and community impact. PMID:22582144

  1. Community Service Projects: Citizenship in Action. Fastback 231.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lipka, Richard P.; And Others

    This booklet examines the theory and practice of projects that involve secondary students in community services. Through such involvement, young people will develop positive attitudes toward community participation that will persist throughout their adult lives. Community service projects represent an important and exciting way to bring democracy…

  2. Exploring Community Stakeholders' Perceptions of the Enhancing Family Well-being Project in Hong Kong: A Qualitative Study.

    PubMed

    Chu, Joanna T W; Chan, Sophia S; Stewart, Sunita M; Zhou, Qianling; Leung, Charles Sai-Cheong; Wan, Alice; Lam, Tai Hing

    2017-01-01

    Community engagement is a powerful tool in bringing about positive social and community change. Community stakeholders possess critical experience and knowledge that are needed to inform the development of community-based projects. However, limited literature is available on the practical experience involved with planning and implementing community-based family programs. Even less has been published documenting efforts in Chinese communities. This paper explores community stakeholders' experiences with the enhancing family well-being project-part of a citywide project entitled the "FAMILY Project," aimed at promoting family health, happiness, and harmony in Hong Kong. This qualitative evaluation examined the perspectives of community stakeholders. Four focus groups with social workers ( n  = 24) and six in-depth interviews with steering committee members were conducted from December 2012 to May 2013 in Hong Kong. Focus groups and in-depths interview were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis techniques. Rich accounts were given by our respondents on various aspects of the project. Main themes and subthemes were identified and grouped into four categories (project conception, project implementation, project consolidation, and the overall impact of the project). Respondents described the practical challenges associated with the project (e.g., recruitment, balancing scientific research, and lack of resources) and identified the elements that are important to the success of the project. These included the commitment to a shared goal, multi-agency collaboration, and a platform for knowledge exchange. Finally, respondents perceived benefits of the project at both the individual and community level. Our project sheds light on many of the practical considerations and challenges associated with a designing and implementing a community-based family intervention project. Community stakeholders input provided important information on their perceived benefits and barriers and can inform and improve future development of community-based family intervention programs.

  3. Community Capacity for Implementing Clean Development Mechanism Projects Within Community Forests in Cameroon

    PubMed Central

    McCall, Michael K.; Bressers, Hans Th. A.

    2007-01-01

    There is a growing assumption that payments for environmental services including carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emission reduction provide an opportunity for poverty reduction and the enhancement of sustainable development within integrated natural resource management approaches. Yet in experiential terms, community-based natural resource management implementation falls short of expectations in many cases. In this paper, we investigate the asymmetry between community capacity and the Land Use Land Use Change Forestry (LULUCF) provisions of the Clean Development Mechanism within community forests in Cameroon. We use relevant aspects of the Clean Development Mechanism criteria and notions of “community capacity” to elucidate determinants of community capacity needed for CDM implementation within community forests. The main requirements are for community capacity to handle issues of additionality, acceptability, externalities, certification, and community organisation. These community capacity requirements are further used to interpret empirically derived insights on two community forestry cases in Cameroon. While local variations were observed for capacity requirements in each case, community capacity was generally found to be insufficient for meaningful uptake and implementation of Clean Development Mechanism projects. Implications for understanding factors that could inhibit or enhance community capacity for project development are discussed. We also include recommendations for the wider Clean Development Mechanism/Kyoto capacity building framework. PMID:17377732

  4. Youths as partners in a community participatory project for substance use prevention.

    PubMed

    Kulbok, Pamela A; Meszaros, Peggy S; Bond, Donna C; Thatcher, Esther; Park, Eunhee; Kimbrell, Monica; Smith-Gregory, Tracey

    2015-01-01

    This community-based participatory research project aimed to develop strategies to prevent youth substance use in a rural county. This article (1) describes the project phases, (2) examines unique contributions and considerations of youth involvement, and (3) explores the youths' perspective. Twelve youths, aged 16 to 18 years, joined parents, community leaders, and research specialists on the community-based participatory research team. The youths were integrally involved in all phases including the community assessment, community leader interviews, selection of a substance use prevention program, and program implementation. Youths reported sustained enthusiasm, experiences of authentic leadership, development of research skills, and greater awareness of their community.

  5. Caring School Community[TM] (Formerly, the Child Development Project). What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    What Works Clearinghouse, 2006

    2006-01-01

    "Caring School Community[TM]" ("CSC") is a modified version of a program formerly known as the "Child Development Project." The program aims to promote core values, prosocial behavior, and a schoolwide feeling of community. The program consists of four elements originally developed for the "Child Development…

  6. Assessing participatory practices in community-based natural resource management: experiences in community engagement from southern Africa.

    PubMed

    Dyer, J; Stringer, L C; Dougill, A J; Leventon, J; Nshimbi, M; Chama, F; Kafwifwi, A; Muledi, J I; Kaumbu, J-M K; Falcao, M; Muhorro, S; Munyemba, F; Kalaba, G M; Syampungani, S

    2014-05-01

    The emphasis on participatory environmental management within international development has started to overcome critiques of traditional exclusionary environmental policy, aligning with shifts towards decentralisation and community empowerment. However, questions are raised regarding the extent to which participation in project design and implementation is meaningful and really engages communities in the process. Calls have been made for further local-level (project and community-scale) research to identify practices that can increase the likelihood of meaningful community engagement within externally initiated projects. This paper presents data from three community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) project case studies from southern Africa, which promote Joint Forest Management (JFM), tree planting for carbon and conservation agriculture. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, community-level meetings, focus groups and interviews. We find that an important first step for a meaningful community engagement process is to define 'community' in an open and participatory manner. Two-way communication at all stages of the community engagement process is shown to be critical, and charismatic leadership based on mutual respect and clarity of roles and responsibilities is vital to improve the likelihood of participants developing understanding of project aims and philosophy. This can lead to successful project outcomes through community ownership of the project goals and empowerment in project implementation. Specific engagement methods are found to be less important than the contextual and environmental factors associated with each project, but consideration should be given to identifying appropriate methods to ensure community representation. Our findings extend current thinking on the evaluation of participation by making explicit links between the community engagement process and project outcomes, and by identifying further criteria that can be considered in process and outcome-based evaluations. We highlight good practices for future CBNRM projects which can be used by project designers and initiators to further the likelihood of successful project outcomes. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  7. A School-Community Career Education Project. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Opelika City Schools, AL.

    The 3-year Opelika City (Alabama) School-Community Career Education Project sought to make career education central and not just an adjunct to the education program in Opelika schools. Development of the project was carried out through four phases: (1) Staff training and development, (2) curriculum development and revisions, (3) guidance, and (4)…

  8. Building beyond the Evaluation Of Environmental Education and Sustainable Development in African Schools and Communities: The Women Global Green Action Network (WGGAN) Africa Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Enie, Rosemary Olive Mbone

    2006-01-01

    This article describes the Community Health Education and School Sanitation (CHESS) Project, an initiative by the Women Global Green Action Network International to support community-based environmental projects in Africa. The CHESS Project uses women, children and youth to develop more sustainable health and sanitation systems in urban and rural…

  9. The Role of Community Development Employment Projects in Rural and Remote Communities. Support Document

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Misko, Josie

    2006-01-01

    This document was produced by the author(s) based on their research for the report, "The Role of Community Development Employment Projects in Rural and Remote Communities," (ED495158) and is an added resource for further information. The contents of this support docment include: (1) Regional Council--Roma; (2) Regional Council--Tennant…

  10. Native Youth Businesses: Native American Youth Entrepreneurship Projects.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Children Today, 1994

    1994-01-01

    Describes five demonstration projects intended to stimulate innovative community approaches to developing entrepreneurial activities for Native American youth. Each of the projects is charged with meeting the community's need to train young persons with relevant entrepreneurial orientations and management skills to improve economic development.…

  11. Alpha Project. Townsight Canada. Project Canada West.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Western Curriculum Project on Canada Studies, Edmonton (Alberta).

    In order to acquaint students with other environments and to develop an awareness of their own community, the study of a small community in Canada was undertaken by this project development team. The Alpha students studied Chilliwack the first year (ED 066 352) and this second report covers their study of Powell River. The aim of the developers is…

  12. Projecting community changes in hazard exposure to support long-term risk reduction: A case study of tsunami hazards in the U.S. Pacific Northwest

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sleeter, Benjamin M.; Wood, Nathan J.; Soulard, Christopher E.; Wilson, Tamara

    2017-01-01

    Tsunamis have the potential to cause considerable damage to communities along the U.S. Pacific Northwest coastline. As coastal communities expand over time, the potential societal impact of tsunami inundation changes. To understand how community exposure to tsunami hazards may change in coming decades, we projected future development (i.e. urban, residential, and rural), households, and residents over a 50-year period (2011–2061) along the Washington, Oregon, and northern California coasts. We created a spatially explicit, land use/land cover, state-and-transition simulation model to project future developed land use based on historical development trends. We then compared our development projection results to tsunami-hazard zones associated with a Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ) earthquake. Changes in tsunami-hazard exposure by 2061 were estimated for 50 incorporated cities, 7 tribal reservations, and 17 counties relative to current (2011) estimates. Across the region, 2061 population exposure in tsunami-hazard zones was projected to increase by 3880 households and 6940 residents. The top ten communities with highest population exposure to CSZ-related tsunamis in 2011 are projected to remain the areas with the highest population exposure by 2061. The largest net population increases in tsunami-hazard zones were projected in the unincorporated portions of several counties, including Skagit, Coos, and Humboldt. Land-change simulation modeling of projected future development serves as an exploratory tool aimed at helping local governments understand the hazard-exposure implications of community growth and to include this knowledge in risk-reduction planning.

  13. Barriers to Community Participation in Development Planning: Lessons from the Mutengene (Cameroon) Self-Help Water Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Njoh, Ambe J.

    2002-01-01

    A community water supply project in Cameroon illustrates the following constraints on community participation in development: paternalistic authorities, prescriptive role of the state, selective participation, bias toward "hard" issues, inattention to negative results, group conflicts, gatekeeping, pressure for immediate results,…

  14. Wonsuom--a rural communication project in Ghana.

    PubMed

    Boafo, S T

    1984-01-01

    The urban bias of the communication infrastructure in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa has comprised a major obstacle to the participation of the rural population in development decsion making. This article describes the Wonsuom rural communication pilot project in Ghana, aimed at providing communication technologies at the grassroots level to enhance the contribution of communication in rural development. When fully operational, the project will use a combination of a rural newspaper published in the local Fante language, rural radio broadcasts, radio listening clubs, and slide projectors to carry development-oriented information to rural communities and mobilize people for development programs. The project, which is carried out by the School of Journalism and Communication of the University of Ghana, covers 22 rural communities with a population of 150,000. The radio programs, started in 1983, include local and national news; discussions involving local community leaders, farmers, fishermen, and extension agents on problems facing the community and on issues such as primary health care and family planning; and features on the achievements of individual community members and development activities. Radio listening clubs meet on a regular basis to listen to the broadcasts, discuss issues highlighted, and deliberate on ways to generate development projects in their community. The discussions are recorded for subsequent broadcast on the program, creating a 2-way communication process. The listening clubs also serve as the focus of social and cultural life in the communities. Publication of the newspaper has been delayed by problems stemming from Ghana's socioeconomic crisis, but newspaper reading clubs are also projected.

  15. 24 CFR 92.301 - Project-specific assistance to community housing development organizations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Project-specific assistance to community housing development organizations. 92.301 Section 92.301 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM...

  16. Helping Families Adjust to Economic Change. A Project Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Matejic, Denise M.

    A project was developed to gain more insight into family financial problems, to identify these problems, and to formulate educational strategies to deal with and help solve these problems. This project was conducted in three phases, which included community outreach, development of educational materials, and evaluation. Three communities with…

  17. Our Social Service Projects and Their Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pakistan Girl Guides Association, Lahore.

    The Pakistan Girl Guides Association has participated and continues to participate in a number of social service projects. These projects include community development work, in which the Guides assisted in encouraging girls and women to participate in community work. The association also participated in the Associated Youth Enterprise of UNESCO,…

  18. Open Crowdsourcing: Leveraging Community Software Developers for IT Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phair, Derek

    2012-01-01

    This qualitative exploratory single-case study was designed to examine and understand the use of volunteer community participants as software developers and other project related roles, such as testers, in completing a web-based application project by a non-profit organization. This study analyzed the strategic decision to engage crowd…

  19. A Citizen Science and Government Collaboration: Developing ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is actively involved in supporting citizen science projects and providing communities with information and assistance for conducting their own air pollution monitoring. As part of a Regional Applied Research Effort (RARE) project, EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) worked collaboratively with EPA Region 2 and the Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC) in Newark, New Jersey, to develop and test the “Air Sensor Toolbox for Citizen Scientists.” In this collaboration, citizen scientists measured local gaseous and particulate air pollution levels by using a customized low-cost sensor pod designed and fabricated by EPA. This citizen science air quality measurement project provided an excellent opportunity for EPA to evaluate and improve the Toolbox resources available to communities. The Air Sensor Toolbox, developed in coordination with the ICC, can serve as a template for communities across the country to use in developing their own air pollution monitoring programs in areas where air pollution is a concern. This pilot project provided an opportunity for a highly motivated citizen science organization and the EPA to work together directly to address environmental concerns within the community. Useful lessons were learned about how to improve coordination between the government and communities and the types of tools and technologies needed for conducting an effective citizen science project that can be app

  20. Community Resource Curriculum Development: Grades 3-4.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bentley, Michael L.; And Others

    This manual was developed by the Community Resource Curriculum Development Project (CRCDP), a cooperative project to develop multi-disciplinary, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural science/social sciences teaching units based upon the Illinois State Goals for Learning. This manual contains seven teaching units that include several experience-based…

  1. 24 CFR 570.410 - Special Projects Program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... (Continued) OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND... sent to: Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Community Planning and Development, 451... 24 Housing and Urban Development 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Special Projects Program. 570.410...

  2. 'I felt that I was benefiting someone': youth as agents of change in a refugee community project.

    PubMed

    Makhoul, Jihad; Alameddine, Maysam; Afifi, Rema A

    2012-10-01

    Youth can be 'powerful catalysts' in their own and their community's development. The paper describes the experience of youth based on their participation as decision makers in and implementers of a community-based research project in a Palestinian refugee camp of Beirut, Lebanon. In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 youth and 10 of their family members or friends. The participants were asked to describe the reasons they joined the project, why they stayed on, what they liked most/least about the project, how the project influenced their lives and what they would change about the project. Thematic analysis identified recurrent themes. Youth joined the program because of its benefit to children and their community. They stayed with the program because of the solidarity they found with the team and because of their relationship with the children. They perceived that they had an important role to play in the project's success. Youth acknowledged all the skills they gained from the project. Focus groups with others corroborated their statements. This project confirmed that youth can be powerful change agents in their own development and that of their communities. An Enabling Attributes Model is proposed for projects that aim to actively engage youth as community catalysts.

  3. The Coimbra Community Awareness Project (Portugal). The CDCC's Project No. 7: "The Education and Cultural Development of Migrants."

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rey, Micheline

    The Coimbra (Portugal) Community Awareness Project is intended to remedy the social problems caused by migration by helping a local community take responsibility for its own affairs, understand the interactions at work, and enable both residents and emigrants to benefit together from migration. The project operates at several levels under the…

  4. Community Resource Curriculum Development: Grades K-2.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bentley, Michael L.; And Others

    This manual was developed by the Community Resource Curriculum Development Project (CRCDP), a cooperative project to develop multi-disciplinary, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural science/social sciences teaching units based upon the Illinois State Goals for Learning and the Chicago Public Schools outcomes for a seamless kindergarten, first, and second…

  5. 42 CFR 51c.203 - Project elements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Project elements. 51c.203 Section 51c.203 Public... SERVICES Grants for Planning and Developing Community Health Centers § 51c.203 Project elements. A project... community health center and the gradual assumption of operational status of the project so that the project...

  6. 42 CFR 51c.203 - Project elements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Project elements. 51c.203 Section 51c.203 Public... SERVICES Grants for Planning and Developing Community Health Centers § 51c.203 Project elements. A project... community health center and the gradual assumption of operational status of the project so that the project...

  7. 42 CFR 51c.203 - Project elements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Project elements. 51c.203 Section 51c.203 Public... SERVICES Grants for Planning and Developing Community Health Centers § 51c.203 Project elements. A project... community health center and the gradual assumption of operational status of the project so that the project...

  8. 42 CFR 51c.203 - Project elements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Project elements. 51c.203 Section 51c.203 Public... SERVICES Grants for Planning and Developing Community Health Centers § 51c.203 Project elements. A project... community health center and the gradual assumption of operational status of the project so that the project...

  9. 42 CFR 51c.203 - Project elements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Project elements. 51c.203 Section 51c.203 Public... SERVICES Grants for Planning and Developing Community Health Centers § 51c.203 Project elements. A project... community health center and the gradual assumption of operational status of the project so that the project...

  10. Engaging Communities in Research on Cumulative Risk and Social Stress-Environment Interactions: Lessons Learned from EPA's STAR Program.

    PubMed

    Payne-Sturges, Devon C; Korfmacher, Katrina Smith; Cory-Slechta, Deborah A; Jimenez, Maria; Symanski, Elaine; Carr Shmool, Jessie L; Dotson-Newman, Ogonnaya; Clougherty, Jane E; French, Robert; Levy, Jonathan I; Laumbach, Robert; Rodgers, Kathryn; Bongiovanni, Roseann; Scammell, Madeleine K

    2015-12-01

    Studies have documented cumulative health effects of chemical and nonchemical exposures, particularly chronic environmental and social stressors. Environmental justice groups have advocated for community participation in research that assesses how these interactions contribute to health disparities experienced by low-income and communities of color. In 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a request for research applications (RFA), "Understanding the Role of Nonchemical Stressors and Developing Analytic Methods for Cumulative Risk Assessments." Seven research projects were funded to help address this knowledge gap. Each engaged with communities in different ways. We describe the community engagement approaches of the seven research projects, which ranged from outreach through shared leadership/participatory. We then assess the experiences of these programs with respect to the community engagement goals of the RFA. We present insights from these community engagement efforts, including how the grants helped to build or enhance the capacity of community organizations in addition to contributing to the research projects. Our analysis of project proposals, annual grantee reports, and participant observation of these seven projects suggests guidelines for the development of future funding mechanisms and for conducting community-engaged research on cumulative risk involving environmental and social stressors including: 1) providing for flexibility in the mode of community engagement; 2) addressing conflict between research timing and engagement needs, 3) developing approaches for communicating about the uniquely sensitive issues of nonchemical stressors and social risks; and 4) encouraging the evaluation of community engagement efforts.

  11. Participatory health development in rural Nepal: clarifying the process of community empowerment.

    PubMed

    Purdey, A F; Adhikari, G B; Robinson, S A; Cox, P W

    1994-01-01

    Community-based participatory development empowers villagers to develop community cohesion and confidence, increase their ability to identify, analyze, and priorize their own needs, and organize the resources to meet these needs. An important first step in the process involves establishing a cohesive and functional community group. The authors believe that this is best accomplished through villagers' critical examination of their experiences with development including their understanding of reasons for success or failure, and the gradual emergence of a model of working together that acknowledges and builds on participation and collective expertise. This approach to development is demonstrating encouraging results in a rural area of western Nepal in a university affiliated Canadian/Nepali Health Development Project. This paper describes two mini-projects to illustrate the evolution of group formation through reflection, analysis, and action, and identifies outcomes that could serve as indicators of community empowerment. The paper also presents a generic model of empowerment, and offers lessons learned by the project through the application of the empowerment process to sustainable health development.

  12. Building Community Capacities in Evaluating Rural IT Projects: Success Strategies from the LEARNERS Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lennie, June; Hearn, Greg; Simpson, Lyn; Kimber, Megan

    2005-01-01

    Given the current emphasis on the benefits of communication and information technologies (C&IT) for sustainable rural community development, effective evaluations of C&IT initiatives are increasingly important. This paper presents outcomes of a project that aimed to build capacities of people in two Australian rural communities to evaluate…

  13. How Community Development Programmes Can Foster Re-Engagement with Learning in Disadvantaged Communities: Leadership as Process

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Millar, Pat; Kilpatrick, Sue

    2005-01-01

    Family and community capacity building projects in Tasmania are attempting to address the disadvantage of communities marginalised by socio-economic and other influences. Collaborations between the projects, community members and groups, and education and training organisations, have resulted in a leadership process which has fostered reengagement…

  14. A community-based partnership collaborative practice agreement project to teach innovation in care delivery.

    PubMed

    Hohmeier, Kenneth C; Spivey, Christina A; Chisholm-Burns, Marie

    2017-05-01

    To explore students' perceptions (self-assessment) of their preparedness to develop collaborative practice agreements (CPAs) before and after delivery of one CPA-focused classroom lectures and 2) a CPA development student project in partnership with a local community-based pharmacy. A CPA-focused didactic lecture and subsequent project were given to second-year (P2) pharmacy students enrolled in a community pharmacy elective course at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy. Pre- and post-surveys were administered using an online survey platform to assess student perceptions. Responses for each survey question were summarized using frequencies, and chi-square analysis was conducted to assess the association between pre- and post-scores on each question. Students were significantly more likely to rate themselves as prepared or completely prepared to develop a CPA in a community pharmacy setting (χ 2 =61.21, p<0.01) after the course and project. Students also noted that they felt they were prepared or very prepared to work within a team to develop and implement a CPA in a community pharmacy setting (χ 2 =37.60, p<0.01). This study demonstrated that a didactic classroom lecture series followed by a student project partnered with a local community pharmacy improved perceived knowledge, preparedness, and ability to implement CPAs in a community pharmacy. Through intentional exposure of students to scope-of-practice expanding opportunities like CPAs, pharmacy educators can potentially accelerate the evolution of community pharmacy practice. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. The Communication in Science Inquiry Project (CISIP): A Project to Enhance Scientific Literacy through the Creation of Science Classroom Discourse Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baker, Dale R.; Lewis, Elizabeth B.; Purzer, Senay; Watts, Nievita Bueno; Perkins, Gita; Uysal, Sibel; Wong, Sissy; Beard, Rachelle; Lang, Michael

    2009-01-01

    This study reports on the context and impact of the Communication in Science Inquiry Project (CISIP) professional development to promote teachers' and students' scientific literacy through the creation of science classroom discourse communities. The theoretical underpinnings of the professional development model are presented and key professional…

  16. Building healthy communities: establishing health and wellness metrics for use within the real estate industry.

    PubMed

    Trowbridge, Matthew J; Pickell, Sarah Gauche; Pyke, Christopher R; Jutte, Douglas P

    2014-11-01

    It is increasingly well recognized that the design and operation of the communities in which people live, work, learn, and play significantly influence their health. However, within the real estate industry, the health impacts of transportation, community development, and other construction projects, both positive and negative, continue to operate largely as economic externalities: unmeasured, unregulated, and for the most part unconsidered. This lack of transparency limits communities' ability to efficiently advocate for real estate investment that best promotes their health and well-being. It also limits market incentives for innovation within the real estate industry by making it more difficult for developers that successfully target health behaviors and outcomes in their projects to differentiate themselves competitively. In this article we outline the need for actionable, community-relevant, practical, and valuable metrics jointly developed by the health care and real estate sectors to better evaluate and optimize the "performance" of real estate development projects from a population health perspective. Potential templates for implementation, including the successful introduction of sustainability metrics by the green building movement, and preliminary data from selected case-study projects are also discussed. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  17. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kaminsky, J.; Tschanz, J.F.

    In order to adress barriers to community energy-conservation efforts, DOE has established the Comprehensive Community Energy Management (CCEM) program. The role of CCEM is to provide direction and technical support for energy-conservation efforts at the local level. The program to date has included project efforts to develop combinations and variations of community energy planning and management tools applicable to communities of diverse characteristics. This paper describes the salient features of some of the tools and relates them to the testing program soon to begin in several pilot-study communities. Two methodologies that arose within such an actual planning context are takenmore » from DOE-sponsored projects in Clarksburg, West Virginia and the proposed new capital city for Alaska. Energy management in smaller communities and/or communities with limited funding and manpower resources has received special attention. One project of this type developed in general methodology that emphasizes efficient ways for small communities to reach agreement on local energy problems and potential solutions; by this guidance, the community is led to understand where it should concentrate its efforts in subsequent management activities. Another project concerns rapid growth of either a new or an existing community that could easily outstrip the management resources available locally. This methodology strives to enable the community to seize the opportunity for energy conservation through integrating the design of its energy systems and its development pattern. The last methodology creates applicable tools for comprehensive community energy planning. (MCW)« less

  18. Mapping a sustainable future: Community learning in dialogue at the science-society interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barth, Matthias; Lang, Daniel J.; Luthardt, Philip; Vilsmaier, Ulli

    2017-12-01

    In 2015, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) announced that the Science Year 2015 would focus on the "City of the Future". It called for innovative projects from cities and communities in Germany dedicated to exploring future options and scenarios for sustainable development. Among the successful respondents was the city of Lüneburg, located in the north of Germany, which was awarded funding to establish a community learning project to envision a sustainable future ("City of the Future Lüneburg 2030+"). What made Lüneburg's approach unique was that the city itself initiated the project and invited a broad range of stakeholders to participate in a community learning process for sustainable development. The authors of this article use the project as a blueprint for sustainable city development. Presenting a reflexive case study, they report on the process and outcomes of the project and investigate community learning processes amongst different stakeholders as an opportunity for transformative social learning. They discuss outputs and outcomes (intended as well as unintended) in relation to the specific starting points of the project to provide a context-sensitive yet rich narrative of the case and to overcome typical criticisms of case studies in the field.

  19. A Guide to Community Shared Solar: Utility, Private, and Non-Profit Project Development (Book)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Coughlin, J.; Grove, J.; Irvine, L.

    2012-05-01

    This guide is organized around three sponsorship models: utility-sponsored projects, projects sponsored by special purpose entities - businesses formed for the purpose of producing community solar power, and non-profit sponsored projects. The guide addresses issues common to all project models, as well as issues unique to each model.

  20. Reaping the harvest: nursing student service involvement with a campus gardening project.

    PubMed

    Ahonen, Kathleen; Lee, Carolyn; Daker, Emily

    2012-01-01

    The authors describe the development and incorporation of a multidisciplinary community garden as a service project in a baccalaureate nursing cohort in an urban university. The concepts of professional ethics and service, application of nutritional theory to a community cohort, and competencies in community health nursing are briefly discussed and applied to this service project.

  1. Governance in Open Source Software Development Projects: Towards a Model for Network-Centric Edge Organizations

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-06-01

    project is not an isolated OSSD project. Instead, the NetBeans IDE which is the focus of development activities in the NetBeans.org project community...facilitate or constrain the intended usage of the NetBeans IDE. Figure 1 provides a rendering of some of the more visible OSSD projects that...as BioBeans and RefactorIT communities build tools on top of or extending the NetBeans platform or IDE. How do these organizations interact with

  2. Short-Term Interventions for Long-Term Needs: The Challenge of Bridging Youth and Community Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stephenson, Garry; Morford, Shawn; Berry, Holly

    2002-01-01

    The Mill City/Gates Youth Development Project operated as a youth-at-risk program in a timber-dependent community during the timber crisis of the early 1990s. Evaluations indicate the youth activities were effective. Community support structures created by the project continue to operate 5 years after the end of funding, indicating a successful…

  3. An Evaluation of Training Modules for Part-Time Workers in Community Education. SCRE Project Report No. 19.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Castelino, Celine; Munn, Pamela

    This project evaluated three modules, which were developed to meet key basic training requirements common to part-time workers in different branches of community education (adult education, community development, and youth work). Draft modules were sent to about 40 individuals or organizations in the field for comment on their structure and…

  4. LA SAFE and Isle de Jean Charles: Regional Adaptation and Community Resettlement Planning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sanders, M.

    2017-12-01

    LA SAFE, or Louisiana's Strategic Adaptations for Future Environments, is a strategic framework for community development utilizing future projections of coastal land loss and flood risk as a determining factor in regional growth management and local planning initiatives along a 10, 25, and 50 year timeline. LA SAFE utilizes the input of passionate local citizen leaders and organizations committed to enabling community members to take proactive steps towards mitigating risk and increasing resilience against coastal issues. The project aims to acknowledge that adaptation and restoration must go hand-in-hand with addressing community growth and contraction, as well as realizing Louisiana's most vulnerable coastal communities will need to contemplate resettlement over the next 50 years. The project's outlook is to become a global leader for adaptation and cultural design and restoration. Connecting a global interest with the project and offering extensive ways for people to learn about the issues and get involved will provide an immense amount of support necessary for future coastal environments around the world. This presentation will focus on the output of a year-long planning effort across a six-parish target area encompassing several vulnerable coastal Louisiana locales. The Resettlement of Isle de Jean Charles is a federally-funded and first-of-its kind initiative marking Louisiana's first attempt to relocate a vulnerable coastal community at-scale and as a group. Due to a myriad of environmental factors, the Island has experienced 98 percent land loss since 1955, leading to many of the Island's historical inhabitants to retreat to higher, drier landscapes. In moving the community at-scale, the project seeks to inject new life into the community and its residents in relocating the community to higher, safer ground, while also developing the new community in such a way that it maximizes economic development, job training, and educational opportunities and can be a locale that is not only a model for future resettlement projects, but also attracts new and former residents of the Isle de Jean Charles community. This presentation will recap planning work completed to date, as well as provide a highlight of how the project is developing as a scalable, replicable model.

  5. Engaging Communities in Research on Cumulative Risk and Social Stress-Environment Interactions: Lessons Learned from EPA's STAR Program

    PubMed Central

    Korfmacher, Katrina Smith; Cory-Slechta, Deborah A.; Jimenez, Maria; Symanski, Elaine; Carr Shmool, Jessie L.; Dotson-Newman, Ogonnaya; Clougherty, Jane E.; French, Robert; Levy, Jonathan I.; Laumbach, Robert; Rodgers, Kathryn; Bongiovanni, Roseann; Scammell, Madeleine K.

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Studies have documented cumulative health effects of chemical and nonchemical exposures, particularly chronic environmental and social stressors. Environmental justice groups have advocated for community participation in research that assesses how these interactions contribute to health disparities experienced by low-income and communities of color. In 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a request for research applications (RFA), “Understanding the Role of Nonchemical Stressors and Developing Analytic Methods for Cumulative Risk Assessments.” Seven research projects were funded to help address this knowledge gap. Each engaged with communities in different ways. We describe the community engagement approaches of the seven research projects, which ranged from outreach through shared leadership/participatory. We then assess the experiences of these programs with respect to the community engagement goals of the RFA. We present insights from these community engagement efforts, including how the grants helped to build or enhance the capacity of community organizations in addition to contributing to the research projects. Our analysis of project proposals, annual grantee reports, and participant observation of these seven projects suggests guidelines for the development of future funding mechanisms and for conducting community-engaged research on cumulative risk involving environmental and social stressors including: 1) providing for flexibility in the mode of community engagement; 2) addressing conflict between research timing and engagement needs, 3) developing approaches for communicating about the uniquely sensitive issues of nonchemical stressors and social risks; and 4) encouraging the evaluation of community engagement efforts. PMID:27688822

  6. Community development and health project: a 5-year (1995-1999) experience in Mozambique, Africa.

    PubMed

    Ferrell, B J A G

    2002-03-01

    The Community Development and Health Project (1995-1999) in Mozambique, East Africa, was undertaken to help alleviate the dire circumstances of daily life following years of internal warfare. The project was supported by the International United Methodist Church and was administered by the Mozambique Conference of the United Methodist Church, Chicuque Rural Hospital and Cambine Health Center. The target population, whose daily survival depended on subsistence farming, lived throughout the country, in particular in rural areas, far from health care facilities. The Project Content included the following topics: basic education in personal and environmental hygiene; proper nutrition using locally available food products; methods of agriculture that would ensure the best use of the land for growing nutritious food; economic methods to guarantee a supply of safe drinking water; disease prevention/home treatment; maternal child health; self-esteem issues; and establishing a representatively inclusive community-development committee. Indigenous women, the 'promotoras/os', were selected from their communities, attended a 4-week training session and then returned to their homes as 'Promotoras/os of Community Development and Health'.

  7. Developing Community-Based Rehabilitation Programs for Musculoskeletal Diseases in Low-Income Areas of Mexico: The Community-Based Rehabilitation for Low-Income Communities Living With Rheumatic Diseases (CONCORD) Protocol

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background The negative impact of musculoskeletal diseases on the physical function and quality of life of people living in developing countries is considerable. This disabling effect is even more marked in low-socioeconomic communities within developing countries. In Mexico, there is a need to create community-based rehabilitation programs for people living with musculoskeletal diseases in low-socioeconomic areas. These programs should be directed to prevent and decrease disability, accommodating the specific local culture of communities. Objective The objective of this paper is to describe a research protocol designed to develop, implement, and evaluate culturally sensitive community-based rehabilitation programs aiming to decrease disability of people living with musculoskeletal diseases in two low-income Mexican communities. Methods A community-based participatory research approach is proposed, including multi and transdisciplinary efforts among the community, medical anthropology, and the health sciences. The project is structured in 4 main stages: (1) situation analysis, (2) program development, (3) program implementation, and (4) program evaluation. Each stage includes the use of quantitative and qualitative methods (mixed method program). Results So far, we obtained resources from a Mexican federal agency and completed stage one of the project at Chankom, Yucatán. We are currently receiving funding from an international agency to complete stage two at this same location. We expect that the project at Chankom will be concluded by December of 2017. On the other hand, we just started the execution of stage one at Nuevo León with funding from a Mexican federal agency. We expect to conclude the project at this site by September of 2018. Conclusions Using a community-based participatory research approach and a mixed method program could result in the creation of culturally sensitive community-based rehabilitation programs that promote community development and decrease the disabling effects of musculoskeletal diseases within two low-income Mexican communities. PMID:25474820

  8. 12 CFR 1292.5 - Community Investment Cash Advance Programs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... shall offer a CIP to provide financing for housing projects and for eligible targeted community lending... projects. (1) For projects funded under CICA programs other than CIP, involving a combination of housing... under CIP, both the housing and economic development components of the project must meet the appropriate...

  9. Sustaining urban development through participation: an Ethiopian case study.

    PubMed

    Tadele, F

    1996-02-01

    Under the Mengistu regime, Addis Ababa was divided into six zones, 28 woredas, and 303 kebeles, the kebeles being the smallest grassroots administrative unit. To enhance community participation, the Kebele 29 Project promoted the establishment of grassroots community groups by dividing the kebele into four zones and 37 neighborhoods. Each neighborhood is represented by a chairperson and a deputy who take responsibility for reviewing the priority needs of households, relaying information between the project and the community, and following up the project interventions. The author considers the sustainability of income-generating activities established as part of many urban development projects instigated by development agencies, the likelihood of inhabitants generating enough income for the upkeep of new or improved infrastructure, and whether the necessary commitment from the community can be created in a situation in which civil organizations have been banned or discouraged. These issues are considered in the context of Oxfam UK/I's involvement in the Kebele 29 Project.

  10. The Cynon Valley Project: Investing in the Future. Early Childhood Development: Practice and Reflections Number 12.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomas, Alain

    The Cynon Valley Project in Wales, United Kingdom, used funding from the Save the Children Fund and the Bernard van Leer Foundation to address consequences of economic decline in the two communities of Fernhill and Perthcelyn. The project's focus was on early childhood education and community development. Though starting at about the same time and…

  11. A Stigmergy Collaboration Approach in the Open Source Software Developer Community

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cui, Xiaohui; Pullum, Laura L; Treadwell, Jim N

    2009-01-01

    The communication model of some self-organized online communities is significantly different from the traditional social network based community. It is problematic to use social network analysis to analyze the collaboration structure and emergent behaviors in these communities because these communities lack peer-to-peer connections. Stigmergy theory provides an explanation of the collaboration model of these communities. In this research, we present a stigmergy approach for building an agent-based simulation to simulate the collaboration model in the open source software (OSS) developer community. We used a group of actors who collaborate on OSS projects through forums as our frame of reference andmore » investigated how the choices actors make in contributing their work on the projects determines the global status of the whole OSS project. In our simulation, the forum posts serve as the digital pheromone and the modified Pierre-Paul Grasse pheromone model is used for computing the developer agents behavior selection probability.« less

  12. Residents' Perceptions toward Utility-Scale Wind Farm Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Campbell, Joseph; Romich, Eric

    2015-01-01

    Increased development of wind farms in the U.S. has fostered debates surrounding the siting and support for the projects. Prior research demonstrates the importance of understanding the attitudes and opinions of community members when developing projects. This article reviews a case study of an Ohio community that integrated a local survey to…

  13. INTERACT: Building a Virtual Community of Practice to Enhance Teachers' Intercultural Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hajisoteriou, Christina; Karousiou, Christiana; Angelides, Panayiotis

    2018-01-01

    This project focuses on the design and implementation of an online professional development platform tailored to teachers' needs to improve and promote their intercultural knowledge. Drawing upon the framework of virtual communities of practice, the project escapes from traditional professional development programmes. Although a total of 103…

  14. Monitoring of Selected Health Indicators in Children Living in a Copper Mine Development Area in Northwestern Zambia

    PubMed Central

    Knoblauch, Astrid M.; Divall, Mark J.; Owuor, Milka; Archer, Colleen; Nduna, Kennedy; Ng’uni, Harrison; Musunka, Gertrude; Pascall, Anna; Utzinger, Jürg; Winkler, Mirko S.

    2017-01-01

    The epidemiology of malaria, anaemia and malnutrition in children is potentially altered in mining development areas. In a copper extraction project in northwestern Zambia, a health impact assessment (HIA) was commissioned to predict, manage and monitor health impacts. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted: at baseline prior to project development (2011) and at four years into development (2015). Prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum, anaemia and stunting were assessed in under-five-year-old children, while hookworm infection was assessed in children aged 9–14 years in communities impacted and comparison communities not impacted by the project. P. falciparum prevalence was significantly higher in 2015 compared to 2011 in both impacted and comparison communities (odds ratio (OR) = 2.51 and OR = 6.97, respectively). Stunting was significantly lower in 2015 in impacted communities only (OR = 0.63). Anaemia was slightly lower in 2015 compared to baseline in both impacted and comparison communities. Resettlement due to the project and migration background (i.e., moving into the area within the past five years) were generally associated with better health outcomes in 2015. We conclude that repeated cross-sectional surveys to monitor health in communities impacted by projects should become an integral part of HIA to deepen the understanding of changing patterns of health and support implementation of setting-specific public health measures. PMID:28335490

  15. Monitoring of Selected Health Indicators in Children Living in a Copper Mine Development Area in Northwestern Zambia.

    PubMed

    Knoblauch, Astrid M; Divall, Mark J; Owuor, Milka; Archer, Colleen; Nduna, Kennedy; Ng'uni, Harrison; Musunka, Gertrude; Pascall, Anna; Utzinger, Jürg; Winkler, Mirko S

    2017-03-19

    The epidemiology of malaria, anaemia and malnutrition in children is potentially altered in mining development areas. In a copper extraction project in northwestern Zambia, a health impact assessment (HIA) was commissioned to predict, manage and monitor health impacts. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted: at baseline prior to project development (2011) and at four years into development (2015). Prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum , anaemia and stunting were assessed in under-five-year-old children, while hookworm infection was assessed in children aged 9-14 years in communities impacted and comparison communities not impacted by the project. P . falciparum prevalence was significantly higher in 2015 compared to 2011 in both impacted and comparison communities (odds ratio (OR) = 2.51 and OR = 6.97, respectively). Stunting was significantly lower in 2015 in impacted communities only (OR = 0.63). Anaemia was slightly lower in 2015 compared to baseline in both impacted and comparison communities. Resettlement due to the project and migration background (i.e., moving into the area within the past five years) were generally associated with better health outcomes in 2015. We conclude that repeated cross-sectional surveys to monitor health in communities impacted by projects should become an integral part of HIA to deepen the understanding of changing patterns of health and support implementation of setting-specific public health measures.

  16. Health insurance and corporate social responsibility.

    PubMed

    Carter, Tony

    2009-01-01

    Innovation drives productivity in the nonprofit sector as well as in the commercial sector. The greatest advances come not from incremental improvements in efficiency but from new and better approaches. The most powerful way to create social value, therefore, is by developing a new means to address social problems and putting it into widespread practice. The expertise, research capacity, and reach that companies bring to philanthropy can help nonprofits create new solutions that they could never afford to develop on their own. Corporate managers sometimes work directly with faculty and community residents to implement local business projects. These projects often have significant societal benefits, especially since student collaboration and involvement extend to communities in many different inner cities. These projects are incredibly diverse and through such initiatives, management education not only provides an educationally rewarding outlet for students but also endows and enriches inner city communities. Management students sometimes work directly with faculty and community residents to implement local business projects. These projects often have significant societal benefits, especially since student collaboration and involvement extend to communities in many different inner cities. These projects are incredibly diverse and through such initiatives, management education not only provides an educationally rewarding outlet for students but also endows and enriches inner city communities. This article looks at how to use corporate social responsibility and service learning to drive innovation for local inner-city economic development.

  17. Identifying Key Elements of Community-Based ESD: ESD-J's Projects to Collect ESD in Practice in Japan and Asia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Noguchi, Fumiko

    2010-01-01

    Since its establishment in 2003, the Japan Council on the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD-J) has paid close attention to informal learning processes in community-based efforts to promote local sustainable development. ESD-J carried out two projects to collect information on and visualise community-based ESD practice: the…

  18. Communities ready for takeoffIntegrating social assets for biofuel site-selection modeling.

    PubMed

    Rijkhoff, Sanne A M; Hoard, Season A; Gaffney, Michael J; Smith, Paul M

    2017-01-01

    Although much of the social science literature supports the importance of community assets for success in many policy areas, these assets are often overlooked when selecting communities for new infrastructure facilities. Extensive collaboration is crucial for the success of environmental and economic projects, yet it often is not adequately addressed when making siting decisions for new projects. This article develops a social asset framework that includes social, creative, and human capital to inform site-selection decisions. This framework is applied to the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance project to assess community suitability for biofuel-related developments. This framework is the first to take all necessary community assets into account, providing insight into successful site selection beyond current models. The framework not only serves as a model for future biorefinery projects but also guides tasks that depend on informed location selection for success.

  19. Ecotourism: The Santa Elena Rainforest Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wearing, Stephen

    1993-01-01

    Describes an ecotourism project in which the community of Santa Elena, Costa Rica, are developing a rainforest reserve on government land leased permanently to the local high school. Discusses the impact of the project on the community's economy and environment. (Contains 30 references.) (MDH)

  20. Collaborative Measurement Development as a Tool in CBPR: Measurement Development and Adaptation within the Cultures of Communities

    PubMed Central

    Gonzalez, John; Trickett, Edison J.

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes the processes we engaged in to develop a measurement protocol used to assess the outcomes in a community based suicide and alcohol abuse prevention project with two Alaska Native communities. While the literature on community-based participatory research (CBPR) is substantial regarding the importance of collaborations, few studies have reported on this collaboration in the process of developing measures to assess CBPR projects. We first tell a story of the processes around the standard issues of doing cross-cultural work on measurement development related to areas of equivalence. A second story is provided that highlights how community differences within the same cultural group can affect both the process and content of culturally relevant measurement selection, adaptation, and development. PMID:24748283

  1. Collaborative measurement development as a tool in CBPR: measurement development and adaptation within the cultures of communities.

    PubMed

    Gonzalez, John; Trickett, Edison J

    2014-09-01

    This paper describes the processes we engaged into develop a measurement protocol used to assess the outcomes in a community based suicide and alcohol abuse prevention project with two Alaska Native communities. While the literature on community-based participatory research (CBPR) is substantial regarding the importance of collaborations, few studies have reported on this collaboration in the process of developing measures to assess CBPR projects. We first tell a story of the processes around the standard issues of doing cross-cultural work on measurement development related to areas of equivalence. A second story is provided that highlights how community differences within the same cultural group can affect both the process and content of culturally relevant measurement selection, adaptation, and development.

  2. DELIVERING TIMELY AIR QUALITY, TRAFFIC, AND WEATHER INFORMATION TO YOUR COMMUNITY/THE PASO DEL NORTE ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROJECT

    EPA Science Inventory

    EPA has developed a technology transfer handbook for the EMPACT Paso del Norte Project. The EMPACT Paso del Norte Environmental Monitoring Project is a mobile vehicle emissions project that involves the international community of El Paso, TX; Sundland Park, NM; and Juarez, Mexico...

  3. Designs for Evaluating the Community-Level Impact of Comprehensive Prevention Programs: Examples from the CDC Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention.

    PubMed

    Farrell, Albert D; Henry, David; Bradshaw, Catherine; Reischl, Thomas

    2016-04-01

    This article discusses the opportunities and challenges of developing research designs to evaluate the impact of community-level prevention efforts. To illustrate examples of evaluation designs, we describe six projects funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to evaluate multifaceted approaches to reduce youth violence in high-risk communities. Each of these projects was designed to evaluate the community-level impact of multiple intervention strategies to address individual and contextual factors that place youth at risk for violent behavior. Communities differed across projects in their setting, size, and how their boundaries were defined. Each project is using multiple approaches to compare outcomes in one or more intervention communities to those in comparison communities. Five of the projects are using comparative interrupted time-series designs to compare outcomes in an intervention community to matched comparison communities. A sixth project is using a multiple baseline design in which the order and timing of intervention activities is randomized across three communities. All six projects are also using regression point displacement designs to compare outcomes within intervention communities to those within broader sets of similar communities. Projects are using a variety of approaches to assess outcomes including archival records, surveys, and direct observations. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the designs of these projects and illustrate the challenges of designing high-quality evaluations of comprehensive prevention approaches implemented at the community level.

  4. Contributing to operations of community agencies through integrated fieldwork experiences.

    PubMed

    Klinger, Lisa; Bossers, Ann

    2009-06-01

    Occupational therapists are change agents who are well equipped to participate in community development. Community development projects can help agencies in many ways, including determining needs, educating stakeholders, developing novel programs, finding and creating resources, marketing the agency, and creating or implementing policy. In order for service agencies to profit, they need an understanding of the skills occupational therapists can offer. The best way to gain that knowledge may be through direct experience. This paper describes the benefits that flow to community agency partners and to occupational therapy students from an innovative, integrated fieldwork model that links students with service agencies. This approach has demonstrated many benefits to community partners, while allowing all students in an occupational therapy program to have community development experience. This is a cost-effective way to demonstrate the value of occupational therapy and to deliver multiple community development projects.

  5. Energy Efficient Community Development in California: Chula Vista Research Project

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gas Technology Institute

    2009-03-31

    In 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy joined the California Energy Commission in funding a project to begin to examine the technical, economic and institutional (policy and regulatory) aspects of energy-efficient community development. That research project was known as the Chula Vista Research Project for the host California community that co-sponsored the initiative. The researches proved that the strategic integration of the selected and economically viable buildings energy efficiency (EE) measures, photovoltaics (PV), distributed generation (DG), and district cooling can produce significant reductions in aggregate energy consumption, peak demand and emissions, compared to the developer/builder's proposed baseline approach. However, themore » central power plant emission reductions achieved through use of the EE-DG option would increase local air emissions. The electric and natural gas utility infrastructure impacts associated with the use of the EE and EE-PV options were deemed relatively insignificant while use of the EE-DG option would result in a significant reduction of necessary electric distribution facilities to serve a large-scale development project. The results of the Chula Vista project are detailed in three separate documents: (1) Energy-Efficient Community Development in California; Chula Vista Research Project report contains a detailed description of the research effort and findings. This includes the methodologies, and tools used and the analysis of the efficiency, economic and emissions impacts of alternative energy technology and community design options for two development sites. Research topics covered included: (a) Energy supply, demand, and control technologies and related strategies for structures; (b) Application of locally available renewable energy resources including solar thermal and PV technology and on-site power generation with heat recovery; (c) Integration of local energy resources into district energy systems and existing energy utility networks; (d) Alternative land-use design and development options and their impact on energy efficiency and urban runoff, emissions and the heat island effect; and (e) Alternative transportation and mobility options and their impact on local emissions. (2) Creating Energy-Efficient Communities in California: A Reference Guide to Barriers, Solutions and Resources report provides the results of an effort to identify the most innovative existing and emerging public policy, incentive and market mechanisms that encourage investment in advanced energy technologies and enabling community design options in the State of California and the nation. The report evaluates each of these mechanisms in light of the preceding research and concludes with a set of recommended mechanisms designed for consideration by relevant California State agencies, development and finance industry associations, and municipal governments. (3) Creating Energy-Efficient Communities in California: A Technical Reference Guide to Building and Site Design report contains a set of selected commercially viable energy technology and community design options for high-efficiency, low-impact community development in California. It includes a summary of the research findings referenced above and recommendations for energy technology applications and energy-efficient development strategies for residential, commercial and institutional structures and supporting municipal infrastructure for planned communities. The document also identifies design options, technology applications and development strategies that are applicable to urban infill projects.« less

  6. Challenges to achieving sustainable community health development within a donor aid business model.

    PubMed

    Ashwell, Helen; Barclay, Lesley

    2010-06-01

    This paper explores the paradox of donor aid being delivered through a business model through a case study in Papua New Guinea. A retrospective review of project implementation and an outcome evaluation provided an opportunity to examine the long-term results and sustainability of a large project. Analysis was informed by data collected from 175 interviews (national, provincial, district and village), 93 community discussions and observations across 10 provinces. Problems with the business model of delivering aid were evident from implementation data and in an evaluation conducted two years after project completion (2006). Compounding the business model effect were challenges of over-ambitious project goals with limited flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances, a donor payment system requiring short-term productivity and excessive reporting requirements. An overly ambitious project design, donor dominance within the business model and limited local counterpart capacity created problems in the community initiatives component of the project. Contractual pressures can negatively influence long-term outcomes that require development of local leadership and capacity. Future planning for donor project designs needs to be flexible, smaller in scope and have a longer timeframe of seven to 10 years. Donor-funded projects need to be sufficiently flexible to apply proven principles of community development, build local ownership and allow adequate time to build counterpart knowledge and skills.

  7. A Community-Based Research Approach to Develop an Educational Web Portal

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Preiser-Houy, Lara; Navarrete, Carlos J.

    2011-01-01

    Service-learning projects are becoming more prevalent in Information Systems education. This study explores the use of community-based research, a special kind of a service-learning strategy, in an Information Systems web development course. The paper presents a case study of a service-learning project to develop an educational web portal for a…

  8. Jobs and Community Improvements--A Handbook for Enhanced Work Projects. Implementation Issues. Youth Knowledge Development Report 8.1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Corporation for Public/Private Ventures, Philadelphia, PA.

    This volume is one of the products of the knowledge development activities mounted in conjunction with research, evaluation, and development activities funded under the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act of 1977. Based on the Ventures in Community Improvement (VICI) "enhanced" job training/job placement approach, which used…

  9. Community-based research in action: tales from the Ktunaxa community learning centres project.

    PubMed

    Stacy, Elizabeth; Wisener, Katherine; Liman, Yolanda; Beznosova, Olga; Lauscher, Helen Novak; Ho, Kendall; Jarvis-Selinger, Sandra

    2014-01-01

    Rural communities, particularly Aboriginal communities, often have limited access to health information, a situation that can have significant negative consequences. To address the lack of culturally and geographically relevant health information, a community-university partnership was formed to develop, implement, and evaluate Aboriginal Community Learning Centres (CLCs). The objective of this paper is to evaluate the community-based research process used in the development of the CLCs. It focuses on the process of building relationships among partners and the CLC's value and sustainability. Semistructured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders, including principal investigators, community research leads, and supervisors. The interview transcripts were analyzed using an open-coding process to identify themes. Key challenges included enacting shared project governance, negotiating different working styles, and hiring practices based on commitment to project objectives rather than skill set. Technological access provided by the CLCs increased capacity for learning and collective community initiatives, as well as building community leads' skills, knowledge, and self-efficacy. An important lesson was to meet all partners "where they are" in building trusting relationships and adapting research methods to fit the project's context and strengths. Successful results were dependent upon persistence and patience in working through differences, and breaking the project into achievable goals, which collectively contributed to trust and capacity building. The process of building these partnerships resulted in increased capacity of communities to facilitate learning and change initiatives, and the capacity of the university to engage in successful research partnerships with Aboriginal communities in the future.

  10. A Community Health Advisor Program to reduce cardiovascular risk among rural African-American women

    PubMed Central

    Cornell, C. E.; Littleton, M. A.; Greene, P. G.; Pulley, L.; Brownstein, J. N.; Sanderson, B. K.; Stalker, V. G.; Matson-Koffman, D.; Struempler, B.; Raczynski, J. M.

    2009-01-01

    The Uniontown, Alabama Community Health Project trained and facilitated Community Health Advisors (CHAs) in conducting a theory-based intervention designed to reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) among rural African-American women. The multiphased project included formative evaluation and community organization, CHA recruitment and training, community intervention and maintenance. Formative data collected to develop the training, intervention and evaluation methods and materials indicated the need for programs to increase knowledge, skills and resources for changing behaviors that increase the risk of CVD. CHAs worked in partnership with staff to develop, implement, evaluate and maintain strategies to reduce risk for CVD in women and to influence city officials, business owners and community coalitions to facilitate project activities. Process data documented sustained increases in social capital and community capacity to address health-related issues, as well as improvements in the community’s physical infrastructure. This project is unique in that it documents that a comprehensive CHA-based intervention for CVD can facilitate wide-reaching changes in capacity to address health issues in a rural community that include improvements in community infrastructure and are sustained beyond the scope of the originally funded intervention. PMID:19047648

  11. Experiencing an Epidemic: The Development of an AIDS Education Program for Community College Students in Maryland.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rochlin, Joyce T.

    In 1991, a project was undertaken to suggest components for an Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) education program for community college students. The project sought to identify AIDS programs and policies in place at the 17 community colleges in Maryland; assessed community college students' knowledge about the spread and prevention of…

  12. Empowered women from rural areas of Bolivia promote community development.

    PubMed

    Ríos, Roxana; Olmedo, Catón; Fernández, Luis

    2007-01-01

    Abstract: The United States Agency for Development in Bolivia (USAID/Bolivia) created in 2002 PROSALUD- Partners for Development Project (PfD) with the aim of improving the population's well-being. The project used three components: small grant scheme, technical assistance and database system management. Through the small grants scheme, the PfD supported a Community Participation Strategy (CPS) project over a three year period. The project involved the rural areas of six Bolivian departments and suburban areas of three Bolivian cities. The main objective was to increase health service utilization with a particular emphasis on empowerment of women, strengthening of local organizations and increasing the demand for health services. Women from both the urban and rural areas, and from different indigenous groups, were trained in project management, health promotion, reproductive health and family planning, advocacy and community participation. Participatory methodologies have allowed empowering women in decision making and capacity building throughout the entire project process. The experience shows that it is important to work with formally established grass-root community organizations and strengthen leadership within them. Additionally, the sub-projects demonstrated that interventions are more successful when promoters speak and write native languages, women are more motivated and empowered, projects are designed to be responsive to daily necessities identified by the communities and health services are culturally suitable. A preliminary evaluation, in both quantitative and qualitative terms, shows an overall improvement in health knowledge and practice, and utilization of health services.

  13. Effects of Insecurity on Community Development Projects in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni and Ahoada East Local Government Areas of Rivers State, Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adekola, G.; Enyiche, C. C.

    2017-01-01

    The study examined the effects of insecurity on community development projects in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni and Ahoada East Local Government Areas of Rivers State, Nigeria. The study was guided by two research questions and one null hypothesis. The study adopted a descriptive survey design with a population of 3,211 members of various Community Based…

  14. Study Visit to Latin America: Three Examples of Community Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Classen-Bauer, Ingrid

    1976-01-01

    Three projects are described that were observed during a two-month study tour to Latin America in 1975: urban and rural community development in Bolivia; nonformal initial education in Peru; and international education in Argentina. The projects are carried out in situations involving particularly difficult social problems. (ND)

  15. 77 FR 38267 - Information Collection; Role of Communities in Stewardship Contracting Projects

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-27

    ...) Nature of roles played by the entities involved in developing agreement or contract plans, (c) Benefits... Collection; Role of Communities in Stewardship Contracting Projects AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION... revision of a currently approved information collection, Role of Communities in Stewardship Contracting...

  16. Community Capacity Building: Starting with People Not Projects.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simpson, Lyn; Wood, Leanne; Daws, Leonie

    2003-01-01

    A remote Australian town's initiative to develop an Internet cafe was based on a foundation of community empowerment and capacity building. The project's failure illustrates factors that inhibit community control: overstretched local resources, failure to understand impact on existing social infrastructure and social networks, and lack of…

  17. Creating a sustainable, participatory palliative care programme in an urban slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

    PubMed

    Ahmad, Nezamuddin

    2018-01-01

    The Centre for Palliative Care, based at the only medical university [Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU)] in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in collaboration with Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance, piloted a one-year project focussed on improving the quality of life of 100 older people and their families in two slum settings in Dhaka. This project was developed following the identification of significant palliative care needs of older people in the slum settings. In addition, the project was formed in response to the absence of programmes delivering palliative care to the poorest and most marginalised in poor urban settings, in a sustainable manner within the context of the low development of palliative care and the human and financial resource limitations in Bangladesh. The programme was developed using a participatory approach which focussed on engaging members of the community in the delivery of the project through the identification and training of 8 palliative care assistants from the slum setting itself, who delivered basic care supported by health professionals, the development of palliative care activists within the community and the engagement of the slum community leadership. The impact of the project showed improved quality of life for the target population and the potential for further development as a sustainable, community owned model over a further 2 years, which could be translated into other urban settings. This presentation will highlight lessons learned from the development and implementation of the project, and findings from the independent evaluation completed in December 2016, overseen by Glasgow University. The presentation will outline the successes and challenges of developing a participatory, community owned palliative care service within a slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh for older people and their families.

  18. The necessary contradictions of 'community-led' health promotion: a case study of HIV prevention in an Indian red light district.

    PubMed

    Cornish, Flora; Ghosh, Riddhi

    2007-01-01

    Health promotion interventions with marginalised groups are increasingly expected to demonstrate genuine community participation in their design and delivery. However, ideals of egalitarian democratic participation are far removed from the starting point of the hierarchical and exploitative social relations that typically characterise marginalised communities. What scope is there for health promotion projects to implement ideals of community leadership within the realities of marginalisation and inequality? We examine how the Sonagachi Project, a successful sex-worker-led HIV prevention project in India, has engaged with the unequal social relations in which it is embedded. Our ethnographic study is based on observation of the Project's participatory activities and 39 interviews with a range of its stakeholders (including sex worker employees of the Project, non-sex-worker development professionals, brothel managers, sex workers' clients). The analysis shows that the project is deeply shaped by its relationships with non-sex-worker interest groups. In order to be permitted access to the red light district, it has had to accommodate the interests of local men's clubs and brothel managers. The economic and organisational capacity to run such a project has depended upon the direct input of development professionals and funding agencies. Thus, the 'community' that leads this project is much wider than a local grouping of marginalised sex workers. We argue that, given existing power relations, the engagement with other interest groups was necessary to the project's success. Moreover, as the project has developed, sex workers' interests and leadership have gained increasing prominence. We suggest that existing optimistic expectations of participation inhibit acknowledgement of the troubling work of balancing power relations. Rather than denying such power relations, projects should be expected to plan for them.

  19. Students mentoring students in a service-learning clinical supervision experience: an educational case report.

    PubMed

    Lattanzi, Jill Black; Campbell, Sandra L; Dole, Robin L; Palombaro, Kerstin M

    2011-10-01

    Service-learning projects present the opportunity to combine academic skill practice and peer mentorship with meaningful community service. Implicit learning outcomes include an enhanced understanding of social responsibility and professional development-concepts difficult to teach in the classroom. The purpose of this educational case report is to describe the development, application, and outcomes of a service-learning project designed to facilitate peer mentorship and the development of social responsibility. DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROCESS: Widener University mandated that all programs offer student community service opportunities on Martin Luther King Day. In response, the physical therapy program developed a plan to clean and screen assistive and mobility devices and provide blood pressure screening at designated community sites. APPLICATION OF THE PROCESS: All faculty and all members of the first-year and third-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) classes participated. The students and a faculty member traveled to designated community sites in teams. First-year students were able to practice newly acquired skills under the supervision and peer mentorship of third-year students. Outcomes of the service-learning project were assessed through a tally of services rendered, measurement of curricular goal achievement, a survey of the community partners' satisfaction with the event, and consideration of both first-year and third-year DPT student reflection papers. The service-learning project was effective in meeting a community need, enhancing community partner relationships, fostering student understandings of social responsibility, and creating a valuable peer mentorship experience.

  20. Healthy End of Life Project (HELP): a progress report on implementing community guidance on public health palliative care initiatives in Australia.

    PubMed

    Grindrod, Andrea; Rumbold, Bruce

    2018-04-01

    Contemporary end of life care policies propose increasing community capacity by developing sustainable skills, policies, structures, and resources to support members of a community in caring for each other at the end of life. Public health approaches to palliative care provide strategies to bring this about. Practical implementation can however be ineffective, principally due to failures to grasp the systemic nature of public health interventions, or to ensure that programs are managed and owned by community members, not the professionals who may have introduced them. This article outlines a comprehensive community development project that identifies local end of life needs and meets them through the efficient use of community resources. The project is the product of a three-phase enquiry. The first phase, carried out in a local community, examined carers' experiences of home-based dying, the networks that supported them during care, and broader community networks with the potential to extend care. Data were collected through in-depth research interviews, focus groups and consultation with a community research reference group. Findings were key issues to be targeted by a local community development strategy. In the second phase, these local findings were compared with other practice accounts to identify themes common to many contexts. A public health palliative care framework was then used to produce an evidence-informed community development model for end of life care. The third phase involves implementing and evaluating this model in different Australian contexts. A major theme emerging in phase one of the enquiry was the reluctance of carers to ask for, or even accept, offers of help from family, friends and community networks despite their evident need for support while providing end of life care at home. Others' willingness to provide support was thus hindered by uncertainty about what to offer, and concern about infringing on people's privacy. To develop community capacity for providing end of life care, these social norms need to change. Phase two brought public health strategies to bear on the themes identified in phase one to develop the Healthy End of Life Project (HELP), a strengths-based sustainable community development project. This provides evidence-based and research-informed resources that equip communities to work cooperatively with carers, family, friends and neighbors in support of residents wishing to receive end-of-life care in their home or a community setting. Services may initiate use of the framework, and will share their expertise on health and death matters, but communities are the experts to lead implementation in their local area. The third part of the article outlines current initiatives to implement and evaluate HELP in several Australian contexts. The substantive outcome of this enquiry is the 'Healthy End of Life Project (HELP); offering and providing, asking and accepting help'.

  1. Involving consumers and the community in the development of a diagnostic instrument for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in Australia

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Australia’s commitment to consumer and community participation in health and medical research has grown over the past decade. Participatory research models of engagement are the most empowering for consumers. Methods As part of a project to develop a diagnostic instrument for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in Australia (FASD Project), the Australian FASD Collaboration (Collaboration), including a consumer advocate and two consumer representatives, was established. On completion of the FASD Project an on-line survey of Collaboration members was conducted to assess their views on consumer involvement. Women in the community were also invited to participate in Community Conversations to discuss real life situations regarding communications with health professionals about alcohol and pregnancy. Community Conversation feedback was analysed qualitatively and attendees were surveyed about their views of the Community Conversation process. Results The on-line survey was completed by 12 members of the Collaboration (71%). Consumer and community participation was considered important and essential, worked well, and was integral to the success of the project. The 32 women attending the Community Conversations generated 500 statements that made reference to prevention, how information and messages are delivered, and appropriate support for women. Nearly all the attendees at the Community Conversations (93%) believed that they had an opportunity to put forward their ideas and 96% viewed the Community Conversations as a positive experience. Conclusions The successful involvement of consumers and the community in the FASD Project can be attributed to active consumer and community participation, which included continued involvement throughout the project, funding of participation activities, and an understanding of the various contributions by the Collaboration members. PMID:23898969

  2. The Native Telehealth Outreach and Technical Assistance Program: a community-based approach to the development of multimedia-focused health care information.

    PubMed

    Dick, Rhonda Wiegman; Manson, Spero M; Hansen, Amy L; Huggins, Annie; Trullinger, Lori

    2007-01-01

    The development and dissemination of culturally relevant health care information has traditionally taken a "top-down" approach. Governmental funding agencies and research institutions have too often dictated the importance and focus of health-related research and information dissemination. In addition, the digital divide has affected rural communities in such a way that their members often do not possess the knowledge or experience necessary to use technological resources. And, even when they do, their skills may be limited, adequate only for implementing applications and programs designed by others who live and work outside of these communities. This need became the driving force in the creation of the Native Telehealth Outreach and Technical Assistance Program. The goal of the program is to equip Native community members, at both the lay and professional levels, with the means to use technology to address tribal health care needs. The transfer of relevant technical knowledge and skills enables participants to develop projects which enhance the community-wide dissemination of health care information. Nine community health advocates and professionals participated in the initial cohort. Eight of the participants successfully developed multimedia-based projects including Web sites, interactive CD-ROMs, and video focusing on a variety of health concerns. At the conclusion of the 18-month program period, projects were disseminated throughout rural communities. The NTOTAP staff continues to evaluate the use of these projects and their benefits within the rural communities.

  3. Neighborhood Energy/Economic Development project

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1991-12-31

    Energy costs impact low income communities more than anyone else. Low income residents pay a larger percentage of their incomes for energy costs. In addition, they generally have far less discretionary energy use to eliminate in response to increasing energy prices. Furthermore, with less discretionary income, home energy efficiency improvements are often too expensive. Small neighborhood businesses are in the same situation. Improved efficiency in the use of energy can improve this situation by reducing energy costs for residents and local businesses. More importantly, energy management programs can increase the demand for local goods and services and lead to themore » creation of new job training and employment opportunities. In this way, neighborhood based energy efficiency programs can support community economic development. The present project, undertaken with the support of the Urban Consortium Energy Task Force, was intended to serve as a demonstration of energy/economic programming at the neighborhood level. The San Francisco Neighborhood Energy/Economic Development (NEED) project was designed to be a visible demonstration of bringing the economic development benefits of energy management home to low-income community members who need it most. To begin, a Community Advisory Committee was established to guide the design of the programs to best meet needs of the community. Subsequently three neighborhood energy/economic development programs were developed: The small business energy assistance program; The youth training and weatherization program; and, The energy review of proposed housing development projects.« less

  4. Participatory Evaluation with Youth Leads to Community Action Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ashton, Carolyn; Arnold, Mary E.; Wells, Elissa E.

    2010-01-01

    4-H has long emphasized the importance of civic engagement and community service for positive youth development. One pathway to this ideal is youth action research and evaluation. This article demonstrates how participatory youth research and evaluation can lead to the successful implementation of community action projects. It describes the…

  5. Encouraging Civic Engagement through Extended Community Writing Projects: Rewriting the Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simmons, Michele

    2010-01-01

    Developing community writing projects that effectively benefit students, the community, and the goals of the writing program is a tricky task. Drawing from recent scholarship and the author's own challenges with integrating meaningful civic engagement into the professional writing classes at her university, she examines limitations of single…

  6. Investigating Community Problems with Classes of Slow-Learning and Non-Academic Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Curtis, Charles K.

    A project is described in which slow learning high school students in British Columbia investigated community housing problems. The objective of the project was to show how investigation of contemporary community problems can help slow learning students develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes conducive to responsible citizenship. Methodology…

  7. Application of ESE Data and Tools to Air Quality Management: Services for Helping the Air Quality Community use ESE Data (SHAirED)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Falke, Stefan; Husar, Rudolf

    2011-01-01

    The goal of this REASoN applications and technology project is to deliver and use Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) data and tools in support of air quality management. Its scope falls within the domain of air quality management and aims to develop a federated air quality information sharing network that includes data from NASA, EPA, US States and others. Project goals were achieved through a access of satellite and ground observation data, web services information technology, interoperability standards, and air quality community collaboration. In contributing to a network of NASA ESE data in support of particulate air quality management, the project will develop access to distributed data, build Web infrastructure, and create tools for data processing and analysis. The key technologies used in the project include emerging web services for developing self describing and modular data access and processing tools, and service oriented architecture for chaining web services together to assemble customized air quality management applications. The technology and tools required for this project were developed within DataFed.net, a shared infrastructure that supports collaborative atmospheric data sharing and processing web services. Much of the collaboration was facilitated through community interactions through the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) Air Quality Workgroup. The main activities during the project that successfully advanced DataFed, enabled air quality applications and established community-oriented infrastructures were: develop access to distributed data (surface and satellite), build Web infrastructure to support data access, processing and analysis create tools for data processing and analysis foster air quality community collaboration and interoperability.

  8. Community-Academic Partnerships: Developing a Service-Learning Framework.

    PubMed

    Voss, Heather C; Mathews, Launa Rae; Fossen, Traci; Scott, Ginger; Schaefer, Michele

    2015-01-01

    Academic partnerships with hospitals and health care agencies for authentic clinical learning have become a major focus of schools of nursing and professional nursing organizations. Formal academic partnerships in community settings are less common despite evolving models of care delivery outside of inpatient settings. Community-Academic partnerships are commonly developed as a means to engage nursing students in service-learning experiences with an emphasis on student outcomes. The benefit of service-learning projects on community partners and populations receiving the service is largely unknown primarily due to the lack of structure for identifying and measuring outcomes specific to service-learning. Nursing students and their faculty engaged in service-learning have a unique opportunity to collaborate with community partners to evaluate benefits of service-learning projects on those receiving the service. This article describes the development of a service-learning framework as a first step toward successful measurement of the benefits of undergraduate nursing students' service-learning projects on community agencies and the people they serve through a collaborative community-academic partnership. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Specific issues, exact locations: case study of a community mapping project to improve safety in a disadvantaged community.

    PubMed

    Qummouh, Rana; Rose, Vanessa; Hall, Pat

    2012-12-01

    Safety is a health issue and a significant concern in disadvantaged communities. This paper describes an example of community-initiated action to address perceptions of fear and safety in a suburb in south-west Sydney which led to the development of a local, community-driven research project. As a first step in developing community capacity to take action on issues of safety, a joint resident-agency group implemented a community safety mapping project to identify the extent of safety issues in the community and their exact geographical location. Two aerial maps of the suburb, measuring one metre by two metres, were placed on display at different locations for four months. Residents used coloured stickers to identify specific issues and exact locations where crime and safety were a concern. Residents identified 294 specific safety issues in the suburb, 41.9% (n=123) associated with public infrastructure, such as poor lighting and pathways, and 31.9% (n=94) associated with drug-related issues such as drug activity and discarded syringes. Good health promotion practice reflects community need. In a very practical sense, this project responded to community calls for action by mapping resident knowledge on specific safety issues and exact locations and presenting these maps to local decision makers for further action.

  10. The Effect of an Interdisciplinary Community Health Project on Student Attitudes toward Community Health, People Who Are Indigent and Homeless, and Team Leadership Skill Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rose, Molly A.; Lyons, Kevin J.; Miller, Kathleen Swenson; Cornman-Levy, Diane

    2003-01-01

    A study of 22 health occupations students examined whether participation in an interdisciplinary community health empowerment project with urban homeless and formerly homeless people changed their attitudes about community health practice, attitudes toward people who are indigent and homeless, and perceived leadership skills. Posttests revealed a…

  11. HIV Prevention Strategies for Community Colleges: Lessons Learned from Bridges to Healthy Communities. AACC Project Brief.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ottenritter, Nan; Barnett, Lynn

    The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) instituted the Bridges to Healthy Communities project in 1995 as part of a 5-year strategy to develop campus-based programs for preventing HIV infection and related health problems among college students. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sponsored the national effort through…

  12. Michigan Community Colleges Job Training and Retraining Investment Fund. 1983-84 Investment Fund Projects: Impact Statement.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Michigan Community Colleges Economic Development and Job Training Network, Ann Arbor.

    This report assesses the impact on Michigan's 29 community colleges of projects funded in 1983-84 through the Community College Job Training and Retraining Investment Fund, a program for funding the state's community colleges so that they will contribute to the economic rehabilitation and development of Michigan. Part I details the financial…

  13. Community College Technical Mathematics Project. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Self, Samuel L.

    The purpose of the research project was to develop an applied or technical mathematics curriculum which would meet the needs of vocational-technical students at the community college level. The research project was divided into three distinct phases: Identifying the mathematical concepts requisite for job-entry competencies in each of the…

  14. Engaging stakeholder communities as body image intervention partners: The Body Project as a case example.

    PubMed

    Becker, Carolyn Black; Perez, Marisol; Kilpela, Lisa Smith; Diedrichs, Phillippa C; Trujillo, Eva; Stice, Eric

    2017-04-01

    Despite recent advances in developing evidence-based psychological interventions, substantial changes are needed in the current system of intervention delivery to impact mental health on a global scale (Kazdin & Blase, 2011). Prevention offers one avenue for reaching large populations because prevention interventions often are amenable to scaling-up strategies, such as task-shifting to lay providers, which further facilitate community stakeholder partnerships. This paper discusses the dissemination and implementation of the Body Project, an evidence-based body image prevention program, across 6 diverse stakeholder partnerships that span academic, non-profit and business sectors at national and international levels. The paper details key elements of the Body Project that facilitated partnership development, dissemination and implementation, including use of community-based participatory research methods and a blended train-the-trainer and task-shifting approach. We observed consistent themes across partnerships, including: sharing decision making with community partners, engaging of community leaders as gatekeepers, emphasizing strengths of community partners, working within the community's structure, optimizing non-traditional and/or private financial resources, placing value on cost-effectiveness and sustainability, marketing the program, and supporting flexibility and creativity in developing strategies for evolution within the community and in research. Ideally, lessons learned with the Body Project can be generalized to implementation of other body image and eating disorder prevention programs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. A Tale of Two Community Networks Program Centers: Operationalizing and Assessing CBPR Principles and Evaluating Partnership Outcomes.

    PubMed

    Arroyo-Johnson, Cassandra; Allen, Michele L; Colditz, Graham A; Hurtado, G Ali; Davey, Cynthia S; Sanders Thompson, Vetta L; Drake, Bettina F; Svetaz, Maria Veronica; Rosas-Lee, Maira; Goodman, Melody S

    2015-01-01

    Community Networks Program (CNP) centers are required to use a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach within their specific priority communities. Not all communities are the same and unique contextual factors and collaborators' priorities shape each CBPR partnership. There are also established CBPR and community engagement (CE) principles shown to lead to quality CBPR in any community. However, operationalizing and assessing CBPR principles and partnership outcomes to understand the conditions and processes in CBPR that lead to achieving program and project level goals is relatively new in the science of CBPR. We sought to describe the development of surveys on adherence to and implementation of CBPR/CE principles at two CNP centers and examine commonalities and differences in program-versus project-level CBPR evaluation. A case study about the development and application of CBPR/CE principles for the Missouri CNP, Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities, and Minnesota CNP, Padres Informados/Jovenes Preparados, surveys was conducted to compare project versus program operationalization of principles. Survey participant demographics were provided by CNP. Specific domains found in CBPR/CE principles were identified and organized under an existing framework to establish a common ground. Operational definitions and the number of survey items were provided for each domain by CNP. There are distinct differences in operational definitions of CBPR/CE principles at the program and project levels of evaluation. However, commonalities support further research to develop standards for CBPR evaluation across partnerships and at the program and project levels.

  16. Programa de fortalecimiento de capacidades: reflections on a case study of community-based teacher education set in rural northern Peru

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alsop, Steve; Ames, Patricia; Arroyo, Graciela Cordero; Dippo, Don

    2010-12-01

    This article explores distinctive features of a 5-year international education development project set in rural northern Peru (PROMEB, the Proyecto de Mejoramiento de la Educación Básica). Grounded within a partnership between teacher educators from Peru, Mexico and Canada, and rural Peruvian teachers, students and their communities, we offer reflections on a teacher education initiative which sought to support action-orientated inquiries as a mechanism for school/community development. Set against a background of poverty, hunger, isolation and an "educational crisis", we outline our pedagogy and describe two projects. We then reflect on the influences of our engagements and on associated tensions and ambiguities in our methods. We hope that such discussions might offer insights for others involved in international school/community development projects of this type.

  17. Preventing adolescent suicide: a community takes action.

    PubMed

    Pirruccello, Linda M

    2010-05-01

    Suicide is the third leading cause of death for adolescents and young people in the United States. The etiology of suicide in this population has eluded policy makers, researchers, and communities. Although many suicide prevention programs have been developed and implemented, few are evidence-based in their effectiveness in decreasing suicide rates. In one northern California community, adolescent suicide has risen above the state's average. Two nurses led an effort to develop and implement an innovative grassroots community suicide prevention project targeted at eliminating any further teen suicide. The project consisted of a Teen Resource Card, a community resource brochure targeted at teens, and education for the public and school officials to raise awareness about this issue. This article describes this project for other communities to use as a model. Risk and protective factors are described, and a comprehensive background of adolescent suicide is provided.

  18. Building Capacity in the Sikh Asian Indian Community to Lead Participatory Oral Health Projects.

    PubMed

    Kavathe, Rucha; Islam, Nadia; Zanowiak, Jennifer; Wyatt, Laura; Singh, Hardayal; Northridge, Mary E

    2018-01-01

    Lack of access to oral health care is a significant burden for disadvantaged populations, yet rarely draws the attention of policymakers or community leaders. To understand how UNITED SIKHS identified oral health care as a priority need through its involvement in community-based participatory research (CBPR) initiatives and local data collection, thereby building its capacity to lead participatory oral health projects. The foundation for the partnership between UNITED SIKHS and the New York University (NYU) Prevention Research Center (PRC) was the joint implementation of a CBPR project to prevent diabetes in the Sikh Asian Indian community. Project partners also included a community coalition composed of religious leaders, health providers, members of the media, and dental students and faculty at the NYU College of Dentistry (NYU Dentistry). A community needs and resources assessment survey was jointly developed and conducted in 2010 to better understand health needs in the Sikh community. Fewer than one-half of the Sikh participants (43.0%) reported ever receiving a check-up or screening by a dentist, and of those who did, only one-half (50.0%) reported that it occurred in the past 12 months. Upon clinical assessment, more than one-half of Sikh adults (58.2%) had untreated dental decay. The collection and analysis of local data motivated UNITED SIKHS to develop new priorities based upon the findings. UNITED SIKHS applied for and received external funding to lead a CBPR project that developed, implemented, evaluated, and disseminated a culturally tailored oral health and healthy living curriculum for the Sikh Asian Indian community.

  19. Building Capacity in the Sikh Asian Indian Community to Lead Participatory Oral Health Projects

    PubMed Central

    Kavathe, Rucha; Islam, Nadia; Zanowiak, Jennifer; Wyatt, Laura; Singh, Hardayal; Northridge, Mary E.

    2018-01-01

    Background Lack of access to oral health care is a significant burden for disadvantaged populations, yet rarely draws the attention of policymakers or community leaders. Objectives To understand how UNITED SIKHS identified oral health care as a priority need through its involvement in community-based participatory research (CBPR) initiatives and local data collection, thereby building its capacity to lead participatory oral health projects. Methods The foundation for the partnership between UNITED SIKHS and the New York University (NYU) Prevention Research Center (PRC) was the joint implementation of a CBPR project to prevent diabetes in the Sikh Asian Indian community. Project partners also included a community coalition composed of religious leaders, health providers, members of the media, and dental students and faculty at the NYU College of Dentistry (NYU Dentistry). A community needs and resources assessment survey was jointly developed and conducted in 2010 to better understand health needs in the Sikh community. Results Fewer than one-half of the Sikh participants (43.0%) reported ever receiving a check-up or screening by a dentist, and of those who did, only one-half (50.0%) reported that it occurred in the past 12 months. Upon clinical assessment, more than one-half of Sikh adults (58.2%) had untreated dental decay. The collection and analysis of local data motivated UNITED SIKHS to develop new priorities based upon the findings. Conclusions UNITED SIKHS applied for and received external funding to lead a CBPR project that developed, implemented, evaluated, and disseminated a culturally tailored oral health and healthy living curriculum for the Sikh Asian Indian community. PMID:29606688

  20. Poverty alleviation and environmental restoration using the clean development mechanism: A case study from Humbo, Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Brown, Douglas R; Dettmann, Paul; Rinaudo, Tony; Tefera, Hailu; Tofu, Assefa

    2011-08-01

    Poverty, hunger and demand for agricultural land have driven local communities to overexploit forest resources throughout Ethiopia. Forests surrounding the township of Humbo were largely destroyed by the late 1960s. In 2004, World Vision Australia and World Vision Ethiopia identified forestry-based carbon sequestration as a potential means to stimulate community development while engaging in environmental restoration. After two years of consultation, planning and negotiations, the Humbo Community-based Natural Regeneration Project began implementation--the Ethiopian organization's first carbon sequestration initiative. The Humbo Project assists communities affected by environmental degradation including loss of biodiversity, soil erosion and flooding with an opportunity to benefit from carbon markets while reducing poverty and restoring the local agroecosystem. Involving the regeneration of 2,728 ha of degraded native forests, it brings social, economic and ecological benefits--facilitating adaptation to a changing climate and generating temporary certified emissions reductions (tCERs) under the Clean Development Mechanism. A key feature of the project has been facilitating communities to embrace new techniques and take responsibility for large-scale environmental change, most importantly involving Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR). This technique is low-cost, replicable, and provides direct benefits within a short time. Communities were able to harvest fodder and firewood within a year of project initiation and wild fruits and other non-timber forest products within three years. Farmers are using agroforestry for both environmental restoration and income generation. Establishment of user rights and local cooperatives has generated community ownership and enthusiasm for this project--empowering the community to more sustainably manage their communal lands.

  1. Administrator self-ratings of organization capacity and performance of healthy community development projects in Taiwan.

    PubMed

    Chen, Ching-Min; Hong, Mei-Chu; Hsu, Yu-Hsien

    2007-01-01

    To examine the relationship between the capacities of various community organizations and their performance scores for healthy community development. This cross-sectional study was conducted by examining all community organizations involved in the Taiwan national healthy community development project. Of 213 administrators contacted, 195 (a return rate of 91.6%) completed a self-administered questionnaire between October and November 2003. The research instrument was self-developed and based on the Donabedian model. It examined the capacity of the community organizations and their performance in developing a healthy community. The average overall healthy community development performance score was 5.0 on a 7-point semantic differential scale, with the structure variable rated as the lowest among the 3 subscales. Community organization capacities in the areas of funding, resources committed, citizen participation, and certain aspects of organizational leadership were found to be significantly related to healthy community development performance. Each of the regression models showed a different set of capacities for the community organization domains and explained between 25% and 33% of the variance in performance. The study validates the theoretical relationships among the concepts identified in the Donabedian model. Nursing interventions tailored to enhance resident citizen participation in order to promote community coalitions are strongly supported.

  2. Developing a Community-Academic Partnership to Improve Recognition and Treatment of Depression in Underserved African American and White Elders

    PubMed Central

    Dobransky-Fasiska, Deborah; Brown, Charlotte; Pincus, Harold A.; Nowalk, Mary P.; Wieland, Melissa; Parker, Lisa S.; Cruz, Mario; McMurray, Michelle L.; Mulsant, Benoit; Reynolds, Charles F.

    2011-01-01

    Objective Reducing mental health disparities among underserved populations, particularly African American elders, is an important public health priority. The authors describe the process and challenges of developing a community/academic research partnership to address these disparities. Methods The authors are using a Community-Based Participatory Research approach to gain access to underserved populations in need of depression treatment. The authors identify six stages: 1) Collaborating to Secure Funding; 2) Building a Communications Platform and Research Infrastructure; 3) Fostering Enduring Relationships; 4) Assessing Needs/Educating about Research Process; 5) Initiating Specific Collaborative Projects (meeting mutual needs/interests); and 6) Maintaining a Sustainable and Productive Partnership. Data from a needs assessment developed collaboratively by researchers and community agencies facilitated agreement on mutual research goals, while strengthening the partnership. Results A community/academic-based partnership with a solid research infrastructure has been established and maintained for 3 years. Using the results of a needs assessment, the working partnership prioritized and launched several projects. Through interviews and questionnaires, community partners identified best practices for researchers working in the community. Future research and interventional projects have been developed, including plans for sustainability that will eventually shift more responsibility from the academic institution to the community agencies. Conclusions To reach underserved populations by developing and implementing models of more effective mental health treatment, it is vital to engage community agencies offering services to this population. A successful partnership requires “cultural humility,” collaborative efforts, and the development of flexible protocols to accommodate diverse communities. PMID:20104053

  3. Project GRACE: a staged approach to development of a community-academic partnership to address HIV in rural African American communities.

    PubMed

    Corbie-Smith, Giselle; Adimora, Adaora A; Youmans, Selena; Muhammad, Melvin; Blumenthal, Connie; Ellison, Arlinda; Akers, Aletha; Council, Barbara; Thigpen, Yolanda; Wynn, Mysha; Lloyd, Stacey W

    2011-03-01

    The HIV epidemic is a health crisis in rural African American communities in the Southeast United States; however, to date little attention has been paid to community-academic collaborations to address HIV in these communities. Interventions that use a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to address individual, social, and physical environmental factors have great potential for improving community health. Project GRACE (Growing, Reaching, Advocating for Change and Empowerment) uses a CBPR approach to develop culturally sensitive, feasible, and sustainable interventions to prevent the spread of HIV in rural African American communities. This article describes a staged approach to community-academic partnership: initial mobilization, establishment of organizational structure, capacity building for action, and planning for action. Strategies for engaging rural community members at each stage are discussed; challenges faced and lessons learned are also described. Careful attention to partnership development has resulted in a collaborative approach that has mutually benefited both the academic and community partners.

  4. Tailoring a response to youth binge drinking in an Aboriginal Australian community: a grounded theory study.

    PubMed

    McCalman, Janya; Tsey, Komla; Bainbridge, Roxanne; Shakeshaft, Anthony; Singleton, Michele; Doran, Christopher

    2013-08-07

    While Aboriginal Australian health providers prioritise identification of local community health needs and strategies, they do not always have the opportunity to access or interpret evidence-based literature to inform health improvement innovations. Research partnerships are therefore important when designing or modifying Aboriginal Australian health improvement initiatives and their evaluation. However, there are few models that outline the pragmatic steps by which research partners negotiate to develop, implement and evaluate community-based initiatives. The objective of this paper is to provide a theoretical model of the tailoring of health improvement initiatives by Aboriginal community-based service providers and partner university researchers. It draws from the case of the Beat da Binge community-initiated youth binge drinking harm reduction project in Yarrabah. A theoretical model was developed using the constructivist grounded theory methods of concurrent sampling, data collection and analysis. Data was obtained from the recordings of reflective Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) processes with Aboriginal community partners and young people, and university researchers. CBPR data was supplemented with interviews with theoretically sampled project participants. The transcripts of CBPR recordings and interviews were imported into NVIVO and coded to identify categories and theoretical constructs. The identified categories were then developed into higher order concepts and the relationships between concepts identified until the central purpose of those involved in the project and the core process that facilitated that purpose were identified. The tailored alcohol harm reduction project resulted in clarification of the underlying local determinants of binge drinking, and a shift in the project design from a social marketing awareness campaign (based on short-term events) to a more robust advocacy for youth mentoring into education, employment and training. The community-based process undertaken by the research partnership to tailor the design, implementation and evaluation of the project was theorised as a model incorporating four overlapping stages of negotiating knowledges and meanings to tailor a community response. The theoretical model can be applied in spaces where local Aboriginal and scientific knowledges meet to support the tailored design, implementation and evaluation of other health improvement projects, particularly those that originate from Aboriginal communities themselves.

  5. Interim report projects funded by EEC (European Economic Community) for offshore research

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Parrott, M.

    1978-10-01

    In Nov. 1973, the EEC first adopted the principle of subsidizing work in the offshore field to improve technological development activities; since 1973, the EEC has awarded three programs (for 1974, 1975, and 1977) for 95 projects. The most recent grants, in 1977, for 40 projects at a subsidy cost of $66.8 million are tabulated, showing project category, company, estimated investment, and project description. Project categories include pipelaying, pipeline transport, underwater storage, LNG storage and transport, etc. Under the grant system, the community contributes 40Vertical Bar3< to projects on exploration and production techniques, 35Vertical Bar3< for development of production equipmentmore » and machinery, and 25-30Vertical Bar3< for technological development projects for transport and storage of hydrocarbons. According to the EEC commission, 65 projects have been submitted for a fourth program for which the total amount provided in the budget is $43.8 million.« less

  6. Urban Community Colleges Transfer Opportunities Program, Ford Foundation. Project Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roberts, Ken C.; Warren, Elizabeth

    This project report describes the participation of South Mountain Community College (SMCC), in Phoenix, Arizona, in the Ford Foundation's Urban Community Colleges Transfer Opportunities Program, and the activities developed at the college to guide students from the beginning of their college careers at SMCC through their transfer and retention at…

  7. Factors that enable and hinder the implementation of projects in the alcohol and other drug field.

    PubMed

    MacLean, Sarah; Berends, Lynda; Hunter, Barbara; Roberts, Bridget; Mugavin, Janette

    2012-02-01

    Few studies systematically explore elements of successful project implementation across a range of alcohol and other drug (AOD) activities. This paper provides an evidence base to inform project implementation in the AOD field. We accessed records for 127 completed projects funded by the Alcohol, Education and Rehabilitation Foundation from 2002 to 2008. An adapted realist synthesis methodology enabled us to develop categories of enablers and barriers to successful project implementation, and to identify factors statistically associated with successful project implementation, defined as meeting all funding objectives. Thematic analysis of eight case study projects allowed detailed exploration of findings. Nine enabler and 10 barrier categories were identified. Those most frequently reported as both barriers and enablers concerned partnerships with external agencies and communities, staffing and project design. Achieving supportive relationships with partner agencies and communities, employing skilled staff and implementing consumer or participant input mechanisms were statistically associated with successful project implementation. The framework described here will support development of evidence-based project funding guidelines and project performance indicators. The study provides evidence that investing project hours and resources to develop robust relationships with project partners and communities, implementing mechanisms for consumer or participant input and attracting skilled staff are legitimate and important activities, not just in themselves but because they potentially influence achievement of project funding objectives. © 2012 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2012 Public Health Association of Australia.

  8. Developing A Large-Scale, Collaborative, Productive Geoscience Education Network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Manduca, C. A.; Bralower, T. J.; Egger, A. E.; Fox, S.; Ledley, T. S.; Macdonald, H.; Mcconnell, D. A.; Mogk, D. W.; Tewksbury, B. J.

    2012-12-01

    Over the past 15 years, the geoscience education community has grown substantially and developed broad and deep capacity for collaboration and dissemination of ideas. While this community is best viewed as emergent from complex interactions among changing educational needs and opportunities, we highlight the role of several large projects in the development of a network within this community. In the 1990s, three NSF projects came together to build a robust web infrastructure to support the production and dissemination of on-line resources: On The Cutting Edge (OTCE), Earth Exploration Toolbook, and Starting Point: Teaching Introductory Geoscience. Along with the contemporaneous Digital Library for Earth System Education, these projects engaged geoscience educators nationwide in exploring professional development experiences that produced lasting on-line resources, collaborative authoring of resources, and models for web-based support for geoscience teaching. As a result, a culture developed in the 2000s in which geoscience educators anticipated that resources for geoscience teaching would be shared broadly and that collaborative authoring would be productive and engaging. By this time, a diverse set of examples demonstrated the power of the web infrastructure in supporting collaboration, dissemination and professional development . Building on this foundation, more recent work has expanded both the size of the network and the scope of its work. Many large research projects initiated collaborations to disseminate resources supporting educational use of their data. Research results from the rapidly expanding geoscience education research community were integrated into the Pedagogies in Action website and OTCE. Projects engaged faculty across the nation in large-scale data collection and educational research. The Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network and OTCE engaged community members in reviewing the expanding body of on-line resources. Building Strong Geoscience Departments sought to create the same type of shared information base that was supporting individual faculty for departments. The Teach the Earth portal and its underlying web development tools were used by NSF-funded projects in education to disseminate their results. Leveraging these funded efforts, the Climate Literacy Network has expanded this geoscience education community to include individuals broadly interested in fostering climate literacy. Most recently, the InTeGrate project is implementing inter-institutional collaborative authoring, testing and evaluation of curricular materials. While these projects represent only a fraction of the activity in geoscience education, they are important drivers in the development of a large, national, coherent geoscience education network with the ability to collaborate and disseminate information effectively. Importantly, the community is open and defined by active participation. Key mechanisms for engagement have included alignment of project activities with participants needs and goals; productive face-to-face and virtual workshops, events, and series; stipends for completion of large products; and strong supporting staff to keep projects moving and assist with product production. One measure of its success is the adoption and adaptation of resources and models by emerging projects, which results in the continued growth of the network.

  9. NASA and Public Libraries: Enhancing STEM Literacy in Underserved Communities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dusenbery, P.; LaConte, K.; Harold, J. B.; Randall, C.

    2016-12-01

    NASA research programs are helping humanity understand the origin and evolution of galaxies, stars, and planets, and defining the conditions necessary to support life beyond Earth. The Space Science Institute's (SSI) National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL) was recently funded by NASA`s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) to develop and implement a project called NASA@ My Library: A National Earth and Space Science Initiative That Connects NASA, Public Libraries and Their Communities. As places that offer their services for free, public libraries have become the "public square" by providing a place where members of a community can gather for information, educational programming, and policy discussions. Libraries are developing new ways to engage their patrons in STEM learning, and NCIL's STAR Library Education Network (STAR_Net) has been supporting their efforts for the last eight years, including through a vibrant community of practice that serves both librarians and STEM professionals. Project stakeholders include public library staff, state libraries, the earth and space science education community at NASA, subject matter experts, and informal science educators. The project will leverage high-impact SMD and library events to catalyze partnerships through dissemination of SMD assets and professional development. It will also develop frameworks for public libraries to increase STEM interest pathways in their communities (with supports for reaching underserved audiences). This presentation will summarize the key activities and expected outcomes of the 5-year project.

  10. An electronic consumer health library: NetWellness.

    PubMed Central

    Guard, R; Haag, D; Kaya, B; Marine, S; Morris, T; Schick, L; Shoemaker, S

    1996-01-01

    NetWellness is a community-based, consumer-defined grant program supporting the delivery of electronic health information to rural residents of southern Ohio and urban and suburban communities in the Greater Cincinnati tri-state region. NetWellness is a collaboratively developed and publicly and privately funded demonstration project. Information is delivered via ISDN, standard dial, dedicated network connections, and the Internet. TriState Online (Greater Cincinnati's Free-Net) and other southern Ohio Free-Nets are key access points in the larger project communities. The other access points are more than forty workstations distributed at public sites throughout the project's primary geographical area. Design strengths and limitations, training initiatives, technical issues, and the project's impact on medical librarianship are examined in this paper. Also discussed are ways of determining community needs and interest, building political alliances, finding and developing funding sources, and overcoming technical obstacles. NetWellness's Internet address is: http:@www.netwellness.org. PMID:8913548

  11. Conducting a Community Audit: Assessing the Workforce Development Needs and Resources of Your Community.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    2000

    This document details the purposes and principles of community audits and presents guidelines for designing and conducting a community audit to assess a local community's workforce development needs and resources. Section 1 presents an overview of the U.S. Department of Labor's Community Audit Project and explains the following key steps in…

  12. Teaching Service Learning in the Geosciences: An On the Cutting Edge Workshop Report

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bruckner, M. Z.; Laine, E. P.; Mogk, D. W.; O'Connell, S.; Kirk, K. B.

    2010-12-01

    Service learning is an instructional method that combines community service and academic instruction within the context of an established academic course. It is a particularly effective approach that uses active and experiential learning to develop the academic skills required of a course of study and to simultaneously address authentic community needs. Service learning projects can energize and motivate students by engaging a sense of civic responsibility by working in concert with community partners. The geosciences provide abundant opportunities to develop service learning projects on topics related to natural hazards, resources, land use, water quality, community planning, public policy, and education (K-12 and public outreach). To explore the opportunities of teaching service learning in the geosciences, the On the Cutting Edge program convened an online workshop in February 2010. The goals of the workshop were to: 1) introduce the principles and practices of effective service learning instructional activities; 2) provide examples of successful service learning projects and practical advice about "what works;" 3) provide participants with the opportunity to design, develop, and refine their own service learning courses or projects; 4) develop collections of supporting resources related to the pedagogy of service learning; and 5) support a community of scholars interested in continued work on service learning in the geoscience curriculum. The workshop consisted of a series of web-based synchronous and asynchronous sessions, including presentations from experienced practitioners of service learning, panel discussions, threaded discussions, and editable web pages used to develop new material for the website. Time was also provided for small group and individual work and for participants to peer-review each others' service learning projects and to revise their own activities based on reviewer comments. Insights from the workshop were integrated into new web pages that can help others implement service learning projects in their own institutions and communities. Online resources developed by the workshop participants, conveners, and supporting staff include an assemblage of online and print resources, a searchable collection of peer-reviewed examples of service learning projects, a tutorial on using the "8-Block Model" to design and implement a service learning project, tips on finding service learning partners, advice on motivating students, departments and the community, and example assessment instruments. Faculty are encouraged to submit their own examples of additional service learning projects in the geosciences. The entire workshop program, resources and activities are available online at: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/servicelearning/index.html

  13. Enabling occupational participation and social inclusion for people recovering from mental ill-health through community gardening.

    PubMed

    Whatley, Elise; Fortune, Tracy; Williams, Anne E

    2015-12-01

    There is a need for mental health practitioners to understand how inclusive environments that enable participation can be developed. This paper presents the findings from an ethnographic exploration of Mind 'Sprout', a supported community garden situated in inner-city Melbourne. The study explored how this community development project created a socially inclusive environment, and enabled occupational participation among people recovering from mental ill-health. Consistent with the ethos of ethnography, data were collected through participant observation and asking questions of people as they participated at 'Sprout'. Six individual interviews and review of organisational documents were also conducted. Qualitative analysis was used to identify the understandings of how the Sprout community was created and experienced by its members. Three interrelated themes were revealed: Sprout community garden enabled social inclusion and occupational participation by creating community, creating a flexible environment that supports participation and creating a learning environment. The way Sprout operated enabled its members to participate together in occupation and to interact socially within the garden community and beyond as part of the local community. Sprout has developed a philosophy of active participation. The findings point to the opportunities that community development projects offer for creating environments that enable participation and social inclusion. They also suggest that an opportunity exists for occupational therapists to broaden their practise by leading or collaborating in these projects. © 2015 Occupational Therapy Australia.

  14. A Stigmergy Approach for Open Source Software Developer Community Simulation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cui, Xiaohui; Beaver, Justin M; Potok, Thomas E

    2009-01-01

    The stigmergy collaboration approach provides a hypothesized explanation about how online groups work together. In this research, we presented a stigmergy approach for building an agent based open source software (OSS) developer community collaboration simulation. We used group of actors who collaborate on OSS projects as our frame of reference and investigated how the choices actors make in contribution their work on the projects determinate the global status of the whole OSS projects. In our simulation, the forum posts and project codes served as the digital pheromone and the modified Pierre-Paul Grasse pheromone model is used for computing developer agentmore » behaviors selection probability.« less

  15. Learning through Service: Developing an Intergenerational Project to Engage Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fiebig, Jennifer Nepper

    2014-01-01

    Educational institutions are increasingly encouraging faculty to design classroom projects that take learning outside the ivory tower and into the real world. An emphasis is placed on engaging both students and community partners in a mutually beneficial project that fosters a life-long commitment to actively helping the community and people in…

  16. 34 CFR 380.5 - What activities may the Secretary fund under community-based supported employment projects?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... development, including work site modification and use of advanced learning technology for skills training. (3...-based supported employment projects? 380.5 Section 380.5 Education Regulations of the Offices of the... the Secretary fund under community-based supported employment projects? (a) Authorized activities. The...

  17. 34 CFR 380.5 - What activities may the Secretary fund under community-based supported employment projects?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... development, including work site modification and use of advanced learning technology for skills training. (3...-based supported employment projects? 380.5 Section 380.5 Education Regulations of the Offices of the... the Secretary fund under community-based supported employment projects? (a) Authorized activities. The...

  18. 34 CFR 380.5 - What activities may the Secretary fund under community-based supported employment projects?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... development, including work site modification and use of advanced learning technology for skills training. (3...-based supported employment projects? 380.5 Section 380.5 Education Regulations of the Offices of the... the Secretary fund under community-based supported employment projects? (a) Authorized activities. The...

  19. Vocational Options for Deaf-Blind Youth Through Community-Based Training. Project ADVANCE.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGinnity, Betsy L.

    Project ADVANCE currently provides vocational training to 26 deaf-blind adolescents and young adults attending Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts. The project has developed community work sites in four different vocational options: (1) competitive employment, (2) a student operated small business, (3) sheltered enclave within…

  20. Project Reinvest: Invest in America's Future by Reinvesting in America's Community Colleges.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCabe, Robert H.

    To help raise the level of funding for the nation's community colleges, Project Reinvest was created to help colleges communicate their role in solving the nation's problems and the importance of adequate funding. Specifically, the project seeks to encourage colleges' participation in efforts to develop a genuine understanding of their…

  1. Solving Problems in Hawaiian-American Classrooms: Excellent Teaching and Cultural Factors. Technical Report #2.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gallimore, Ronald; And Others

    This paper describes a community research project which preceded the development of the Kamehameha Early Education Project (KEEP). The community project was designed to assist teachers in solving classroom behavior and academic problems. The initial focus on workshops and theories proved inadequate for dealing with daily classroom problems. A…

  2. Student Assessment Pilot Project: Maricopa County Community College District JCEP Project #JZ-309, 1985-86.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abbott, Judith A.

    A summary is provided of the 1985-86 goals and accomplishments of Maricopa County Community College District's (MCCCD's) Student Assessment Pilot Project, which was conducted to develop a districtwide database of quantitative and qualitative information upon which decisions about policies, programs, and procedures related to assessment,…

  3. International Community Development Statistical Bulletin. Spring 1968 General Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Community Development Foundation, New York, NY.

    The Spring 1968 general edition of the International Community Development Statistical Bulletin describes its reporting system based on the International Standard Classification of Community Development Activities and a special project registration and progress form; briefly summarizes overall international data; and presents statistics on…

  4. Chapter 2: Navigating the Mentoring Process in a Research-Based Teacher Development Project: A Situated Learning Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patton, Kevin; Griffin, Linda L.; Sheehy, Deborah; Henninger, Mary L.; Arnold, Ruth; Pagnano, Karen; Gallo, Anne Marie; Dodds, Patt; James, Alisa

    2005-01-01

    The authors examine the various communities of practice that were formed throughout a teacher development project that included a formal mentoring component. The authors describe a theoretical approach to understanding learning in communities of practice and present an approach for analyzing professional learning resulting from social interactions…

  5. California Schools Develop Joint Faculty Journalism Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patt, Bruce E.

    1995-01-01

    Describes the Joint Faculty Journalism project, undertaken in 1994-95 by California's community colleges and universities to develop methods for increasing alliances with journalism practitioners. Discusses project objectives and resulting recommendations related to increasing student recruitment and success. Reviews positive project outcomes and…

  6. Rural Action: A Collection of Community Work Case Studies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henderson, Paul, Ed.; Francis, David, Ed.

    This book contains 10 case studies of rural community development in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and Catalonia, as seen from the perspective of community-work practitioners. Development projects encompassed such activities as promotion of tourism, establishment of community centers, vocational training for school dropouts, adult community…

  7. Building a Co-Created Citizen Science Program with Community Members Neighboring a Hazardous Waste Site

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramirez-Andreotta, M.; Brusseau, M. L. L.; Artiola, J. F.; Maier, R. M.; Gandolfi, A. J.

    2015-12-01

    A research project that is only expert-driven may ignore the role of local knowledge in research, often gives low priority to the development of a comprehensive strategy to engage the community, and may not deliver the results of the study to the community in an effective way. To date, only a limited number of co-created citizen science projects, where community members are involved in most or all steps of the scientific process, have been initiated at contaminated sites and even less in conjunction with risk communication. Gardenroots: The Dewey-Humboldt AZ Garden Project was a place-based, co-created citizen science project where community members and researchers together: defined the question for study, developed hypotheses, collected environmental samples, disseminated results broadly, translated the results into action, and posed new research questions. This co-created environmental research project produced new data and addressed an additional exposure route (consumption of vegetables grown in soils with elevated arsenic levels) that was not being evaluated in the current site assessment. Furthermore, co-producing science led to both individual learning and social-ecological outcomes. This approach illustrates the benefits of a co-created citizen-science program in addressing the complex problems that arise in communities neighboring a hazardous waste sites. Such a project increased the community's involvement in regional environmental assessment and decision-making, which has the potential to help mitigate environmental exposures and thereby reduce associated risks.

  8. Initiatives for Sustainable Community Development in Sierra Leone.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kamara, John M.; Kargbo, Stephen B.

    1999-01-01

    In Sierra Leone, two church-sponsored programs are focused on sustainable development. The Wesleyan Development Education and Awareness Programme trains people to initiate community projects. Women's Loan Scheme encourages development of small-scale enterprises. (SK)

  9. Restructuring Rural Communities. Part 2: Grazing the Ideas, Approaches, and Resources of Selected Countries. University Extension Press Monograph Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baker, Harold R.

    This book examines cases of rural community development initiatives in the United States, Canada, and Europe, identified during a study of multicommunity collaboration projects. Section 1 includes 36 community development ideas operating at provincial, regional, and local levels. Included are ideas such as bank community development corporations,…

  10. Sustainable Development: The Challenge for Community Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gamble, Dorothy N.; Weil, Marie O.

    1997-01-01

    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)

  11. Freeing Worldview's development process: Open source everything!

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gunnoe, T.

    2016-12-01

    Freeing your code and your project are important steps for creating an inviting environment for collaboration, with the added side effect of keeping a good relationship with your users. NASA Worldview's codebase was released with the open source NOSA (NASA Open Source Agreement) license in 2014, but this is only the first step. We also have to free our ideas, empower our users by involving them in the development process, and open channels that lead to the creation of a community project. There are many highly successful examples of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) projects of which we can take note: the Linux kernel, Debian, GNOME, etc. These projects owe much of their success to having a passionate mix of developers/users with a great community and a common goal in mind. This presentation will describe the scope of this openness and how Worldview plans to move forward with a more community-inclusive approach.

  12. JICA support of NGO project succeeds.

    PubMed

    2000-05-01

    In 1997, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) started the Community Empowerment Program (CEP) to directly help people at the grassroots level in developing countries. It was created to directly benefit people in developing countries by improving their livelihood and welfare. Under the program, model projects are implemented together with local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The Capacity Building for Sustainable Reproductive Health Care Project in Jessore District in Bangladesh, is a pioneer of JICA and NGO cooperation under CEP, and it aims to develop the capacity of service providers to deliver sustainable reproductive health (RH) services in rural areas through community involvement. To achieve this, training for community health promoters (CHPs) is provided to enable them to deliver an Essential Services Package (ESP) of integrated health and RH services to rural beneficiaries. So far, a total of 125 people have been trained, including 75 CHPs, 10 health assistants, and 40 family welfare assistants. Midterm evaluation of the project indicated that the project had pioneered the development of 17 ESP modules and has established the strong potential to link with government programs for future sustainability.

  13. Recharge the Rain: Community Resilience Through STEM Education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilkening, B.; Shipek, C.

    2017-12-01

    Starting in January 2017, Recharge the Rain moves sixth through twelfth grade teachers, students and the public through a continuum from awareness, to knowledge gain, to conceptual understanding, to action; building community resiliency to hazards associated with increased temperatures, drought and flooding in Arizona. Watershed Management Group with Arizona Project WET are utilizing NOAA assets, experts from the National Weather Service and Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS), and Pima County hazard mitigation plan and planning tools to inform citizens and galvanize their commitment to building a community, resilient to the effects of a warming climate. In the first of four years, the project is 1) developing climate-literacy curriculum with 16 Tucson-area teachers that incorporates systems-thinking and increases understanding of earth systems, weather and climate, 2) training teachers and community docents in water harvesting practices and citizen-science data collection, 3) laying the framework for the development of rainwater harvesting engineering design curriculum, 4) involving Tucson community members in water harvesting principles through project implementation workshops, special events, and tours. In years two through four, the project will build resiliency to the effects of climate threats by 1) installing student-designed rainwater harvesting systems, 2) providing community tours of schoolyard systems to educate the public, 3) expanding the program to incorporate curriculum use in Phoenix-area teachers' classrooms and 4) finalizing a replicable model for other communities facing similar threats. What are the lessons learned after one year of Recharge the Rain? How can these lessons be used to inform this project and other projects in building resilient communities?

  14. Community Action for Recreation Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Christiansen, Rudolph A.; And Others

    Examples of projects, notably those using watersheds, that local community action groups can promote in planning and developing needed recreational facilities are discussed in this study report. Objectives of the report are to create an awareness of group action in obtaining recreational development, to emphasize that community action is important…

  15. A Tale of Two Community Networks Program Centers: Operationalizing and Assessing CBPR Principles and Evaluating Partnership Outcomes

    PubMed Central

    Arroyo-Johnson, Cassandra; Allen, Michele L.; Colditz, Graham A.; Hurtado, G. Ali; Davey, Cynthia S.; Sanders Thompson, Vetta L.; Drake, Bettina F.; Svetaz, Maria Veronica; Rosas-Lee, Maira; Goodman, Melody S.

    2016-01-01

    Background Community Networks Program (CNP) centers are required to use a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach within their specific priority communities. Not all communities are the same and unique contextual factors and collaborators’ priorities shape each CBPR partnership. There are also established CBPR and community engagement (CE) principles shown to lead to quality CBPR in any community. However, operationalizing and assessing CBPR principles and partnership outcomes to understand the conditions and processes in CBPR that lead to achieving program and project level goals is relatively new in the science of CBPR. Objectives We sought to describe the development of surveys on adherence to and implementation of CBPR/CE principles at two CNP centers and examine commonalities and differences in program- versus project-level CBPR evaluation. Methods A case study about the development and application of CBPR/CE principles for the Missouri CNP, Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities, and Minnesota CNP, Padres Informados/Jovenes Preparados, surveys was conducted to compare project versus program operationalization of principles. Survey participant demographics were provided by CNP. Specific domains found in CBPR/CE principles were identified and organized under an existing framework to establish a common ground. Operational definitions and the number of survey items were provided for each domain by CNP. Conclusion There are distinct differences in operational definitions of CBPR/CE principles at the program and project levels of evaluation. However, commonalities support further research to develop standards for CBPR evaluation across partnerships and at the program and project levels. PMID:26213405

  16. Using Critical Thresholds to Customize Climate Projections of Extreme Events to User Needs and Support Decisions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Garfin, G. M.; Petersen, A.; Shafer, M.; MacClune, K.; Hayhoe, K.; Riley, R.; Nasser, E.; Kos, L.; Allan, C.; Stults, M.; LeRoy, S. R.

    2016-12-01

    Many communities in the United States are already vulnerable to extreme events; many of these vulnerabilities are likely to increase with climate change. In order to promote the development of effective community responses to climate change, we tested a participatory process for developing usable climate science, in which our project team worked with decision-makers to identify extreme event parameters and critical thresholds associated with policy development and adaptation actions. Our hypothesis is that conveying climate science and data through user-defined parameters and thresholds will help develop capacity to streamline the use of climate projections in developing strategies and actions, and motivate participation by a variety of preparedness planners. Our team collaborated with urban decision-makers, in departments that included resilience, planning, public works, public health, emergency management, and others, in four cities in the semi-arid south-central plains and intermountain areas of Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Through an iterative process, we homed in on both simple and hybrid indicators for which we could develop credible city-specific projections, to stimulate discussion about adaptation actions; throughout the process, we communicated information about confidence and uncertainty, in order to develop a blend of historic and projected climate data, as appropriate, depending on levels of uncertainty. Our collaborations have resulted in (a) the identification of more than 50 unique indicators and thresholds across the four communities, (b) the development of adaptation action strategies in each community, and (c) the implementation of actions, ranging from a climate leadership training program for city staff members, to a rainwater capture project to improve responses to expected increases in both stormwater runoff and water capture for drought episodes.

  17. Quantifying economic benefits for rail infrastructure projects.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-10-01

    This project identifies metrics for measuring the benefit of rail infrastructure projects for key : stakeholders. It is important that stakeholders with an interest in community economic development play an active : role in the development of the rai...

  18. Community Development in Canada. Document 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lloyd, Antony John

    This first survey of community development in Canada attempts to give a conspectus of activities past, in progress, and planned, in the communities of the socially and economically deprived Indians, Negroes, and Eskimos. It examines the extent of commitment of federal and provincial governments to community programs and projects, and comments on…

  19. CAP: Construction Assistance Plan. Handbook for Construction Project Planning, Oregon Community Colleges.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duncan, Verne A.

    This handbook for construction project planning was developed to be used by the Oregon Department of Education to evaluate existing facilities and determine the projected needs for each of the community college districts. Each college district's eligibility for state participation in funding is based on a Basic Space Need (BSN) which is the square…

  20. Exploring an Experiential Learning Project through Kolb's Learning Theory Using a Qualitative Research Method

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chan, Cecilia Ka Yuk

    2012-01-01

    Experiential learning pedagogy is taking a lead in the development of graduate attributes and educational aims as these are of prime importance for society. This paper shows a community service experiential project conducted in China. The project enabled students to serve the affected community in a post-earthquake area by applying their knowledge…

  1. Communicating Risk.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feldman, Joyce

    1993-01-01

    Communicating the environmental risk involved in projects like public incinerators is part of the education of the community. Presents an outline for communicating with the community that includes communication within the project office; solicitation of public input; development of small group informational activities; shared responsibilities;…

  2. Collaborating with consumer and community representatives in health and medical research in Australia: results from an evaluation.

    PubMed

    Payne, Janet M; D'Antoine, Heather A; France, Kathryn E; McKenzie, Anne E; Henley, Nadine; Bartu, Anne E; Elliott, Elizabeth J; Bower, Carol

    2011-05-14

    To collaborate with consumer and community representatives in the Alcohol and Pregnancy Project from 2006-2008 http://www.ichr.uwa.edu.au/alcoholandpregnancy and evaluate researchers' and consumer and community representatives' perceptions of the process, context and impact of consumer and community participation in the project. We formed two reference groups and sought consumer and community representatives' perspectives on all aspects of the project over a three year period. We developed an evaluation framework and asked consumer and community representatives and researchers to complete a self-administered questionnaire at the end of the project. Fifteen researchers (93.8%) and seven (53.8%) consumer and community representatives completed a questionnaire. Most consumer and community representatives agreed that the process and context measures of their participation had been achieved. Both researchers and consumer and community representatives identified areas for improvement and offered suggestions how these could be improved for future research. Researchers thought consumer and community participation contributed to project outputs and outcomes by enhancing scientific and ethical standards, providing legitimacy and authority, and increasing the project's credibility and participation. They saw it was fundamental to the research process and acknowledged consumer and community representatives for their excellent contribution. Consumer and community representatives were able to directly influence decisions about the research. They thought that consumer and community participation had significant influence on the success of project outputs and outcomes. Consumer and community participation is an essential component of good research practice and contributed to the Alcohol and Pregnancy Project by enhancing research processes, outputs and outcomes, and this participation was valued by community and consumer representatives and researchers. The National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia expects researchers to work in partnership and involve consumer and community representatives in health and medical research, and to evaluate community and consumer participation. It is important to demonstrate whether consumer and community participation makes a difference to health and medical research.

  3. Collaborating with consumer and community representatives in health and medical research in Australia: results from an evaluation

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Objective To collaborate with consumer and community representatives in the Alcohol and Pregnancy Project from 2006-2008 http://www.ichr.uwa.edu.au/alcoholandpregnancy and evaluate researchers' and consumer and community representatives' perceptions of the process, context and impact of consumer and community participation in the project. Methods We formed two reference groups and sought consumer and community representatives' perspectives on all aspects of the project over a three year period. We developed an evaluation framework and asked consumer and community representatives and researchers to complete a self-administered questionnaire at the end of the project. Results Fifteen researchers (93.8%) and seven (53.8%) consumer and community representatives completed a questionnaire. Most consumer and community representatives agreed that the process and context measures of their participation had been achieved. Both researchers and consumer and community representatives identified areas for improvement and offered suggestions how these could be improved for future research. Researchers thought consumer and community participation contributed to project outputs and outcomes by enhancing scientific and ethical standards, providing legitimacy and authority, and increasing the project's credibility and participation. They saw it was fundamental to the research process and acknowledged consumer and community representatives for their excellent contribution. Consumer and community representatives were able to directly influence decisions about the research. They thought that consumer and community participation had significant influence on the success of project outputs and outcomes. Conclusions Consumer and community participation is an essential component of good research practice and contributed to the Alcohol and Pregnancy Project by enhancing research processes, outputs and outcomes, and this participation was valued by community and consumer representatives and researchers. The National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia expects researchers to work in partnership and involve consumer and community representatives in health and medical research, and to evaluate community and consumer participation. It is important to demonstrate whether consumer and community participation makes a difference to health and medical research. PMID:21569591

  4. Liberty High School Transition Project: Model Process for Assimilating School, Community, Business, Government and Service Groups of the Least Restrictive Environment for Nondisabled and Disabled.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grimes, Michael K.

    The panel presentation traces the development of and describes the operation of a Brentwood (California) project to prepare approximately 75 severely disabled individuals, ages 12-22, to function in the least restrictive recreation/leisure, vocational, and general community environments. Transition Steering Committee developed such project…

  5. Public Participation in Urban Environmental Management: A Model for Promoting Community-Based Environmental Management in Peri-Urban Areas.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yacoob, May; Brantly, Eugene; Whiteford, Linda

    In October 1992, the Water and Sanitation for Health (WASH) Project held a workshop to explore how the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) could incorporate community participation as a core element in projects to improve water supply, sanitation, and other environmental conditions of peri-urban areas in developing countries. The…

  6. On-the-Spot Course in Maseru, Lesotho on Income-Generating Projects for Rural Women: Framework of Community Development. July 10-30, 1983. Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mount Carmel International Training Centre for Community Development, Haifa (Israel).

    This report describes a community development course focusing on income-generating projects for rural women. The first section outlines the schedule of activities for each day of the 16-day course. The second section defines course objectives, including purpose and methodology, planning, group dynamics, cooperation, communication, negotiation, and…

  7. Building livable communities with transit : planning, developing and implementing community-sensitive transit

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1999-09-01

    This booklet presents some of the successes of the community-sensitive transportation facility development process. Although a comprehensive process is described here, not every project involves the full range of steps. By applying the techniques out...

  8. Facilitators of community participation in an Aboriginal sexual health promotion initiative.

    PubMed

    Hulme Chambers, Alana; Tomnay, Jane; Stephens, Kylie; Crouch, Alan; Whiteside, Mary; Love, Pettina; McIntosh, Leonie; Waples Crowe, Peter

    2018-04-01

    Community participation is a collaborative process aimed at achieving community-identified outcomes. However, approaches to community participation within Aboriginal health promotion initiatives have been inconsistent and not well documented. Smart and Deadly was a community-led initiative to develop sexual health promotion resources with young Aboriginal people in regional Victoria, Australia. The principles of community-centred practice, authentic participatory processes and respect for the local cultural context guided the initiative. The aim of this article is to report factors that facilitated community participation undertaken in the Smart and Deadly initiative to inform future projects and provide further evidence in demonstrating the value of such approaches. A summative evaluation of the Smart and Deadly initiative was undertaken approximately 2 years after the initiative ended. Five focus groups and 13 interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 32 participants who were involved with Smart and Deadly in one of the following ways: project participant, stakeholder or project partner, or project developer or designer. A deductive content analysis was undertaken and themes were compared to the YARN model, which was specifically created for planning and evaluating community participation strategies relating to Aboriginal sexual health promotion. A number of factors that facilitated community participation approaches used in Smart and Deadly were identified. The overarching theme was that trust was the foundation upon which the facilitators of community participation ensued. These facilitators were cultural safety and cultural literacy, community control, and legacy and sustainability. Whilst the YARN model was highly productive in identifying these facilitators of community participation, the model did not have provision for the element of trust between workers and community. Given the importance of trust between the project team and the Aboriginal community in the Smart and Deadly initiative, a suggested revision to the YARN model is that trust is included as the basis upon which YARN model factors are predicated. Adding trust to the YARN model as a basis upon which YARN model factors are grounded assists future Aboriginal health promotion projects in ensuring community participation approaches are more likely to be acceptable to the Aboriginal community.

  9. 12 CFR 952.5 - Community Investment Cash Advance Programs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... chapter. (2) Each Bank shall offer a CIP to provide financing for housing projects and for eligible... than CIP, involving a combination of housing projects and economic development projects, only the... respective CICA program. (2) For projects funded under CIP, both the housing and economic development...

  10. 12 CFR 952.5 - Community Investment Cash Advance Programs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... chapter. (2) Each Bank shall offer a CIP to provide financing for housing projects and for eligible... than CIP, involving a combination of housing projects and economic development projects, only the... respective CICA program. (2) For projects funded under CIP, both the housing and economic development...

  11. 12 CFR 952.5 - Community Investment Cash Advance Programs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... chapter. (2) Each Bank shall offer a CIP to provide financing for housing projects and for eligible... than CIP, involving a combination of housing projects and economic development projects, only the... respective CICA program. (2) For projects funded under CIP, both the housing and economic development...

  12. 12 CFR 952.5 - Community Investment Cash Advance Programs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... chapter. (2) Each Bank shall offer a CIP to provide financing for housing projects and for eligible... than CIP, involving a combination of housing projects and economic development projects, only the... respective CICA program. (2) For projects funded under CIP, both the housing and economic development...

  13. Facilitating Deployment of Community Solar PV systems on Rooftops and Vacant Land in Northeast IL - Final Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Stone, Deborah; Oakleaf, Laura

    The Cook County Community Solar project set out to unlock the potential of community solar in the Chicago region with lessons that could be applied nationally. One of the first steps was to prove out the potential market. This was done through an opportunity assessment which showed there is over 9,000 megawatts worth of site capacity available for community solar projects in Cook County – nearly enough to offset all of Cook County’s residential electricity use. The assessment also showed that almost 75% of Cook County households are not able to invest directly in solar photovoltaic systems due to amore » variety of issues from physical barriers such as shading, or condition of the roof, to financial barriers such as lack of roof ownership, or the up-front costs of installation. Because of these barriers, community solar is an essential part of making the benefits of renewable energy available to all of the residents of Cook County. In addition to the opportunity assessment the project team also worked with the over 200 individuals who participated in the stakeholder advisory group to develop a number of other products including: 1) an Economic & Policy Barriers Resolutions and Work Plan document which laid out best practices to address the policy barriers that existed at the time (May of 2016) 2) Value Proposition Report I and Report II which summarize the value of community solar to potential developers and subscribers, 3) The Community Solar Business Case Tool, which provides a flexible financial model that projects the costs and befits to the system developer and subscriber for a project, 4) Bill Crediting Analysis and the 5) Final Report. The Final Report contains 15 case studies which prove that community solar projects are economically feasible in Cook County with a variety of sites, solar designs, ownership and subscriber models.« less

  14. Developing a framework for community-based sexual health interventions for youth in the rural setting: protocol for a participatory action research study

    PubMed Central

    Heslop, Carl William; Burns, Sharyn; Lobo, Roanna; McConigley, Ruth

    2017-01-01

    Introduction There is limited research examining community-based or multilevel interventions that address the sexual health of young people in the rural Australian context. This paper describes the Participatory Action Research (PAR) project that will develop and validate a framework that is effective for planning, implementing and evaluating multilevel community-based sexual health interventions for young people aged 16–24 years in the Australian rural setting. Methods and analysis To develop a framework for sexual health interventions with stakeholders, PAR will be used. Three PAR cycles will be conducted, using semistructured one-on-one interviews, focus groups, community mapping and photovoice to inform the development of a draft framework. Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 will use targeted Delphi studies to gather evaluation and feedback on the developed draft framework. All data collected will be reviewed and analysed in detail and coded as concepts become apparent at each stage of the process. Ethics and dissemination This protocol describes a supervised doctoral research project. This project seeks to contribute to the literature regarding PAR in the rural setting and the use of the Delphi technique within PAR projects. The developed framework as a result of the project will provide a foundation for further research testing the application of the framework in other settings and health areas. This research has received ethics approval from the Curtin University Human Research and Ethics Committee (HR96/2015). PMID:28559453

  15. Reducing Vulnerability of Coastal Communities to Coastal Hazards through Building Community Resilience

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bhj, Premathilake

    2010-05-01

    Reducing Vulnerability of Coastal Communities to Coastal Hazards through Building Community Resilience B H J Premathilake Coast Conservation Department Sri Lanka Email: bhjprem@yahoo.com This paper contains two parts; Part one describes the comprehensive approach adopted by our project to build social, economical, institutional and environmental resilience of the tsunami affected communities in Sri Lanka to cope with future natural disasters. Community development, Coastal resource management and Disaster management are the three pillars of this model and these were built simultaneously to bring the community into a higher level of resilience to coastal hazards. Second part describes the application of Coastal Community Resilience (CCR) Assessment framework to evaluate the progress achieved by the project in building overall resilience of the communities during its period. It further describes how to estimate the contribution of this specific project for the improved resilience status of the selected communities in a multi stakeholder environment.

  16. The DEVELOP National Program's Strategy for Communicating Applied Science Outcomes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Childs-Gleason, L. M.; Ross, K. W.; Crepps, G.; Favors, J.; Kelley, C.; Miller, T. N.; Allsbrook, K. N.; Rogers, L.; Ruiz, M. L.

    2016-12-01

    NASA's DEVELOP National Program conducts rapid feasibility projects that enable the future workforce and current decision makers to collaborate and build capacity to use Earth science data to enhance environmental management and policy. The program communicates its results and applications to a broad spectrum of audiences through a variety of methods: "virtual poster sessions" that engage the general public through short project videos and interactive dialogue periods, a "Campus Ambassador Corps" that communicates about the program and its projects to academia, scientific and policy conference presentations, community engagement activities and end-of-project presentations, project "hand-offs" providing results and tools to project partners, traditional publications (both gray literature and peer-reviewed), an interactive website project gallery, targeted brochures, and through multiple social media venues and campaigns. This presentation will describe the various methods employed by DEVELOP to communicate the program's scientific outputs, target audiences, general statistics, community response and best practices.

  17. The Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration project: a team approach for supporting a multisite, multisector intervention.

    PubMed

    Williams, Nancy; Dooyema, Carrie A; Foltz, Jennifer L; Belay, Brook; Blanck, Heidi M

    2015-02-01

    Comprehensive multisector, multilevel approaches are needed to address childhood obesity. This article introduces the structure of a multidisciplinary team approach used to support and guide the multisite, multisector interventions implemented as part of the Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (CORD) project. This article will describe the function, roles, and lessons learned from the CDC-CORD approach to project management. The CORD project works across multisectors and multilevels in three demonstration communities. Working with principal investigators and their research teams who are engaging multiple stakeholder groups, including community organizations, schools and child care centers, health departments, and healthcare providers, can be a complex endeavor. To best support the community-based research project, scientific and programmatic expertise in a wide range of areas was required. The team was configured based on the skill sets needed to interact with the various levels of staff working with the project. By thoughtful development of the team and processes, an efficient system for supporting the multisite, multisector intervention project sites was developed. The team approach will be formally evaluated at the end of the project period.

  18. Joining Others for Community Economic Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Borgen, Joseph A.; Shade, William B.

    1984-01-01

    Examines the basic principles of economic development and provides a case study of the Communitywide Work Force Development Project, which was designed to involve the community in solving the economic development and work force problems of Terre Haute, Indiana. (DMM)

  19. Exploring America's Communities: In Quest of Common Ground. A National Conversation on American Pluralism and Identity Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eisenberg, Diane U.; Labib, Nadya

    This monograph documents the work of 41 participating community colleges in Exploring America's Communities (EAC): In Quest of Common Ground, a project stimulating a national conversation about American pluralism and identity, addressing such issues as what it means to be American, what brings us together and what divides us. Developed by the…

  20. Including a Service Learning Educational Research Project in a Biology Course-I: Assessing Community Awareness of Childhood Lead Poisoning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abu-Shakra, Amal; Saliim, Eric

    2012-01-01

    A university course project was developed and implemented in a biology course, focusing on environmental problems, to assess community awareness of childhood lead poisoning. A set of 385 questionnaires was generated and distributed in an urban community in North Carolina, USA. The completed questionnaires were sorted first into yes and no sets…

  1. Including a Service Learning Educational Research Project in a Biology Course-II: Assessing Community Awareness of Legionnaires' Disease?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abu-Shakra, Amal

    2012-01-01

    For a university service learning educational research project addressing Legionnaires' disease (LD), a Yes/No questionnaire on community awareness of LD was developed and distributed in an urban community in North Carolina, USA. The 456 questionnaires completed by the participants were sorted into yes and no sets based on responses obtained to…

  2. Human subjects protection training for community workers: an example from "Faith Moves Mountains".

    PubMed

    Hatcher, Jennifer; Schoenberg, Nancy E

    2007-01-01

    Despite widespread agreement on the necessity of protecting human subjects, questions regarding ethical treatment and protection of human subjects remain and are particularly vexing for community-based participatory research (CBPR). There has been a notable lack of attention paid to what type of training should be provided and how to balance "real-life" concerns with official requirements. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how, in consultation with the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) at our institution and our community partners, we developed training that overcame concerns related to instruction of community workers on protection of human subjects. We developed a training module written in lay terms and containing only information pertinent to non-key personnel and their role in the CBPR project. We designed and piloted this material in collaboration with our community partners who work with us to recruit and train lay health advisors (LHAs) and oversee the day-to-day operations of the CBPR project. The educational module was presented to the community workers as a part of a day-long training session. The written materials were a part of a notebook of information accompanied by an oral Power Point presentation. Each of the workers was given a written test to evaluate knowledge of the content presented. The test was administered by the project director, a community member herself, and then sent to our institution for grading by personnel not involved in this project. To date, all community workers have passed the written test. The community members, research partners, and the ORI are satisfied with the scope and simplicity of the training program developed. Our team's collaborative approach to community-based human subjects training contributes to advancing a grounded, feasible, and rigorous process of protecting human subjects while implementing CBPR ideals.

  3. Leadership Development of Rehabilitation Professionals in a Low-Resource Country: A Transformational Leadership, Project-Based Model.

    PubMed

    Pascal, Maureen Romanow; Mann, Monika; Dunleavy, Kim; Chevan, Julia; Kirenga, Liliane; Nuhu, Assuman

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents an overview of the activities and outcomes of the Leadership Institute (LI), a short-term leadership development professional development course offered to physiotherapists in a low-resource country. Previous studies have provided examples of the benefits of such programs in medicine and nursing, but this has yet to be documented in the rehabilitation literature. The prototype of leadership development presented may provide guidance for similar trainings in other low-resource countries and offer the rehabilitation community an opportunity to build on the model to construct a research agenda around rehabilitation leadership development. The course used a constructivist approach to integrate participants' experiences, background, beliefs, and prior knowledge into the content. Transformational leadership development theory was emphasized with the generation of active learning projects, a key component of the training. Positive changes after the course included an increase in the number of community outreach activities completed by participants and increased involvement with their professional organization. Thirteen leadership projects were proposed and presented. The LI provided present and future leaders throughout Rwanda with exposure to transformative leadership concepts and offered them the opportunity to work together on projects that enhanced their profession and met the needs of underserved communities. Challenges included limited funding for physiotherapy positions allocated to hospitals in Rwanda, particularly in the rural areas. Participants experienced difficulties in carrying out leadership projects without additional funding to support them. While the emphasis on group projects to foster local advocacy and community education is highly recommended, the projects would benefit from a strong long-term mentorship program and further budgeting considerations. The LI can serve as a model to develop leadership skills and spur professional growth in low-resource settings. Leadership development is necessary to address worldwide inequities in health care. The LI model presents a method to cultivate transformational leadership and work toward improvements in health care and delivery of service.

  4. Promoting cancer screening among Ontario Chinese women.

    PubMed

    Howlett, Roberta I; Larsh, Susan; Dobi, Lorna; Mai, Verna

    2009-01-01

    Cancer screening participation is typically low among newcomers to Canada. Consequently, mortality and morbidity rates are higher in ethno/cultural populations. There are inherent challenges in reaching these population groups to increase awareness and participation in cancer screening. Many reports have cited the need for culturally appropriate materials and multi-pronged strategies for effective outreach in the Chinese community. This paper outlines the consultation/development process and evaluation strategy for promoting cancer screening among Chinese women with limited English language skills. As Chinese is the third most commonly spoken language in Canada, this community education project focused on health promoters providing services to Chinese women 50 years and older. Ontario communities. Partners and stakeholders were consulted and engaged to define the best approach to develop and distribute culturally sensitive public education resources to assist communities in realizing greater awareness of and participation in cancer screening. Customized resource kits were developed and distributed to the target population over the course of two phases of this project. An evaluation strategy was designed and implemented to assess the impact of the project. The process to develop culturally sensitive and evidence-based materials for Chinese is detailed in this article. This multi-year project designed and distributed customized resource kits, through consultation with partners and stakeholders. Project outcomes will be further assessed one year after distribution of the kits. This project template may be useful for adaptation and use in other ethnocultural groups within and outside Ontario.

  5. Experiential Learning and Sustainable Economic Development in Appalachian Communities: A Teaching Note

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tonn, Bruce; Ezzell, Tim; Ogle, Eric

    2010-01-01

    This paper describes the results of a participative planning class held in economically dis-advantaged communities in east Tennessee. The class follows a structured method, which includes community workshops and project development, in dealing with the communities. Among many observations gained in eight years of running the class are that…

  6. The use of Goal Attainment Scaling in a community health promotion initiative with seniors.

    PubMed

    Kloseck, Marita

    2007-07-03

    Evaluating collaborative community health promotion initiatives presents unique challenges, including engaging community members and other stakeholders in the evaluation process, and measuring the attainment of goals at the collective community level. Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) is a versatile, under-utilized evaluation tool adaptable to a wide range of situations. GAS actively involves all partners in the evaluation process and has many benefits when used in community health settings. The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of GAS as a potential means of measuring progress and outcomes in community health promotion and community development projects. GAS methodology was used in a local community of seniors (n = 2500; mean age = 76 +/- 8.06 SD; 77% female, 23% male) to a) collaboratively set health promotion and community partnership goals and b) objectively measure the degree of achievement, over- or under-achievement of the established health promotion goals. Goal attainment was measured in a variety of areas including operationalizing a health promotion centre in a local mall, developing a sustainable mechanism for recruiting and training volunteers to operate the health promotion centre, and developing and implementing community health education programs. Goal attainment was evaluated at 3 monthly intervals for one year, then re-evaluated again at year 2. GAS was found to be a feasible and responsive method of measuring community health promotion and community development progress. All project goals were achieved at one year or sooner. The overall GAS score for the total health promotion project increased from 16.02 at baseline (sum of scale scores = -30, average scale score = -2) to 54.53 at one year (sum of scale scores = +4, average scale score = +0.27) showing project goals were achieved above the expected level. With GAS methodology an amalgamated score of 50 represents the achievement of goals at the expected level. GAS provides a "participatory", flexible evaluation approach that involves community members, research partners and other stakeholders in the evaluation process. GAS was found to be "user-friendly" and readily understandable by seniors and other community partners not familiar with program evaluation.

  7. Anatomy of BioJS, an open source community for the life sciences.

    PubMed

    Yachdav, Guy; Goldberg, Tatyana; Wilzbach, Sebastian; Dao, David; Shih, Iris; Choudhary, Saket; Crouch, Steve; Franz, Max; García, Alexander; García, Leyla J; Grüning, Björn A; Inupakutika, Devasena; Sillitoe, Ian; Thanki, Anil S; Vieira, Bruno; Villaveces, José M; Schneider, Maria V; Lewis, Suzanna; Pettifer, Steve; Rost, Burkhard; Corpas, Manuel

    2015-07-08

    BioJS is an open source software project that develops visualization tools for different types of biological data. Here we report on the factors that influenced the growth of the BioJS user and developer community, and outline our strategy for building on this growth. The lessons we have learned on BioJS may also be relevant to other open source software projects.

  8. Public Domain Microcomputer Software for Forestry.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin, Les

    A project was conducted to develop a computer forestry/forest products bibliography applicable to high school and community college vocational/technical programs. The project director contacted curriculum clearinghouses, computer companies, and high school and community college instructors in order to obtain listings of public domain programs for…

  9. A Citizen Science and Government Collaboration: Developing Tools to Facilitate Community Air Monitoring

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is actively involved in supporting citizen science projects and providing communities with information and assistance for conducting their own air pollution monitoring. As part of a Regional Applied Research Effort (RARE) project, EP...

  10. Alpena Community College Workplace Partnership Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alpena Community Coll., MI.

    These materials include a report, evaluation, and book written about a workplace literacy project involving education (Alpena Community College), business and industry (Besser Company and Alpena Power Company), and labor (Thunder Bay Labor Council). The report specifies objectives; accomplishments, including development of eight courses in math,…

  11. The Community as Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thompson, Scott

    1995-01-01

    A Wisconsin school district has strengthened community education by developing animal welfare and entrepreneurial programs. These and other programs are part of School-Connections, a project of the Institute for Responsive Education. Students work with adult advisers on individually tailored projects, gain real-world experience, and make genuine…

  12. Bootlegging Literacy Sponsorship, Brewing up Institutional Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carrick, Tracey Hammler

    2007-01-01

    This paper considers how community literacy programs factor into broader economies of literacy development. The author analyzes two Appalachian community literacy projects, Shirley Brice Heath's ethnographic project in the Carolina Piedmont and Highlander Research and Education Center's organizing efforts with the Appalachian People's Movement, to…

  13. Making Childhood Asthma Management Education Happen in the Community: Translating Health Behavioral Research into Local Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krutzch, Christine B.; And Others

    1987-01-01

    A technology transfer project for getting initial community adoption of childhood asthma management programs is described. The evolution of the project, including development of programs, packaging considerations, establishment of partnerships, implementation, and evaluation are discussed. (Author/CH)

  14. Navigating Difficulty in Classroom-Community Outreach Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosenberg, Lauren

    2017-01-01

    Sustainability in community engagement projects depends on careful attention to the ways we navigate complex, often challenging relationships with our partners, our students, agencies, and the institutions in which we occupy multiple, sometimes competing roles. This article considers the difficulty inherent in developing and maintaining…

  15. Community forestry as perceived by local people around Cross River National Park, Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Ezebilo, Eugene E

    2012-01-01

    The prior identification of local people's preferences for conservation-development projects will help gear nature-conservation strategies toward the needs of different groups of local people. This will help policy-makers in designing a more acceptable and effective conservation strategy. This article reports a study of local perceptions of a community forestry project that aims to help improve the design as well as local acceptance of the project. The data originated from personal interviews conducted in communities around Okwangwo Division of the Cross River National Park in southeast Nigeria and were analysed using ordered logit and binary logit models. The results showed that >50% of the respondents were satisfied with the community forestry project. The respondents' perceptions were mainly influenced by education, age, gender, and willingness to contribute money to tourism as well as the contributions of cocoa, banana, and afang (Gnetum africanum) to the respondents' income. The results from this study have important implications for nature conservation in Nigeria and potentially other conservation contexts across the developing world.

  16. Community Forestry as Perceived by Local People Around Cross River National Park, Nigeria

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ezebilo, Eugene E.

    2012-01-01

    The prior identification of local people's preferences for conservation-development projects will help gear nature-conservation strategies toward the needs of different groups of local people. This will help policy-makers in designing a more acceptable and effective conservation strategy. This article reports a study of local perceptions of a community forestry project that aims to help improve the design as well as local acceptance of the project. The data originated from personal interviews conducted in communities around Okwangwo Division of the Cross River National Park in southeast Nigeria and were analysed using ordered logit and binary logit models. The results showed that >50% of the respondents were satisfied with the community forestry project. The respondents' perceptions were mainly influenced by education, age, gender, and willingness to contribute money to tourism as well as the contributions of cocoa, banana, and afang ( Gnetum africanum) to the respondents' income. The results from this study have important implications for nature conservation in Nigeria and potentially other conservation contexts across the developing world.

  17. Examples of coupled human and environmental systems from the extractive industry and hydropower sector interfaces.

    PubMed

    Castro, Marcia C; Krieger, Gary R; Balge, Marci Z; Tanner, Marcel; Utzinger, Jürg; Whittaker, Maxine; Singer, Burton H

    2016-12-20

    Large-scale corporate projects, particularly those in extractive industries or hydropower development, have a history from early in the twentieth century of creating negative environmental, social, and health impacts on communities proximal to their operations. In many instances, especially for hydropower projects, the forced resettlement of entire communities was a feature in which local cultures and core human rights were severely impacted. These projects triggered an activist opposition that progressively expanded and became influential at both the host community level and with multilateral financial institutions. In parallel to, and spurred by, this activism, a shift occurred in 1969 with the passage of the National Environmental Policy Act in the United States, which required Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for certain types of industrial and infrastructure projects. Over the last four decades, there has been a global movement to develop a formal legal/regulatory EIA process for large industrial and infrastructure projects. In addition, social, health, and human rights impact assessments, with associated mitigation plans, were sequentially initiated and have increasingly influenced project design and relations among companies, host governments, and locally impacted communities. Often, beneficial community-level social, economic, and health programs have voluntarily been put in place by companies. These flagship programs can serve as benchmarks for community-corporate-government partnerships in the future. Here, we present examples of such positive phenomena and also focus attention on a myriad of challenges that still lie ahead.

  18. Community empowerment and involvement of female sex workers in targeted sexual and reproductive health interventions in Africa: a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Moore, Lizzie; Chersich, Matthew F; Steen, Richard; Reza-Paul, Sushena; Dhana, Ashar; Vuylsteke, Bea; Lafort, Yves; Scorgie, Fiona

    2014-06-10

    Female sex workers (FSWs) experience high levels of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) morbidity, violence and discrimination. Successful SRH interventions for FSWs in India and elsewhere have long prioritised community mobilisation and structural interventions, yet little is known about similar approaches in African settings. We systematically reviewed community empowerment processes within FSW SRH projects in Africa, and assessed them using a framework developed by Ashodaya, an Indian sex worker organisation. In November 2012 we searched Medline and Web of Science for studies of FSW health services in Africa, and consulted experts and websites of international organisations. Titles and abstracts were screened to identify studies describing relevant services, using a broad definition of empowerment. Data were extracted on service-delivery models and degree of FSW involvement, and analysed with reference to a four-stage framework developed by Ashodaya. This conceptualises community empowerment as progressing from (1) initial engagement with the sex worker community, to (2) community involvement in targeted activities, to (3) ownership, and finally, (4) sustainability of action beyond the community. Of 5413 articles screened, 129 were included, describing 42 projects. Targeted services in FSW 'hotspots' were generally isolated and limited in coverage and scope, mostly offering only free condoms and STI treatment. Many services were provided as part of research activities and offered via a clinic with associated community outreach. Empowerment processes were usually limited to peer-education (stage 2 of framework). Community mobilisation as an activity in its own right was rarely documented and while most projects successfully engaged communities, few progressed to involvement, community ownership or sustainability. Only a few interventions had evolved to facilitate collective action through formal democratic structures (stage 3). These reported improved sexual negotiating power and community solidarity, and positive behavioural and clinical outcomes. Sustainability of many projects was weakened by disunity within transient communities, variable commitment of programmers, low human resource capacity and general resource limitations. Most FSW SRH projects in Africa implemented participatory processes consistent with only the earliest stages of community empowerment, although isolated projects demonstrate proof of concept for successful empowerment interventions in African settings.

  19. Community empowerment and involvement of female sex workers in targeted sexual and reproductive health interventions in Africa: a systematic review

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Female sex workers (FSWs) experience high levels of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) morbidity, violence and discrimination. Successful SRH interventions for FSWs in India and elsewhere have long prioritised community mobilisation and structural interventions, yet little is known about similar approaches in African settings. We systematically reviewed community empowerment processes within FSW SRH projects in Africa, and assessed them using a framework developed by Ashodaya, an Indian sex worker organisation. Methods In November 2012 we searched Medline and Web of Science for studies of FSW health services in Africa, and consulted experts and websites of international organisations. Titles and abstracts were screened to identify studies describing relevant services, using a broad definition of empowerment. Data were extracted on service-delivery models and degree of FSW involvement, and analysed with reference to a four-stage framework developed by Ashodaya. This conceptualises community empowerment as progressing from (1) initial engagement with the sex worker community, to (2) community involvement in targeted activities, to (3) ownership, and finally, (4) sustainability of action beyond the community. Results Of 5413 articles screened, 129 were included, describing 42 projects. Targeted services in FSW ‘hotspots’ were generally isolated and limited in coverage and scope, mostly offering only free condoms and STI treatment. Many services were provided as part of research activities and offered via a clinic with associated community outreach. Empowerment processes were usually limited to peer-education (stage 2 of framework). Community mobilisation as an activity in its own right was rarely documented and while most projects successfully engaged communities, few progressed to involvement, community ownership or sustainability. Only a few interventions had evolved to facilitate collective action through formal democratic structures (stage 3). These reported improved sexual negotiating power and community solidarity, and positive behavioural and clinical outcomes. Sustainability of many projects was weakened by disunity within transient communities, variable commitment of programmers, low human resource capacity and general resource limitations. Conclusions Most FSW SRH projects in Africa implemented participatory processes consistent with only the earliest stages of community empowerment, although isolated projects demonstrate proof of concept for successful empowerment interventions in African settings. PMID:24916108

  20. Promoting health and happiness in the Brazilian Amazon.

    PubMed

    Scannavino, Caetano; Anastácio, Rui

    2007-01-01

    With the motto "Health, happiness of the body. Happiness, health of the soul", the Health & Happiness Project (PSA) works to promote integrated and sustainable community development in parts of the Brazilian Amazon. PSA grew out of local workers' personal experience in collaborating with communities and the need for sustainable actions for their future development. PSA was established as a not-for-profit organization in 1987 It started off by implementing strategies that would increase the health status of the population, which was identified as the biggest challenge, to then extend to other areas of development. Education, training and community participation were key elements of the project's actions, which included basic sanitation, reproductive health and child health, technical assistance in agricultural practices and youth empowerment through communications, among others. Once the health structure was established, the work moved on to new priorities related to education, economic production, protection of the environment and community management in the medium and long terms. The project's success has helped to institutionalize the practices and today it reaches a total of approximately 5,000 families distributed across 150 rural communities in the mid- and low-Amazon region.

  1. Poverty Alleviation and Environmental Restoration Using the Clean Development Mechanism: A Case Study from Humbo, Ethiopia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brown, Douglas R.; Dettmann, Paul; Rinaudo, Tony; Tefera, Hailu; Tofu, Assefa

    2011-08-01

    Poverty, hunger and demand for agricultural land have driven local communities to overexploit forest resources throughout Ethiopia. Forests surrounding the township of Humbo were largely destroyed by the late 1960s. In 2004, World Vision Australia and World Vision Ethiopia identified forestry-based carbon sequestration as a potential means to stimulate community development while engaging in environmental restoration. After two years of consultation, planning and negotiations, the Humbo Community-based Natural Regeneration Project began implementation—the Ethiopian organization's first carbon sequestration initiative. The Humbo Project assists communities affected by environmental degradation including loss of biodiversity, soil erosion and flooding with an opportunity to benefit from carbon markets while reducing poverty and restoring the local agroecosystem. Involving the regeneration of 2,728 ha of degraded native forests, it brings social, economic and ecological benefits—facilitating adaptation to a changing climate and generating temporary certified emissions reductions (tCERs) under the Clean Development Mechanism. A key feature of the project has been facilitating communities to embrace new techniques and take responsibility for large-scale environmental change, most importantly involving Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR). This technique is low-cost, replicable, and provides direct benefits within a short time. Communities were able to harvest fodder and firewood within a year of project initiation and wild fruits and other non-timber forest products within three years. Farmers are using agroforestry for both environmental restoration and income generation. Establishment of user rights and local cooperatives has generated community ownership and enthusiasm for this project—empowering the community to more sustainably manage their communal lands.

  2. Transferable Training Modules: Building Environmental Education Opportunities With and for Mexican Community Health Workers (Promotores de Salud).

    PubMed

    Ramírez, Denise Moreno; Vea, Lourdes; Field, James A; Baker, Paul B; Gandolfi, A Jay; Maier, Raina M

    Community health workers (promotores de salud) have the ability to empower communities to mitigate negative health outcomes. Current training efforts in environmental topics are lacking. This project addressed this gap by developing 4 transferable training modules on environmental health. By applying a series of surveys, interviews, and trainings, we evaluated their relevance. Partners provided favorable feedback for 3 of the 4 modules. It was also learned that the development method could be improved by engaging technically trained promotores de salud in the role of co-creators. This project has implications for environmental justice communities as it can lessen information disparities.

  3. Keep Talking & Monitoring: the importance of longitudinal research & community-based monitoring to support sustainable land management in southern Africa

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dougill, Andrew; Stringer, Lindsay

    2015-04-01

    Projects come and go with researchers, development practioners and government staff initiating new forms of community engagement in environmental monitoring and land management practices. We analyse interventions from Botswana and Swaziland and highlight that for benefits to be long-lived and lead to sustainable land management, requires community engagement in project design, implementation and for project outputs to be used in developing community-led environmental monitoring tools that can then help to guide local decision-making systems. We stress the vital importance of continued participatory engagement of researchers with community leaders and key government staff beyond the timeframe of their initial research such that longitudinal research approaches can realise significant benefits to all concerned. In dynamic (non-equilibrium) dryland environments, it is vitally important that research approaches address temporal and spatial variability by mapping patterns of change, using a range of participatory tools to enhance understandings of the causes of land degradation and the opportunities for shifts towards more sustainable land management. Decision-support tools, such as rangeland assessment guides produced for various Kalahari rangeland settings in Botswana (via a UNEP project and affiliated research), provide opportunities to support more sustainable land management. However, at present benefits are not being fully realised as project and research staff move on after projects end. Similarly, findings from mixed farming systems in Swaziland (assessing a JICA-funded project) show problems in maintaining new institutional structures to manage rangeland degradation, whilst issues on arable areas associated with parasitic weeds (Striga asiatica) remain problematic. Findings from longitudinal research in Swaziland also show that community understandings of environmental problems have evolved over 10 years and identify new problems associated with intensified drought events linked to climate change. Returning to communities (even if irregularly) after project completion enables identification of local-level knowledge and institutional problems that are often the underlying cause of the post-project failings. In many cases, such failings have led to a lack of sustained benefits as significant community-level goodwill and knowledge is developed during projects, but limited input and guidance through remaining institutional channels means that any strong grounding for success is not harnessed or sustained. It is vital that researchers work pro-actively with formal state institutions (notably agricultural extension services) to ensure that research and development project outputs are understood and used in the post-project phase. Continued engagement with local and institutional actors through longitudinal research assessing multi-stakeholder partnerships and local management practices can realise significant additional benefits far beyond the small time and cost implications of such continued engagement. Shifts to trans-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder working need to address the need for such longer-term, longitudinal research processes to ensure that benefits are not immediately lost and that new forms of sustainable land management can indeed be sustained.

  4. The Community Pulling Together: A Tribal Community-University Partnership Project to Reduce Substance Abuse and Promote Good Health in a Reservation Tribal Community

    PubMed Central

    Thomas, Lisa R.; Donovan, Dennis M.; Sigo, Robin LW.; Austin, Lisette; Marlatt, G. Alan

    2010-01-01

    Alcohol and drug abuse are major areas of concern for many American Indian/Alaska Native communities. Research on these problems has often been less than successful, in part because many researchers are not sensitive to the culture and traditions of the tribes and communities with which they are working. They also often fail to incorporate tribal customs, traditions, and values into the interventions developed to deal with substance abuse. We describe the use of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) and Tribal Participatory Research (TPR) approaches to develop a culturally sensitive substance abuse prevention program for Native youth. This project, The Community Pulling Together: Healing of the Canoe, is a collaboration between the Suquamish Tribe and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute at the University of Washington. PMID:20157631

  5. Comparison of the Effectiveness of Two Forms of the Enhancing Relationships in School Communities Project for Promoting Cooperative Conflict Resolution Education in Australian Primary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trinder, Margot; Wertheim, Eleanor H.; Freeman, Elizabeth; Sanson, Ann; Richardson, Shanel; Hunt, Sue

    2010-01-01

    This study evaluated the Enhancing Relationships in School Communities (ERIS) Project which aimed to promote constructive conflict resolution (CR) in Australian primary school communities through professional development for core teams of three-five staff (n = 33 teachers). Twelve schools were randomly assigned to a full intervention (FI) group or…

  6. Project Coach: A Case Study of a College-Community Partnerships as a Venture in Social Entrepreneurship

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Intrator, Sam M.; Siegel, Donald

    2010-01-01

    Project Coach is an after school program developed and directed by the authors. The program, which is set in a high-need urban community in Springfield, Massachusetts, teaches high school and middle school students to be sport coaches and then to run youth sport leagues for elementary-aged youth in underserved neighborhoods in their own community.…

  7. A Preliminary Needs Assessment Model for Decision Making and Accountability Related to Occupational Education Programs at Two Community Colleges.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alfaro, Edward; And Others

    The purpose of the project was to develop a formal needs assessment system for occupational education in the North Orange County Community College District and the Rancho Santiago Community College District. A brief summary of the purpose and scope of the project focuses on the need for an effective manpower information system, for…

  8. A National Survey on the Taxonomy of Community Living Skills. Working Paper 87-4. COMPETE: Community-Based Model for Public-School Exit and Transition to Employment.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dever, Richard B.

    This paper is a product of Project COMPETE, a service demonstration project undertaken for the purpose of developing and validating a model and training sequence to improve transition services for moderately, severely, and profoundly retarded youth. The paper describes the Taxonomy of Community Living Skills, an organized statement of…

  9. In Patience and Hope: A 20-Year Narrative Study of a Family, School, and Community Partnership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Higgins, Ann; Deegan, James G.

    2009-01-01

    This case study describes a 20-year journey of educational transformation from 1985 to 2005 in a bellwether, or highly developed, instance of one school, family, and community partnership--the Kileely Community Project--situated in a large social housing project in Limerick City in the Midwestern region of the Republic of Ireland. The study is a…

  10. Perceptions of community-based field workers on the effect of a longitudinal biomedical research project on their sustainable livelihoods.

    PubMed

    Moyo, Christabelle S; Francis, Joseph; Bessong, Pascal O

    2017-03-17

    Researchers involved in biomedical community-based projects rarely seek the perspectives of community fieldworkers, who are the 'foot soldiers' in such projects. Understanding the effect of biomedical research on community-based field workers could identify benefits and shortfalls that may be crucial to the success of community-based studies. The present study explored the perceptions of community-based field workers on the effect of the Etiology, Risk Factors and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development Project" (MAL-ED) South Africa on their tangible and intangible capital which together comprise sustainable livelihoods. The study was conducted in Dzimauli community in Limpopo Province of South Africa between January-February 2016. The sustainable livelihoods framework was used to query community-based field workers' perspectives of both tangible assets such as income and physical assets and intangible assets such as social capital, confidence, and skills. Data were collected through twenty one individual in-depth interviews and one focus group discussion. Data were analysed using the Thematic Content Analysis approach supported by ATLAS.ti, version 7.5.10 software. All the field workers indicated that they benefitted from the MAL-ED South Africa project. The benefits included intangible assets such as acquisition of knowledge and skills, stronger social capital and personal development. Additionally, all indicated that MAL-ED South Africa provided them with the tangible assets of increased income and physical assets. Observations obtained from the focus group discussion and the community-based leaders concurred with the findings from the in-depth interviews. Additionally, some field workers expressed the desire for training in public relations, communication, problem solving and confidence building. The MAL-ED South Africa, biomedical research project, had positive effects on tangible and intangible assets that compose the sustainable livelihoods of community-based fieldworkers. However, the field workers expressed the need to acquire social skills to enable them carry out their duties more efficiently.

  11. Using Professional Development to Achieve Classroom Reform and Science Proficiency: An Urban Success Story from Southern Nevada, USA

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crippen, Kent J.; Biesinger, Kevin D.; Ebert, Ellen K.

    2010-01-01

    This paper provides a detailed description and evaluation of a three-year professional development project in a large urban setting in the southwestern United States. The impetus for the project was curriculum development focused on integrated scientific inquiry. Project goals included the development of a professional learning community, reformed…

  12. The Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience Project - a community-level, public health initiative to build community disaster resilience.

    PubMed

    Eisenman, David; Chandra, Anita; Fogleman, Stella; Magana, Aizita; Hendricks, Astrid; Wells, Ken; Williams, Malcolm; Tang, Jennifer; Plough, Alonzo

    2014-08-19

    Public health officials need evidence-based methods for improving community disaster resilience and strategies for measuring results. This methods paper describes how one public health department is addressing this problem. This paper provides a detailed description of the theoretical rationale, intervention design and novel evaluation of the Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience Project (LACCDR), a public health program for increasing community disaster resilience. The LACCDR Project utilizes a pretest-posttest method with control group design. Sixteen communities in Los Angeles County were selected and randomly assigned to the experimental community resilience group or the comparison group. Community coalitions in the experimental group receive training from a public health nurse trained in community resilience in a toolkit developed for the project. The toolkit is grounded in theory and uses multiple components to address education, community engagement, community and individual self-sufficiency, and partnerships among community organizations and governmental agencies. The comparison communities receive training in traditional disaster preparedness topics of disaster supplies and emergency communication plans. Outcome indicators include longitudinal changes in inter-organizational linkages among community organizations, community member responses in table-top exercises, and changes in household level community resilience behaviors and attitudes. The LACCDR Project is a significant opportunity and effort to operationalize and meaningfully measure factors and strategies to increase community resilience. This paper is intended to provide public health and academic researchers with new tools to conduct their community resilience programs and evaluation research. Results are not yet available and will be presented in future reports.

  13. The Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience Project — A Community-Level, Public Health Initiative to Build Community Disaster Resilience

    PubMed Central

    Eisenman, David; Chandra, Anita; Fogleman, Stella; Magana, Aizita; Hendricks, Astrid; Wells, Ken; Williams, Malcolm; Tang, Jennifer; Plough, Alonzo

    2014-01-01

    Public health officials need evidence-based methods for improving community disaster resilience and strategies for measuring results. This methods paper describes how one public health department is addressing this problem. This paper provides a detailed description of the theoretical rationale, intervention design and novel evaluation of the Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience Project (LACCDR), a public health program for increasing community disaster resilience. The LACCDR Project utilizes a pretest–posttest method with control group design. Sixteen communities in Los Angeles County were selected and randomly assigned to the experimental community resilience group or the comparison group. Community coalitions in the experimental group receive training from a public health nurse trained in community resilience in a toolkit developed for the project. The toolkit is grounded in theory and uses multiple components to address education, community engagement, community and individual self-sufficiency, and partnerships among community organizations and governmental agencies. The comparison communities receive training in traditional disaster preparedness topics of disaster supplies and emergency communication plans. Outcome indicators include longitudinal changes in inter-organizational linkages among community organizations, community member responses in table-top exercises, and changes in household level community resilience behaviors and attitudes. The LACCDR Project is a significant opportunity and effort to operationalize and meaningfully measure factors and strategies to increase community resilience. This paper is intended to provide public health and academic researchers with new tools to conduct their community resilience programs and evaluation research. Results are not yet available and will be presented in future reports. PMID:25153472

  14. Tulsa Community College, Exploring America's Communities. Progress Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tulsa Community Coll., OK.

    In 1996, Oklahoma's Tulsa Community College (TCC) participated in the American Association of Community Colleges' Exploring America's Communities project, which works to strengthen the teaching and learning of American history, literature, and culture at U.S. community colleges. TCC's primary goals were to promote professional development, to…

  15. Knowledge Is Power: Empowering the Autism Community through Parent-Professional Training

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murray, Mary M.; Ackerman-Spain, Karen; Williams, Ellen U.; Ryley, Anderia T.

    2011-01-01

    Partnerships for Autism through Collaborative Community Choice and Empowerment (Project PACE) was developed to empower parents and professionals (e.g., general or special education teachers, therapists, social workers, school counselors, psychologists) through training and education. Project PACE was designed to provide participants with basic…

  16. Postcode Criminals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hiett, Sandra; Kushner, Joann

    2013-01-01

    Postcode Criminals was the second phase of an international participatory community arts project challenging negative stereotypes of urban youth. Concerned with the impact of zero tolerance community policing strategies in the UK and USA, artists Joann Kushner and Dread Scott developed an art-based project with a social justice agenda. To give…

  17. Engaging Ecosystems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duncan, Susan; Papers, Jerry; Franzen, Woody; Otto, Pat

    2006-01-01

    Vertical connections, constructed using inquiry, give students the skills to reach new heights in both their academic and local communities. In this article, the authors present inquiry projects, developed by middle level teachers, to ensure that students use higher-level thinking skills to improve the community. Each project is connected to the…

  18. Creating Asynchronous Online Learning Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kerr, Crystal

    2009-01-01

    This research project examined how to develop and sustain online, asynchronous learning communities in continuous intake, distance education environments for learners in grades 7 through 10. The study is an action research project that is based upon in-depth, qualitative data. Interviews were conducted with distance education teachers,…

  19. Youth Development Project: First Year Evaluation Report [1984-85]. Report No. 321.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hawaii Univ., Manoa. Youth Development & Research Center.

    The Youth Development Project is a school-based delinquency prevention project which incorporates intervention strategies of social skills training, student team learning, and community liaison between home and school. Subjects in the project are fourth, fifth, and sixth graders of one experimental (N=315) and one comparison (N=196) elementary…

  20. Faculty development projects for international health professions educators: Vehicles for institutional change?

    PubMed

    Burdick, William P; Friedman, Stacey R; Diserens, Deborah

    2012-01-01

    Projects are an important tool in faculty development, and project emphasis may offer insights into perceived education priorities. Impact of projects has been focused on individuals, not institutions or health. Education innovation projects of Fellows in an international faculty development program were examined to better understand perceived needs in health professions education and institutional impact of projects. Four hundred and thirty-five projects were analyzed to identify focus areas. Fellows were asked to identify changes in their schools and communities resulting from their projects. New education methods and curriculum change were common project focus areas. Regional differences were evident with a higher percentage of education methods projects by Fellows residing in India (52%), compared with South Africa (25%) and Brazil (24%). Fifty-six percent of projects were incorporated into the curriculum and/or incorporated as institutional policy. One-third to two-thirds of respondents noted improved teaching quality, collaboration, education research interest, assessment, student performance, and curriculum alignment with community health needs. National differences in project focus may offer insight into local conditions and needs. High rates of diffusion of projects and impact on faculty, students, and curriculum suggest that faculty development projects may be a strategy for institutional change in resource limited environments.

  1. Narrative ideas for consulting with communities and organizations: ripples from the gatherings.

    PubMed

    Freedman, Jill; Combs, Gene

    2009-09-01

    This paper reviews Michael White's early work with communities and extends ideas and practices from that work into the realm of consulting with organizations. We draw on Michael's writing and the records of two specific projects, as well as the recollections of team members in those projects, to describe how ideas and practices that were originally developed in working with individuals and families came to be applied in community settings. Specifically, we show how the central intention of the work is to use narrative ideas and practices in ways that allow communities to articulate, appreciate, document, utilize, and share their own knowledges of life and skills of living. We discuss the basic narrative ideas of stories, double listening, telling and retelling, making documents, and linking lives through shared purposes. For these projects, the teams developed structures that made it possible to use the basic idea with whole communities. We show how this work with communities has offered inspiration and ideas for our work in consulting to organizations. Finally, we describe and illustrate a particular way of working with organizations that carries the spirit of Michael's community work into situations requiring shorter blocks of time and more limited commitments than the original community contexts.

  2. Developing a Conceptual Framework for Student Learning during International Community Engagement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pink, Matthew A.; Taouk, Youssef; Guinea, Stephen; Bunch, Katie; Flowers, Karen; Nightingale, Karen

    2016-01-01

    University-community engagement often involves students engaging with people who experience multiple forms of disadvantage or marginalization. This is particularly true when universities work with communities in developing nations. Participation in these projects can be challenging for students. Assumptions about themselves, their professional…

  3. Involving women.

    PubMed

    Agbo, J

    1994-01-01

    I am a primary health care (PHC) coordinator working with the May Day Rural project, a local NGO involved in integrated approaches and programs with rural communities in the Ga District of the Greater-Accra region in Ghana. When we talk about the community development approach we must first and foremost recognize that we are talking about women, because in the developing world frequent childbirths mean that her burden of mortality is higher than a man's; her workload is extremely heavy--whether in gardening, farming, other household duties, caring for the sick, or the rearing of children; she has a key role in PHC and community development, because men are always looking for greener pastures elsewhere, leaving the women behind. Women's concerns are critical in most health care projects and women and children are their main beneficiaries. Why not include women in the management team, project design, implementation and evaluation processes? That is what the May Day Rural project is practicing, encouraging women's participation and creating a relationship of trust. full text

  4. Children as Agents of Social and Community Change: Enhancing Youth Empowerment through Participation in a School-Based Social Activism Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Torres-Harding, Susan; Baber, Ashley; Hilvers, Julie; Hobbs, Nakisha; Maly, Michael

    2018-01-01

    School-based social activism projects have much potential to foster civic engagement, self-efficacy, and positive youth development. Social activism projects may also be a means by which children, a group that is disempowered due to their age and dependence on adults, might seek to positively impact social and community problems. The current study…

  5. Establishing community partnerships to support late-life anxiety research: lessons learned from the Calmer Life project.

    PubMed

    Jameson, John Paul; Shrestha, Srijana; Escamilla, Monica; Clark, Sharonda; Wilson, Nancy; Kunik, Mark; Zeno, Darrell; Harris, Toi B; Peters, Alice; Varner, Ivory L; Scantlebury, Carolyn; Scott-Gurnell, Kathy; Stanley, Melinda

    2012-01-01

    This article outlines the development of the Calmer Life project, a partnership established between researchers and faith-based and social service organizations to examine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) incorporating religious/spiritual components for older African Americans in low-income communities. The program was designed to bypass several barriers to delivery of CBT within the specified community; it allows multimodal delivery (in person or by telephone) that occurs outside traditional mental health settings through faith-based organizations and neighborhood community centers. It includes religion/spirituality as an element, dependent upon the preference of the participant, and is modular, so that people can select the skills they wish to learn. Established relationships within the community were built upon, and initial meetings were held in community settings, allowing feedback from community organizations. This ongoing program is functioning successfully and has strengthened relationships with community partners and facilitated increased availability of education and services in the community. The lessons learned in establishing these partnerships are outlined. The growth of effectiveness research for late-life anxiety treatments in underserved minority populations requires development of functional partnerships between academic institutions and community stakeholders, along with treatment modifications to effectively address barriers faced by these consumers. The Calmer Life project may serve as a model.

  6. Building a co-created citizen science program with gardeners neighboring a superfund site: The Gardenroots case study

    PubMed Central

    Ramirez-Andreotta, Monica D; Brusseau, Mark L; Artiola, Janick; Maier, Raina M; Gandolfi, A Jay

    2014-01-01

    A research project that is only expert-driven may ignore the role of local knowledge in research, give low priority to the development of a comprehensive communication strategy to engage the community, and may not deliver the results of the study to the community in an effective way. Objective To demonstrate how a research program can respond to a community research need, establish a community-academic partnership, and build a co-created citizen science program. Methods A place-based, community-driven project was designed where academics and community members maintained a reciprocal dialogue, and together, we: 1) defined the question for study, 2) gathered information, 3) developed hypotheses, 3) designed data collection methodologies, 4) collected environmental samples (soil, irrigation water, and vegetables), 5) interpreted data, 6) disseminated results and translated results into action, and 7) discussed results and asked new questions. Results The co-created environmental research project produced new data and addressed an additional exposure route (consumption of vegetables grown in soils with elevated arsenic levels). Public participation in scientific research improved environmental health assessment, information transfer, and risk communication efforts. Furthermore, incorporating the community in the scientific process produced both individual learning outcomes and community-level outcomes. Conclusions This approach illustrates the benefits of a community-academic co-created citizen-science program in addressing the complex problems that arise in communities neighboring a contaminated site. Such a project can increase the community's involvement in risk communication and decision-making, which ultimately has the potential to help mitigate exposure and thereby reduce associated risk. PMID:25954473

  7. Building a co-created citizen science program with gardeners neighboring a superfund site: The Gardenroots case study.

    PubMed

    Ramirez-Andreotta, Monica D; Brusseau, Mark L; Artiola, Janick; Maier, Raina M; Gandolfi, A Jay

    2015-01-01

    A research project that is only expert-driven may ignore the role of local knowledge in research, give low priority to the development of a comprehensive communication strategy to engage the community, and may not deliver the results of the study to the community in an effective way. To demonstrate how a research program can respond to a community research need, establish a community-academic partnership, and build a co-created citizen science program. A place-based, community-driven project was designed where academics and community members maintained a reciprocal dialogue, and together, we: 1) defined the question for study, 2) gathered information, 3) developed hypotheses, 3) designed data collection methodologies, 4) collected environmental samples (soil, irrigation water, and vegetables), 5) interpreted data, 6) disseminated results and translated results into action, and 7) discussed results and asked new questions. The co-created environmental research project produced new data and addressed an additional exposure route (consumption of vegetables grown in soils with elevated arsenic levels). Public participation in scientific research improved environmental health assessment, information transfer, and risk communication efforts. Furthermore, incorporating the community in the scientific process produced both individual learning outcomes and community-level outcomes. This approach illustrates the benefits of a community-academic co-created citizen-science program in addressing the complex problems that arise in communities neighboring a contaminated site. Such a project can increase the community's involvement in risk communication and decision-making, which ultimately has the potential to help mitigate exposure and thereby reduce associated risk.

  8. Youth Leadership Development through School-Based Civic Engagement Activities: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horstmeier, Robin Peiter; Ricketts, Kristina G.

    2009-01-01

    Leadership development through a civic engagement activity in a local FFA chapter is explored. Through a case study design, researchers illuminate a project that encouraged youth leadership development through the creation and execution of a civic engagement project in their own local community. Holistically, FFA members viewed the project as a…

  9. The Non-Institutionalization of the Use of Self-Instructional Materials in Primary Schools in Jamaica: The Case of Project PRIMER.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jennings, Zellynne

    1993-01-01

    Asserts that many educational innovations introduced into developing nations from developed nations fail. Describes a project utilizing community involvement and individualized instruction that was introduced into Jamaica after successful development and implementation in the Philippines. Concludes that the project failed. (CFR)

  10. Leadership Opportunities with Communities, the Medically Underserved, and Special Populations (LOCUS).

    PubMed

    Haq, Cynthia; Grosch, Michelle; Carufel-Wert, Donald

    2002-07-01

    The Leadership Opportunities with Communities, the Underserved, and Special Populations (LOCUS) Program aims to improve medical students' leadership knowledge and skills, to improve self-awareness and motivation for community service, and to provide models for students to integrate community service into their medical careers. The LOCUS program was established as a longitudinal, extracurricular student opportunity at the University of Wisconsin Medical School in the fall of 1998. Up to 15 new students each year are selected for the program through an application and interview process during their first or second year of medical school. Students remain in the program from acceptance until graduation from medical school. Nearly 50 students have enrolled in the program to date. LOCUS fellows are matched with a physician mentor, participate in core curriculum activities, and complete a longitudinal community service project. Mentors are community generalist physicians who have integrated community service into their own careers. Students participate in their mentors' clinical practices one afternoon a month during the first two years, and mentors serve as role models and provide guidance for students' projects and career development. The program administration and staff are supported through federal predoctoral training and Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) grants. The LOCUS core curriculum is delivered through a series of retreats, workshops, and seminars that emphasize active learning methods and include approximately 20 hours of scheduled activities per academic year. The curriculum addresses concepts of leadership in relation to one's self and in relation to others. Students are introduced to methods of self-reflection and develop their own vision and mission statements. Students also discuss the importance of compassion, self-care, striving for balance, avoiding burnout, and being realistic about what they can accomplish. Students practice strategies for working with teams, organizing meetings, working with media, taking political action, and resolving conflicts. They acquire community health skills such as assessing the health needs of a defined population; engaging community members' participation in health program development; and selecting priorities, designing interventions, and measuring the progress of community health care. Working in small teams, LOCUS fellows apply and refine their leadership skills through design and completion of a community health service project. Students can design their own projects or work on projects designed by community partners. The projects have addressed a variety of community health needs, such as parenting support for teen mothers, teaching health education for residents of group homes, and providing free sports physical exams for uninsured youth. This pilot program demonstrates that motivated students can develop leadership skills and address unmet community health needs while they progress through medical school. LOCUS students, staff, and physicians provide a social network that includes opportunities, encouragement, reflection, and problem solving. Student and mentor satisfaction with the program has been high. Future challenges include securing long-term funding, refining the core curriculum, assessing the impact of the program on participants, and improving the quality of projects through community partnerships. LOCUS strives to kindle the fires of altruism and community service so they are not extinguished as students progress through medical training.

  11. The El-Barta Child and Family Project--Community Based Early Child Care and Development Programme: An Integrated Approach. Working Papers in Early Childhood Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lanyasunya, Andrew Ropilo; Lesolayia, Moses S.

    The advent of schooling, the cash economy, and new political systems have brought about many situations providing challenges to the Samburu and the Turkana nomadic pastoralists in northern Kenya. This report details the experiences of the staff of the El-barta project in working with communities within a situation of isolation, harsh climatic…

  12. Developing a Storysack Project within a Sure Start Initiative: Reflections and Emerging Findings on Working Together with Parents To Produce a Community Resource.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Forde, Jan; Weinberger, Jo

    This paper explores a community project to develop "storysacks" within an area of identified economic and social need. (Storysacks are books sent home for preschool children in England to share with their parents on a regular basis; each sack contains a fiction book, a nonfiction book linked to the story, and a wide variety of props…

  13. Managing the Socioeconomic Impacts of Energy Development. A Guide for the Small Community.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Armbrust, Roberta

    Decisions concerning large-scale energy development projects near small communities or in predominantly rural areas are usually complex, requiring cooperation of all levels of government, as well as the general public and the private sector. It is unrealistic to expect the typical small community to develop capabilities to independently evaluate a…

  14. Stuff- The Materials that Shape our World - Experimental Learning Opportunities

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rosenstein, Pam

    2012-04-30

    Making Stuff is a four-part series that explores how materials changed history and are shaping the future. To further enhance public engagement in and understanding of materials science, the project convened an extensive network of community coalitions across the country that hosted Making Stuff outreach activities and events, science cafes, and educator workshops in their local areas. Department Of Energy funding enabled us to increase the number of communities formally involved in the project, from 10 to 20 community hubs. Department of Energy funding also made it possible to develop a collection of materials science resources, activities and hands-on demonstrationsmore » for use in a variety of formal and informal settings, and Making Stuff activities were presented at science conferences and festivals around the country. The design, printing and national dissemination of the Making Stuff afterschool activity guide were also developed with DOE funding, as well as professional webinar trainings for scientists and educators to help facilitate many of the community activities and other online and print materials. Thanks to additional funding from the Department of Energy, we were able to expand the reach and scope of the project's outreach plan, specifically in the areas of: 1) content development, 2) training/professional development, 3) educational activities and 4) community partnerships. This report documents how the following DOE project goals were met: (1) Train scientists and provide teachers and informal educators with resources to engage youth with age appropriate information about materials science; (2) Provide activities and resources to five selected communities with ties to DOE researchers; (3) Increase interest in STEM.« less

  15. Community capacity as an "inside job": evolution of perceived ownership within a university-aboriginal community partnership.

    PubMed

    Cargo, Margaret D; Delormier, Treena; Lévesque, Lucie; McComber, Alex M; Macaulay, Ann C

    2011-01-01

    PURPOSE. To assess the evolution of perceived ownership of a university-Aboriginal community partnership across three project stages. DESIGN. Survey administration to project partners during project formalization (1996-T1), mobilization (1999-T2), and maintenance (2004-T3). SETTING. Aboriginal community of Kahnawake, outside Montreal, Quebec, Canada. PARTICIPANTS. Partners involved in influencing decision making in the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project (KSDPP). MEASURE AND ANALYSIS . A measure of perceived primary ownership subjected to linear trend analysis. RESULTS. KSDPP staff were perceived as primary owner at T1 and shared ownership with Community Advisory Board (CAB) members at T2 and T3. Trend tests indicated greater perceived ownership between T1 and T3 for CAB (χ(2)(1)  =  12.3, p < .0001) and declining KSDPP staff (χ(2)(1)  =  10.5, p < .001) ownership over time. Academic partners were never perceived as primary owners. CONCLUSION. This project was community driven from the beginning. It was not dependent on an external academic change agent to activate the community and develop the community's capacity to plan and implement a solution. It still took several years for the grassroots CAB to take responsibility from KSDPP staff, thus indicating the need for sustained funding to build grassroots community capacity.

  16. Enhancing stewardship of community-engaged research through governance.

    PubMed

    Oetzel, John G; Villegas, Malia; Zenone, Heather; White Hat, Emily R; Wallerstein, Nina; Duran, Bonnie

    2015-06-01

    We explored the relationship of community-engaged research final approval type (tribal government, health board, or public health office (TG/HB); agency staff or advisory board; or individual or no community approval) with governance processes, productivity, and perceived outcomes. We identified 294 federally funded community-engaged research projects in 2009 from the National Institutes of Health's Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Prevention Research Centers, and Native American Research Centers for Health databases. Two hundred (68.0%) investigators completed a survey about governance processes and productivity measures; 312 partners (77.2% of 404 invited) and 138 investigators (69.0% of 200 invited) completed a survey about perceived outcomes. Projects with TG/HB approval had increased likelihood of community control of resources (odds ratios [ORs] ≥ 4.80). Projects with other approvals had decreased likelihood of development or revision of institutional review board policies (ORs ≤ 0.37), having written agreements (ORs ≤ 0.17), and agreements about publishing (ORs ≤ 0.28), data use (ORs ≤ 0.17), and publishing approval (ORs ≤ 0.14). Community-engaged research projects with TG/HB approval had strong stewardship of project resources and agreements. Governance as stewardship protects community interests; thus, is an ethical imperative for communities, especially native communities, to adopt.

  17. 34 CFR 379.10 - What types of project activities are required of each grantee under this program?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... placement and career advancement opportunities; (b) Provide job development, job placement, and career... job and career availability within the community, consistent with the current and projected local employment opportunities identified by the local workforce investment board for the community under section...

  18. Creating International Community Service Learning Experiences in a Capstone Marketing-Projects Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Metcalf, Lynn E.

    2010-01-01

    This article outlines the development of a project-based capstone marketing course, specifically designed to provide marketing students with an international community service learning experience. It differs significantly from previous studies, which focus on integrating service learning into existing marketing courses and on helping local…

  19. Career Education Community Resource Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    D'Lugin, Victor; And Others

    This guide, developed by the State Project to Implement Career Education (SPICE) in New York, is intended to serve as a model to assist teachers, guidance counselors, administrators, and project staff in using business and community resources in career education programs. The first section of the guide contains information on ways of updating and…

  20. Community Nutrition Action for Child Survival.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peace Corps, Washington, DC. Information Collection and Exchange Div.

    This publication is designed for use by managers of community-based nutrition programs. The training modules included in this manual were produced and field-tested by the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) as a special project providing focused technical assistance and project support to CEDPA training graduates. CEDPA…

  1. Developing Communities of Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Inman, Sally

    2011-01-01

    This article describes some of the findings of an evaluation of a "cross-curricular" digital media arts project for Year 8 students at Lister Community School in the London Borough of Newham. The project was designed to provide opportunities for a thematic curriculum in which quality learning encompassing both independent and collaborative…

  2. The ASCD Healthy School Communities Project: Formative Evaluation Results

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Valois, Robert F.; Lewallen, Theresa C.; Slade, Sean; Tasco, Adriane N.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report the formative evaluation results from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Healthy School Communities (HSC) pilot project. Design/methodology/approach: This study utilized 11 HSC pilot sites in the USA (eight sites) and Canada (three sites). The evaluation question was…

  3. Public/Private Partnership Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    District of Columbia Public Schools, Washington, DC.

    This document presents the Public/Private Partnership Programs, a school-community project developed in 1981 by the District of Columbia public schools and the private sector community to provide career-focused high school programs. The project was designed to motivate and support young people to stay in school, graduate from high school, and…

  4. Building Tomorrow's Higher Education: Leadership, Partnerships, and Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haynes, Sandra; Krebs, Paula M.; Buehler, Julie; Phillips, Clarenda M.

    2012-01-01

    Four members of the ACE Fellows Program class of 2010-2011 share the results of their fellowship projects, all of which were based at urban universities. The projects addressed partnerships between the universities and their urban communities in different contexts, including the creation of college-town developments, establishing a center for…

  5. Biographies for Artistic and Social Intervention: A Youth-Driven Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carvalho, Claudia Pato

    2014-01-01

    This article discusses how biographical materials may be used in youth arts education projects to develop new methodologies and approaches that can stimulate artistic and social intervention in contemporary urban communities, thus changing the field of arts education policy at the community level. Through their creation of Artistic Society…

  6. Development and Assessment of Service Learning Projects in General Biology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Felzien, Lisa; Salem, Laura

    2008-01-01

    Service learning involves providing service to the community while requiring students to meet learning goals in a specific course. A service learning project was implemented in a general biology course at Rockhurst University to involve students in promoting scientific education in conjunction with community partner educators. Students were…

  7. Title V in South Carolina -- An Update.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jacob, Nelson L.

    Since South Carolina's Title V Community and Resource Development (CRD) project is limited to one small rural county (Williamsburg) affording careful documentation, this paper explicates South Carolina's CRD process via a social action model. This project, then, is described in terms of the following model components: (1) community initiative…

  8. Project Northland high school interventions: community action to reduce adolescent alcohol use.

    PubMed

    Perry, C L; Williams, C L; Komro, K A; Veblen-Mortenson, S; Forster, J L; Bernstein-Lachter, R; Pratt, L K; Dudovitz, B; Munson, K A; Farbakhsh, K; Finnegan, J; McGovern, P

    2000-02-01

    Project Northland is a randomized community trial initially implemented in 24 school districts and communities in northeastern Minnesota, with goals of delaying onset and reducing adolescent alcohol use using community-wide, multiyear, multiple interventions. The study targets the Class of 1998 from the 6th to 12th grades (1991-1998). The early adolescent phase of Project Northland has been completed, and reductions in the prevalence of alcohol use at the end of 8th grade were achieved. Phase II of Project Northland, targeting 11th- and 12th-grade students, uses five major strategies: (1) direct action community organizing methods to encourage citizens to reduce underage access to alcohol, (2) youth development involving high school students in youth action teams, (3) print media to support community organizing and youth action initiatives and communicate healthy norms about underage drinking (e.g., providing alcohol to minors is unacceptable), (4) parent education and involvement, and (5) a classroom-based curriculum for 11th-grade students. This article describes the background, design, implementation, and process measures of the intervention strategies for Phase II of Project Northland.

  9. Rural Workplace Literacy: Community College Partnerships.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barnett, Lynn, Ed.

    In 1990, the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges developed a national workplace literacy demonstration project to raise awareness of the link between local economic development and basic workplace skill performance, and to stimulate a local leadership initiative around a community-wide effort to raise worker performance levels.…

  10. Conflict, Development and Community Participation in Education: Pakistan and Yemen

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Adele

    2005-01-01

    In development policy, community participation has increasingly come to be seen as a way to encourage community interest, involvement, ownership and ultimately, sustainability of projects. Education has also been affected by this discourse. The following paper examines two countries affected by conflict (Pakistan and Yemen), asking what type of…

  11. The Fun Bus: An Experiment in Nonformal Education through the Arts.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Russell, Robert

    A community development project employed the performing arts to focus community consciousness on local issues and problems in five towns in western Massachusetts. Performing artists and community development personnel organized town residents to hold workshops and, ultimately, theatrical productions to explore town issues. The team spent two weeks…

  12. Transformational Learning and Community Development: Early Reflections on Professional and Community Engagement at Macquarie University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rawlings-Sanaei, Felicity; Sachs, Judyth

    2014-01-01

    Professional and Community Engagement (PACE) at Macquarie University offers undergraduate students experiential learning opportunities with local, regional, and international partners. In PACE projects, students work toward meeting the partner's organizational goals while they develop their capabilities, learn through the process of engagement,…

  13. The evolution of an evaluation: a case study using the tribal participatory research model.

    PubMed

    Richmond, Lucinda S; Peterson, Donna J; Betts, Sherry C

    2008-10-01

    This article presents a case study of how the evaluation design for a dating violence prevention and/or youth development program for American Indian youth in Arizona evolved throughout the project. Particular attention is given to how the evaluation design was guided by the tribal participatory research model. A brief rationale for the project is presented along with literature on culturally competent evaluation and research with American Indians. A description of the project and the unique communities in which it was implemented is provided. The focus of the article is the process of how the evaluation plan changed and how various factors influenced this process (e.g., feedback from community stakeholders, conversations with funder, results of process evaluation, suggestions from literature, the authors' experience working in American Indian communities). The authors conclude with lessons learned for others to consider as they develop working relationships and evaluation plans in similar communities.

  14. User roles and contributions during the new product development process in collaborative innovation communities.

    PubMed

    Guo, Wei; Zheng, Qing; An, Weijin; Peng, Wei

    2017-09-01

    Collaborative innovation (co-innovation) community emerges as a new product design platform where companies involve users in the new product development (NPD) process. Large numbers of users participate and contribute to the process voluntarily. This exploratory study investigates the heterogeneous roles of users based on a global co-innovation project in online community. Content analysis, social network analysis and cluster method are employed to measure user behaviors, distinguish user roles, and analyze user contributions. The study identifies six user roles that emerge during the NPD process in co-innovation community: project leader, active designer, generalist, communicator, passive designer, and observer. The six user roles differ in their contribution forms and quality. This paper contributes to research on co-innovation in online communities, including design team structure, user roles and their contribution to design task and solution, as well as user value along the process. In addition, the study provides practices guidance on implementing project, attracting users, and designing platform for co-innovation community practitioners. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Development of a Community-Based Palliative Care Model for Advance Cancer Patients in Public Health Centers in Busan, Korea.

    PubMed

    Kim, Sook-Nam; Choi, Soon-Ock; Shin, Seong Hoon; Ryu, Ji-Sun; Baik, Jeong-Won

    2017-07-01

    A feasible palliative care model for advance cancer patients is needed in Korea with its rapidly aging population and corresponding increase in cancer prevalence. This study describes the process involved in the development of a community-based palliative care (CBPC) model implemented originally in a Busan pilot project. The model development included steps I and II of the pilot project, identification of the service types, a survey exploring the community demand for palliative care, construction of an operational infrastructure, and the establishment of a service delivery system. Public health centers (including Busan regional cancer centers, palliative care centers, and social welfare centers) served as the regional hubs in the development of a palliative care model. The palliative care project included the provision of palliative care, establishment of a support system for the operations, improvement of personnel capacity, development of an educational and promotional program, and the establishment of an assessment system to improve quality. The operational infrastructure included a service management team, provision teams, and a support team. The Busan Metropolitan City CBPC model was based on the principles of palliative care as well as the characteristics of public health centers that implemented the community health projects. The potential use of the Busan CBPC model in Korea should be explored further through service evaluations.

  16. Children of the Nile: The Community Schools Project in Upper Egypt. Education for All: Making It Work. Innovation Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zaalouk, Malak

    In 1992, UNICEF signed an agreement with the government of Egypt to develop and coordinate a community schools project in the deprived villages of rural upper Egypt. Four pilot sites were selected in the governorate of Assiut based on minimum numbers of out-of-school children, lack of a school nearby, and the eagerness of the community to…

  17. A Life in the Community: An Action Research Project Promoting Citizenship for People with High Support Needs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swift, Paul; Mattingly, Molly

    2009-01-01

    Life in the Community is an action research project with three objectives: (1) To work with four organisations from the third sector to improve the daytime opportunities for up to 40 people with higher support needs and help them to be more included in the life of a community; (2) To develop the capacity of organisations in the not-for-profit…

  18. Exploring an experiential learning project through Kolb's Learning Theory using a qualitative research method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yuk Chan, Cecilia Ka

    2012-08-01

    Experiential learning pedagogy is taking a lead in the development of graduate attributes and educational aims as these are of prime importance for society. This paper shows a community service experiential project conducted in China. The project enabled students to serve the affected community in a post-earthquake area by applying their knowledge and skills. This paper documented the students' learning process from their project goals, pre-trip preparations, work progress, obstacles encountered to the final results and reflections. Using the data gathered from a focus group interview approach, the four components of Kolb's learning cycle, the concrete experience, reflection observation, abstract conceptualisation and active experimentation, have been shown to transform and internalise student's learning experience, achieving a variety of learning outcomes. The author will also explore how this community service type of experiential learning in the engineering discipline allowed students to experience deep learning and develop their graduate attributes.

  19. Nursing faculty roles in international service-learning projects.

    PubMed

    Kohlbry, Pamela; Daugherty, JoAnn

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to describe faculty roles related to the design and implementation of an international nursing service-learning project. The impetus for this project was the 2008 American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) recommendations for using service-learning and immersion of students in diverse communities to improve nursing education in the area of cultural competency (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008a). We define service-learning as a learning experience engaging students in meeting community needs in an international setting so as to offer a different perspective into community health practices and to promote cultural competency. Based on our experience with service-learning, we identified four faculty roles in developing these types of projects. We define these roles as initiator, collaborator, facilitator, and advocate. This article will discuss the application of these faculty roles in developing service-learning opportunities with students. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Beyond Fishing: KCDF's Approach to Capacity Development. Working Papers in Early Childhood Development, No. 32

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mwaura, Nora

    2003-01-01

    In "Beyond Fishing," the Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) documents its experiences as a local capacity building and grantmaking organisation and describes how it supports community based projects in developing their organisational capacity. In recent decades, development organisations have been supporting capacity building…

  1. Project International Emphasis Interim Report, July 1991.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blois, Beverly, Ed.; Williams, Barbara

    Project International Emphasis (PIE), a curriculum development effort involving all 24 colleges in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), focuses on the infusion of globally oriented components across the academic curriculum and in related career development programs. Activities undertaken during the project's first year included an annual…

  2. Integrated watershed planning across jurisdictional boundaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Watts, A. W.; Roseen, R.; Stacey, P.; Bourdeau, R.

    2014-12-01

    We will present the foundation for an Coastal Watershed Integrated Plan for three communities in southern New Hampshire. Small communities are often challenged by complex regulatory requirements and limited resources, but are wary of perceived risks in engaging in collaborative projects with other communities. Potential concerns include loss of control, lack of resources to engage in collaboration, technical complexity, and unclear benefits. This project explores a multi-town subwatershed application of integrated planning across jurisdictional boundaries that addresses some of today's highest priority water quality issues: wastewater treatment plant upgrades for nutrient removal; green infrastructure stormwater management for developing and re-developing areas; and regional monitoring of ecosystem indicators in support of adaptive management to achieve nutrient reduction and other water quality goals in local and downstream waters. The project outcome is a collaboratively-developed inter-municipal integrated plan, and a monitoring framework to support cross jurisdictional planning and assess attainment of water quality management goals. This research project has several primary components: 1) assessment of initial conditions, including both the pollutant load inputs and the political, economic and regulatory status within each community, 2) a pollutant load model for point and non-point sources, 3) multi-criteria evaluation of load reduction alternatives 4) a watershed management plan optimized for each community, and for Subwatersheds combining multiple communities. The final plan will quantify the financial and other benefits/drawbacks to each community for both inter municipal and individual pollution control approaches. We will discuss both the technical and collaborative aspects of the work, with lessons learned regarding science to action, incorporation of social, economic and water quality assessment parameters, and stakeholder/researcher interaction.

  3. Community participation in primary health care projects of the Muldersdrift Health and Development Programme.

    PubMed

    Barker, M; Klopper, H

    2007-06-01

    After numerous teething problems (1974-1994), the Department of Nursing Education of WITS University took responsibility for the Muldersdrift Health and Development Programme (MHDP). The nursing science students explored and implemented an empowerment approach to community participation. The students worked with MHDP health workers to improve health through community participation, in combination with primary health care (PHC) activities and the involvement of a variety of community groups. As the PHC projects evolved over time, the need arose to evaluate the level of community participation and how much community ownership was present over decision-making and resources. This led to the question "What was the level of community participation in PHC projects of the MHDP?" Based on the question the following objectives were set, i.e. (i) to evaluate the community participation in PHC initiatives; (ii) to provide the project partners with motivational affirmation on the level of community participation criteria thus far achieved; (iii) to indicate to participants the mechanisms that should still be implemented if they wanted to advance to higher levels of community participation; (iv) to evaluate the MHDP's implementation of a people-centred approach to community participation in PHC; and (v) the evaluation of the level of community participation in PHC projects in the MHDP. An evaluative, descriptive, contextual and quantitative research design was used. Ethical standards were adhered to throughout the study. The MHDP had a study population of twenty-three (N=23) PHC projects. A purposive sample of seven PHC initiatives was chosen according to specific selection criteria and evaluated according to the "Criteria to evaluate community participation in PHC projects" instrument (a quantitative tool). Structured group interviews were done with PHC projects' executive committee members. The Joint Management Committee's data was collected through mailed self-administered questionnaires. Validity and reliability were ensured according to strict criteria. Thereafter results were analysed and plotted on a radiating arm continuum. The following factors had component scores: organization, leadership, resources, management; needs and skills. A spider graph was produced after each factor's continuum was connected in a spoke figuration that brought them together at the base where participation was at its most narrow. The results are presented and a graph and discussion is provided on each of the PHC projects. The research results indicated that although community participation was broadened, there was minimal success in forcing a shift in power over decision-making and resources. This demonstrated that power over planning and resources should remain in the hands of the partners if community participation was to remain progressive and sustained. Results furthermore indicated that the people-centred approach to With regard to the Joint Management Committee's evaluation of community participation, it was concluded that power over decision-making and resources remained with health professionals rather than with the community, and that a people-centred approach had not been adopted.

  4. Community health assessment tool: a patterns approach to data collection and diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Kriegler, N F; Harton, M K

    1992-01-01

    Creation of an assessment tool to apply Gordon's functional patterns to the community as a client was a rewarding and stimulating project. Through use of the CHAT, students developed an appreciation of the complexity and inter-relationship of numerous aspects of the community. They completed the nursing process by developing appropriate nursing diagnoses, and planning, implementing, and evaluating a health promotion project. As the students continue to use this tool in the health promotion course, the diagnoses which they generate are being collected. From this accumulated input the plan is to compile a list of common diagnoses which are appropriate to use when the community is the client.

  5. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lantz, E.; Tegen, S.

    'Community wind' refers to a class of wind energy ownership structures. The extent of local ownership may range from a small minority share to full ownership by persons in the immediate area surrounding the wind project site. Potential project owners include local farmers, businesses, Native American tribes, universities, cooperatives, or any other local entity seeking to invest in wind energy. The opposite of community wind is an 'absentee' project, in which ownership is completely removed from the state and community surrounding the facility. Thus, there is little or no ongoing direct financial benefit to state and local populations aside frommore » salaries for local repair technicians, local property tax payments, and land lease payments. In recent years, the community wind sector has been inhibited by manufacturers' preference for larger turbine orders. This often puts smaller community wind developers and projects at a competitive disadvantage. However, state policies specifically supporting community wind may become a more influential market factor as turbines are now more readily available given manufacturer ramp-ups and the slow-down in the industry that has accompanied the recent economic and financial crises. This report examines existing literature to provide an overview of economic impacts resulting from community wind projects, compares results, and explains variability.« less

  6. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lantz, E.; Tegen, S.

    "Community wind" refers to a class of wind energy ownership structures. The extent of local ownership may range from a small minority share to full ownership by persons in the immediate area surrounding the wind project site. Potential project owners include local farmers, businesses, Native American tribes, universities, cooperatives, or any other local entity seeking to invest in wind energy. The opposite of community wind is an "absentee" project, in which ownership is completely removed from the state and community surrounding the facility. Thus, there is little or no ongoing direct financial benefit to state and local populations aside frommore » salaries for local repair technicians, local property tax payments, and land lease payments. In recent years, the community wind sector has been inhibited by manufacturers' preference for larger turbine orders. This often puts smaller community wind developers and projects at a competitive disadvantage. However, state policies specifically supporting community wind may become a more influential market factor as turbines are now more readily available given manufacturer ramp-ups and the slow-down in the industry that has accompanied the recent economic and financial crises. This report examines existing literature to provide an overview of economic impacts resulting from community wind projects, compares results, and explains variability.« less

  7. 'Changing climate, changing health, changing stories' profile: using an EcoHealth approach to explore impacts of climate change on inuit health.

    PubMed

    Harper, S L; Edge, V L; Cunsolo Willox, A

    2012-03-01

    Global climate change and its impact on public health exemplify the challenge of managing complexity and uncertainty in health research. The Canadian North is currently experiencing dramatic shifts in climate, resulting in environmental changes which impact Inuit livelihoods, cultural practices, and health. For researchers investigating potential climate change impacts on Inuit health, it has become clear that comprehensive and meaningful research outcomes depend on taking a systemic and transdisciplinary approach that engages local citizens in project design, data collection, and analysis. While it is increasingly recognised that using approaches that embrace complexity is a necessity in public health, mobilizing such approaches from theory into practice can be challenging. In 2009, the Rigolet Inuit Community Government in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, Canada partnered with a transdisciplinary team of researchers, health practitioners, and community storytelling facilitators to create the Changing Climate, Changing Health, Changing Stories project, aimed at developing a multi-media participatory, community-run methodological strategy to gather locally appropriate and meaningful data to explore climate-health relationships. The goal of this profile paper is to describe how an EcoHealth approach guided by principles of transdisciplinarity, community participation, and social equity was used to plan and implement this climate-health research project. An overview of the project, including project development, research methods, project outcomes to date, and challenges encountered, is presented. Though introduced in this one case study, the processes, methods, and lessons learned are broadly applicable to researchers and communities interested in implementing EcoHealth approaches in community-based research.

  8. DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING A LEAD DUST MONITORING, OUTREACH AND EDUCATION PROGRAM IN YOUR COMMUNITY/SYRACUSE LEAD DUST PROJECT

    EPA Science Inventory

    EPA has developed a technology transfer document (case-study) for the EMPACT Syracuse Lead Dust Project. The Lead Dust Project is designed to measure the lead dust content in homes and public buildings within the City of Syracuse, NY. The project also contains an educational comp...

  9. Developing Communities of Practice around e-Learning and Project Management

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Laxton, Ruth; Applebee, Andrelyn Cheryl

    2010-01-01

    In 2007-8 the Australian Catholic University (ACU National), undertook a project to develop new resources to provide training and support in eLearning for staff and students. The project was undertaken by a multidisciplinary team drawn from all six campuses and was led by an externally contracted Project Manager/eLearning specialist. This…

  10. "Boomsville to Doomsville" - Development of Industry Within a Community. Environmental Ecological Education Project. Revised, July 1973.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abbott, Verlin M.

    This unit, developed for use with junior high school students, focuses on industry as an integral part of community life. It discusses factors industry should consider before choosing a location; it attempts to demonstrate that industry should not always be regarded negatively in a given community, but rather that it can benefit a community by…

  11. Community Concerns and Extension Youth Programs. Proceedings Regional Conference (February 18-20, 1981). Publication 28.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    White, Leigh Cree, Ed.

    The 4-H/Community Resource Development workshop was designed to help people conducting Extension 4-H programs on sensitive and complex community issues improve their ability to create a better climate for discussion of alternatives and development of community projects. Topics of the presentations included the role of the 4-H administrator,…

  12. Applying Community-Based Participatory Research Principles to the Development of a Smoking-Cessation Program for American Indian Teens: "Telling Our Story"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horn, Kimberly; McCracken, Lyn; Dino, Geri; Brayboy, Missy

    2008-01-01

    Community-based participatory research provides communities and researchers with opportunities to develop interventions that are effective as well as acceptable and culturally competent. The present project responds to the voices of the North Carolina American Indian (AI) community and the desire for their youth to recognize tobacco addiction and…

  13. Second Community Pilot Project Programme: Transition of Young People from School to Adult and Working Life: Results and Prospects. Dossier.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eurydice News, 1987

    1987-01-01

    During 1983-87 the Commission of the European Communities helped fund 30 pilot projects that were intended to help young people aged 14-18 make the transition from school to work in 10 member states. The objective of these projects was to use local initiative to identify and develop innovative solutions to the problems facing young people. The…

  14. ISABEL Triggering Sustainable Biogas Energy Communities through Social Innovation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baumgarten, Wibke; Piedra Garcia, Diego

    2017-04-01

    The Horizon 2020 funding project ISABEL (Triggering Sustainable Biogas Energy Communities through Social Innovation) is all about promoting, supporting and developing community biogas in Europe. The project is set on providing all the framework conditions for biogas communities to shape, develop and thrive. It works on all angles to pave the way for the transition from traditional supply chains to community ownership and take full advantage of the ample societal benefits of regional community-driven biogas systems, fuelled and inspired by Social Innovation principles. The biogas communities emerge in three targeted ISABEL regions, Baden-Württemberg in Germany, Central and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace in Greece and Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the Humber in UK. To realize this vision ISABEL is employing its "5E strategy" with the following objectives: Educate: Re-position biogas energy by re-branding it as a "public good". Engage: Enable the development of regional Biogas Communities. Empower: Utilize the created momentum through Social Innovation and Public Participation Evaluate: Assess the local interventions and drafting lessons and guidelines Expand: Maximise impact through transfer and replication

  15. Sustaining Community Participation: What Remains After the Money Ends?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nkansa, Grace Akukwe; Chapman, David W.

    2006-12-01

    SUSTAINING COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION: WHAT REMAINS AFTER THE MONEY ENDS? - A major concern confronting development specialists in the education sector is the sustainability of project activities and outcomes, that is, their ability to persist once external funding ends. The increased attention of international development-assistance organizations to sustainability reflects the greater recent focus on outcome-based funding. The present study investigates differences between six communities in Ghana that varied in their ability to sustain externally initiated community-participation activities beyond the life of the external development-assistance project that promoted those activities. It was hypothesized that high- and low-sustaining communities differ in eight managerial and socio-cultural dimensions suggested by earlier research to be important for sustainability of community-level activities: planning, transparency, leadership, and participation, on one hand, and, on the other, social cohesion, resources, community skills, and valuing of education. Findings indicate that leadership and social cohesion are the two most vital elements in the sustainability of organizational structures intended to promote community participation in the oversight of local schools. Other factors suggested by the model are largely subsumed under leadership, so that the model can be simplified.

  16. Elucidating empowerment in El Proyecto Bienestar (the Well-Being Project).

    PubMed

    Postma, Julie

    2008-05-01

    This paper describes differences in how socioculturally diverse participants in one community-based participatory research project negotiated 'empowerment', and the implications of those differences for nurses involved in farmworker health and safety efforts. Internationally, empowerment and community participation are increasingly being used as strategies to reduce health disparities. Theories of empowerment vary in the academic literature and their connotations vary across cultures. Study participants were part of El Proyecto Bienestar, a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project whose aim was to identify and respond to occupational and environmental health threats in one Mexican-American farmworker community in the United States of America. Participant observation was used to audiorecord 18 participants in the third year (2006) of this 4-year project discussing future project activities. Discourse analysis was used to analyse the transcripts. While participants agreed that 'empowerment' was central to the project, they had different perspectives on what the term meant and the role that the project should play in empowering the farmworker community. Empowerment discourses positioned the project in three ways: (1) as an instrument used to strengthen farmworkers' collective political voice, (2) as an instrument used to represent multiple community interests and (3) as an instrument used to advocate on behalf of farmworkers. Individuals used multiple discourses signifying the complexity in participants' roles and obligations. Balancing power and developing knowledge collaboratively requires understanding multiple approaches to empowerment. Community empowerment as an outcome should not come at the expense of individual empowerment as part of the CBPR process.

  17. Students implement the Affordable Care Act: a model for undergraduate teaching and research in community health and sociology.

    PubMed

    Green, Brandn; Jones, Kristal; Boyd, Neil; Milofsky, Carl; Martin, Eric

    2015-06-01

    The implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to observe and experience first-hand changing social policies and their impacts for individuals and communities. This article overviews an action research and teaching project developed at an undergraduate liberal arts university and focused on providing ACA enrollment assistance as a way to support student engagement with community health. The project was oriented around education, enrollment and evaluation activities in the community, and students and faculty together reflected on and analyzed the experiences that came from the research and outreach project. Student learning centered around applying concepts of diversity and political agency to health policy and community health systems. Students reported and faculty observed an unexpected empowerment for students who were able to use their university-learned critical thinking skills to explain complex systems to a wide range of audiences. In addition, because the project was centered at a university with no health professions programs, the project provided students interested in community and public health with the opportunity to reflect on how health and access to health care is conditioned by social context. The structure and pedagogical approaches and implications of the action research and teaching project is presented here as a case study for how to engage undergraduates in questions of community and public health through the lens of health policy and community engagement.

  18. Horticulture Therapy Curriculum Development. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Sally; And Others

    This final report includes two major components: a narrative describing a project at Edmonds Community College, Washington, to develop a horticultural therapy curriculum and descriptions of six courses developed or revised during the project. The narrative reports the development of a supplementary interdisciplinary certification program to train…

  19. The DLESE Evaluation Toolkit Project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buhr, S. M.; Barker, L. J.; Marlino, M.

    2002-12-01

    The Evaluation Toolkit and Community project is a new Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) collection designed to raise awareness of project evaluation within the geoscience education community, and to enable principal investigators, teachers, and evaluators to implement project evaluation more readily. This new resource is grounded in the needs of geoscience educators, and will provide a virtual home for a geoscience education evaluation community. The goals of the project are to 1) provide a robust collection of evaluation resources useful for Earth systems educators, 2) establish a forum and community for evaluation dialogue within DLESE, and 3) disseminate the resources through the DLESE infrastructure and through professional society workshops and proceedings. Collaboration and expertise in education, geoscience and evaluation are necessary if we are to conduct the best possible geoscience education. The Toolkit allows users to engage in evaluation at whichever level best suits their needs, get more evaluation professional development if desired, and access the expertise of other segments of the community. To date, a test web site has been built and populated, initial community feedback from the DLESE and broader community is being garnered, and we have begun to heighten awareness of geoscience education evaluation within our community. The web site contains features that allow users to access professional development about evaluation, search and find evaluation resources, submit resources, find or offer evaluation services, sign up for upcoming workshops, take the user survey, and submit calendar items. The evaluation resource matrix currently contains resources that have met our initial review. The resources are currently organized by type; they will become searchable on multiple dimensions of project type, audience, objectives and evaluation resource type as efforts to develop a collection-specific search engine mature. The peer review criteria and process for ensuring that the site contains robust and useful resources has been drafted and received initial feedback from the project advisory board, which consists of members of every segment of the target audience. The review criteria are based upon DLESE peer review criteria, the MERLOT digital library peer review criteria, digital resource evaluation criteria, and evaluation best practices. In geoscience education, as in most endeavors, improvements are made by asking questions and acting upon information about successes and failures; project evaluation can be thought of as the systematic process of asking these questions and gathering the right information. The Evaluation Toolkit seeks to help principal investigators, teachers, and evaluators use the evaluation process to improve our projects and our field.

  20. Research for Improved Health: Variability and Impact of Structural Characteristics in Federally Funded Community Engaged Research

    PubMed Central

    Pearson, Cythina R.; Duran, Bonnie; Oetzel, John; Margarati, Maya; Villegas, Malia; Lucero, Julie; Wallerstein, Nina

    2016-01-01

    Background Although there is strong scientific, policy, and community support for community-engaged research (CEnR)—including community-based participatory research (CBPR)—the science of CEnR is still developing. Objective To describe structural differences in federally funded CEnR projects by type of research (i.e., descriptive, intervention, or dissemination/policy change) and race/ethnicity of the population served. Methods We identified 333 federally funded projects in 2009 that potentially involved CEnR, 294 principal investigators/project directors (PI/PD) were eligible to participate in a key informant (KI) survey from late 2011 to early 2012 that asked about partnership structure (68% response rate). Results The National Institute on Minority Health & Health Disparities (19.1%), National Cancer Institute (NCI; 13.3%), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; 12.6%) funded the most CEnR projects. Most were intervention projects (66.0%). Projects serving American Indian or Alaskan Native (AIAN) populations (compared with other community of color or multiple-race/unspecified) were likely to be descriptive projects (p < .01), receive less funding (p < .05), and have higher rates of written partnership agreements (p < .05), research integrity training (p < .05), approval of publications (p < .01), and data ownership (p < .01). AIAN-serving projects also reported similar rates of research productivity and greater levels of resource sharing compared with those serving multiple-race/unspecified groups. Conclusions There is clear variability in the structure of CEnR projects with future research needed to determine the impact of this variability on partnering processes and outcomes. In addition, projects in AIAN communities receive lower levels of funding yet still have comparable research productivity to those projects in other racial/ethnic communities. PMID:25981421

  1. The Development of a "Neighborhood in Solidarity" in Switzerland.

    PubMed

    Zwygart, Marion; Plattet, Alain; Ammor, Sarah

    2017-01-01

    This article presents a case study based on the "Neighborhood in Solidarity" (NS) methodology to illustrate its application in a locality of 8,000 inhabitants in Switzerland. This specific project is proposed to exemplify the global aim of the NS methodology. That aim is to increase the integration of elderly persons in societies in order to improve their quality of life. The case study demonstrates the enhancement of the capacity of the older people to remain actively engaged in their neighborhood. The article focuses on the creation of an autonomous community of empowered older people who can resolve their own problems after a 5-year project. The construction of the local community is presented throughout the six steps of the methodology: (1) preliminary analysis, (2) diagnostic, (3) construction, (4) project design, (5) project implementation, and (6) empowerment and with three degrees of involvement (community, participative, and integrative involvement). Performance and output indicators, quality indicators, and social determinants of health assess the development of the local project. The impacts of the projects which are illustrated in this specific example motivated this publication to inspire practitioners from other countries.

  2. Intermediate outcomes of a tribal community public health infrastructure assessment.

    PubMed

    English, Kevin C; Wallerstein, Nina; Chino, Michelle; Finster, Carolyn E; Rafelito, Alvin; Adeky, Sarah; Kennedy, Marianna

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of this collaborative participatory project was to assess the strengths and needs of a tribal community as part of a larger public health capacity building program. Key project partners included: the Ramah Band of Navajo Indians, the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board, the University of New Mexico Masters in Public Health Program, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, American Indian Research and Education Center. Principal intervention steps entailed: 1) relationship-building activities among tribal programs and between the Tribe and the scientific community; 2) an orientation to public health; 3) a comprehensive public health infrastructure assessment, utilizing a standardized CDC instrument; and 4) a prioritization of identified needs. The direct outcome was the development and beginning implementation of a community specific public health strategic action plan. Broader results included: 1) increased comprehension of public health within the Tribe; 2) the creation of a community public health task force; 3) the design of a tribally applicable assessment instrument; and 4) improved collaboration between the Tribe and the scientific community. This project demonstrated that public health assessment in tribal communities is feasible and valuable. Further, the development of a tribally applicable instrument highlights a significant tribal contribution to research and assessment.

  3. What Does It Mean to Be a Friendly Outsider? Critical Reflection on Finding a Role as an Action Researcher with Communities Developing Renewable Energy Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rogers, Jennifer; Convery, Ian; Simmons, Eunice; Weatherall, Andrew

    2012-01-01

    This paper is a reflective account exploring the value of using action research in a relatively new context in the United Kingdom; the development of community renewable-energy projects. There is a strong rationale for using action research in this setting due to the synergies between the principles and practice of action research and localised…

  4. Development of Procedures to Implement EOPS Cost Effectiveness Standards Model and Continued Evaluation of These Procedures by Selected Community Colleges during the 1974-75 Academic Year. EOPS Special Project 74-101.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aughinbaugh, Lorine A.; And Others

    Four products were developed during the second year of the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) cost effectiveness study for California community colleges. This project report presents: (1) a revised cost analysis form for state-level reporting of institutional program effectiveness data and per-student costs by EOPS program category…

  5. The Enduring Communities Project of Japanese American Experiences in New Mexico during World War II and Beyond: A Teacher's Journey in Creating Meaningful Curriculum for the Secondary Social Studies Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ball, Diane Leslie

    2010-01-01

    In 2006, the Japanese American National Museum funded a three year curriculum development project entitled "Enduring Communities: Japanese Americans in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Utah." As a member of the team of teachers from New Mexico, I used this experience to study my process of developing meaningful content and…

  6. Active Living Logan Square: joining together to create opportunities for physical activity.

    PubMed

    Gomez-Feliciano, Lucy; McCreary, Linda L; Sadowsky, Rob; Peterson, Serena; Hernandez, Adolfo; McElmurry, Beverly J; Park, Chang Gi

    2009-12-01

    The Active Living Logan Square target audience is the community of the southwest corner of Logan Square, an urban Chicago community of 84,466 residents, mostly Latinos. Through the Active Living by Design (ALbD) initiative, the Logan Square Neighborhood Association leveraged its 48 years of existence in the neighborhood to create opportunities and build partnerships. Activities addressed three primary goals: (1) enhance school environments and practices to support physical activity before, during, and after the school day; (2) encourage individuals and families to enjoy outdoor activities in their own communities; and (3) create safe, inviting places for activity that connect to surrounding communities. The partnership's participatory approach involved a variety of community stakeholders in developing and implementing affordable, accessible, culturally acceptable, and sustainable physical activities for children and their families. The partnership successfully piloted Open Streets (temporary street closures) and advocated for development of the Bloomingdale Trail, an elevated rails-to-trails project. In schools, the partnership changed the culture at McAuliffe Elementary to support healthy behaviors through new policies, physical projects, and programs. Vital components of the project's success included a full-time coordinator with strong community ties; time to build healthy relationships within the partnership and community; the use of culturally relevant strategies; and flexibility to welcome complementary opportunities. The partnership intentionally did not produce a single community-recognized campaign; instead, it chose to use limited resources to promote tangible programs and projects that led to sustainable and replicable changes that promote physical activity.

  7. 24 CFR 570.209 - Guidelines for evaluating and selecting economic development projects.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 3 2011-04-01 2010-04-01 true Guidelines for evaluating and selecting economic development projects. 570.209 Section 570.209 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban Development (Continued) OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR COMMUNITY PLANNING...

  8. Language & Communication Skills Curriculum Binder. Workplace Training Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lane Community Coll., Eugene, OR.

    This document, which is intended for workplace trainers, contains materials for conducting 10 workplace language and communication skills courses that were developed through the Workplace Training Project, which was a partnership involving Lane Community College in Oregon and five area businesses. The courses were developed by project staff based…

  9. Prison Literacy Project Handbook.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kops, Joan, Ed.

    This handbook records the creation, development and growth, and stumbling blocks and successes of the Prison Literacy Project (PLP). It is intended to serve as a model for other community groups that are developing their own literacy projects. The handbook provides a history and philosophy of PLP, states PLP's vision and purpose, discusses need,…

  10. Math Skills Curriculum Binder. Workplace Training Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lane Community Coll., Eugene, OR.

    This document, which is intended for workplace trainers, contains materials for conducting five workplace mathematics courses that were developed through the Workplace Training Project, a partnership involving Lane Community College in Oregon and five area businesses. The five courses, which were developed by project staff based on the business…

  11. OA38 From service delivery to community enablement: a public health approach to palliative care.

    PubMed

    McLoughlin, Kathleen; Rhatigan, Jim; Richardson, Marie; Lloyd, Rebecca

    2015-04-01

    : Milford Care Centre is the only hospice in Ireland to make a strategic decision to embrace a public health approach to palliative care, through the development, implementation and evaluation of the Compassionate Communities Project. This presentation seeks to examine why Milford made the decision to move toward a community enablement model, describes the development and implementation of the Compassionate Communities Project to date, presents key findings from recent evaluations and highlights our plans for the future. The presentation uses a reflective, story telling approach to meet it's aims, coupled with data and statistics gathered from the evaluations, and includes a new short film 'Tell Me' developed by recent Computer Science graduates for the Project to use to engage with communities during Café Conversations. The presentation will highlight the relevance of Health Promoting Palliative Care theory to the development of a three-tier model of programme activity, examine the challenges in implementing such an approach and will discuss the impact of upstream intervention to downstream service provision using case studies. © 2015, Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  12. Developing community networks to deliver HIV prevention interventions.

    PubMed Central

    Guenther-Grey, C; Noroian, D; Fonseka, J; Higgins, D

    1996-01-01

    Outreach has a long history in health and social service programs as an important method for reaching at-risk persons within their communities. One method of "outreach" is based on the recruitment of networks of community members (or "networkers") to deliver HIV prevention messages and materials in the context of their social networks and everyday lives. This paper documents the experiences of the AIDS Community Demonstration Projects in recruiting networkers to deliver HIV prevention interventions to high-risk populations, including injecting drug users not in treatment; female sex partners of injecting drug users; female sex traders; men who have sex with men but do not self-identify as gay; and youth in high-risk situations. The authors interviewed project staff and reviewed project records of the implementation of community networks in five cities. Across cities, the projects successfully recruited persons into one or more community networks to distribute small media materials, condoms, and bleach kits, and encourage risk-reduction behaviors among community members. Networkers' continuing participation was enlisted through a variety of monetary and nonmonetary incentives. While continuous recruitment of networkers was necessary due to attrition, most interventions reported maintaining a core group of networkers. In addition, the projects appeared to serve as a starting point for some networkers to become more active in other community events and issues. PMID:8862156

  13. Community Data Management and the Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duerr, R.; Pulsifer, P. L.; Strawhacker, C.; Mccann, H. S.

    2016-12-01

    The mission of the Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA) is to facilitate the collection, preservation, exchange, and use of local observations and knowledge by Indigenous communities in the Arctic by providing data management services and user support, and by fostering collaboration between resident Arctic experts and visiting researchers. ELOKA's overarching philosophy is that Local and Traditional Knowledge (LTK) and scientific data and expertise are complementary and reinforcing ways of understanding the Arctic system. Collecting, documenting, preserving, and sharing knowledge is a cooperative endeavor, and ELOKA is dedicated to fostering ethical knowledge sharing among Arctic residents and communities, scientists, educators, policy makers, and the general public. But what does that mean in practice and what are the next steps for ELOKA in the coming years? In this presentation, we discuss the ethical issues involved with data management for LTK and community-based projects, some of the tools ELOKA has developed for interacting with communities and researchers and for managing LTK data, and our plans for the future. These include a discussion of the considerations local and community-based projects should make when planning and conducting research. It is clear, for example, that research projects should either include Indigenous voices at the outset of the project or have a prominent Indigenous voice so that appropriate methods or approaches can be adopted. Discussion of data access and funder obligations will be included. The data management tools that ELOKA employs and is developing for the future that can manage the wide range of data types typical of a community or LTK project will also be described, as will ELOKA's program for transferring long-term data management skills to communities that wish to take that on. Finally, ELOKA's plans for the future will be described.

  14. Service-Learning in Communities of Elders (SLICE): Development and Evaluation of an Introductory Geriatrics Course for Medical Students.

    PubMed

    Laks, Jordana; Wilson, Lindsay A; Khandelwal, Christine; Footman, Eleni; Jamison, Margaret; Roberts, Ellen

    2016-01-01

    Medical students have limited exposure to Geriatrics in their traditional training. Service-learning offers students the opportunity to engage with older adult communities and become more comfortable interacting with this population. A preclinical elective course was developed to expand medical students' experiences in Geriatrics through service-learning. In this course, students conducted needs assessments in diverse older adult communities, created health education projects to address community-identified needs, and reflected on their experiences through written assignments and presentations. The course instructor presented lectures on special topics in Geriatrics, including ageism and health literacy. The curriculum aimed to familiarize students with older adults' needs in a variety of settings. Over 3 years, 74 students participated in the service-learning course. Students were assigned to older adult community sites, where they conducted needs assessments and designed and implemented original educational projects targeting community concerns. Program evaluation methods included a validated survey assessing students' attitudes toward older adults, course evaluations, review of student assignments and projects, and feedback from older adult participants and site coordinators. Students gained hands-on experience working with older adults and designing appropriate health education projects. Analysis of attitude surveys demonstrated students' increased interest in Geriatrics as a career. Both students and older adult participants described enjoyable, valuable experiences gained from service-learning activities. Students appreciated the combination of community and classroom learning about Geriatrics. Service-learning was most constructive at sites with responsive coordinators, engaged older adults, and a need for health education resources. The course challenged students to assess health needs in communities that included cognitively impaired elders and to design educational projects tailored to older adults.

  15. Bounded Community: Designing and Facilitating Learning Communities in Formal Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilson, Brent G.; Ludwig-Hardman, Stacey; Thornam, Christine L.; Dunlap, Joanna C.

    2004-01-01

    Learning communities can emerge spontaneously when people find common learning goals and pursue projects and tasks together in pursuit of those goals. "Bounded" learning communities (BLCs) are groups that form within a structured teaching or training setting, typically a course. Unlike spontaneous communities, BLCs develop in direct response to…

  16. Project WISE: Building STEM-Focused Youth-Programs that Serve the Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DiLisi, Gregory A.; McMillin, Keith A.; Virostek, Margaret E.

    2011-01-01

    We describe the design and implementation of Project WISE, a multi-institutional partnership that assembles interdisciplinary teams of undergraduate and high school students charged with developing STEM-focused community youth-programs. Our goal is twofold: (i.) to promote young women's interest in STEM-oriented careers through an early, positive…

  17. Facts for a Change: Citizen Action Research for Better Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burges, Bill

    In an action research project, local citizens and community groups (often in collaboration with school professionals) investigate community-defined issues. Action research is geared to help people think clearly about an issue and find the resources they need to face it. In such a project, citizens develop skills in organizing, finding resources,…

  18. Higher Education. Lifelong Learning and Community Service: A Profile of Action and Responsibility.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Champagne, Joseph E.

    Two projects, designed to serve as technical input to the developing Texas State Plan for Higher Continuing Education, focused on: (1) enrollment trends and needs, institutional activities, and statewide planning across the nation; and (2) higher education and community services. Both projects involved extensive survey work of institutional visits…

  19. Preventing Agricultural Chemical Exposure: A Safety Program Manual. Participatory Education with Farmworkers in Pesticide Safety.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wake Forest Univ., Winston-Salem, NC. Dept. of Family and Community Medicine.

    Preventing Agricultural Chemical Exposure among North Carolina Farmworkers (PACE) is a project designed to describe farmworker pesticide exposure and to develop an educational intervention to reduce farmworker pesticide exposure. The PACE project used a community participation framework to ensure that the community played a significant role in…

  20. Spanish-Language Learners and Latinos: Two Community-Based Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    López, Sylvia

    2014-01-01

    The growing U.S. Latino dispersal is allowing for more interactions between students of Spanish and native Spanish speakers. By working with Latino community members, Spanish instructors help meet the standards for foreign language education developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. This article describes 2 projects.…

  1. Improving Nutritional Health in Schools: Gardens in Moldova

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pearson, Joanne M.

    2008-01-01

    International activities of FCS professionals take many forms, most often at the grassroots level making a difference in the daily lives of people and their communities, far from their own communities. A 2 1/2-year project, supported by the Monsanto Fund and an International Federation of Home Economics (IFHE) project grant, developed school…

  2. The Complexities of Community-Based Websites

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bomberger, Ann; Homan, Michelle

    2015-01-01

    This article describes the development and ongoing operations of the GreenEriePA.org project, a portal to all things environmental in Erie County, PA. Through regular input from community partners, GreenEriePA turned into a much larger, long-term project than the faculty coordinators at Gannon University, Erie, PA, originally anticipated. We…

  3. Enrollment Projections for Queensborough Community College: 1986-1989.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cohen, Edward G.

    Enrollment projections for Queensborough Community College (QCC) were developed using the cohort survival method to assist the college in more effectively planning for future academic and budgetary needs. In the face of a falling national population of young people in the 16 to 25 age bracket, demographic factors at work in Queens are expected to…

  4. Examples of coupled human and environmental systems from the extractive industry and hydropower sector interfaces

    PubMed Central

    Castro, Marcia C.; Krieger, Gary R.; Balge, Marci Z.; Tanner, Marcel; Utzinger, Jürg; Whittaker, Maxine; Singer, Burton H.

    2016-01-01

    Large-scale corporate projects, particularly those in extractive industries or hydropower development, have a history from early in the twentieth century of creating negative environmental, social, and health impacts on communities proximal to their operations. In many instances, especially for hydropower projects, the forced resettlement of entire communities was a feature in which local cultures and core human rights were severely impacted. These projects triggered an activist opposition that progressively expanded and became influential at both the host community level and with multilateral financial institutions. In parallel to, and spurred by, this activism, a shift occurred in 1969 with the passage of the National Environmental Policy Act in the United States, which required Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for certain types of industrial and infrastructure projects. Over the last four decades, there has been a global movement to develop a formal legal/regulatory EIA process for large industrial and infrastructure projects. In addition, social, health, and human rights impact assessments, with associated mitigation plans, were sequentially initiated and have increasingly influenced project design and relations among companies, host governments, and locally impacted communities. Often, beneficial community-level social, economic, and health programs have voluntarily been put in place by companies. These flagship programs can serve as benchmarks for community–corporate–government partnerships in the future. Here, we present examples of such positive phenomena and also focus attention on a myriad of challenges that still lie ahead. PMID:27791077

  5. Elements Affecting the Development of Professional Learning Communities in Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schaap, Harmen; de Bruijn, Elly

    2018-01-01

    This article focuses on the development of professional learning communities (PLCs), which are communities within schools, composed of voluntary participating teachers facilitated by school principals with a specific task to accomplish as part of a larger innovation project. Four PLCs were observed during 3 years by using questionnaires and…

  6. Development of Community Based Rehabilitation in Pakistan: Bringing Mental Handicap into Focus.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miles, M.

    1998-01-01

    Reviews the history of services for people with mental disabilities in Pakistan, with emphasis on the development of outreach projects based on principles of community-based rehabilitation. Strategies are suggested that build on existing realities and strengths of families and communities. Promising examples from Bangladesh are cited. (Author/DB)

  7. University Capital, Community Engagement, and Continuing Education: Blending Professional Development and Social Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jackson, Edward T.

    2010-01-01

    Extending the dialogue on community engagement, this article examines the potential of a new programming area for university continuing education (UCE) that blends professional development and social change: the investment of university capital in community projects. Increasing interest in applying social and environmental, as well as financial,…

  8. DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNITY POWER FROM SUSTAINABLE SMALL HYDRO POWER SYSTEMS – ACAPACITY BUILDING PROJECT IN BANGANG, CAMEROON

    EPA Science Inventory

    Electric power is one of the basic needs for the development of any community. With electric power lacking in most rural communities in Africa, providing basic amenities that are dependent on power such as clean portable drinking water, powering equipment in health and dent...

  9. Community Education Proven Practices II: Networking Strategies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arkansas State Dept. of Education, Little Rock.

    Designed to be used by those who wish to initiate or further develop community education programs at the state and local levels, this publication is one of a series of "Proven Practices" developed by federally-funded state and local community education projects. The booklet describes the administrative design and the process used to…

  10. Unleashing the Power of the 21st Century Community College: Maximizing Labor Market Responsiveness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    MacAllum, Keith; Yoder, Karla; Poliakoff, Anne Rogers

    2004-01-01

    To help all community colleges unleash their potential for workforce and economic development, the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education sponsored the Community College Labor Market Responsiveness (CCLMR) Initiative. This project sought to develop and disseminate information and tools enabling colleges to keep pace…

  11. Linking community and national park development: A case from the Dominican Republic

    Treesearch

    John Schelhas; Ruth E. Sherman; Timothy J. Fahey; James P. Lassoie

    2002-01-01

    National parks have complex relationships with local communities that impact both conservation success and community well-being. Integrated conservation arid development projects have been a key approach to managing these relationships, although their effectiveness has been increasingly questioned. Park-people relationships of the Armando Bermudez National Park in the...

  12. Accelerated Schools as Professional Learning Communities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Biddle, Julie K.

    The goal of the Accelerated Schools Project (ASP) is to develop schools in which all children achieve at high levels and all members of the school community engage in developing and fulfilling the school's vision. But to fully implement the ASP model, a school must become a learning community that stresses relationships, shared values, and a…

  13. Development of a community sustainability visualization tool through integration of US EPA’s Sustainable and Health Community Research Program tasks

    EPA Science Inventory

    We propose a 2-day session combining multiple components of an ongoing integrative research program in USEPA’s Office of Research and Development into a functional community sustainability visualization and assessment tool. The working group will include project leads for a US H...

  14. Community-based Early Warning and Adaptive Response System (EWARS) for mosquito borne diseases: An open source/open community approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Babu, A. N.; Soman, B.; Niehaus, E.; Shah, J.; Sarda, N. L.; Ramkumar, P. S.; Unnithan, C.

    2014-11-01

    A variety of studies around the world have evaluated the use of remote sensing with and without GIS in communicable diseases. The ongoing Ebola epidemic has highlighted the risks that can arise for the global community from rapidly spreading diseases which may outpace attempts at control and eradication. This paper presents an approach to the development, deployment, validation and wide-spread adoption of a GIS-based temporo-spatial decision support system which is being collaboratively developed in open source/open community mode by an international group that came together under UN auspices. The group believes in an open source/open community approach to make the fruits of knowledge as widely accessible as possible. A core initiative of the groups is the EWARS project. It proposes to strengthen existing public health systems by the development and validation a model for a community based surveillance and response system which will initially address mosquito borne diseases in the developing world. At present mathematical modeling to support EWARS is at an advanced state, and it planned to embark on a pilot project

  15. Rural Experiment. How Three South Dakota Schools Are Opening Doors to Their Communities...Exploring Business Partnerships, Professional Alliances, Functional Building Designs, and Expanded Learning Environments for the Information Age.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Higbee, Paul S.

    The Rural School and Community Development Project encourages South Dakota rural schools to take roles in local economic planning. This booklet profiles 3 of the project's 12 pilot schools: Takini School on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, Estelline, and Belle Fourche. The three communities differ greatly in their histories, lifestyles,…

  16. Where Is "Community"?: Engineering Education and Sustainable Community Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schneider, J.; Leydens, J. A.; Lucena, J.

    2008-01-01

    Sustainable development initiatives are proliferating in the US and Europe as engineering educators seek to provide students with knowledge and skills to design technologies that are environmentally sustainable. Many such initiatives involve students from the "North," or "developed" world building projects for villages or…

  17. Lessons from implementation of ecohealth projects in Southern Africa: A principal investigator's perspective.

    PubMed

    Chimbari, Moses John

    2017-11-01

    Ecohealth projects are designed to garner ownership among all stakeholders, such as researchers, communities, local leadership and policy makers. Ideally, designs should ensure that implementation goes smoothly and that findings from studies benefit the stakeholders, particularly bringing changes to the communities researched. Paradoxically, the process is fraught with challenges associated with implementation. Notwithstanding these challenges, evidence from projects implemented in southern Africa justify the need to invest in the subject of ecohealth. This paper describes and discusses a principal investigator's experience of leading ecohealth projects in Zimbabwe between 2002 and 2005, in Botswana between 2010 and 2014 and in South Africa (ongoing). The discourse is centred on issues of project management and leadership, transdisciplinarity, students' involvement, data management, community engagement, dissemination of research findings and the role of institutions in project management and implementation. The paper concludes that the ecohealth approach is valuable and should be encouraged making the following recommendations; 1) principal investigators must have a good understanding of socio-ecological systems, have excellent project management and writing skills, 2) more than one PI should be involved in the day-to-day running of the project in order to avoid disruption of project activities in the event that the PI leaves the project before it ends, 3) researchers should be trained in ecohealth principles and methodologies at the time of building the research teams, 4) full proposals should be developed with active participation of communities and stakeholders in order to develop a shared vision, 5) involvement of postdoctoral fellows and dedicated researchers with postgraduate students should be encouraged to avoid situations where some objectives are not fully addressed because of the narrow nature of students' work; and 6) citizen science should be encouraged to empower communities and ensure that certain activities continue after project termination. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. The ''Complex Reality'' of Research Capacity Development in Mathematics Education in Southern African Development Community Countries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Julie, Cyril; Mikalsen, Oyvind; Persens, Jan

    2005-01-01

    This paper explores how an aid-funded Ph.D.-programme in mathematics education instituted in some Southern African Development Community countries measures up to issues related to research capacity development projects. The research capacity development programme is described and reflected against mutual benefit, relevance, sustainability and…

  19. [Community forestry and the social ecology of development].

    PubMed

    Cabarle, B J

    1991-01-01

    Tropical forests are the most important resource of rural communities, offering nutrition, housing, and spiritual sustenance. Yet millions of people dependent on the forests often have no legal means of voicing their views in national policies affecting forests. Tropical forests disappear by the thousands of square miles every year. In the 1980s the rate of deforestation increased by 80% because of accelerated agricultural development, mining, road construction, and timber production. This also meant the destruction of the habitats of innumerable species of plants and animals, with unforeseeable consequences for the global climate. The adoption of community silviculture is fundamental for the utilization of timber resources and the improvement of agricultural activities while preserving pristine forests. At the University of Chiang Mai, Thailand, the sociocultural aspects of self-help and self-dependence relating to development are emphasized. As a component of rural integrated development, community silviculture was adopted in the 1970s. In the US social silviculture was institutionalized in the 1930s by the Civil Conservation Corps. It was demonstrated clearly that stable ownership of both forests and land is the foundation of effective silvicultural projects. However, often local inhabitants' rights have been ignored when clearing major forest tracts for agroindustrial enterprises. Silviculture projects for the community require five components for success: 1) leadership; 2) organizational base; 3) equal participation of community members for the distribution of benefits; 4) the ability to bring in effective external capital; and 5) good financial management for continuous operation. A number of innovative projects have been launched using environmentally viable technology for sustainable production in Mexico (Yanesha Forestry Cooperative) and in Peru (the Quintana Roo natural regeneration project).

  20. The GenABEL Project for statistical genomics.

    PubMed

    Karssen, Lennart C; van Duijn, Cornelia M; Aulchenko, Yurii S

    2016-01-01

    Development of free/libre open source software is usually done by a community of people with an interest in the tool. For scientific software, however, this is less often the case. Most scientific software is written by only a few authors, often a student working on a thesis. Once the paper describing the tool has been published, the tool is no longer developed further and is left to its own device. Here we describe the broad, multidisciplinary community we formed around a set of tools for statistical genomics. The GenABEL project for statistical omics actively promotes open interdisciplinary development of statistical methodology and its implementation in efficient and user-friendly software under an open source licence. The software tools developed withing the project collectively make up the GenABEL suite, which currently consists of eleven tools. The open framework of the project actively encourages involvement of the community in all stages, from formulation of methodological ideas to application of software to specific data sets. A web forum is used to channel user questions and discussions, further promoting the use of the GenABEL suite. Developer discussions take place on a dedicated mailing list, and development is further supported by robust development practices including use of public version control, code review and continuous integration. Use of this open science model attracts contributions from users and developers outside the "core team", facilitating agile statistical omics methodology development and fast dissemination.

  1. Enhancing Stewardship of Community-Engaged Research Through Governance

    PubMed Central

    Villegas, Malia; Zenone, Heather; White Hat, Emily R.; Wallerstein, Nina; Duran, Bonnie

    2015-01-01

    Objectives. We explored the relationship of community-engaged research final approval type (tribal government, health board, or public health office (TG/HB); agency staff or advisory board; or individual or no community approval) with governance processes, productivity, and perceived outcomes. Methods. We identified 294 federally funded community-engaged research projects in 2009 from the National Institutes of Health’s Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Prevention Research Centers, and Native American Research Centers for Health databases. Two hundred (68.0%) investigators completed a survey about governance processes and productivity measures; 312 partners (77.2% of 404 invited) and 138 investigators (69.0% of 200 invited) completed a survey about perceived outcomes. Results. Projects with TG/HB approval had increased likelihood of community control of resources (odds ratios [ORs] ≥ 4.80). Projects with other approvals had decreased likelihood of development or revision of institutional review board policies (ORs ≤ 0.37), having written agreements (ORs ≤ 0.17), and agreements about publishing (ORs ≤ 0.28), data use (ORs ≤ 0.17), and publishing approval (ORs ≤ 0.14). Conclusions. Community-engaged research projects with TG/HB approval had strong stewardship of project resources and agreements. Governance as stewardship protects community interests; thus, is an ethical imperative for communities, especially native communities, to adopt. PMID:25880952

  2. Community Engagement Studios: A Structured Approach to Obtaining Meaningful Input From Stakeholders to Inform Research.

    PubMed

    Joosten, Yvonne A; Israel, Tiffany L; Williams, Neely A; Boone, Leslie R; Schlundt, David G; Mouton, Charles P; Dittus, Robert S; Bernard, Gordon R; Wilkins, Consuelo H

    2015-12-01

    Engaging communities in research increases its relevance and may speed the translation of discoveries into improved health outcomes. Many researchers lack training to effectively engage stakeholders, whereas academic institutions lack infrastructure to support community engagement. In 2009, the Meharry-Vanderbilt Community-Engaged Research Core began testing new approaches for community engagement, which led to the development of the Community Engagement Studio (CE Studio). This structured program facilitates project-specific input from community and patient stakeholders to enhance research design, implementation, and dissemination. Developers used a team approach to recruit and train stakeholders, prepare researchers to engage with stakeholders, and facilitate an in-person meeting with both. The research core has implemented 28 CE Studios that engaged 152 community stakeholders. Participating researchers, representing a broad range of faculty ranks and disciplines, reported that input from stakeholders was valuable and that the CE Studio helped determine project feasibility and enhanced research design and implementation. Stakeholders found the CE Studio to be an acceptable method of engagement and reported a better understanding of research in general. A tool kit was developed to replicate this model and to disseminate this approach. The research core will collect data to better understand the impact of CE Studios on research proposal submissions, funding, research outcomes, patient and stakeholder engagement in projects, and dissemination of results. They will also collect data to determine whether CE Studios increase patient-centered approaches in research and whether stakeholders who participate have more trust and willingness to participate in research.

  3. The Role of the Community Nurse in Promoting Health and Human Dignity-Narrative Review Article

    PubMed Central

    Muntean, Ana; Tomita, Mihaela; Ungureanu, Roxana

    2013-01-01

    Abstract Background: Population health, as defined by WHO in its constitution, is out “a physical, mental and social complete wellbeing”. At the basis of human welfare is the human dignity. This dimension requires an integrated vision of health care. The ecosystemical vision of Bronfenbrenner allows highlighting the unexpected connections between social macro system based on values and the micro system consisting of individual and family. Community nurse is aimed to transgression in practice of education and care, the respect for human dignity, the bonds among values and practices of the community and the physical health of individuals. In Romania, the promotion of community nurse began in 2002, through the project promoting the social inclusion by developing human and institutional resources within community nursery of the National School of Public Health, Management and Education in Healthcare Bucharest. The community nurse became apparent in 10 counties included in the project. Considering the respect for human dignity as an axiomatic value for the community nurse interventions, we stress the need for developing a primary care network in Romania. The proof is based on the analysis of the concept of human dignity within health care, as well as the secondary analysis of health indicators, in the year of 2010, of the 10 counties included in the project. Our conclusions will draw attention to the need of community nurse and, will open directions for new researches and developments needed to promote primary health in Romania. PMID:26060614

  4. Community Commons Program Development Manual.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Culp, Kieta Osteen

    Community Commons (CC) is a collaborative partnership among Brevard Community College (BCC) (Florida) and over 40 social service organizations and agencies in Florida dedicated to providing education, job training, social services, recreation, and a drug free environment to communities of low income families. The project specifically seeks to…

  5. Development of a student engagement approach to alcohol prevention: the Pragmatics Project.

    PubMed

    Buettner, Cynthia K; Andrews, David W; Glassman, Michael

    2009-01-01

    Significant involvement of students in the development and implementation of college alcohol prevention strategies is largely untested, despite recommendations by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and others. The purpose of the Pragmatics Project was to test a student engagement model for developing and implementing alcohol intervention strategies. The Pragmatics Project involved 89 undergraduate students on a large Midwestern university campus in the design and implementation of projects focused on reducing harm associated with high-risk drinking and off-campus parties. The engagement model used an innovative course piloted in the Human Development and Family Science department. The course successfully involved both students and the community in addressing local alcohol issues. The course design described would fit well into a Master of Public Health, Community Psychology, Health Psychology, or interdisciplinary curricula as well as the service learning model, and it is applicable in addressing other health risk behaviors.

  6. 24 CFR 1003.302 - Project specific threshold requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Project specific threshold requirements. 1003.302 Section 1003.302 Housing and Urban Development REGULATIONS RELATING TO HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (CONTINUED) OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC AND INDIAN HOUSING, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY...

  7. 24 CFR 1003.302 - Project specific threshold requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Project specific threshold requirements. 1003.302 Section 1003.302 Housing and Urban Development REGULATIONS RELATING TO HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (CONTINUED) OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC AND INDIAN HOUSING, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY...

  8. 24 CFR 1003.302 - Project specific threshold requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Project specific threshold requirements. 1003.302 Section 1003.302 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban Development (Continued) OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC AND INDIAN HOUSING, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY...

  9. 24 CFR 1003.302 - Project specific threshold requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Project specific threshold requirements. 1003.302 Section 1003.302 Housing and Urban Development REGULATIONS RELATING TO HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (CONTINUED) OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC AND INDIAN HOUSING, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY...

  10. Building Bridges to Address Health Disparities in Puerto Rico: the "Salud para Piñones" Project.

    PubMed

    García-Rivera, Enid J; Pacheco, Princess; Colón, Marielis; Mays, Mary Helen; Rivera, Maricruz; Munet-Díaz, Verónica; González, María Del R; Rodríguez, María; Rodríguez, Rebecca; Morales, Astrid

    2017-06-01

    Over the past several decades, Puerto Ricans have faced increased health threats from chronic diseases, particularly diabetes and hypertension. The patient-provider relationship is the main platform for individual disease management, whereas the community, as an agent of change for the community's health status, has been limited in its support of individual health. Likewise, traditional research approaches within communities have placed academic researchers at the center of the process, considering their knowledge was of greater value than that of the community. In this paradigm, the academic researcher frequently owns and controls the research process. The primary aim is contributing to the scientific knowledge, but not necessarily to improve the community's health status or empower communities for social change. In contrast, the community-based participatory research (CBPR) model brings community members and leaders together with researchers in a process that supports mutual learning and empowers the community to take a leadership role in its own health and well-being. This article describes the development of the community-campus partnership between the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine and Piñones, a semi-rural community, and the resulting CBPR project: "Salud para Piñones". This project represents a collaborative effort to understand and address the community's health needs and health disparities based on the community's participation as keystone of the process. This participatory approach represents a valuable ally in the development of long-term community-academy partnerships, thus providing opportunities to establish relevant and effective ways to translate evidence-based interventions into concrete actions that impact the individual and community's wellbeing.

  11. Collaborative research: empowering students and connecting to community.

    PubMed

    Mills-Dick, Kelly; Hull, Jessie Mia

    2011-01-01

    Public health social work is committed to improving the health and well-being of individuals and communities. Collaborative partnerships can be a tremendous resource and valuable approach to meeting community needs. This article discusses the essential role of partnership and community learning through the case study of a student-faculty team engaged in collaborative research on homelessness in upstate New York in an effort to inform the development of a community affordable housing plan. The goals of the project were to (1) improve understanding of homelessness at the local level, (2) contribute to community planning efforts to end homelessness, and (3) enrich public health social work skills. This case study describes the various ways in which collaboration is cultivated and infused throughout the life of a project. The authors reflect on benefits and challenges of collaboration, and suggest considerations for designing collaborative research projects. This article discusses the impact faculty-student and college-community collaborative partnerships can have on expanding knowledge and enhancing community well-being.

  12. Organizing Asian Pacific Islanders in an urban community to reduce HIV risk: a case study.

    PubMed

    Loue, S; Lloyd, L S; Phoombour, E

    1996-10-01

    We present a case study of community organization efforts within the Asian Pacific Islander communities of San Diego County to reduce the risk of HIV transmission. We utilized a five-phase process to implement the strategies of locality development, social planning, and social action: community analysis, program design and initiation, program implementation, program maintenance and consolidation, and program reassessment. An evaluation of the process indicates that there were increases over time in the project's activities as well as in the levels of interagency connectedness. This is one of the few reported efforts to organize Asian Pacific Islander groups to address HIV transmission. Key elements that led to the successful organization of the original project into a tax-exempt nonprofit entity (the Asian Pacific Islander Community AIDS Project) were emphasis on community ownership, reliance on group consensus, use of "gatekeepers" to access communities, simultaneous multilevel programming, and service to the community as a "coordinating" entity.

  13. YouthAccess to Alcohol: early findings from a community action project to reduce the supply of alcohol to teens.

    PubMed

    Clark, Sam

    2007-01-01

    The Youth Access to Alcohol (YATA) project was implemented in 2002 by the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand (ALAC) in thirty communities in New Zealand, with the aim of reducing the harm experienced by young people as a result of alcohol misuse in New Zealand through reducing the supply of alcohol by adults to young people. The communities include a mix of rural and urban from both Islands in New Zealand. The project uses a community action approach, which has included setting up collaborative partnerships of key agencies, the delivery of key strategies, and multimedia awareness raising campaigns. The communities are encouraged to identify unique issues in their community regarding alcohol abuse and young people and to develop action plans incorporating a range of strategies that include tested strategies as well as innovative ideas. Communities are trained to implement several tools to monitor changes in their community over time. The study's limitations are noted and future needed research is suggested.

  14. Winds of Change: Reflections on Community Based Child Development in Nepal. Lessons Learnt No. 6.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Chris

    In March 1989, a new program was started in the middle hills area of Nepal. A community-based child development project entered the community by concentrating first on the children, and starting in one small area, and extending to new village areas in subsequent years. As of March 1993, there were four Village Development Areas participating in…

  15. SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT &NDASH; WATER SLOW-SAND FILTRATION

    EPA Science Inventory

    Site Survey: When this project was developed, the village of Santa Cruz, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala was chosen as a target community for initial development and target implementation. The research team of six students and advisor traveled to the village in early August 2...

  16. Slavic Village: incorporating active living into community development through partnerships.

    PubMed

    Miller, Emily K; Scofield, Jennifer L

    2009-12-01

    The Slavic Village neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio, is a diverse community of 30,524 residents that is struggling economically yet strong in tradition. The neighborhood is located just south of downtown and adjacent to the city's industrial valley. Slavic Village Development (SVD) works with local and state partners to improve the quality of life for its residents, including low-income and market-rate housing developments, economic development, community organizing, and greenspace planning. Using the Active Living by Design framework (ALbD), SVD developed strong partnerships to address preparation, promotions, programs, policy, and physical projects. Efforts were focused on Safe Routes to School, neighborhood activities, asset mapping, worksite wellness, and social marketing. The ALbD project changed both the physical environment of Slavic Village and its marketed image. The initiative built cross-disciplinary partnerships that leveraged individual strengths to implement strategies to make Slavic Village a vibrant, healthy, family-friendly neighborhood that promotes active living. There is a strong connection between health and community development. When partners from multiple disciplines work together on a common goal, it is easier to leverage resources and create change. Resource development will always be a challenge. Through the leadership of SVD and its strong ties in the community, the ALbD initiative has re-engaged residents and businesses in efforts to restore the vitality of the community. The partnership in Cleveland has successfully incorporated health into community development, a model of collaboration that can be replicated in other communities.

  17. UNAVCO's Education and Community Engagement Program: Evaluating Five years of Geoscience Education and Community Outreach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Charlevoix, D. J.; Dutilly, E.

    2017-12-01

    In 2013, UNAVCO, a facility co-sponsored by the NSF and NASA, received a five-year award from the NSF: Geodesy Advancing Geosciences and EarthScope (GAGE). Under GAGE, UNAVCO's Education and Community Engagement (ECE) program conducts outreach and education activities, in essence broader impacts for the scientific community and public. One major challenge of this evaluation was the breadth and depth of the dozens of projects conducted by the ECE program under the GAGE award. To efficiently solve this problem of a large-scale program evaluation, we adopted a deliberative democratic (DD) approach that afforded UNAVCO ECE staff a prominent voice in the process. The evaluator directed staff members to chose the projects they wished to highlight as case studies of their finest broader impacts work. The DD approach prizes inclusion, dialogue, and deliberation. The evaluator invited ECE staff to articulate qualities of great programs and develop a case study of their most valuable broader impacts work. To anchor the staff's opinion in more objectivity than opinion, the evaluator asked each staff member to articulate exemplary qualities of their chosen project, discuss how these qualities fit their case study, and helped staff to develop data collection systems that lead to an evidence-based argument in support of their project's unique value. The results of this evaluation show that the individual ECE work areas specialized in certain kinds of projects. However, when viewed at the aggregate level, ECE projects spanned almost the entire gamut of NSF broader impacts categories. Longitudinal analyses show that since the beginning of the GAGE award, many projects grew in impact from year 1 to year 5. While roughly half of the ECE projects were prior work projects, by year five at least 33% of projects were newly developed under GAGE. All selected case studies exemplified how education and outreach work can be productively tied to UNAVCO's core mission of promoting geodesy.

  18. The Proposal Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pierce, Elizabeth

    2007-01-01

    The proposal project stretches over a significant portion of the semester-long sophomore course Professional Communication (ENG 250) at Monroe Community College. While developing their proposal project, students need to use time management skills to successfully complete a quality project on time. In addition, excellent oral and written…

  19. Institutionalization of community action projects to reduce alcohol-use related problems: systematic facilitators.

    PubMed

    Holder, H D; Moore, R S

    2000-01-01

    This article reviews papers from a recent conference on community action research in order to identify factors that contribute to long-term maintenance, sustainability, or institutionalization of community project interventions. The descriptions of long-term outcomes and aftereffects of projects that emerged in the conference are valuable because relatively few instances of institutionalization have been documented in the scientific literature. After a general theoretical discussion of institutionalization in communities, the article identifies characteristics of successful community action programs that outlived their original funding. These characteristics include honoring community values and cultural relevance, cultivating key leader support, and utilizing indigenous staff. They also include developing local resources, maintaining flexibility, and leveraging prior success. The paper concludes by noting that aiming for policy and structural changes is a goal for an institutionalization of measures positively affecting desired health outcomes, even if the programs which created them are not themselves sustained.

  20. The WAMI Rural Hospital Project. Part 3: Building health care leadership in rural communities.

    PubMed

    Elder, W G; Amundson, B A

    1991-01-01

    The WAMI Rural Hospital Project (RHP) intervention combined aspects of community development, strategic planning and organizational development to address the leadership issues in six Northwest rural hospitals. Hospitals and physicians, other community health care providers and local townspeople were involved in this intervention, which was accomplished in three phases. In the first phase, extensive information about organizational effectiveness was collected at each site. Phase two consisted of 30 hours of education for the physician, board, and hospital administrator community representatives covering management, hospital board governance, and scope of service planning. In the third phase, each community worked with a facilitator to complete a strategic plan and to resolve conflicts addressed in the management analyses. The results of the evaluation demonstrated that the greatest change noted among RHP hospitals was improvement in the effectiveness of their governing boards. All boards adopted some or all of the project's model governance plan and had successfully completed considerable portions of their strategic plans by 1989. Teamwork among the management triad (hospital, board, and medical staff) was also substantially improved. Other improvements included the development of marketing plans for the three hospitals that did not initially have them and more effective use of outside consultants. The project had less impact on improving the functioning of the medical chief of staff, although this was not a primary target of the intervention. There was also relatively less community interest in joining regional health care associations. The authors conclude that an intervention program tailored to address specific community needs and clearly identified leadership deficiencies can have a positive effect on rural health care systems.

  1. Project BEST-PAL (Basic Education Skills Through-Parenting Affective Learning): Volunteer Sponsor's Leader's Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brevard Community Coll., Cocoa, FL.

    This handbook was developed for volunteer group leaders participating in Brevard Community College's Project BEST-PAL (Basic Education Skills Through-Parenting Affective Learning). Project BEST-PAL was developed especially for low socioeconomic parents who are in need of an opportunity to explore effective parenting, with a primary objective being…

  2. 24 CFR 92.301 - Project-specific assistance to community housing development organizations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... participating jurisdiction determines to be customary and reasonable project preparation costs allowable under paragraph (a)(2) of this section. All costs must be related to a specific eligible project or projects. (2) Allowable costs. A loan may be provided to cover project costs necessary to determine project feasibility...

  3. 24 CFR 92.301 - Project-specific assistance to community housing development organizations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... participating jurisdiction determines to be customary and reasonable project preparation costs allowable under paragraph (a)(2) of this section. All costs must be related to a specific eligible project or projects. (2) Allowable costs. A loan may be provided to cover project costs necessary to determine project feasibility...

  4. Engagement in community music classes sparks neuroplasticity and language development in children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

    PubMed

    Kraus, Nina; Hornickel, Jane; Strait, Dana L; Slater, Jessica; Thompson, Elaine

    2014-01-01

    Children from disadvantaged backgrounds often face impoverished auditory environments, such as greater exposure to ambient noise and fewer opportunities to participate in complex language interactions during development. These circumstances increase their risk for academic failure and dropout. Given the academic and neural benefits associated with musicianship, music training may be one method for providing auditory enrichment to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. We followed a group of primary-school students from gang reduction zones in Los Angeles, CA, USA for 2 years as they participated in Harmony Project. By providing free community music instruction for disadvantaged children, Harmony Project promotes the healthy development of children as learners, the development of children as ambassadors of peace and understanding, and the development of stronger communities. Children who were more engaged in the music program-as defined by better attendance and classroom participation-developed stronger brain encoding of speech after 2 years than their less-engaged peers in the program. Additionally, children who were more engaged in the program showed increases in reading scores, while those less engaged did not show improvements. The neural gains accompanying music engagement were seen in the very measures of neural speech processing that are weaker in children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our results suggest that community music programs such as Harmony Project provide a form of auditory enrichment that counteracts some of the biological adversities of growing up in poverty, and can further support community-based interventions aimed at improving child health and wellness.

  5. Engagement in community music classes sparks neuroplasticity and language development in children from disadvantaged backgrounds

    PubMed Central

    Kraus, Nina; Hornickel, Jane; Strait, Dana L.; Slater, Jessica; Thompson, Elaine

    2014-01-01

    Children from disadvantaged backgrounds often face impoverished auditory environments, such as greater exposure to ambient noise and fewer opportunities to participate in complex language interactions during development. These circumstances increase their risk for academic failure and dropout. Given the academic and neural benefits associated with musicianship, music training may be one method for providing auditory enrichment to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. We followed a group of primary-school students from gang reduction zones in Los Angeles, CA, USA for 2 years as they participated in Harmony Project. By providing free community music instruction for disadvantaged children, Harmony Project promotes the healthy development of children as learners, the development of children as ambassadors of peace and understanding, and the development of stronger communities. Children who were more engaged in the music program—as defined by better attendance and classroom participation—developed stronger brain encoding of speech after 2 years than their less-engaged peers in the program. Additionally, children who were more engaged in the program showed increases in reading scores, while those less engaged did not show improvements. The neural gains accompanying music engagement were seen in the very measures of neural speech processing that are weaker in children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our results suggest that community music programs such as Harmony Project provide a form of auditory enrichment that counteracts some of the biological adversities of growing up in poverty, and can further support community-based interventions aimed at improving child health and wellness. PMID:25566109

  6. Dynamic systems and the role of evaluation: The case of the Green Communities project.

    PubMed

    Anzoise, Valentina; Sardo, Stefania

    2016-02-01

    The crucial role evaluation can play in the co-development of project design and its implementation will be addressed through the analysis of a case study, the Green Communities (GC) project, funded by the Italian Ministry of Environment within the EU Interregional Operational Program (2007-2013) "Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency". The project's broader goals included an attempt to trigger a change in Italian local development strategies, especially for mountain and inland areas, which would be tailored to the real needs of communities, and based on a sustainable exploitation and management of the territorial assets. The goal was not achieved, and this paper addresses the issues of how GC could have been more effective in fostering a vision of change, and which design adaptations and evaluation procedures would have allowed the project to better cope with the unexpected consequences and resistances it encountered. The conclusions drawn are that projects should be conceived, designed and carried out as dynamic systems, inclusive of a dynamic and engaged evaluation enabling the generation of feedbacks loops, iteratively interpreting the narratives and dynamics unfolding within the project, and actively monitoring the potential of various relationships among project participants for generating positive social change. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Consumer Education Project: Community Approach Utilizing an Off-Campus Facility.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Santa Barbara Elementary and High School District, CA. Career Education Dept.

    The project reported here was conducted to develop a consumer education program for high school students (grades 10 through 12) which would: (1) provide students with hands-on experiences in the management of resources (money, time, and energy) as householders in a simulated off-campus laboratory (a community girls' club), and (2) enable students…

  8. Community-Based Vocational Rehabilitation (CBVR) for People with Disabilities: Experiences from a Pilot Project in Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alade, Eunice B.

    2004-01-01

    This article discusses the community-based vocational rehabilitation (CBVR) of persons with disabilities. In 1991, a pilot project was instituted by the International Labour Organisation and the United Nations Development Programme in conjunction with Oyo State Government in Nigeria. The aim was to facilitate the reintegration of persons with…

  9. To Strengthen Policy Guiding Regionalization of Occupational Programs in New Jersey County Community Colleges. A Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martorana, S. V.; And Others

    In 1985 a project was developed to strengthen policy guiding regionalization of occupational programs in New Jersey county community colleges. The project had three major goals: to establish a policy for the regionalization of selected occupational programs offered by the colleges; to describe ways that programs could be identified for regional…

  10. Combining Project-Based Learning and Community-Based Research in a Research Methodology Course: The Lessons Learned

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arantes do Amaral, João Alberto; Lino dos Santos, Rebeca Júlia Rodrigues

    2018-01-01

    In this article, we present our findings regarding the course "Research Methodology," offered to 22 first-year undergraduate students studying Administration at the Federal University of São Paulo, Osasco, Brazil. The course, which combined community-based research and project-based learning, was developed during the second semester of…

  11. Community Engagement in Local History: A Report on the Hemel at War Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abbott, Lynda; Grayson, Richard S.

    2011-01-01

    This article, by Lynda Abbott and Richard Grayson, offers a fascinating example of collaboration between school and university, focused on the development of a community archive. The project--run as an extra-curricular activity--was originally inspired by a concern to preserve the personal stories of those whose lives were affected by the Second…

  12. Building Character through Community Service: Strategies to Implement the Missing Element in Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rizzo, Margaret; Brown, Joyce

    2006-01-01

    Developing a community service project for middle school students can be a daunting task. The sheer number of contacts necessary for the project to be successful can be overwhelming. This manual will provide materials and guidance to simplify this process and ensure its success. Included in this workbook are sample letters, worksheets, lesson…

  13. Exploring "The World around Us" in a Community of Scientific Enquiry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dunlop, Lynda; Compton, Kirsty; Clarke, Linda; McKelvey-Martin, Valerie

    2013-01-01

    The primary Communities of Scientific Enquiry project is one element of the outreach work in Science in Society in Biomedical Sciences in partnership with the School of Education at the University of Ulster. The project aims to develop scientific understanding and skills at key stage 2 and is a response to several contemporary issues in primary…

  14. PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING A REAL-TIME AIR POLLUTION MONITORING AND OUTREACH PROGRAM FOR YOUR COMMUNITY: THE AIRBEAT PROJECT OF ROXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    EPA has developed a technology transfer handbook for the EMPACT Roxbury Air Monitoring (AirBeat) Project. The purpose of AirBeat is to make real-time air quality monitoring information (for ozone, black carbon, and fine particulates) available to the Boston MA community of Roxbur...

  15. A physician team's experiences in community-based participatory research: insights into effective group collaborations.

    PubMed

    Dalal, Mehul; Skeete, Rachel; Yeo, Heather L; Lucas, Georgina I; Rosenthal, Marjorie S

    2009-12-01

    Postdoctoral fellows from the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program are among a growing number of physician-researchers training in community-based participatory research (CBPR). These fellows are uniquely positioned to observe and evaluate CBPR training needs and the experience of collaboratively conducting a CBPR project. To describe, from the perspective of physician-researchers, experiences in intragroup and intergroup collaborations while conducting CBPR. During a 2-year fellowship, a group of seven fellows received 6 months of didactic training and then spent 18 months conducting a mentored CBPR project. The CBPR project was complemented by a 2-year facilitated leadership seminar, which allowed for reflection on intragroup (among fellows) and intergroup (fellows/community members) relationships throughout the CBPR process. Seven core principles of CBPR were found to apply to not only intergroup but also intragroup relationships: (1) building trust, (2) finding a shared interest, (3) power-sharing, (4) fostering co-learning and capacity building among partners, (5) building on existing strengths, (6) employing an iterative process, and (7) finding a balance between research and action for the mutual benefit of all partners. Establishing and maintaining relationships is at the core of CBPR. The development of intragroup relationships paralleled the development of intergroup relationships with community members. Applying the core principles of CBPR to the development of intragroup relationships provided experience that may have enhanced relationships with community partners. An a priori acknowledgement of the importance of relationships and the time needed to develop and manage those relationships may add to the CBPR training experience and assist in successfully executing collaborative projects.

  16. Pacific CRYSTAL Teacher Professional Development Models: Lessons Learned

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van der Flier-Keller, E.; Yore, L.

    2010-12-01

    From 2005 to 2010 Pacific CRYSTAL (Centre for Research in Youth Science Teaching and Learning) has been engaged in community-based research fostering teacher leadership in innovative science education through a variety of approaches to teacher professional development. Pacific CRYSTAL is a University of Victoria based, NSERC funded project founded on a collaborative research model involving scentists, science educators and community members including schools, teachers, community groups and government. Pacific CRYSTAL professional development approaches embrace both in-service teachers and pre-service teachers, and include Lighthouse schools, workshops (ongoing as well as one-time), community-based partnerships in Pacific CRYSTAL research projects, teachers as researchers, and university science courses and workshops for pre-education and education students. A number of common themes, identified through these approaches, should be considered in the development and implementation of future science professional development initiatives. They include; teacher turnover, expanding and adding schools and participating teachers, teacher apprehension, building leadership capacity, further engagement of 'tourist' teachers, continuing professional support for teachers, as well as on-going mentoring.

  17. Integrating Industry Resources and Community Development: A Vision for the Future.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frost, Sally Joy

    The Adult Basic Education Program at Umgeni Water, a water authority in South Africa, is a workplace literacy program that seeks to impart skills within the workplace that can be used in community development, benefiting both the business and community involved. From a pilot project in 1989, the adult education program at Umgeni Water has grown…

  18. Community wildfire protection plans: enhancing collaboration and building scoial capacity

    Treesearch

    Daniel R. Williams; Pamela J. Jakes; Sam Burns; Antony Cheng

    2009-01-01

    The Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 (HFRA) was enacted to reduce wildfire risk to communities and other at-risk lands through a collaborative process of planning, prioritizing and implementing hazardous fuel reduction projects. One of the key features of HFRA is the development of community wildfire protection plans (CWPPs). We studied the development of CWPPs...

  19. Using a Participatory Approach to the Development of a School-Based Physical Activity Policy in an Indigenous Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hogan, Lindsay; Bengoechea, Enrique García; Salsberg, Jon; Jacobs, Judi; King, Morrison; Macaulay, Ann C.

    2014-01-01

    Background: This study is part of a larger community-based participatory research (CBPR) project to develop, implement, and evaluate the physical activity component of a school-based wellness policy. The policy intervention is being carried out by community stakeholders and academic researchers within the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention…

  20. Improving the Health of Cambodian Americans: Grassroots Approaches and Root Causes.

    PubMed

    Lee, Juliet P; Kirkpatrick, Sean; Rojas-Cheatham, Ann; Sin, Talaya; Moore, Roland S; Tan, Sotheavy; Godoy, Shadia; Ercia, Angelo

    2016-01-01

    Cambodian Americans experience great disparities in health compared to other Americans, yet may be underserved by conventional healthcare systems. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a means to engage underserved communities in health research and programming. We describe results of our efforts to engage the Cambodian grassroots members as well as formal leaders in Oakland, California. In addition to a community advisory group, we convened a Community Work Group (CWG), composed of 10 grassroots community women of varying ages and backgrounds. The project aimed to leverage the lived experiences of these women and their understandings of health and wellness in identifying specific health issues and developing culturally resonant strategies. The CWG met weekly with staff facilitators using methods for collective analysis including theater, body mapping, and other expressive arts. The approach proved logistically challenging, but resulted in novel analyses and strategies. The group identified trauma, along with poor access to education, unemployment and underemployment, social isolation, and generation gap, together with community violence, as root causes of key behavioral health issues, namely, alcohol abuse, gambling, prescription drug misuse, and domestic violence. Strategies proposed and implemented by the group and project staff were a community garden, Cambodian New Year's celebrations, and a museum exhibit on the Cambodian refugee experiences. Grassroots community engagement can support projects in identifying social determinants of health and developing the capacities of community members to conduct research and actions to improve health.

  1. 24 CFR 135.3 - Applicability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ...) Modernization assistance provided pursuant to section 14 of the 1937 Act; (2) Housing and community development... including other housing assistance not administered by the Assistant Secretary of Housing) and community development assistance that is used for the following projects; (i) Housing rehabilitation (including...

  2. 24 CFR 135.3 - Applicability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ...) Modernization assistance provided pursuant to section 14 of the 1937 Act; (2) Housing and community development... including other housing assistance not administered by the Assistant Secretary of Housing) and community development assistance that is used for the following projects; (i) Housing rehabilitation (including...

  3. The SEED Initiative

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Teich, Carolyn R.

    2011-01-01

    Committed to fulfilling the promise of the green economy, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) launched the Sustainability Education and Economic Development (SEED) initiative (www.theseedcenter.org) in October 2010. The project advances sustainability and clean energy workforce development practices at community colleges by…

  4. 75 FR 52007 - Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-24

    ...) Community Economic Development (CED) and Job Opportunities for Low-Income Individuals (JOLI) Standard... key information about projects funded through the Community Economic Development (CED) and Job... previously approved questionnaire, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number: 0970-0317. Questions...

  5. Exploring the role of ethnic media and the community readiness to combat stigma attached to mental illness among Vietnamese immigrants: the pilot project Tam An (Inner Peace in Vietnamese).

    PubMed

    Han, Meekyung; Cao, Lien; Anton, Karen

    2015-01-01

    Vietnamese Americans are at high risk for developing mental health disorders due to multiple risk factors such as trauma and acculturative stress. However, the utilization of mental health services has been low. The pilot project Tam An was implemented to raise mental health awareness by engaging community resources in the Vietnamese population. Informed by the Community Readiness Model and through local ethnic media sources, messages to destigmatize mental health and promote the willingness to initiate mental health treatment were presented. Using an exploratory perspective, findings from focus group data suggest that the project improved the community's stage of readiness.

  6. Supportive group action for women: a self-help strategy.

    PubMed

    Stewart, M

    1983-09-01

    A major goal of the demonstration project described was to test a model of self-help and voluntary support in developing groups for female single parents. Community meetings, study programs, and related experiential strategies were used to promote coping skills and strategies; access to resources; decision-making learning and responsibility; social contacts and networking; work skills and employment opportunities. The effectiveness of the model, which emphasized self-help, consumer power, and accessibility, was reflected in increased membership, self-awareness and confidence, leadership, employment and development of community resources. Initial individual contact, informal contracting, and community support were seen as important factors in the project's success.

  7. Reviving the Mediterranean Olive Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zaferatos, Nicholas C.

    2011-01-01

    This article presents the findings of a collaborative investigation by six nongovernment organisations (NGOs) from five European-Mediterranean countries to identify a framework for reversing rural marginalisation in Mediterranean communities through sustainable forms of community-based agricultural development. The project brought together…

  8. The James Webb STEM Innovation Project: Bringing JWST to the Education Community

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eisenhamer, Bonnie; Harris, J.; Ryer, H.; Taylor, J.; Bishop, M.

    2012-01-01

    Building awareness of a NASA mission prior to launch and connecting that mission to the education community can be challenging. In order to address this challenge, the Space Telescope Science Institute's Office of Public Outreach has developed the James Webb STEM innovation Project (SIP) - an interdisciplinary project that focuses on the engineering aspects and potential scientific discoveries of JWST, while incorporating elements of project-based learning. Students in participating schools will use skills from multiple subject areas to research an aspect of the JWST's design or potential science and create models, illustrated essays, or technology-based projects to demonstrate their learning. Student projects will be showcased during special events at select venues in the project states - thus allowing parents and community members to also be benefactors of the project. Currently, the SIP is being piloted in New York, California, and Maryland. In addition, we will be implementing the SIP in partnership with NASA Explorer Schools in the states of New Mexico, Michigan, Texas, Tennessee, and Iowa.

  9. Consumer & Home Economics In-Service/Curriculum Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGillicuddy (Shirley) & Associates, Sierra Madre, CA.

    Mt. San Antonio Community College District's Consumer/Home Economics In-Service/Curriculum Development Project was designed to provide activities to meet staff development and program improvement needs. The choice of activities was based on evaluation data from previous home economics projects, and priorities identified by the Consumer/Home…

  10. Adult Basic Education Outreach Project. Final Report (Executive Summary).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alberta Vocational Centre, Edmonton.

    An executive report summarizes the Alberta Vocational Centre's development of a portable individualized, competency-based learning system for use in an adult basic education program in a non-institutional community location. The report deals with the project's rationale, development (including management, curricular development, budget, and site…

  11. The Urban Mission: Linking Fresno State and the Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Culver-Dockins, Natalie; McCarthy, Mary Ann; Brogan, Amy; Karsevar, Kent; Tatsumura, Janell; Whyte, Jenny; Woods, R. Sandie

    2011-01-01

    The "four spheres" model of transformation, as viewed through the lens of the urban mission of California State University, Fresno, is examined through current projects in economic development, infrastructure development, human development, and the fourth sphere, which encompasses the broad vision. Local projects will be highlighted.

  12. Teachers as Researchers: Supporting Professional Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gennaoui, Michele; Kretschmer, Robert E.

    1996-01-01

    Contrasts traditional professional development and a teacher-as-researcher project implemented at the Saint Francis de Sales School for the Deaf. Discusses ways the project influenced the professional development of teachers, the effects on the school community of group collaboration among diverse professional staff, support mechanisms required,…

  13. Engaging Communities in Education and Research: PBRNs, AHEC, and CTSA

    PubMed Central

    Westfall, John M.; Ingram, Beth; Navarro, Daniel; Magee, Deidre; Niebauer, Linda; Zittleman, Linda; Fernald, Douglas; Pace, Wilson

    2012-01-01

    Abstract Background: Community engagement has become a prominent element in medical research and is an important component of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards program. Area Health Education Centers engage communities in education and workforce development. Methods: Engaging Communities in Education and Research (ECER) is a successful collaboration among the Colorado Area Health Education Center (AHEC), the Colorado Clinical Translational Science Institute, and Shared Network of Collaborative Ambulatory Practices and Partners—Colorado’s practice‐based research collaborative. The ECER Conference is an annual conference of community members, health care providers, clinical preceptors, AHEC board members, university faculty, primary care investigators, program administrators, and community organization leaders. Results: Over 1,000 people have participated in the ECER Conference representing all regions of Colorado. Several projects from the “new ideas” breakout session have been developed and completed. Six‐month follow‐up provided evidence of numerous new collaborations, campus‐community partnerships, and developing research projects. Several new collaborations highlight the long‐term nature of building on relationships started at the ECER Conference. Discussion and Conclusion: ECER has been a successful collaboration to develop and support campus‐community collaborations in Colorado. Although seemingly just a simple 3‐day conference, we have found that this event has lead to many important partnerships. Clin Trans Sci 2012; Volume #: 1–9 PMID:22686202

  14. Maine Tidal Power Initiative: Environmental Impact Protocols For Tidal Power

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Peterson, Michael Leroy; Zydlewski, Gayle Barbin; Xue, Huijie

    2014-02-02

    The Maine Tidal Power Initiative (MTPI), an interdisciplinary group of engineers, biologists, oceanographers, and social scientists, has been conducting research to evaluate tidal energy resources and better understand the potential effects and impacts of marine hydro-kinetic (MHK) development on the environment and local community. Project efforts include: 1) resource assessment, 2) development of initial device design parameters using scale model tests, 3) baseline environmental studies and monitoring, and 4) human and community responses. This work included in-situ measurement of the environmental and social response to the pre-commercial Turbine Generator Unit (TGU®) developed by Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) as wellmore » as considering the path forward for smaller community scale projects.« less

  15. Creating Mechanisms for Meaningful Collaboration Between Members of Urban Communities and University-Based HIV Prevention Researchers.

    PubMed

    McKay, Mary M; Hibbert, Richard; Lawrence, Rita; Miranda, Ana; Paikoff, Roberta; Bell, Carl C; Madison-Boyd, Sybil; Baptiste, Donna; Coleman, Doris; Pinto, Rogério M; Bannon, William M

    2007-01-01

    This article provides a description of a Community/University Collaborative Board, a formalized partnership between representatives from an inner-city community and university-based researchers. This Collaborative Board oversees a number of research projects focused on designing, delivering and testing family-based HIV prevention and mental health focused programs to elementary and junior high school age youth and their families. The Collaborative Board consists of urban parents, school staff members, representatives from community-based agencies and university-based researchers. One research project, the CHAMP (Collaborative HIV prevention and Adolescent Mental health Project) Family Program Study, an urban, family-based HIV prevention project will be used to illustrate how the Collaborative Board oversees a community-based research study. The process of establishing a Collaborative Board, recruiting members and developing subcommittees is described within this article. Examples of specific issues addressed by the Collaborative Board within its subcommittees, Implementation, Finance, Welcome, Research, Grant writing, Curriculum, and Leadership, are detailed in this article along with lessons learned.

  16. Grouping Handicapped and Non-Handicapped Children in Mainstream Settings. The Functional Mainstreaming for Success (FMS) Project. Project Review Papers. Final Report--Part 3.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Striefel, Sebastian; And Others

    The review papers are a product of the 3-year project, "Functional Mainstreaming for Success," designed to develop a model for instructional mainstreaming of 162 handicapped children (3-6 years old) in community settings. The major feature of the project was development of a full reverse mainstreamed preschool program, which included…

  17. A Taxonomy of Instructional Objectives for Developmentally Disabled Persons: Personal Maintenance and Development: Homemaking and Community Life; Leisure; and Travel Domains. Working Paper 85-2. COMPETE: Community-Based Model for Public-School Exit and Transition to Employment.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dever, Richard B.

    The purpose of Project COMPETE is to use previous research and exemplary practices to develop and validate a model and training sequence to assist retarded youth to make the transition from school to employment in the most competitive environment possible. The taxonomy described in this project working paper focuses on instructional objectives in…

  18. Using community-based participatory research to develop the PARTNERS youth violence prevention program.

    PubMed

    Leff, Stephen S; Thomas, Duane E; Vaughn, Nicole A; Thomas, Nicole A; MacEvoy, Julie Paquette; Freedman, Melanie A; Abdul-Kabir, Saburah; Woodlock, Joseph; Guerra, Terry; Bradshaw, Ayana S; Woodburn, Elizabeth M; Myers, Rachel K; Fein, Joel A

    2010-01-01

    School-based violence prevention programs have shown promise for reducing aggression and increasing children's prosocial behaviors. Prevention interventions within the context of urban after-school programs provide a unique opportunity for academic researchers and community stakeholders to collaborate in the creation of meaningful and sustainable violence prevention initiatives. This paper describes the development of a collaborative between academic researchers and community leaders to design a youth violence prevention/leadership promotion program (PARTNERS Program) for urban adolescents. Employing a community-based participatory research (CBPR) model, this project addresses the needs of urban youth, their families, and their community. Multiple strategies were used to engage community members in the development and implementation of the PARTNERS Program. These included focus groups, pilot testing the program in an after-school venue, and conducting organizational assessments of after-school sites as potential locations for the intervention. Community members and academic researchers successfully worked together in all stages of the project development. Community feedback helped the PARTNERS team redesign the proposed implementation and evaluation of the PARTNERS Program such that the revised study design allows for all sites to obtain the intervention over time and increases the possibility of building community capacity and sustainability of programs. Despite several challenges inherent to CBPR, the current study provides a number of lessons learned for the continued development of relationships and trust among researchers and community members, with particular attention to balancing the demand for systematic implementation of community-based interventions while being responsive to the immediate needs of the community.

  19. An information and dialogue conference on the human genome project (HGP) for the minority communities in the state of Louisiana

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    1999-06-01

    Zeta Phi Beta Sorority National Educational Foundation, in cooperation with Xavier University of New Orleans, and the New Orleans District Office of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, held the Information and Dialogue Conference on the Human Genome Project for the Minority Communities in the State of Louisiana on April 16-17, 1999. The Conference was held on the campus of Xavier University in New Orleans. Community leaders, government officials, minority professional and social organizations leaders, religious leaders, persons from the educational and academic community, and students were invited. Conference objectives included bringing HGP information and a focus in themore » minority community on the project, in clear and understandable terms, to spread the work in the minority community about the project; to explore the likely positive implications with respect to health care and related matters; to explore possible negative results and strategies to meet them; to discuss the social, legal, and ethical implications; and to facilitate minority input into the HGP as it develops.« less

  20. Health in My Community: Conducting and evaluating photovoice as a tool to promote environmental health and leadership among Latino/a youth

    PubMed Central

    Madrigal, Daniel; Salvatore, Alicia; Casillas, Gardenia; Casillas, Crystal; Vera, Irene; Eskenazi, Brenda; Minkler, Meredith

    2015-01-01

    Background The photovoice method has shown substantial promise for work with youth in metropolitan areas, yet its potential for use with youth from farmworker families has not been documented. Objectives This project was designed to teach environmental health to 15 high school youth while building their individual and community capacity for studying and addressing shared environmental concerns. The project also aimed to test the utility of photovoice with Latino agricultural youth. Methods Fifteen members of the Youth Community Council (YCC), part of a 15-year project with farmworker families in Salinas, CA, took part in a 12-week photovoice project. Their pictures captured the assets and strengths of their community related to environmental health, and were then analyzed by participants. A multi-pronged evaluation was conducted. Results YCC members identified concerns such as poor access to affordable, healthy foods and lack of safe physical spaces in which to play, as well as assets, including caring adults and organizations, and open spaces in surrounding areas. Participants presented their findings on radio, television, at local community events, and to key policy makers. The youth also developed and implemented two action plans, a successful 5K run/walk and a school recycling project, still in progress. Evaluation results included significant changes or trends in such areas as perceived ability to make presentations, leadership, and self-confidence, as well as challenges including transportation, group dynamics, and gaining access to people in power. Conclusion The photovoice method shows promise for environmental health education and youth development in farmworker communities. PMID:25435558

  1. Health in my community: conducting and evaluating PhotoVoice as a tool to promote environmental health and leadership among Latino/a youth.

    PubMed

    Madrigal, Daniel Santiago; Salvatore, Alicia; Casillas, Gardenia; Casillas, Crystal; Vera, Irene; Eskenazi, Brenda; Minkler, Meredith

    2014-01-01

    The PhotoVoice method has shown substantial promise for work with youth in metropolitan areas, yet its potential for use with Latino youth from agricultural areas has not been well documented. This project was designed to teach environmental health to 15 high school youth while building their individual and community capacity for studying and addressing shared environmental concerns. The project also aimed to test the utility of PhotoVoice with Latino agricultural youth. Fifteen members of the Youth Community Council (YCC), part of a 15-year project with farmworker families in Salinas, CA, took part in a 12-week PhotoVoice project. Their pictures captured the assets and strengths of their community related to environmental health, and were then analyzed by participants. A multi-pronged evaluation was conducted. YCC members identified concerns such as poor access to affordable, healthy foods and lack of safe physical spaces in which to play, as well as assets, including caring adults and organizations, and open spaces in surrounding areas. Participants presented their findings on radio, television, at local community events, and to key policy makers. The youth also developed two action plans, a successful 5K run/walk and a school recycling project, still in progress. Evaluation results included significant changes in such areas as perceived ability to make presentations, leadership, and self-confidence, as well as challenges including transportation, group dynamics, and gaining access to people in power. The PhotoVoice method shows promise for environmental health education and youth development in farmworker communities.

  2. Establishing Community Learning and Information Centers (CLICs) in Underserved Malian Communities. Final Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Academy for Educational Development, 2005

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of the Community Learning and Information Center (CLIC) project was "to accelerate economic, social and political growth by providing residents in twelve underserved Malian communities with access to easily accessible development information and affordable access to information and communication technology (ICT), high-value…

  3. East-West Community College Project Leadership Training Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Community Colleges for International Development, Inc.

    This document summarizes the history and planning efforts of the East-West Community Consortium for Community College Development in Thailand, a group of Thai and U.S. education officials charged with coordinating the establishment of ten community colleges in rural Thailand and Bangkok. This report outlines the timeline, content, format and…

  4. Participatory development and implementation of a community research workshop: Experiences from a community based participatory research (CBPR) partnership

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    While community based participatory research (CBPR) principles stress the importance of "equitable partnerships" and an "empowering and power-sharing process that attends to social inequalities", descriptions of actual projects often cite the challenges confronted in academic–-community partnerships...

  5. An overview of the SeaWiFS project and strategies for producing a climate research quality global ocean bio-optical time series

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McClain, Charles R.; Feldman, Gene C.; Hooker, Stanford B.

    2004-01-01

    The Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) Project Office was formally initiated at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in 1990. Seven years later, the sensor was launched by Orbital Sciences Corporation under a data-buy contract to provide 5 years of science quality data for global ocean biogeochemistry research. To date, the SeaWiFS program has greatly exceeded the mission goals established over a decade ago in terms of data quality, data accessibility and usability, ocean community infrastructure development, cost efficiency, and community service. The SeaWiFS Project Office and its collaborators in the scientific community have made substantial contributions in the areas of satellite calibration, product validation, near-real time data access, field data collection, protocol development, in situ instrumentation technology, operational data system development, and desktop level-0 to level-3 processing software. One important aspect of the SeaWiFS program is the high level of science community cooperation and participation. This article summarizes the key activities and approaches the SeaWiFS Project Office pursued to define, achieve, and maintain the mission objectives. These achievements have enabled the user community to publish a large and growing volume of research such as those contributed to this special volume of Deep-Sea Research. Finally, some examples of major geophysical events (oceanic, atmospheric, and terrestrial) captured by SeaWiFS are presented to demonstrate the versatility of the sensor.

  6. Researching in the community: the value and contribution of nurses to community based or primary health care research.

    PubMed

    Barthow, Christine; Jones, Bernadette; Macdonald, Lindsay; Vernall, Sue; Gallagher, Peter; McKinlay, Eileen

    2015-05-01

    To describe the role, contribution and value of research nurses in New Zealand community-based or primary health care research. Research nurses are increasingly recognised as having a key role in undertaking successful research in hospitals and clinical trial units however only limited work has been undertaken to examine their role in community-based research. Undertaking health research in the community has unique challenges particularly in relation to research design and recruitment and retention of participants. We describe four community-based research projects involving research nurses, each with particular recruitment, retention and logistical problems. Vignettes are used to illustrate the role, contribution and value of research nurses in a diverse range of community research projects. The knowledge and skills used by research nurses in these projects included familiarity with communities, cultural competence, health care systems and practice philosophies and in particular with vulnerable populations. Their research actions and activities include competence with a broad range of research methodologies, organisational efficiency, family-centred approach, along with advocacy and flexibility. These are underpinned by nursing knowledge and clinical expertise contributing to an ability to work autonomously. These four projects demonstrate that research nurses in community-based research possess specific attributes which facilitate successful study development, implementation and outcome.

  7. Monitoring Seasons Through Global Learning Communities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sparrow, E. B.; Robin, J. H.; Jeffries, M. O.; Gordon, L. S.; Verbyla, D. L.; Levine, E. R.

    2006-12-01

    Monitoring Seasons through Global Learning Communities (MSTGLC) is an inquiry- and project-based project that monitors seasons, specifically their interannual variability, in order to increase K-12 students' understanding of the Earth system by providing teacher professional development in Earth system science and inquiry, and engaging K-12 students in Earth system science research relevant to their local communities that connect globally. MSTGLC connects GLOBE students, teachers, and communities, with educators and scientists from three integrated Earth systems science programs: the International Arctic Research Center, and NASA Landsat Data Continuity and Terra Satellite Missions. The project organizes GLOBE schools by biomes into eight Global Learning Communities (GLCs) and students monitor their seasons through regional based field campaigns. The project expands the current GLOBE phenology network by adapting current protocols and making them biome-specific. In addition, ice and mosquito phenology protocols will be developed for Arctic and Tropical regions, respectively. Initially the project will focus on Tundra and Taiga biomes as phenological changes are so pronounced in these regions. However, our long-term goal is to determine similar changes in other biomes (Deciduous Forest, Desert, Grasslands, Rain Forest, Savannah and Shrubland) based upon what we learn from these two biomes. This project will also contribute to critically needed Earth system science data such as in situ ice, mosquito, and vegetation phenology measurements for ground validations of remotely sensed data, which are essential for regional climate change impact assessments. Additionally it will contribute environmental data critical to prevention and management of diseases such as malaria in Asian, African, and other countries. Furthermore, this project will enable students to participate in the International Polar Year (IPY) (2007-2009) through field campaigns conducted by students in polar regions, and web chats between IPY scientists and GLOBE students from all eight GLCs that include non-polar countries.

  8. Promoting Positive Youth Development: The Miami Youth Development Project (YDP)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kurtines, William M.; Ferrer-Wreder, Laura; Berman, Steven L.; Lorente, Carolyn Cass; Briones, Ervin; Montgomery, Marilyn J.; Albrecht, Richard; Garcia, Arlen J.; Arrufat, Ondina

    2008-01-01

    The Miami Youth Development Project (YDP) had its beginnings in the early 1990s as a grassroots response to the needs of troubled (multiproblem) young people in the community (Arnett, Kurtines, & Montgomery, 2008, this issue). YDP is an important outcome of efforts to create positive youth development interventions that draw on the strengths…

  9. "Everybody Kind of Looked at Me Like I Was from Mars:" Preparing Educators through Qualitative Service-Research Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dorner, Lisa M.; Kim, Sujin; Floros, Alice; Mujanovic, Midheta

    2017-01-01

    Skills developed through qualitative research and community partnerships can be essential for developing education students' cultural competency and understandings about diverse student populations. Toward this end, we developed a qualitative "service-research" project in a teacher education course focused on child development, whereby…

  10. An integrated development workflow for community-driven FOSS-projects using continuous integration tools

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bilke, Lars; Watanabe, Norihiro; Naumov, Dmitri; Kolditz, Olaf

    2016-04-01

    A complex software project in general with high standards regarding code quality requires automated tools to help developers in doing repetitive and tedious tasks such as compilation on different platforms and configurations, doing unit testing as well as end-to-end tests and generating distributable binaries and documentation. This is known as continuous integration (CI). A community-driven FOSS-project within the Earth Sciences benefits even more from CI as time and resources regarding software development are often limited. Therefore testing developed code on more than the developers PC is a task which is often neglected and where CI can be the solution. We developed an integrated workflow based on GitHub, Travis and Jenkins for the community project OpenGeoSys - a coupled multiphysics modeling and simulation package - allowing developers to concentrate on implementing new features in a tight feedback loop. Every interested developer/user can create a pull request containing source code modifications on the online collaboration platform GitHub. The modifications are checked (compilation, compiler warnings, memory leaks, undefined behaviors, unit tests, end-to-end tests, analyzing differences in simulation run results between changes etc.) from the CI system which automatically responds to the pull request or by email on success or failure with detailed reports eventually requesting to improve the modifications. Core team developers review the modifications and merge them into the main development line once they satisfy agreed standards. We aim for efficient data structures and algorithms, self-explaining code, comprehensive documentation and high test code coverage. This workflow keeps entry barriers to get involved into the project low and permits an agile development process concentrating on feature additions rather than software maintenance procedures.

  11. Can we Build on Social Movement Theories to Develop and Improve Community-Based Participatory Research? A Framework Synthesis Review.

    PubMed

    Tremblay, Marie-Claude; Martin, Debbie H; Macaulay, Ann C; Pluye, Pierre

    2017-06-01

    A long-standing challenge in community-based participatory research (CBPR) has been to anchor practice and evaluation in a relevant and comprehensive theoretical framework of community change. This study describes the development of a multidimensional conceptual framework that builds on social movement theories to identify key components of CBPR processes. Framework synthesis was used as a general literature search and analysis strategy. An initial conceptual framework was developed from the theoretical literature on social movement. A literature search performed to identify illustrative CBPR projects yielded 635 potentially relevant documents, from which eight projects (corresponding to 58 publications) were retained after record and full-text screening. Framework synthesis was used to code and organize data from these projects, ultimately providing a refined framework. The final conceptual framework maps key concepts of CBPR mobilization processes, such as the pivotal role of the partnership; resources and opportunities as necessary components feeding the partnership's development; the importance of framing processes; and a tight alignment between the cause (partnership's goal), the collective action strategy, and the system changes targeted. The revised framework provides a context-specific model to generate a new, innovative understanding of CBPR mobilization processes, drawing on existing theoretical foundations. © 2017 The Authors American Journal of Community Psychology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Community Research and Action.

  12. From Ripples to Waves: The Rural Community College Initiative to Build New Partnerships in Support of America's Rural Communities. RRD 190

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Emery, Mary

    2008-01-01

    In 1994 the Ford Foundation launched the Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI) as a "national demonstration project to help community colleges in distressed regions move their people and communities toward prosperity. It challenged community colleges to become catalysts for economic development and supported aggressive efforts to increase…

  13. Using a participatory approach to the development of a school-based physical activity policy in an Indigenous community.

    PubMed

    Hogan, Lindsay; García Bengoechea, Enrique; Salsberg, Jon; Jacobs, Judi; King, Morrison; Macaulay, Ann C

    2014-12-01

    This study is part of a larger community-based participatory research (CBPR) project to develop, implement, and evaluate the physical activity component of a school-based wellness policy. The policy intervention is being carried out by community stakeholders and academic researchers within the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project, a well-established health promotion organization in the Indigenous community of Kahnawake, Quebec. We explored how a group of stakeholders develop a school physical activity policy in a participatory manner, and examined factors serving as facilitators and barriers to the development process. This case study was guided by an interpretive description approach and draws upon data from documentary analysis and participant observation. A CBPR approach allowed academic researchers and community stakeholders to codevelop a physical activity policy that is both evidence-based and contextually appropriate. The development process was influenced by a variety of barriers and facilitators including working within existing structures, securing appropriate stakeholders, and school contextual factors. This research offers a process framework that others developing school-based wellness policies may use with appropriate modifications based on local environments. © 2014, American School Health Association.

  14. Art and mental health in Samoa.

    PubMed

    Ryan, Brigid; Goding, Margaret; Fenner, Patricia; Percival, Steven; Percival, Wendy; Latai, Leua; Petaia, Lisi; Pulotu-Endemann, Fuimaono Karl; Parkin, Ian; Tuitama, George; Ng, Chee

    2015-12-01

    To pilot an art and mental health project with Samoan and Australian stakeholders. The aim of this project was to provide a voice through the medium of art for people experiencing mental illness, and to improve the public understanding in Samoa of mental illness and trauma. Over 12 months, a series of innovative workshops were held with Samoan and Australian stakeholders, followed by an art exhibition. These workshops developed strategies to support the promotion and understanding of mental health in Samoa. Key stakeholders from both art making and mental health services were engaged in activities to explore the possibility of collaboration in the Apia community. The project was able to identify the existing resources and community support for the arts and mental health projects, to design a series of activities aimed to promote and maintain health in the community, and to pilot these programs with five key organizations. This project demonstrates the potential for art and mental health projects to contribute to both improving mental health and to lowering the personal and social costs of mental ill health for communities in Samoa. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015.

  15. Rural Schools and Community Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    De Largy, Paul

    1981-01-01

    A community education project in Brooks County, Georgia, began in 1977 with five people, developed county-wide support, and now includes a community education county council, federal funding, volunteer programs, after-school programs, agricultural education (especially swine production), and a day-care center. (AN)

  16. Disseminating research in rural Yup'ik communities: challenges and ethical considerations in moving from discovery to intervention development.

    PubMed

    Rivkin, Inna; Trimble, Joseph; Lopez, Ellen D S; Johnson, Samuel; Orr, Eliza; Allen, James

    2013-01-01

    The native people of Alaska have experienced historical trauma and rapid changes in culture and lifestyle patterns. As a consequence, these populations shoulder a disproportionately high burden of psychological stress. The Yup'ik Experiences of Stress and Coping project originated from rural Yup'ik communities' concerns about stress and its effects on health. It aimed to understand the stressful experiences that affect Yup'ik communities, to identify coping strategies used to deal with these stressors and to inform culturally responsive interventions. Here, we examine the process of moving from research (gaining understanding) to disseminating project findings to translation into intervention priorities. We highlight the importance of community participation and discuss challenges encountered, strategies to address these challenges and ethical considerations for responsible intervention research with indigenous communities that reflect their unique historical and current socio-cultural realities. Community-wide presentations and discussions of research findings on stress and coping were followed by smaller Community Planning Group meetings. During these meetings, community members contextualized project findings and discussed implications for interventions. This process placed priority on community expertise in interpreting findings and translating results and community priorities into grant applications focused on intervention development and evaluation. Challenges included translation between English and Yup'ik, funding limitations and uncertainties, and the long timelines involved in moving from formative research to intervention in the face of urgent and evolving community needs. The lack of congruence between institutional and community worldviews in the intervention research enterprise highlights the need for "principled cultural sensitivity". Cultural sensitivity requires sharing results that have practical value, communicating openly, planning for sustainability and incorporating indigenous knowledge and expertise through a community-guided process. Our research findings will inform continued work within our partnership as we co-develop culturally based strategies for multilevel community interventions to address stress.

  17. 24 CFR 585.309 - Project-related restrictions applicable to Youthbuild residential rental housing.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Project-related restrictions applicable to Youthbuild residential rental housing. 585.309 Section 585.309 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban Development (Continued) OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR COMMUNITY...

  18. AKM in Open Source Communities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stamelos, Ioannis; Kakarontzas, George

    Previous chapters in this book have dealt with Architecture Knowledge Management in traditional Closed Source Software (CSS) projects. This chapterwill attempt to examine the ways that knowledge is shared among participants in Free Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS 1) projects and how architectural knowledge is managed w.r.t. CSS. FLOSS projects are organized and developed in a fundamentally different way than CSS projects. FLOSS projects simply do not develop code as CSS projects do. As a consequence, their knowledge management mechanisms are also based on different concepts and tools.

  19. Rural Math Excel Partnership (RMEP) Project Final Performance Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harmon, Hobart; Tate, Veronica; Stevens, Jennifer; Wilborn, Sandy; Adams, Sue

    2018-01-01

    The goal of the Rural Math Excel Partnership (RMEP) project, a development project funded by the U.S. Department of Education Investing in Innovation (i3) grant program, was to develop a model of shared responsibility among families, teachers, and communities in rural areas as collective support for student success in and preparation for advanced…

  20. Building a Network of Services: 1963-1971. Final Report: Greater Cleveland Mental Retardation Development Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buckman, Rilma Oxley

    The final report documents the Greater Cleveland Mental Retardation Development Project, a 5-year demonstration project concerned with solving such problems as how a community can provide all the services and programs needed by the retarded and their families, ensure successful and appropriate employment, and staff and finance such programs.…

  1. Nebraska | Midmarket Solar Policies in the United States | Solar Research |

    Science.gov Websites

    project development, sales, use, and property tax exemptions, and production based tax credits. Net personal property for use in a community-based energy development (C-BED) project. (A C-BED project is limited to $50,000. Nebraska is not accepting applications for the program as of July 2016. Property Tax

  2. Mathematics and Culture in Micronesia: The Structure and Function of a Capacity Building Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dawson, A. J. Sandy

    2013-01-01

    The first goal of this Project is the development of elementary school mathematics curricula sensitive to indigenous mathematical thought and experience. A necessary prerequisite for the achievement of this goal is to recapture and honor the mathematics developed and practiced in the Micronesian communities. This is the Project's second goal. The…

  3. Good Citizens through Literacy Network. A 353 Project Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leto, Lyn

    An adult basic education (ABE) class was developed to help parolees of the Schuylkill County Prison develop reading, writing, and communication skills and use those skills in a community service project aimed at helping at-risk youth. Parolees were recruited into the project through county parole officers, and their reading, writing, self-esteem,…

  4. Developing a Latino Mentoring Program: Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sáenz, Victor B.; Ponjuan, Luis; Segovia, Jorge, Jr.; Del Real Viramontes, José

    2015-01-01

    This chapter highlights the development of Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success). At the center of Project MALES is a mentoring program that aims to cultivate an engaged support network for males of color at the University of Texas at Austin and across surrounding communities. Specifically, there is a discussion of the…

  5. The Vitality of Latino Communities in Rural Minnesota = La vitalidad de las comunidades latinas en Minnesota rural.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bushway, Deborah, Comp.

    In response to the growing Latino population, a project examined barriers and supports for community development for Latinos in seven rural Minnesota communities. In each community, bilingual facilitators conducted two Latino and one non-Latino focus groups. Findings revealed much strength in these communities. Residents appreciated the economic…

  6. Experiences on the development of a Community Based Early Warning System for mountain risks in northern Italy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Garcia, Carolina; Sterlacchini, Simone; de Amicis, Mattia; Fontana, Michele; Trozzi, Arianna; Frigerio, Ivan

    2010-05-01

    In the framework of the European project Mountain Risks (http://mountain-risks.eu/), one of the projects currently developed is a methodology to integrate risk management and evacuation emergency plans, focused on prevention as a key element for disaster risk reduction, applied in the Mountain Community Valtellina of Tirano, an area recurrently affected by several mountain hazards. Taking into account the actual state of disaster risk reduction initiatives in the study area, including the existence of a real time emergency plan based on GIS (Geographical Information Systems), DSS (Decision Support Systems), and ICT (Information & Communication Technology), but knowing the lack involvement of the general community in any of the preparation activities developed until the present and the lack of divulgation of the current emergency plan, it was decided that the methodology that could better adapt to the actual conditions of the study area would be a non structural Community Based Early Warning System (CBEWS). A CBEWS has been recognized by institutions as the UN and the INSDR, as an effective and important strategy for disaster risk reduction. This strategy is broadly used especially in developing countries and has proved its effectiveness in many disasters crisis all over the world. In spite of that, possibly for political and social reasons, there are really few applications of CBEWS in developed countries which has made the elaboration of this research project a particularly difficult process due to the lack of previous references with similar conditions to the one in the study area. Difficulties related to any multidisciplinary work which also involves the general community have been faced during the development of the project such as the differences in language (both the technical jargon of the different disciplines and the native language), time restrictions, the process of learning and adapting to different social structures, the process of contacting several institutions and persons looking to co-involve them in the project. The development of the CBEWS involves several phases: hazard and risk assessment including the analysis of the legal framework and the application of an extensive social survey to evaluate the levels of risk perception, awareness, preparation and information desires of the community; the development of prevention and monitoring strategies and preparedness activities, including the development of a communication campaign developed by an interdisciplinary group to inform and educate the community and practitioner stakeholders. Preliminary results of the survey show, among others, low levels of risk perception and preparedness, and lack of knowledge and information related to natural hazards. All the results confirm the necessity of develop the communication and education campaign. The aim of the CBEWS is not only to increase the level of preparedness of the community and decrease its vulnerability, but also to strengthen institutional collaboration, in particular local institutions, in order to assure a continuity of the efforts.

  7. Development of project wings home visits, a mental health intervention for Latino families using community-based participatory research.

    PubMed

    Garcia, Carolyn; Hermann, Denise; Bartels, Anna; Matamoros, Pablo; Dick-Olson, Linda; Guerra de Patino, Janeth

    2012-11-01

    As the Latino population in the United States experiences rapid growth, the well-being of Latino adolescents is a growing concern because of their high rates of mental health problems. Latino adolescents have higher rates of mental health problems than their peers, including depressive symptoms, suicide attempts, and violence. Sophisticated, realistic health promotion efforts are needed to reduce these risk behaviors and enhance protective factors. Parents and schools can be key protective factors, or assets, in adolescents' lives. This article details the steps undertaken to develop Project Wings Home Visits, a collaborative school-based, community-linked mental health promotion intervention for Latino adolescents and their families. Core to the intervention is the use of a community health worker model to provide home-based outreach and education to parents of Latino adolescents. The intervention was developed using a community-based participatory research approach that involved the cooperation of a community health care system, a public high school, and a university. Our process demonstrates the benefits, strengths, and challenges of using community-based participatory research in creating and implementing health promotion interventions.

  8. MMI: Increasing Community Collaboration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Galbraith, N. R.; Stocks, K.; Neiswender, C.; Maffei, A.; Bermudez, L.

    2007-12-01

    Building community requires a collaborative environment and guidance to help move members towards a common goal. An effective environment for community collaboration is a workspace that fosters participation and cooperation; effective guidance furthers common understanding and promotes best practices. The Marine Metadata Interoperability (MMI) project has developed a community web site to provide a collaborative environment for scientists, technologists, and data managers from around the world to learn about metadata and exchange ideas. Workshops, demonstration projects, and presentations also provide community-building opportunities for MMI. MMI has developed comprehensive online guides to help users understand and work with metadata standards, ontologies, and other controlled vocabularies. Documents such as "The Importance of Metadata Standards", "Usage vs. Discovery Vocabularies" and "Developing Controlled Vocabularies" guide scientists and data managers through a variety of metadata-related concepts. Members from eight organizations involved in marine science and informatics collaborated on this effort. The MMI web site has moved from Plone to Drupal, two content management systems which provide different opportunities for community-based work. Drupal's "organic groups" feature will be used to provide workspace for future teams tasked with content development, outreach, and other MMI mission-critical work. The new site is designed to enable members to easily create working areas, to build communities dedicated to developing consensus on metadata and other interoperability issues. Controlled-vocabulary-driven menus, integrated mailing-lists, member-based content creation and review tools are facets of the new web site architecture. This move provided the challenge of developing a hierarchical vocabulary to describe the resources presented on the site; consistent and logical tagging of web pages is the basis of Drupal site navigation. The new MMI web site presents enhanced opportunities for electronic discussions, focused collaborative work, and even greater community participation. The MMI project is beginning a new initiative to comprehensively catalog and document tools for marine metadata. The new MMI community-based web site will be used to support this work and to support the work of other ad-hoc teams in the future. We are seeking broad input from the community on this effort.

  9. Project DAVES: An Exploratory Study of Social Presence, E-Mentoring, and Vocational Counseling Support in Community College Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schrum, Lynne; English, Mary C.; Galizio, Lyndsie M.

    2012-01-01

    A FIPSE-funded project was designed to provide support and training to community college faculty electronically, and to develop a model to offer innovative, interactive strategies to support their students' academic and career needs. The goal of the mentoring/coaching program has been to support instructors in their online efforts, provide…

  10. Medical Signbank as a Model for Sign Language Planning? A Review of Community Engagement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Napier, Jemina; Major, George; Ferrara, Lindsay; Johnston, Trevor

    2015-01-01

    This paper reviews a sign language planning project conducted in Australia with deaf Auslan users. The Medical Signbank project utilised a cooperative language planning process to engage with the Deaf community and sign language interpreters to develop an online interactive resource of health-related signs, in order to address a gap in the health…

  11. Relationship Depth in Community Food Security: Lessons from a Case Study of the Campus Kitchens Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Himmelheber, Sarah

    2016-01-01

    This article presents an instrumental case study of one branch of the nationally networked food recovery and redistribution program, the Campus Kitchens Project (CKP). Inquiry is focused on developing a better understanding of the relationship between this CKP branch and its community partners, as well as recognizing the potential for CKP branches…

  12. The Role of Community Music in Helping Disadvantaged Young People in South Wales to Confront Social Exclusion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garrett, Steve

    2010-01-01

    This paper discusses how some of the music projects supported and developed by Community Music Wales have attracted the interest of disaffected young people. In addition, the paper describes how project participants are able to have their learning formally recognized under a national accreditation system, thus gaining access to employment or…

  13. Tutorial Community Report. Progress Report, August 1971-July 1972.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    COP Bulletin, 1972

    1972-01-01

    The Tutorial Community Project (TCP) is a seven-year effort (1968-1975) designed to establish a model elementary school in the Los Angeles City School System. This document reports the project's accomplishments at Wilshire Crest and Dublin Avenue schools during the first year of the TCP. The main thrust of TCP is to develop a model, self-renewing,…

  14. Play with the Slinky[R]: Learning to Lead Collaboration through a Statewide Training Project Aimed at Grants for Community Partnerships

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Curry, Elizabeth A.

    2005-01-01

    How can training develop the philosophical commitment that library staff members need to successfully lead collaborative projects? How do conversation as a training model and play as an activity shape the collaborative learning process? How do we stimulate libraries and library staff to assume leadership roles in community building? This article…

  15. Middlesex Community College Geothermal Project

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Klein, Jessie; Spaziani, Gina

    The purpose of the project was to install a geothermal system in the trustees house on the Bedford campus of Middlesex Community College. In partnership with the environmental science faculty, learning activities for environmental science courses were developed to explain geothermal energy and more specifically the newly installed system to Middlesex students. A real-time monitoring system highlights the energy use and generation.

  16. Mission I'm Possible: Effects of a Community-Based Project on the Basic Literacy Skills of At-Risk Kindergarteners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chong, Wan Har; Moore, Dennis W.; Nonis, Karen P.; Tang, Hui Nee; Koh, Patricia; Wee, Sharon

    2014-01-01

    This study used a nonequivalent group design to evaluate the impact of an emergent literacy intervention on preschool children identified with early reading difficulties. Thirty-five children were compared with 39 typically developing classroom peers on various reading measures in a community-based project--"Mission I'm Possible" (MIP),…

  17. Guidelines for NASA Missions to Engage the User Community as a Part of the Mission Life Cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Escobar, V. M.; Friedl, L.; Bonniksen, C. K.

    2017-12-01

    NASA continues to improve the Earth Science Directorate in the areas of thematic integration, stakeholder feedback and Project Applications Program tailoring for missions to transfer knowledge between scientists and projects. The integration of application themes and the implementation of application science activities in flight projects have evolved to formally include user feedback and stakeholder integration. NASA's new Flight Applied Science Program Guidelines are designed to bridge NASA Earth Science Directorates in Flight, Applied Sciences and Research and Development by agreeing to integrate the user community into mission life cycles. Thus science development and science applications will guide all new instruments launched by NASAs ESD. The continued integration with the user community has enabled socio-economic considerations into NASA Earth Science projects to advance significantly. Making users a natural part of mission science leverages future socio-economic impact research and provides a platform for innovative and more actionable product to be used in decision support systems by society. This presentation will give an overview of the new NASA Guidelines and provide samples that demonstrate how the user community can be a part of NASA mission designs.

  18. The Heartfile Lodhran CVD prevention project--end of project evaluation.

    PubMed

    Nishtar, Sania; Badar, Asma; Kamal, Mohammad Umer; Iqbal, Azhar; Bajwa, Rashid; Shah, Tauqeer; Larik, Zahid; Karim, Fazle; Mehmood, Mahmood ul Hassan; Jehangir, Haroon; Azam, Syed Iqbal; Mirza, Yasir Abbas; Khan, Shahzad Ali; Qayyum, Aamra; Aqeel, Fauzia; Bakir, Abdul; Rahim, Ejaz

    2007-01-01

    Mainstream preventive interventions often fail to reach poor populations with a high risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in Pakistan. A community-based CVD primary prevention project aimed at developing approaches to reduce risk factors in such populations was established by Heartfile in collaboration with the National Rural Support Program in the district of Lodhran. The project implemented a range of activities integrated with existing social and health service mechanisms during a three year intervention period 2000/01-03/04. These were targeted in 4 key settings: community health education, mass media interventions, training of health professionals and health education through Lady Health Workers. The project received support from the Department for International Development, U.K. At the community level, a pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental design was used for examining project outcomes related to the community component of the intervention. Pre and post-intervention (training) evaluations were conducted involving all health care providers in randomly selected workshops in order to determine baseline levels of knowledge and the impact of training on knowledge level. In order to assess practices of physician and non-physician health care providers patient interviews, with control comparisons were conducted at each health care facility. Significant positive changes were observed in knowledge levels at a community level in the district of intervention compared with baseline knowledge levels particularly in relation to a heart healthy diet, beneficial level of physical activity, the causes of high blood pressure and heart attack and the effects of high blood pressure and active and passive smoking on health. Significant changes in behaviors at a practice level were not shown in the district of intervention. However the project played a critical role in spurring national action for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and introducing sustainable public health interventions for poor communities in Pakistan.

  19. Community Engagement Studios: A Structured Approach to Obtaining Meaningful Input From Stakeholders to Inform Research

    PubMed Central

    Joosten, Yvonne A.; Israel, Tiffany L.; Williams, Neely A.; Boone, Leslie R.; Schlundt, David G.; Mouton, Charles P.; Dittus, Robert S.; Bernard, Gordon R.

    2015-01-01

    Problem Engaging communities in research increases its relevance and may speed the translation of discoveries into improved health outcomes. Many researchers lack training to effectively engage stakeholders, whereas academic institutions lack infrastructure to support community engagement. Approach In 2009, the Meharry-Vanderbilt Community-Engaged Research Core began testing new approaches for community engagement, which led to the development of the Community Engagement Studio (CE Studio). This structured program facilitates project-specific input from community and patient stakeholders to enhance research design, implementation, and dissemination. Developers used a team approach to recruit and train stakeholders, prepare researchers to engage with stakeholders, and facilitate an in-person meeting with both. Outcomes The research core has implemented 28 CE Studios that engaged 152 community stakeholders. Participating researchers, representing a broad range of faculty ranks and disciplines, reported that input from stakeholders was valuable and that the CE Studio helped determine project feasibility and enhanced research design and implementation. Stakeholders found the CE Studio to be an acceptable method of engagement and reported a better understanding of research in general. A tool kit was developed to replicate this model and to disseminate this approach. Next Steps The research core will collect data to better understand the impact of CE Studios on research proposal submissions, funding, research outcomes, patient and stakeholder engagement in projects, and dissemination of results. They will also collect data to determine whether CE Studios increase patient-centered approaches in research and whether stakeholders who participate have more trust and willingness to participate in research. PMID:26107879

  20. Photovoltaic pilot projects in the European community

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Treble, F. C.; Grassi, G.; Schnell, W.

    The paper presents proposals received for the construction of photovoltaic pilot plants as part of the Commission of the European Communities' second 4-year solar energy R and D program. The proposed plants range from 30 to 300 kWp and cover a variety of applications including rural electrification, water pumping, desalination, dairy farming, factories, hospitals, schools and vacation centers. Fifteen projects will be accepted with a total generating capacity of 1 MWp, with preference given to those projects involving the development of new techniques, components and systems.

  1. The GenABEL Project for statistical genomics

    PubMed Central

    Karssen, Lennart C.; van Duijn, Cornelia M.; Aulchenko, Yurii S.

    2016-01-01

    Development of free/libre open source software is usually done by a community of people with an interest in the tool. For scientific software, however, this is less often the case. Most scientific software is written by only a few authors, often a student working on a thesis. Once the paper describing the tool has been published, the tool is no longer developed further and is left to its own device. Here we describe the broad, multidisciplinary community we formed around a set of tools for statistical genomics. The GenABEL project for statistical omics actively promotes open interdisciplinary development of statistical methodology and its implementation in efficient and user-friendly software under an open source licence. The software tools developed withing the project collectively make up the GenABEL suite, which currently consists of eleven tools. The open framework of the project actively encourages involvement of the community in all stages, from formulation of methodological ideas to application of software to specific data sets. A web forum is used to channel user questions and discussions, further promoting the use of the GenABEL suite. Developer discussions take place on a dedicated mailing list, and development is further supported by robust development practices including use of public version control, code review and continuous integration. Use of this open science model attracts contributions from users and developers outside the “core team”, facilitating agile statistical omics methodology development and fast dissemination. PMID:27347381

  2. Removing a barrier to computer-based outbreak and disease surveillance--the RODS Open Source Project.

    PubMed

    Espino, Jeremy U; Wagner, M; Szczepaniak, C; Tsui, F C; Su, H; Olszewski, R; Liu, Z; Chapman, W; Zeng, X; Ma, L; Lu, Z; Dara, J

    2004-09-24

    Computer-based outbreak and disease surveillance requires high-quality software that is well-supported and affordable. Developing software in an open-source framework, which entails free distribution and use of software and continuous, community-based software development, can produce software with such characteristics, and can do so rapidly. The objective of the Real-Time Outbreak and Disease Surveillance (RODS) Open Source Project is to accelerate the deployment of computer-based outbreak and disease surveillance systems by writing software and catalyzing the formation of a community of users, developers, consultants, and scientists who support its use. The University of Pittsburgh seeded the Open Source Project by releasing the RODS software under the GNU General Public License. An infrastructure was created, consisting of a website, mailing lists for developers and users, designated software developers, and shared code-development tools. These resources are intended to encourage growth of the Open Source Project community. Progress is measured by assessing website usage, number of software downloads, number of inquiries, number of system deployments, and number of new features or modules added to the code base. During September--November 2003, users generated 5,370 page views of the project website, 59 software downloads, 20 inquiries, one new deployment, and addition of four features. Thus far, health departments and companies have been more interested in using the software as is than in customizing or developing new features. The RODS laboratory anticipates that after initial installation has been completed, health departments and companies will begin to customize the software and contribute their enhancements to the public code base.

  3. Participatory science and innovation for improved sanitation and hygiene: process and outcome evaluation of project SHINE, a school-based intervention in Rural Tanzania.

    PubMed

    Hetherington, Erin; Eggers, Matthijs; Wamoyi, Joyce; Hatfield, Jennifer; Manyama, Mange; Kutz, Susan; Bastien, Sheri

    2017-02-07

    Diarrheal disease is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in low and middle income countries with children being disproportionately affected. Project SHINE (Sanitation & Hygiene INnovation in Education) is a grassroots participatory science education and social entrepreneurship model to engage youth and the wider community in the development of sustainable strategies to improve sanitation and hygiene. Based in rural and remote Tanzania, this pilot study engaged pastoralist high-school students and communities in the development and evaluation of culturally and contextually relevant strategies to improve sanitation and hygiene. Using a train-the-trainer approach, key activities included teacher workshops, school-based lessons, extra-curricular activities, community events and a One Health sanitation science fair which showcased projects related to water, sanitation and hygiene in relation to human and animal health. The process and outcome of the study were evaluated through qualitative interviews and focus group discussions with diverse project participants, as well as pre- and post- questionnaires completed by students on knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning sanitation and hygiene. The questionnaire results at baseline and follow-up showed statistically significant improvements on key measures including a decrease in unhygienic behaviors, an increase in the perceived importance of handwashing and intention to use the toilet, and increased communication in the social network about the importance of clean water and improved sanitation and hygiene practices, however there were no significant changes in sanitation related knowledge. Qualitative data highlighted strong leadership emerging from youth and enthusiasm from teachers and students concerning the overall approach in the project, including the use of participatory methods. There was a high degree of community engagement with hundreds of community members participating in school-based events. Sanitation science fair projects addressed a range of pastoralist questions and concerns regarding the relationship between water, sanitation and hygiene. Several projects, such as making soap from local materials, demonstrate potential as a sustainable strategy to improve health and livelihoods in the long-term. The Project SHINE model shows promise as an innovative capacity building approach and as an engagement and empowerment strategy for youth and communities to develop locally sustainable strategies to improve sanitation and hygiene.

  4. Electronic community: The role of an electronic network in the development of a community of teachers engaged in curriculum development and implementation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Keating, Thomas Michael

    The goal of this study was to describe the development of an electronic community of teachers who had the common experience of working on a Human Biology Curriculum Project through Stanford University. It was hypothesized that the interdisciplinary teams of teachers distributed across the United States would find a telecommunication network an ideal vehicle for extending their curricular collaborations they had begun in a series of summer institutes at Stanford. It was antlclpated that teachers would use the network to keep in touch with each other, share their common experiences piloting the HumBio Curriculum materials, provide feedback to the faculty and staff writing teams, and explore the possibilities of enacting cross site projects based on the curriculum project. From these interactions over the network it was hypothesized that a viable electronic community of schools could emerge. Establishment of a thriving electronic educational community is not an easy task. An analysis of three years of network interactions representing approximately 3125 email messages exchanged between HumBio test sites, HumBio Staff, the Network Coordinator and an additional three schools added in the third year, did not support the hypothesis that an electronic community would emerge and prosper. Participation in the electronic network was largely sporadic. However, a core group of schools was able to engage in meaningful, long term, cross-site projects, and student exchanges. By studying the active schools' message exchanges through time, insights were gained as to which ingredients are necessary to nurture an electronic network through the early stages of community development. A life history approach was found to be useful when considering the developmental stages of electronic networks. A key finding is that teachers choose to participate in electronic collaborations that will have a direct impact on what students are doing in the classroom. The first phase in the development of this network was characterized by greetings and requests for technical assistance, the second phase focused on curricular concerns, and the third phase led to a greater degree of full and open communication. Community is ephemeral by nature. Perhaps a more accurate depiction of the interactions that take place over an email system is that of a social network from which community characteristics emerge at different times and in different ways. This was certainly the case in the development of this "electronic community."

  5. The Art of Red Tide Science

    PubMed Central

    Hall, Emily R.; Nierenberg, Kate; Boyes, Anamari J.; Heil, Cynthia A.; Flewelling, Leanne J.; Kirkpatrick, Barbara

    2012-01-01

    Over the years, numerous outreach strategies by the science community, such as FAQ cards and website information, have been used to explain blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis that occur annually off the west coast of Florida to the impacted communities. Many state and federal agencies have turned to funded research groups for assistance in the development and testing of environmental outreach products. In the case of Florida red tide, the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute/Mote Marine Laboratory (MML) Cooperative Red Tide Agreement allowed MML to initiate a project aimed at developing innovative outreach products about Florida red tide. This project, which we coined “The Art of Red Tide Science,” consisted of a team effort between scientists from MML and students from Ringling College of Art and Design. This successful outreach project focused on Florida red tide can be used as a model to develop similar outreach projects for equally complex ecological issues. PMID:22712002

  6. The Art of Red Tide Science.

    PubMed

    Hall, Emily R; Nierenberg, Kate; Boyes, Anamari J; Heil, Cynthia A; Flewelling, Leanne J; Kirkpatrick, Barbara

    2012-05-01

    Over the years, numerous outreach strategies by the science community, such as FAQ cards and website information, have been used to explain blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis that occur annually off the west coast of Florida to the impacted communities. Many state and federal agencies have turned to funded research groups for assistance in the development and testing of environmental outreach products. In the case of Florida red tide, the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute/Mote Marine Laboratory (MML) Cooperative Red Tide Agreement allowed MML to initiate a project aimed at developing innovative outreach products about Florida red tide. This project, which we coined "The Art of Red Tide Science," consisted of a team effort between scientists from MML and students from Ringling College of Art and Design. This successful outreach project focused on Florida red tide can be used as a model to develop similar outreach projects for equally complex ecological issues.

  7. Building Ecological and Community Resilience and Measuring Success of the Department of Interior Hurricane Sandy Resilience Projects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taylor, S. M.; Worman, S. L.; Bennett, R.; Bassow, A.

    2017-12-01

    The Department of the Interior (DOI) partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to administer an external funding competition to support coastal resilience projects in the region affected by Hurricane Sandy. The projects complement the DOI Bureau-led projects, but are led by state and local governments, universities, non-profits, community groups, tribes, and other non-Federal entities. In total, the Hurricane Sandy Resilience Program invested over $750 million in approximately 180 projects to repair damage and improve the resilience of habitats, communities and infrastructure to future storms and sea level rise. Project activities include waterway connection and opening, living shoreline, marsh restoration, community resilience planning, data/mapping/modeling, and beach and dune restoration. DOI and NFWF initiated a resilience assessment in 2015 to evaluate the impact of this investment. The assessment began by clarifying the program's resilience goals and the development of ecological and socio-economic metrics across the project activities. Using these metrics, the evaluation is assessing the ecological and community outcomes, cost effectiveness of activities, improved scientific understanding, and temporal and spatial scaling of benefits across resilience activities. Recognizing the unique opportunity afforded by the scale and distribution of projects, NFWF and DOI have invested in monitoring through 2024 to better understand how these projects perform over time. This presentation will describe the evaluation questions, approach, long-term monitoring, online metrics portal, and findings to date.

  8. A Research Perspective on World Affairs Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McClain, Edwin P.

    The paper assesses four community based world affairs education projects--Columbus-in-The World (CITW), Kettering-Findlay Experiment (KFE), Community International Education Consultation (CIEC), Overseas Development Council, and Kettering Foundation Transnational Dialogues on Food and Development (TND). The objectives of the paper are to assess…

  9. Internationalizing the Curriculum.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sypris, Theo, Ed.

    Prepared as a resource for community college practitioners seeking to internationalize their courses, this report presents 50 internationalized course modules in 22 subject areas developed as part of curriculum development project undertaken at Michigan's Kalamazoo Valley Community College. The 50 modules are presented in the areas of accounting,…

  10. CucCAP - Developing genomic resources for the cucurbit community

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The U.S. cucurbit community has initiated a USDA-SCRI funded cucurbit genomics project, CucCAP: Leveraging applied genomics to increase disease resistance in cucurbit crops. Our primary objectives are: develop genomic and bioinformatic breeding tool kits for accelerated crop improvement across the...

  11. Adult Education and Community Development in the West of Ireland.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Cinneide, Micheal S.

    1987-01-01

    Describes adult educational program by University College Galway in rural West Ireland, following significant out-migration of young people. Aim is to encourage development initiatives, community participation, and self help. Program includes lectures, seminars, and class projects. Program's successes noted. (Author/TES)

  12. Enhancing Social Capital in Children via School-Based Community Cultural Development Projects: A Pilot Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buys, Laurie; Miller, Evonne

    2009-01-01

    This exploratory pilot study investigates the extent to which participating in a community cultural development (CCD) initiative builds social capital among children. An independent youth arts organisation implemented two cultural activities, developing a compact disc of original music and designing mosaic artworks for a library courtyard, in two…

  13. Greenwich Township Environmental Analysis: A Field Study 1972-74.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bahorik, J. Wesley, Ed.

    This project attempted to develop a baseline on which the community could assess its own local environment. The objectives of the study include developing a list of references and resources, developing an assessment model for community use, composing an environmental quality index, determining areas to be protected and persuading decision-making…

  14. Wanchese Harbor--Community Development. Project CAPE Teaching Module SOC.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gray, R. Wayne; Martin, William T.

    North Carolina and Dare County, with assistance from the federal government, are developing a seafood industrial park at Wanchese, a small residential community. The purposes of this park are to develop a major commercial seafood handling, processing, and distribution port in North Carolina; and to provide a home port with support facilities for a…

  15. Sustainable Participation in Regular Exercise amongst Older People: Developing an Action Research Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davies, Jeanne; Lester, Carolyn; O'Neill, Martin; Williams, Gareth

    2008-01-01

    Objective: This article describes the Triangle Project's work with a post industrial community, where healthy living activities were developed in response to community members' expressed needs. Method: An action research partnership approach was taken to reduce health inequalities, with local people developing their own activities to address…

  16. The Many Faces of a Software Engineer in a Research Community

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Marinovici, Maria C.; Kirkham, Harold

    2013-10-14

    The ability to gather, analyze and make decisions based on real world data is changing nearly every field of human endeavor. These changes are particularly challenging for software engineers working in a scientific community, designing and developing large, complex systems. To avoid the creation of a communications gap (almost a language barrier), the software engineers should possess an ‘adaptive’ skill. In the science and engineering research community, the software engineers must be responsible for more than creating mechanisms for storing and analyzing data. They must also develop a fundamental scientific and engineering understanding of the data. This paper looks atmore » the many faces that a software engineer should have: developer, domain expert, business analyst, security expert, project manager, tester, user experience professional, etc. Observations made during work on a power-systems scientific software development are analyzed and extended to describe more generic software development projects.« less

  17. The Project P.A.T.H.S. in Hong Kong: Work Done and Lessons Learned in a Decade.

    PubMed

    Shek, Daniel T L; Wu, Florence K Y

    2016-02-01

    The Project Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programs is a positive youth development program initiated and financially supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. Since 2005, the project has gone through several phases, including the initial phase (2005-2012), school-based extension phase (2009-2016), and community-based extension phase (2013-2017). In the initial phase, with the involvement of academics from 5 universities in Hong Kong, the research team developed youth enhancement programs for junior secondary school students (20 hours per grade), trained the program implementers (20 hours per grade), assisted in the implementation in more than 250 schools, and evaluated the program using multiple evaluation strategies, including a 5-year longitudinal experimental study. In the school-based extension phase, the project was implemented for another cycle (2009-2010 and 2011-2012 school years) and a 6-year longitudinal study was conducted to understand the psychosocial development of Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. In the community-based extension phase, the programs were administered by social workers in the community settings. Generally speaking, different evaluation findings showed that the programs in Project Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programs promoted positive development and reduced risk behavior in Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. Positive youth development attributes and family functioning also have positive contributions to adolescent developmental outcomes over time. Copyright © 2016 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. 78 FR 51186 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-20

    ... Houston, California Communities Against Toxics, Coalition For A Safe Environment, Community In-Power and Development Association, Del Amo Action Committee, Environmental Integrity Project, Louisiana Bucket Brigade...

  19. 24 CFR 92.301 - Project-specific assistance to community housing development organizations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... (including costs of an initial feasibility study), consulting fees, costs of preliminary financial... participating jurisdiction determines to be customary and reasonable project preparation costs allowable under paragraph (a)(2) of this section. All costs must be related to a specific eligible project or projects. (2...

  20. Good governance and sustainability: a case study from Pakistan.

    PubMed

    Israr, Syed Muhammad; Islam, Anwar

    2006-01-01

    On the basis of a case study in Pakistan, the paper argues that good governance, characterized by transparency, accountability and meaningful community participation, plays a critical role in the sustainability of donor-funded health systems projects in the public health sector. The Family Health Project (FHP) (1992-1999), funded by the World Bank, has been used as a case study. Critical analysis of secondary data mainly obtained from the Department of Health (DoH) in the province of Sindh in Pakistan is the major tool used for the study. Data from other sources including the World Bank have also been used. The analysis reveals that the existing health care system could not fully absorb and sustain major "sociopolitical" thrusts of the project, meaningful community participation and "democratic" decision-making processes being the most important ones. The hierarchical structure and management process made it difficult to produce a sense of ownership of the project among all managers and the rank and file staff. The Provincial Health Development Center (PHDC) and District Health Development Centers (DHDCs) established by the FHP did not receive adequate financial and political support from DoH and the Ministry of Health to have much control of the project at the local level. Consequently, these Centers largely failed to institutionalize a continuing training program for district level health officials/professionals. Due to lack of political support, the District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) could not be institutionalized. Community participation in the DHMTs was symbolic rather than forceful. Improved coordination among all stakeholders, more stable and competent leadership, more meaningful community participation, greater devolution of project management to the district level, and better management of resources would have resulted in more effective and efficient implementation of the project. Based on these findings, the paper introduces a Sustainable Management Approach (SMA) as a tool that can be used to ensure the sustainability of health systems projects, particularly those funded by international organizations in developing countries. Good governance and a conducive organizational culture are important prerequisites for incorporating any new project within an existing system. This includes prior consensus building among all stakeholders, a meaningful and inclusive participatory planning, implementation and evaluation process involving communities, political commitment, and the identification and use of appropriate leadership for project management.

  1. Community responses to government defunding of watershed projects: a comparative study in India and the USA.

    PubMed

    Koontz, Tomas M; Sen, Sucharita

    2013-03-01

    When central governments decentralize natural resource management (NRM), they often retain an interest in the local efforts and provide funding for them. Such outside investments can serve an important role in moving community-based efforts forward. At the same time, they can represent risks to the community if government resources are not stable over time. Our focus in this article is on the effects of withdrawal of government resources from community-based NRM. A critical question is how to build institutional capacity to carry on when the government funding runs out. This study compares institutional survival and coping strategies used by community-based project organizations in two different contexts, India and the United States. Despite higher links to livelihoods, community participation, and private benefits, efforts in the Indian cases exhibited lower survival rates than did those in the U.S. cases. Successful coping strategies in the U.S. context often involved tapping into existing institutions and resources. In the Indian context, successful coping strategies often involved building broad community support for the projects and creatively finding additional funding sources. On the other hand, the lack of local community interest, due to the top-down development approach and sometimes narrow benefit distribution, often challenged organizational survival and project maintenance.

  2. Community Responses to Government Defunding of Watershed Projects: A Comparative Study in India and the USA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Koontz, Tomas M.; Sen, Sucharita

    2013-03-01

    When central governments decentralize natural resource management (NRM), they often retain an interest in the local efforts and provide funding for them. Such outside investments can serve an important role in moving community-based efforts forward. At the same time, they can represent risks to the community if government resources are not stable over time. Our focus in this article is on the effects of withdrawal of government resources from community-based NRM. A critical question is how to build institutional capacity to carry on when the government funding runs out. This study compares institutional survival and coping strategies used by community-based project organizations in two different contexts, India and the United States. Despite higher links to livelihoods, community participation, and private benefits, efforts in the Indian cases exhibited lower survival rates than did those in the U.S. cases. Successful coping strategies in the U.S. context often involved tapping into existing institutions and resources. In the Indian context, successful coping strategies often involved building broad community support for the projects and creatively finding additional funding sources. On the other hand, the lack of local community interest, due to the top-down development approach and sometimes narrow benefit distribution, often challenged organizational survival and project maintenance.

  3. A framework for community ownership of a text messaging programme to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy and client-provider communication: a mixed methods study.

    PubMed

    Mbuagbaw, Lawrence; Bonono-Momnougui, Renee-Cecile; Thabane, Lehana; Kouanfack, Charles; Smieja, Marek; Ongolo-Zogo, Pierre

    2014-09-26

    Mobile phone text messaging has been shown to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy and to improve communication between patients and health care workers. It is unclear which strategies are most appropriate for scaling up text messaging programmes. We sought to investigate acceptability and readiness for ownership (community members designing, sending and receiving text messages) of a text message programme among a community of clients living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Yaoundé, Cameroon and to develop a framework for implementation. We used the mixed-methods sequential exploratory design. In the qualitative strand we conducted 7 focus group discussions (57 participants) to elicit themes related to acceptability and readiness. In the quantitative strand we explored the generalizability of these themes in a survey of 420 clients. Qualitative and quantitative data were merged to generate meta-inferences. Both qualitative and quantitative strands showed high levels of acceptability and readiness despite low rates of participation in other community-led projects. In the qualitative strand, compared to the quantitative strand, more potential service users were willing to pay for a text messaging service, preferred participation of health personnel in managing the project and preferred that the project be based in the hospital rather than in the community. Some of the limitations identified to implementing a community-owned project were lack of management skills in the community, financial, technical and literacy challenges. Participants who were willing to pay were more likely to find the project acceptable and expressed positive feelings about community readiness to own a text messaging project. Community ownership of a text messaging programme is acceptable to the community of clients at the Yaoundé Central Hospital. Our framework for implementation includes components for community members who take on roles as services users (demonstrating clear benefits, allowing a trial period and ensuring high levels of confidentiality) or service providers (training in project management and securing sustainable funding). Such a project can be evaluated using participation rate, clinical outcomes, satisfaction with the service, cost and feedback from users.

  4. Impacts of Oil Shale Development on Education in the Uintah Basin. A Report on a Community Based Approach to Education Planning in Communities Facing Rapid Growth.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lindberg, Denise P.

    Three counties in eastern Utah's Uintah Basin face the likelihood of rapid growth because of planned oil shale and tar sands development in the area. This seven-part report describes a federally-funded, community-based project to plan for expected impacts of the energy developments on Uintah Basin education. After an introductory overview, the…

  5. What Is All That Learning for? Indigenous Adult English Literacy Practices, Training, Community Capacity and Health

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kral, Inge; Falk, Ian

    2004-01-01

    In remote Indigenous communities in Australia there are minimal labour market opportunities, with the majority of jobs under the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP), and limited education and training services. Yet Indigenous communities are under increasing pressure from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC)…

  6. Teacher Education in Schools as Learning Communities: Transforming High-Poverty Schools through Dialogic Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garcia-Carrion, Rocio; Gomez, Aitor; Molina, Silvia; Ionescu, Vladia

    2017-01-01

    Teachers' professional development in Schools as Learning Communities may become a key process for the sustainability and transferability of this model worldwide. Learning Communities (LC) is a community-based project that aims to transform schools through dialogic learning and involves research-grounded schools that implement Successful…

  7. Military housing foam application and analysis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Torres, J. J.

    2012-03-01

    Sandia and Forest City have established a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), the partnership provides a unique opportunity to take technology research and development from demonstration to application in sustainable communities. This project consists of two activities conducted in Hawaii that focus on performance, integration and application of energy saving technologies. Hawaii has many energy challenges, making this location an excellent testbed for these activities. Under this project, spray foam technology was applied at military housing on Oahu and the consumption data collected. A cost benefit and operational analysis of the foam was completed. The second phase of thismore » project included design, integration, and analysis of photovoltaic systems at a military community on Oahu. This phase of the project was conducted as part of Forest City's second Solar America Showcase Award.« less

  8. EarthCube - A Community-led, Interdisciplinary Collaboration for Geoscience Cyberinfrastructure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Allison, M. L.; Keane, C. M.; Robinson, E.

    2015-12-01

    The EarthCube Test Enterprise Governance Project completed its initial two-year long process to engage the community and test a demonstration governing organization with the goal of facilitating a community-led process on designing and developing a geoscience cyberinfrastructure. Conclusions are that EarthCube is viable, has engaged a broad spectrum of end-users and contributors, and has begun to foster a sense of urgency around the importance of open and shared data. Levels of trust among participants are growing. At the same time, the active participants in EarthCube represent a very small sub-set of the larger population of geoscientists. Results from Stage I of this project have impacted NSF decisions on the direction of the EarthCube program. The overall tone of EarthCube events has had a constructive, problem-solving orientation. The technical and organizational elements of EarthCube are poised to support a functional infrastructure for the geosciences community. The process for establishing shared technological standards has notable progress but there is a continuing need to expand technological and cultural alignment. Increasing emphasis is being given to the interdependencies among EarthCube funded projects. The newly developed EarthCube Technology Plan highlights important progress in this area by five working groups focusing on: 1. Use cases; 2. Funded project gap analysis; 3. Testbed development; 4. Standards; and 5. Architecture. There is ample justification to continue running a community-led governance framework that facilitates agreement on a system architecture, guides EarthCube activities, and plays an increasing role in making the EarthCube vision of cyberinfrastructure for the geosciences operational. There is widespread community expectation for support of a multiyear EarthCube governing effort to put into practice the science, technical, and organizational plans that have and are continuing to emerge.

  9. ‘Imi Hale – The Native Hawaiian Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training Network: Second-Year Status Report

    PubMed Central

    Braun, Kathryn L.; Tsark, JoAnn; Ann Santos, Lorrie; Abrigo, Lehua

    2010-01-01

    Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe ‘Imi Hale, a program developed and managed by Native Hawaiians to increase cancer awareness and research capacity among Native Hawaiians. This US subgroup of indigenous people of the Hawaiian islands has disproportionately high rates of cancer mortality and low rates of participation in health and research careers. Methods As a community-based research project, ‘Imi Hale spent its first year gathering data from Native Hawaiians about their cancer awareness and research priorities. These findings guide ‘Imi Hale’s community and scientific advisors, a community-based Institutional Review Board, Na Liko Noelo (budding researchers), and staff in developing and carrying out projects that address these priority areas. Emphasis is placed on transferring skills and resources to Native Hawaiians through training, technical assistance, and mentorship. A biennial survey assesses the extent to which community-based participatory research principles are being followed. Principal Findings By the end of the second year, statewide and island-specific awareness plans were produced, and 9 funded awareness projects are supporting the development and dissemination of Hawaiian health education materials. Research accomplishments include the enrollment of 42 Native Hawaiian Na Liko Noelo (budding researchers), 22 of which are involved in 14 funded research projects. The biennial evaluation survey found that 92% of our advisors felt that ‘Imi Hale was promoting scientifically rigorous research that was culturally appropriate and respectful of Native Hawaiian beliefs, and 96% felt that ‘Imi Hale was following its own principles of community-based participatory research. Conclusion ‘Imi Hale’s community-based approach to promoting cancer awareness will result in a sustainable infrastructure for reducing the cancer burden on Native Hawaiians. PMID:15352771

  10. Undergraduate nursing students' perceptions of service-learning through a school-based community project.

    PubMed

    Bassi, Sherry

    2011-01-01

    Service-learning (SL) is an experiential teaching method that combines instruction with community service, with the aim of enriching students' academic learning, interpersonal skills and sense of responsibility while making meaningful contributions to the community. However, measuring outcomes of service-learning projects is difficult. This article reports on the perceptions of 18 third-year undergraduate nursing students who took part in a pilot service-learning project targeting tobacco use in a local elementary school. Faculty members evaluated the program's outcomes by engaging students in structured reflection on the program about its relevance to their future careers as practicing professionals, especially in community-based settings. The students' perceptions were elicited through three sets of reflective assignments following the project. Findings from the reflective assignments suggest that the pilot program was successful in enhancing the students' academic, social, and personal development while building a partnership between the school of nursing and key players in the community, including school-based nurses, teachers, administrators, families, and community leaders. The author suggests that service-learning projects can help nursing students accomplish key developmental tasks of the college years (such as building their competence, autonomy, and integrity), while helping impart the skills and values they will need as they graduate and seek professional nursing roles.

  11. Intraprofessional Practice Education using a community partnership model.

    PubMed

    Hoffart, Caroline; Kuster-Orban, Cindy; Spooner, Crystal; Neudorf, Kim

    2013-02-01

    The Intraprofessional Practice Education (IPE) pilot project was designed to increase the number of high-quality practice education settings and to develop intraprofessional learning opportunities for nursing students from three different prelicensure programs. Students from the licensed practical nurse, registered nurse, and registered psychiatric nurse programs shared their practice education experience concurrently in a rural First Nations community. This project's framework, the Partnership Model for Community Health Nursing Education (PMCHNE), is described and includes an explanation of the planning and coordination that occurred prior to implementation of the pilot project. Various student practice education and cultural experiences are highlighted, and the results from the project's evaluation are discussed, including the utility of the PMCHNE and the benefits and challenges associated with implementing an IPE experience. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

  12. Indigenous health: effective and sustainable health services through continuous quality improvement.

    PubMed

    Bailie, Ross S; Si, Damin; O'Donoghue, Lyn; Dowden, Michelle

    2007-05-21

    The Australian government's Healthy for Life program is supporting capacity development in Indigenous primary care using continuous quality improvement (CQI) techniques. An important influence on the Healthy for Life program has been the ABCD research project. The key features contributing to the success of the project are described. The ABCD research project: uses a CQI approach, with an ongoing cycle of gathering data on how well organisational systems are functioning, and developing and then implementing improvements; is guided by widely accepted principles of community-based research, which emphasise participation; and adheres to the principles and values of Indigenous health research and service delivery. The potential for improving health outcomes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities using a CQI approach should be strengthened by clear clinical and managerial leadership, supporting service organisations at the community level, and applying participatory-action principles.

  13. Efforts of a Kansas foundation to increase physical activity and improve health by funding community trails, 2012.

    PubMed

    Heinrich, Katie M; Lightner, Joseph; Oestman, Katherine B; Hughey, S Morgan; Kaczynski, Andrew T

    2014-11-26

    Trails are associated with increased physical activity; however, little is known about the process of building trails by various types of organizations. From 2005 through 2012 the Sunflower Foundation: Health Care for Kansans (Sunflower) funded multiple organizations to construct 70 trails of varying lengths and surfaces in municipalities, schools, and communities across Kansas. The purpose of this study was to assess the process of developing and implementing community trail projects across Kansas with funding from a public foundation. In 2012, we stratified funded organizations by type and conducted proportional random sampling to select 20 key informants from those organizations to participate in structured telephone interviews. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Two researchers coded interview transcripts according to issues identified by participants. Issues associated with trail-building identified as important were collaboration among groups, unexpected construction costs, champions for the project, and level of difficulty of construction. Participants indicated that trails facilitated physical activity. Trails were integrated into communities through events such as walking events and other promotional efforts; these efforts were thought to increase trail use. The perceived outcomes of building the trails included providing the community with a physical activity resource, inspiring the community to start additional trail projects, and increasing the physical activity of local residents. Sunflower's funding was instrumental in developing trail projects to provide new physical activity resources across Kansas. Public health practitioners seeking to increase physical activity should seek funding from foundations that focus on health.

  14. Student and Community Engagement in Earth, Space, and Environmental Sciences Through Experiential Learning and Citizen Science as Part of Research Broader Impact

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ibrahim, Alaa; Ahmed, Yasmin

    2015-04-01

    Fulfilling the broader impact of a research project in Earth and environmental sciences is an excellent opportunity for educational and outreach activities that connect scientists and society and enhance students and community engagement in STEM fields in general and in Earth, space, and environmental sciences in particular. Here we present the experience developed in this endeavor as part of our Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) project sponsored by USAID/NSF/NAS. The project introduced educational and outreach activities that included core curriculum course development for university students from all majors, community-based learning projects, citizen science and outreach programs to school students and community members. Through these activities, students worked with the project scientists on a variety of activities that ranged from citizen science and undergraduate research to run mass experiments that measure the quality of air, drinking water, and ultraviolet level in greater Cairo, Egypt, to community awareness campaigns through the production of short documentaries and communicating them with stakeholders and target groups, including schools and TV stations. The activities enhanced students learning and the public awareness on climate change and the underlying role of human activities. It also connected effectively the project scientists with college and university students a well as the wider segments of the society, which resulted in a host of benefits including better scientific literacy and appreciation to the role of scientists, promoting scientists as role models, sharing the values of science, and motivating future generations to puruse a career in science This work is part of the PEER research project 2-239 sponsored by USAID/NSF/NAS Project Link (at National Academies website): http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/dsc/peerscience/PGA_084046.htm website: http://CleanAirEgypt.org Links to cited work: Core Curriculum Course: http://bit.ly/FutureLife Citizen Science Project: Quality of Air, Drinking Water, and U.V. Level in Greater Cairo: Map 1: http://bit.ly/AirWaterLightMap1 Map 2: http://bit.ly/AirWaterLightMap2 Short Documentaries Student Projects: https://vimeo.com/science2society/videos Project video: https://vimeo.com/100427525

  15. Student and Community Engagement in Earth, Space, and Environmental Sciences Through Experiential Learning and Citizen Science as Part of Research Broader Impact

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ibrahim, A. I.; Tutwiler, R.; Zakey, A.; Shokr, M. E.; Ahmed, Y.; Jereidini, D.; Eid, M.

    2014-12-01

    Fulfilling the broader impact of a research project in Earth and environmental sciences is an excellent opportunity for educational and outreach activities that connect scientists and society and enhance students and community engagement in STEM fields in general and in Earth, space, and environmental sciences in particular. Here we present the experience developed in this endeavor as part of our Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) project sponsored by USAID/NSF/NAS. The project introduced educational and outreach activities that included core curriculum course development for university students from all majors, community-based learning projects, citizen science and outreach programs to school students and community members. Through these activities, students worked with the project scientists on a variety of activities that ranged from citizen science and undergraduate research to run mass experiments that measure the quality of air, drinking water, and ultraviolet level in greater Cairo, Egypt, to community awareness campaigns through the production of short documentaries and communicating them with stakeholders and target groups, including schools and TV stations. The activities enhanced students learning and the public awareness on climate change and the underlying role of human activities. It also connected effectively the project scientists with college and university students a well as the wider segments of the society, which resulted in a host of benefits including better scientific literacy and appreciation to the role of scientists, promoting scientists as role models, sharing the values of science, and motivating future generations to puruse a career in science Note: This presentation is a PEER project sponsored by USAID/NSF/NAS Project Link (at National Academies website): http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/dsc/peerscience/PGA_084046.htmwebsite: http://CleanAirEgypt.orgLinks to cited work: Core Curriculum Course: http://bit.ly/FutureLife Citizen Science Project: Quality of Air, Drinking Water, and U.V. Level in Greater Cairo: Map 1: http://bit.ly/AirWaterLightMap1 Map 2: http://bit.ly/AirWaterLightMap2 Short Documentaries Student Projects: https://vimeo.com/science2society/videos Project video: http://CleanAirEgypt.org

  16. Engagement studios: students and communities working to address the determinants of health.

    PubMed

    Bainbridge, Lesley; Grossman, Susan; Dharamsi, Shafik; Porter, Jill; Wood, Victoria

    2014-01-01

    This article presents an innovative model for interprofessional community-oriented learning. The Engagement Studios model involves a partnership between community organizations and students as equal partners in conversations and activities aimed at addressing issues of common concern as they relate to the social determinants of health. Interprofessional teams of students from health and non-health disciplines work with community partners to identify priority community issues and explore potential solutions. The student teams work with a particular community organization, combining their unique disciplinary perspectives to develop a project proposal, which addresses the community issues that have been jointly identified. Approved proposals receive a small budget to implement the project. In this paper we present the Engagement Studios model and share lessons learned from a pilot of this educational initiative.

  17. Indigenous Environmental Education: The Case of Renewable Energy Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lowan-Trudeau, Gregory

    2017-01-01

    This article presents insights from an inquiry into renewable energy development by Indigenous communities across Canada. The focus is on Indigenous leadership in developing renewable energy projects that align with traditional ecological philosophies while also providing increased economic and energy security, sovereignty, and educational…

  18. OA39 Digging a hole… planting a seed… water it and watch it start to grow, grow, grow.

    PubMed

    Lloyd, Rebecca; McLoughlin, Kathleen; McGloughlin, Carmelia; Macken, Caroline; Richardson, Marie; Rhatigan, Jim

    2015-04-01

    Milford Care Centre's Compassionate Communities Project uses a seed grant scheme to engage with communities around illness, dying, death and bereavement. The scheme, now in it's 3(rd) cycle strives to inspire and support the work of local groups, organisations and individuals who wish to mark in some tangible way their response to the universal realities of death, dying, loss and care as lived and experienced by those living within their communities. A key requirement for the receipt of a grant is that the level of funding must be matched either in cash or in kind. This presentation will report on the projects supported, describing the short and medium term impact they have had on the local community. A short film will showcase the projects. Qualitative interviews were conducted with all grant recipients to determine the impact of the seed grant at a community level. Seed grants were used in a variety of ways, for example: Supporting a community group to develop a reflection space Supporting a youth project to explore what death, dying, loss and care means to service users through the creative arts. Supporting a library to develop a bereavement information 'resource'. Supporting local groups to run a community event aimed at increasing awareness and knowledge about 'healthy' ways of coping with loss and grief. Supporting those seeking practical ways of providing support to other living with illness and loss. The seed grant scheme offers a low cost, high impact approach to working with communities. © 2015, Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  19. 12 CFR 24.6 - Examples of qualifying public welfare investments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Examples of qualifying public welfare... COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ENTITIES, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, AND OTHER PUBLIC WELFARE INVESTMENTS § 24.6 Examples of qualifying public welfare investments. Investments that primarily support the...

  20. 12 CFR 24.6 - Examples of qualifying public welfare investments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Examples of qualifying public welfare... COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ENTITIES, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, AND OTHER PUBLIC WELFARE INVESTMENTS § 24.6 Examples of qualifying public welfare investments. Investments that primarily support the...

  1. Communal Resources in Open Source Software Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Spaeth, Sebastian; Haefliger, Stefan; von Krogh, Georg; Renzl, Birgit

    2008-01-01

    Introduction: Virtual communities play an important role in innovation. The paper focuses on the particular form of collective action in virtual communities underlying as Open Source software development projects. Method: Building on resource mobilization theory and private-collective innovation, we propose a theory of collective action in…

  2. 42 CFR 51c.204 - Grant evaluation and award.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... the project for development of new and effective methods for health services delivery and management... Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GRANTS GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES Grants for Planning and Developing Community Health Centers § 51c.204 Grant evaluation...

  3. 42 CFR 51c.204 - Grant evaluation and award.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... the project for development of new and effective methods for health services delivery and management... Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GRANTS GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES Grants for Planning and Developing Community Health Centers § 51c.204 Grant evaluation...

  4. 42 CFR 51c.204 - Grant evaluation and award.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... the project for development of new and effective methods for health services delivery and management... Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GRANTS GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES Grants for Planning and Developing Community Health Centers § 51c.204 Grant evaluation...

  5. Struggling Communities Turn to Colleges

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fischer, Karin

    2008-01-01

    In economically struggling communities, small private colleges are helping generate development projects in large part as a matter of survival. Unlike research universities and land-grant institutions, which have long viewed regional economic development as central to their missions, most liberal-arts colleges are relative newcomers to this work,…

  6. CETA and Reservation Economic Development. Exemplary Project Handbook: Community-Based Data Collection.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fazio, Ernest J., Jr.; Jones, Sally Jo, Ed.

    To guide Indian reservation program planners, the handbook highlights three exemplary community-based data collection efforts undertaken by Native American Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) grantees to improve their planning and program development activities. Exemplary data collection activities reported include the Spokane…

  7. DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING A BIRD MIGRATION MONITORING, ASSESSMENT AND PUBLIC OUTREACH PROGRAM FOR YOUR COMMUNITY - THE BIRDCAST PROJECT

    EPA Science Inventory

    The USEPA has developed a technology transfer handbook for the EMPACt BirdCast bird migration monitoring project. The document is essentially a "How-To" Handbook that addresses the planning and implementation steps that were needed to develop, operate and maintain a program simil...

  8. Report of the Fermilab ILC Citizens' Task Force

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory convened the ILC Citizens' Task Force to provide guidance and advice to the laboratory to ensure that community concerns and ideas are included in all public aspects of planning and design for a proposed future accelerator, the International Linear Collider. In this report, the members of the Task Force describe the process they used to gather and analyze information on all aspects of the proposed accelerator and its potential location at Fermilab in northern Illinois. They present the conclusions and recommendations they reached as a result of the learning process and their subsequent discussions and deliberations.more » While the Task Force was charged to provide guidance on the ILC, it became clear during the process that the high cost of the proposed accelerator made a near-term start for the project at Fermilab unlikely. Nevertheless, based on a year of extensive learning and dialogue, the Task Force developed a series of recommendations for Fermilab to consider as the laboratory develops all successor projects to the Tevatron. The Task Force recognizes that bringing a next-generation particle physics project to Fermilab will require both a large international effort and the support of the local community. While the Task Force developed its recommendations in response to the parameters of a future ILC, the principles they set forth apply directly to any large project that may be conceived at Fermilab, or at other laboratories, in the future. With this report, the Task Force fulfills its task of guiding Fermilab from the perspective of the local community on how to move forward with a large-scale project while building positive relationships with surrounding communities. The report summarizes the benefits, concerns and potential impacts of bringing a large-scale scientific project to northern Illinois.« less

  9. Using Community-Based Research to Improve Bsw Students' Learning in Community Practice: Bringing the Macro into Focus for Traditional and Distance Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lucero, Jessica L.; Evers, Jenifer; Roark, Jennifer; Parker, David

    2017-01-01

    This article describes community-university partnership building, course development/management, and evaluation outcomes related to an intensive community-based research project that was integrated in two sections of an undergraduate course on community practice. Pre- and posttest data were collected from 60 BSW students who were enrolled in…

  10. Marketing Model for Community College.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chahin, Jaime

    In order to survive projected enrollment decreases and to better serve nontraditional students, community colleges must develop marketing plans that make effective use of five community resources: local school system personnel, business and industry, civic and social service agencies, college personnel, and the local media. In approaching these…

  11. 78 FR 74106 - Announcement of Federal Interagency Competition, Fiscal Year 2014 Investing in Manufacturing...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-10

    ... training facilities and services; community facilities and other community development projects. In REDLG a... assistance offered by IMCP participating agencies. Some Manufacturing Communities, as discussed in the... integrated investments and relationships among the following elements: Workforce and training; Supplier...

  12. Planning for a National Community Sediment Transport Model

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2002-01-01

    modeling project. The workshop did not develop a NOPP proposal because NOPP had not yet announced funding opportunities for a coastal community modeling...2002, titled “NOPP / USGS Coastal Community Sediment-Transport Model”. Dr. Sherwood presented status reports at the NOPP Nearshore Annual meeting in

  13. Challenges in assessing food environments in northern and remote communities in Canada.

    PubMed

    Skinner, Kelly; Burnett, Kristin; Williams, Patricia; Martin, Debbie; Stothart, Christopher; LeBlanc, Joseph; Veeraraghavan, Gigi; Sheedy, Amanda

    2016-06-09

    Effective tools for retail food environments in northern and remote communities are lacking. This paper examines the challenges of conducting food environment assessments in northern and remote communities in Canada encountered during our experience with a food costing project. One of the goals of the Paying for Nutrition in the North project is to develop guidelines to improve current food costing tools for northern Canada. Paying for Nutrition illustrates the complex context of measuring food environments in northern and remote communities. Through the development of a food costing methodology guide to assess northern food environments, several contextual issues emerged, including retail store oligopolies in communities; the importance of assessing food quality; informal social food economies; and the challenge of costing the acquisition and consumption of land- and water-based foods. Food environment measures designed for northern and remote communities need to reflect the geographic context in which they are being employed and must include input from local residents.

  14. CATCH/IT: a data warehouse to support comprehensive assessment for tracking community health.

    PubMed Central

    Berndt, D. J.; Hevner, A. R.; Studnicki, J.

    1998-01-01

    A systematic methodology, Comprehensive Assessment for Tracking Community Health (CATCH), for analyzing the health status of communities has been under development at the University of South Florida since the early 1990s. CATCH draws 226 health status indicators from multiple data sources and uses an innovative comparative framework and weighted evaluation criteria to produce a rank-ordered list of community health problems. CATCH has been applied successfully in many Florida counties; focusing attention on high priority health issues and measuring the impact of health expenditures on community health status outcomes. Previously performed manually, we are using information technology (IT) to automate the CATCH methodology with a full-scale data warehouse, user-friendly forms and reports, and extended analysis and data mining capabilities. The automated system, CATCH/IT, will reduce the time to prepare community health status reports from months to days. In this paper, we present the current status of the project, along with the principal research and development issues and future directions of the project. PMID:9929220

  15. CATCH/IT: a data warehouse to support comprehensive assessment for tracking community health.

    PubMed

    Berndt, D J; Hevner, A R; Studnicki, J

    1998-01-01

    A systematic methodology, Comprehensive Assessment for Tracking Community Health (CATCH), for analyzing the health status of communities has been under development at the University of South Florida since the early 1990s. CATCH draws 226 health status indicators from multiple data sources and uses an innovative comparative framework and weighted evaluation criteria to produce a rank-ordered list of community health problems. CATCH has been applied successfully in many Florida counties; focusing attention on high priority health issues and measuring the impact of health expenditures on community health status outcomes. Previously performed manually, we are using information technology (IT) to automate the CATCH methodology with a full-scale data warehouse, user-friendly forms and reports, and extended analysis and data mining capabilities. The automated system, CATCH/IT, will reduce the time to prepare community health status reports from months to days. In this paper, we present the current status of the project, along with the principal research and development issues and future directions of the project.

  16. Training people with HIV disease for involvement in community planning process: Project LEAP. Learning Empowerment Advocacy, Participation.

    PubMed

    Halloran, J P; Ross, M W; Huffman, L

    1996-01-01

    Social and political pressure, as well as public health theory, mandate inclusion of PLWHIV in community planning and policy development processes. Barriers to PLWHIV participation may be cognitive, instrumental, and/or affective. The authors report on development, implementation, and initial evaluation of a pilot project testing a psychoeducational intervention to increase organizational participation by people with HIV. Organizational participation by individual increased from a mean of 0.5 organizations at entry to 2.3 at follow-up. Evaluation data indicate that increases in self-esteem, self-confidence, and specific knowledge, along with demystification of organizational operations, networking, and modeling by project staff contributed to the outcome.

  17. Development and Two-Year Follow-Up Evaluation of a Training Workshop for the Large Preventive Positive Psychology Happy Family Kitchen Project in Hong Kong.

    PubMed

    Lai, Agnes Y; Mui, Moses W; Wan, Alice; Stewart, Sunita M; Yew, Carol; Lam, Tai-Hing; Chan, Sophia S

    2016-01-01

    Evidence-based practice and capacity-building approaches are essential for large-scale health promotion interventions. However, there are few models in the literature to guide and evaluate training of social service workers in community settings. This paper presents the development and evaluation of the "train-the-trainer" workshop (TTT) for the first large scale, community-based, family intervention projects, entitled "Happy Family Kitchen Project" (HFK) under the FAMILY project, a Hong Kong Jockey Club Initiative for a Harmonious Society. The workshop aimed to enhance social workers' competence and performance in applying positive psychology constructs in their family interventions under HFK to improve family well-being of the community they served. The two-day TTT was developed and implemented by a multidisciplinary team in partnership with community agencies to 50 social workers (64% women). It focused on the enhancement of knowledge, attitude, and practice of five specific positive psychology themes, which were the basis for the subsequent development of the 23 family interventions for 1419 participants. Acceptability and applicability were enhanced by completing a needs assessment prior to the training. The TTT was evaluated by trainees' reactions to the training content and design, changes in learners (trainees) and benefits to the service organizations. Focus group interviews to evaluate the workshop at three months after the training, and questionnaire survey at pre-training, immediately after, six months, one year and two years after training were conducted. There were statistically significant increases with large to moderate effect size in perceived knowledge, self-efficacy and practice after training, which sustained to 2-year follow-up. Furthermore, there were statistically significant improvements in family communication and well-being of the participants in the HFK interventions they implemented after training. This paper offers a practical example of development, implementation and model-based evaluation of training programs, which may be helpful to others seeking to develop such programs in diverse communities.

  18. Community-Partnered Project-Based Studio Pedagogy: Developing a Framework and Exploring the Impact on Faculty in Art and Design Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Corn, Melanie E.

    2013-01-01

    Young would-be artists flock to art schools to learn from masters and immerse themselves in a study of the aesthetic histories, techniques, and theories that will inform their practices. However, the emergence of community-partnered project-based (CP) studio courses at many independent art colleges signals a fundamental shift in art and design…

  19. Building Trust and Shared Knowledge in Communities of E-Learning Practice: Collaborative Leadership in the JISC eLISA and CAMEL Lifelong Learning Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jameson, Jill; Ferrell, Gill; Kelly, Jacquie; Walker, Simon; Ryan, Malcolm

    2006-01-01

    Trust and collective learning are useful features that are enabled by effective collaborative leadership of e-learning projects across higher and further education (HE/FE) institutions promoting lifelong learning. These features contribute effectively to the development of design for learning in communities of e-learning practice. For this,…

  20. Developing a Successful Community Supported Literacy Program. The Adivasi Oriya-Telugu Adult Literacy Project, Araku Valley, India.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gustafsson, Uwe

    A literacy project in the eastern hill ranges of India is reported, based on 20 years of involvement, at the beginning of which the tribal language, Adivasi Oriya, was not yet a written language. The literacy rate among tribals in the agricultural community is about 10%. Researchers studied the tribal language, gave it an alphabet, adapted the…

  1. Doing by Learning. A Handbook for Organisers and Tutors of Village-Based Community Development Courses.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scott, Ian; And Others

    The ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) Rural Adult Education Project was conceived in the spirit of empowering local people to help themselves. This book, a distillation of the experience of the project, was written with the primary object of being of practical use to those who are already involved, or would like to become involved,…

  2. Molokai Farm Project. An Agricultural Training Program of the Maui Community College, University of Hawaii. Report for Fiscal Year 1982-83.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hawaii State Dept. of Agriculture, Honolulu.

    The Molokai Farm Project at Maui Community College grew out of a grant for a Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurship Demonstration Program. The program, which can lead either to an associate degree or to a certification of completion for any number of smaller units of course work, is designed to develop students' managerial proficiency and the…

  3. Multilevel perspectives on community intervention: an example from an Indo-US HIV prevention project in Mumbai, India.

    PubMed

    Schensul, Stephen L; Saggurti, Niranjan; Singh, Rajendra; Verma, Ravi K; Nastasi, Bonnie K; Mazumder, Papiya Guha

    2009-06-01

    This paper explores the meaning and applicability of multilevel interventions and the role of ethnography in identifying intervention opportunities and accounting for research design limitations. It utilizes as a case example the data and experiences from a 6-year, NIMH-funded, intervention to prevent HIV/STI among married men in urban poor communities in Mumbai, India. The experiences generated by this project illustrate the need for multilevel interventions to include: (1) ethnographically driven formative research to delineate appropriate levels, stakeholders and collaborators; (2) identification of ways to link interventions to the local culture and community context; (3) the development of a model of intervention that is sufficiently flexible to be consistently applied to different intervention levels using comparable culturally congruent concepts and approaches; (4) mechanisms to involve community residents, community based organizations and community-based institutions; and (5) approaches to data collection that can evaluate the impact of the project on multiple intersecting levels.

  4. Community-based intervention packages facilitated by NGOs demonstrate plausible evidence for child mortality impact.

    PubMed

    Ricca, Jim; Kureshy, Nazo; LeBan, Karen; Prosnitz, Debra; Ryan, Leo

    2014-03-01

    Evidence exists that community-based intervention packages can have substantial child and newborn mortality impact, and may help more countries meet Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4) targets. A non-governmental organization (NGO) project using such programming in Mozambique documented an annual decline in under-five mortality rate (U5MR) of 9.3% in a province in which Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data showed a 4.2% U5MR decline during the same period. To test the generalizability of this finding, the same analysis was applied to a group of projects funded by the US Agency for International Development. Projects supported implementation of community-based intervention packages aimed at increasing use of health services while improving preventive and home-care practices for children under five. All projects collect baseline and endline population coverage data for key child health interventions. Twelve projects fitted the inclusion criteria. U5MR decline was estimated by modelling these coverage changes in the Lives Saved Tool (LiST) and comparing with concurrent measured DHS mortality data. Average coverage changes for all interventions exceeded average concurrent trends. When population coverage changes were modelled in LiST, they were estimated to give a child mortality improvement in the project area that exceeded concurrent secular trend in the subnational DHS region in 11 of 12 cases. The average improvement in modelled U5MR (5.8%) was more than twice the concurrent directly measured average decline (2.5%). NGO projects implementing community-based intervention packages appear to be effective in reducing child mortality in diverse settings. There is plausible evidence that they raised coverage for a variety of high-impact interventions and improved U5MR by more than twice the concurrent secular trend. All projects used community-based strategies that achieved frequent interpersonal contact for health behaviour change. Further study of the effectiveness and scalability of similar packages should be part of the effort to accelerate progress towards MDG 4.

  5. Methodology of quality improvement projects for the Texas Medicare population.

    PubMed

    Pendergrass, P W; Abel, R L; Bing, M; Vaughn, R; McCauley, C

    1998-07-01

    The Texas Medical Foundation, the quality improvement organization for the state of Texas, develops local quality improvement projects for the Medicare population. These projects are developed as part of the Health Care Quality Improvement Program undertaken by the Health Care Financing Administration. The goal of a local quality improvement project is to collaborate with providers to identify and reduce the incidence of unintentional variations in the delivery of care that negatively impact outcomes. Two factors are critical to the success of a quality improvement project. First, as opposed to peer review that is based on implicit criteria, quality improvement must be based on explicit criteria. These criteria represent key steps in the delivery of care that have been shown to improve outcomes for a specific disease. Second, quality improvement must be performed in partnership with the health care community. As such, the health care community must play an integral role in the design and evaluation of a quality improvement project and in the design and implementation of the resulting quality improvement plan. Specifically, this article provides a historical perspective for the transition from peer review to quality improvement. It discusses key steps used in developing and implementing local quality improvement projects including topic selection, quality indicator development, collaborator recruitment, and measurement of performance/improvement. Two Texas Medical Foundation projects are described to highlight the current methodology and to illustrate the impact of quality improvement projects.

  6. Promoting employment in transit construction projects by members of minority and low-income communities.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-07-01

    This project had a dual aim: understanding the extent to which local low-income and minorities participate in employment generated by transit projects and identifying practices to increase their participation. The authors developed four in-depth case...

  7. Using formative research to lay the foundation for community level HIV prevention efforts: an example from the AIDS Community Demonstration Projects.

    PubMed Central

    Higgins, D L; O'Reilly, K; Tashima, N; Crain, C; Beeker, C; Goldbaum, G; Elifson, C S; Galavotti, C; Guenther-Grey, C

    1996-01-01

    The AIDS Community Demonstration Projects provided community-level HIV prevention interventions to historically hard-to-reach groups at high risk for HIV infection. The projects operated under a common research protocol which encompassed formative research, intervention delivery, process evaluation, and outcome evaluation. A formative research process specifically focusing on intervention development was devised to assist project staff in identifying, prioritizing, accessing, and understanding the intervention target groups. This process was central to the creation of interventions that were acceptable and unique to the target populations. Intended to be rapid, the process took 6 months to complete. Drawn from the disciplines of anthropology, community psychology, sociology, and public health, the formative research process followed distinct steps which included (a) defining the populations at high-risk for HIV; (b) gathering information about these populations through interviews with persons who were outside of, but who had contact with, the target groups (such as staff from the health department and alcohol and drug treatment facilities, as well as persons who interacted in an informal manner with the target groups, such as clerks in neighborhood grocery stores and bartenders); (c) interviewing people with access to the target populations (gatekeepers), and conducting observations in areas where these high-risk groups were reported to gather (from previous interviews); (d) interviewing members of these groups at high risk for HIV infection or transmission; and (e) systematically integrating information throughout the process. Semistructured interview schedules were used for all data collection in this process. This standardized systematic method yielded valuable information about the focal groups in each demonstration project site. The method, if adopted by others, would assist community intervention specialists in developing interventions that are culturally appropriate and meaningful to their respective target populations. PMID:8862154

  8. Rebuilding from Resilience: Research Framework for a Randomized Controlled Trial of Community-led Interventions to Prevent Domestic Violence in Aboriginal Communities1

    PubMed Central

    Andersson, Neil; Shea, Beverley; Amaratunga, Carol; McGuire, Patricia; Sioui, Georges

    2010-01-01

    This research framework, which competed successfully in the 2008 CIHR open operating grants competition, focuses on protocols to measure the impact of community-led interventions to reduce domestic violence in Aboriginal communities. The project develops and tests tools and procedures for a randomized controlled trial of prevention of family violence. Women’s shelters mainly deal with victims of domestic violence, and the framework also addresses other types of domestic violence (male and female children, elderly, and disabled). The partner shelters are in Aboriginal communities across Canada, on and off reserve, in most provinces and territories. The baseline study applies a questionnaire developed by the shelters. Testing the stepped wedge design in an Aboriginal context, shelters randomized themselves to two waves of intervention, half the shelters receiving the resources for the first wave. A repeat survey after two years will measure the difference between first wave and second wave, after which the resources will shift to the second wave. At least two Aboriginal researchers will complete their doctoral studies in the project. The steering committee of 12 shelter directors guides the project and ensures ethical standards related to their populations. Each participating community and the University of Ottawa reviewed and passed the proposal. PMID:20975853

  9. Mobilizing Rural Community Resources for Support and Development of Local Learning Systems in Developing Countries.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Grady, Barbara, Ed.; Levenson, Ruth, Ed.

    Focusing on how local village communities in developing countries might support part or all of their educational costs, this study describes methods used by developing countries to reduce education costs and offers a model incorporating several of the most successful components of such projects. First is a discussion of methods used by governments…

  10. Collaborative Project. A Flexible Atmospheric Modeling Framework for the Community Earth System Model (CESM)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gettelman, Andrew

    2015-10-01

    In this project we have been upgrading the Multiscale Modeling Framework (MMF) in the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM), also known as Super-Parameterized CAM (SP-CAM). This has included a major effort to update the coding standards and interface with CAM so that it can be placed on the main development trunk. It has also included development of a new software structure for CAM to be able to handle sub-grid column information. These efforts have formed the major thrust of the work.

  11. EarthCube - A Community-led, Interdisciplinary Collaboration for Geoscience Cyberinfrastructure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dick, Cindy; Allison, Lee

    2016-04-01

    The US NSF EarthCube Test Enterprise Governance Project completed its initial two-year long process to engage the community and test a demonstration governing organization with the goal of facilitating a community-led process on designing and developing a geoscience cyberinfrastructure. Conclusions are that EarthCube is viable, has engaged a broad spectrum of end-users and contributors, and has begun to foster a sense of urgency around the importance of open and shared data. Levels of trust among participants are growing. At the same time, the active participants in EarthCube represent a very small sub-set of the larger population of geoscientists. Results from Stage I of this project have impacted NSF decisions on the direction of the EarthCube program. The overall tone of EarthCube events has had a constructive, problem-solving orientation. The technical and organizational elements of EarthCube are poised to support a functional infrastructure for the geosciences community. The process for establishing shared technological standards has notable progress but there is a continuing need to expand technological and cultural alignment. Increasing emphasis is being given to the interdependencies among EarthCube funded projects. The newly developed EarthCube Technology Plan highlights important progress in this area by five working groups focusing on: 1. Use cases; 2. Funded project gap analysis; 3. Testbed development; 4. Standards; and 5. Architecture. The EarthCube governance implementing processes to facilitate community convergence on a system architecture, which is expected to emerge naturally from a set of data principles, user requirements, science drivers, technology capabilities, and domain needs.

  12. High School Students' Reasons for Their Science Dispositions: Community-Based Innovative Technology-Embedded Environmental Research Projects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ebenezer, Jazlin; Kaya, Osman Nafiz; Kasab, Dimma

    2018-05-01

    The purpose of this investigation was to qualitatively describe high school students' reasons for their science dispositions (attitude, perception, and self-confidence) based on their long-term experience with innovative technology-embedded environmental research projects. Students in small groups conducted research projects in and out of school with the help of their teachers and community experts (scientists and engineers). During the 3-year period of this nationally funded project, a total of 135 students from five schools in a mid-west State participated in research activities. Of the 135 students, 53 students were individually interviewed to explore reasons for their science dispositions. Students' reasons for each disposition were grouped into categories, and corresponding frequency was converted to a percentage. The categories of reasons were not only attributed to the use of innovative technologies in environmental research but also the contexts and events that surrounded it. The reasons that influenced students' science dispositions positively were because engaging in environmental research projects with technology contributed to easing fear and difficulty, building a research team, disseminating findings, communicating with the community, researching with scientists, training by teachers, and acknowledging teachers' knowledge. These results advanced how and why students develop science dispositions in the positive direction, which are as follows: building science teacher capacity, developing a community of inquirers, and committing to improve pedagogical practices.

  13. Renewable energy for rural electrification in developing countries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morgenstern, Joy

    The environmental destruction caused by traditional methods of generating electricity and the environmental benefits of using renewable energy technologies are well-known. In additional to the environmental benefits, small, decentralized renewable energy systems are often the most economical way to electrify the rural areas of developing countries, where most of the world's unelectrified population lives. However, diffusion of these systems is proceeding very slowly and many of these projects have failed. This dissertation examines the hypothesis that an important determinant of the success of these projects is the extent to which they are compatible with the social and cultural attributes of the communities in which they are located. The hypothesis was examined by evaluating sixteen solar, wind and hybrid electrification projects in Mexico, using a procedure which rates projects according to criteria which reflect technical, economic and financial, environmental, and sociocultural factors deemed necessary to achieve success. Reasons for poor ratings within these criteria were then used to determine six preconditions for project success. The evaluation indicates that most of the wind and hybrid projects visited had low success ratings because of technical problems. The solar home system projects experienced few technical problems, yet many were unsuccessful. Most of the projects were unsustainable due to lack of financial resources, insufficient financial mechanisms, poor user training. In none of the communities were the projects economically viable, nor were they compatible with the needs of the users. The future success of even the most successful projects seen is doubtful because of the lack of provision for any maintenance by trained technicians and the scarcity of financial resources. A direct relationship between failure at the sociocultural criteria and overall project failure was not found. In most cases, failure at particular criteria could be attributed to the project developers' inability to fulfill social and cultural aspects of the preconditions for success, thus establishing an indirect but causal relationship between sociocultural attributes of communities and project success.

  14. Comparing estimates of child mortality reduction modelled in LiST with pregnancy history survey data for a community-based NGO project in Mozambique

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background There is a growing body of evidence that integrated packages of community-based interventions, a form of programming often implemented by NGOs, can have substantial child mortality impact. More countries may be able to meet Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 targets by leveraging such programming. Analysis of the mortality effect of this type of programming is hampered by the cost and complexity of direct mortality measurement. The Lives Saved Tool (LiST) produces an estimate of mortality reduction by modelling the mortality effect of changes in population coverage of individual child health interventions. However, few studies to date have compared the LiST estimates of mortality reduction with those produced by direct measurement. Methods Using results of a recent review of evidence for community-based child health programming, a search was conducted for NGO child health projects implementing community-based interventions that had independently verified child mortality reduction estimates, as well as population coverage data for modelling in LiST. One child survival project fit inclusion criteria. Subsequent searches of the USAID Development Experience Clearinghouse and Child Survival Grants databases and interviews of staff from NGOs identified no additional projects. Eight coverage indicators, covering all the project’s technical interventions were modelled in LiST, along with indicator values for most other non-project interventions in LiST, mainly from DHS data from 1997 and 2003. Results The project studied was implemented by World Relief from 1999 to 2003 in Gaza Province, Mozambique. An independent evaluation collecting pregnancy history data estimated that under-five mortality declined 37% and infant mortality 48%. Using project-collected coverage data, LiST produced estimates of 39% and 34% decline, respectively. Conclusions LiST gives reasonably accurate estimates of infant and child mortality decline in an area where a package of community-based interventions was implemented. This and other validation exercises support use of LiST as an aid for program planning to tailor packages of community-based interventions to the epidemiological context and for project evaluation. Such targeted planning and assessments will be useful to accelerate progress in reaching MDG4 targets. PMID:21501454

  15. A Philippine experiment in community development.

    PubMed

    1986-06-01

    For years, villages in the towns of La Trinidad and Tuba in the Philippine province of Benguet suffered from several serious health problems. The use of "entry points" or projects which yield immediate tangible results within a short period of time was introduced in the municipalities of La Trinidat and Tuba in 1981. A year later, 9 additional pilot areas were selected. Today, these cities and municipalities form the nucleus of a new and promising experiment in community development, i.e., the Integrated Family Planning/Maternal Child Health Project, jointly sponsored by the Philippines' Commission on Population (POPCOM) and the Japan International Cooperating Agency (JICA). Generally, the project aims to strengththen and expand community-based family planning and maternal and child health services in the project areas that aim to improve the health of the residents. Specifically, it seeks to achieve several objectives: increase the rate of family planning acceptance and decrease the dropout rate in family planning participation within the community; decrease the incidence of malnutrition among preschool and school age children; and decrease the intestinal parasite infection rae in the community. In the field, these objectives are translated into concrete activities which people, especially in remote rural areas, can readily understand. Children, who are the center of love and attention in every home, are introduced to services which produce immediate results: growth monitoring, breastfeeding and nutrition, immunization, and cure of common childhood diseases. Deworming and its marked and immediate reslutls establish and increase the credibility of family planning, health, and other fieldworkers in the areas. The health development services break the barrier of resistance on the part of parents and adults. Once the population and health workers establish rapport with the community, they introduce family planning concepts and techniques, environmental sanitation projects, and income generating projects. In June 1985, POPCOM commissioned an independent research agency to evaluate the impact of the integrated project in the 2 model areas. The study, conducted from June 30 to July 31, 1985, consisted of a survey, an evaluation workshop, and library research. The main findings included: there was a marked increase in the number of breastfeeding mothers in both La Trinidad and Tuba; both municipalities showed a decrease in the number of postnatal care cases; maternal mortality went down to zero throughout the survey period; there was a consistent upward trend in the prevalence of family planning. Based on reports from the projects areas, 27,744 children aged 0-4 had undergone stool examination. Of these, 25,963 or 93% were treated. Other major accomplishments of the project are cited.

  16. Research-Practice Linkages in Extension Leadership Development Programs: Focus on Community Leadership Development Programs. A Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vandenberg, Lela; And Others

    The Research-Practice Linkages Project sought to identify the knowledge base supporting community leadership development (CLD) programs of the Cooperative Extension Service and to determine linkages between Extension programs and CLD research. A mail questionnaire was completed by 492 Extension staff involved in CLD programs in 18 states and 42…

  17. Resource Sharing and Public Education. Project Evaluation Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leton, Donald A.

    Two exemplary projects developed to maximize student options through the sharing of facilities, programs, and options were evaluated. The Remedial-Developmental Program developed a communications network between McKinley and Roosevelt High Schools and Kapiolani Community College to share student information and use it for individual student…

  18. Developing and Evaluating a Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brownson, Ross C.; Mayer, Jeffrey P.; Dusseault, Patricia; Dabney, Sue; Wright, Kathleen; Jackson-Thompson, Jeannette; Malone, Bernard; Goodman, Robert

    1997-01-01

    Describes the development and baseline evaluation data from the Ozark Heart Health Project, a community-based cardiovascular disease risk reduction program in rural Missouri that targeted smoking, physical inactivity, and poor diet. Several Ozark counties participated in either intervention or control groups, and researchers conducted surveillance…

  19. Evaluating the impact of a community developed collaborative project for the prevention of early childhood caries: the Healthy Smile Happy Child project.

    PubMed

    Schroth, Robert J; Edwards, Jeanette M; Brothwell, Douglas J; Yakiwchuk, Carol A; Bertone, Mary F; Mellon, Bernadette; Ward, Jennifer; Ellis, Marion; Hai-Santiago, Khalida; Lawrence, Herenia P; Moffatt, Michael E

    2015-01-01

    To determine the effectiveness of the Healthy Smile Happy Child (HSHC) project, a community-developed initiative promoting early childhood oral health in Manitoba, Canada. Specific aims were to assess improvements in caregiver knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours relating to early childhood oral health, and the burden of early childhood caries (ECC) and severe ECC (S-ECC). A serial cross-sectional study design was selected to contrast findings following the Healthy Smile Happy Child (HSHC) campaign in four communities with the previous baseline data. One community was a remote First Nation in northern Manitoba and another was a rural First Nation in southern Manitoba. The other two communities were urban centres, one of which was located in northern Manitoba. A community-development approach was adopted for the project to foster community solutions to address ECC. Goals of the HSHC program were to promote the project in each community, use existing community-based programs and services to deliver the oral health promotion and ECC prevention activities, and recruit and train natural leaders to assist in program development and to deliver the ECC prevention program. The HSHC coordinator worked with communities to develop a comprehensive list of potential strategies to address ECC. Numerous activities occurred in each community to engage members and increase their knowledge of early childhood oral health and ultimately lead them to adopt preventive oral health practices for their young children. Children under 71 months of age and their primary caregivers participated in this follow-up study. A -value ≤0.05 was statistically significant. 319 children (mean age 38.2±18.6 months) and their primary caregivers participated. Significant improvements in caregiver knowledge and attitudes were observed following the HSHC campaign, including that baby teeth are important (98.8%), that decay involving primary teeth can impact on health (94.3%), and the importance of a dental visit by the first birthday (82.4%). Significantly more respondents indicated that their child had visited the dentist (50.2%) and had started brushing their child's teeth (86.7%) when compared to baseline. Overall, 52.0% had ECC, 38.6% had S-ECC. The mean deft score was 3.85±4.97 (range 0-20). There was no significant change is ECC prevalence between the follow-up and baseline investigations. However, age-adjusted logistic regression for S-ECC in this follow-up study revealed a significant reduction in prevalence compared with the baseline study (=0.021). Similarly, age-adjusted Poisson regression revealed that there were significant reductions in both the decayed teeth and decayed, extracted and filled teeth scores between follow-up and baseline study periods (0.016 and .0001, respectively). Follow-up study results suggest that the HSHC initiative may have contributed to improvements in caregiver knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours towards early childhood oral health and subsequently modest yet statistically significant reductions in caries scores and the prevalence of S-ECC.

  20. Lessons Learned from Implementing a Prostate Cancer Risk Assessment Program for Underserved High-Risk Men in the Community: the Prostate REACH Project.

    PubMed

    Fleisher, Linda; Davis, Stacy N; Gross, Laura; Bagden, Loretta; Zakrzewski, Debra; González, Evelyn; Kandadai, Venk; Rusten, Cheryl; Baskett, Jerilyn; Obeid, Elias; Giri, Veda N

    2016-03-01

    Prostate cancer disproportionately affects Black men, who may also encounter barriers to participation in prostate cancer risk assessment. The Prostate Risk, Education and Assessment in the Community with Help (REACH) project was a community-based extension of a comprehensive prostate cancer risk assessment program at a comprehensive cancer center. The goals of the REACH project were the following: (1) establish a community prostate cancer risk assessment clinic, (2) conduct targeted recruitment, and (3) provide navigation services including follow-up for uninsured men. Key implementation steps included the following: (1) choosing a clinic site, (2) establishing patient access procedures, (3) establishing navigator services, (4) developing subsidy fund use guidelines, and (5) designing recruitment and promotion. Through community-based promotion, 64 men inquired about the program and 26 (41 %) participated. Of those screened, 46 % had abnormal results, and 2 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Here, we describe a unique demonstration project to implement a comprehensive prostate cancer risk assessment program in an underserved Black community and describe successes and challenges to inform future efforts to promote access to underserved men.

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