Helping Communities Design Governance Structures

This chapter reviews the bylaws written by six community governance boards taking part in Good Neighborhoods, a comprehensive community initiative concerned with improving the health and well-being of children and youth living in Detroit. A policy review of bylaws suggested that the bylaws are predominantly characteristic of a community-building model of community organizing, with some elements of a power-based model of community organizing. Technical assistance providers can provide technical assistance based on their experience working with boards and their perceptions of board assets and needs. However, a more effective approach might be one in which technical assistance providers develop technical assistance activities and content in collaboration with board feedback. The use of program documentation, such as bylaws, can aid in developing conceptually based technical assistance.

Using A Story-Building Approach To Research Comprehensive Community Initiatives

This article is the story of the author's experiences as a researcher-storyteller. She delineates the process used to "build a story" of the planning and development of a rural comprehensive community initiative. In a critically reflective look at this approach to community research, the author describes how she selected the research topic, defined the purposes of the research, selected the methods used in data collection and analysis, and approached the construction process of building the story through literary elements such as plot, scene, and voice. The strengths and pitfalls of this approach and suggestions for future research are discussed.