Sense of place has been used among the literature as a framework for understanding pro-environmental behavior, such as volunteering, and connections to specific areas. It is also noted that sense of place can be fostered through Community-Based Organizations However, there is limited research specific to the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), FL, on the potential influence Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) have on volunteering in the IRL. I examined secondary geographic data collected through the CNH-L: Restoration and Resilience in Coupled Human-Natural Systems: Reciprocal Dynamics of a Coastal 'Lagoon in Crisis' project funded by the National Science Foundation Grant Award Abstract No. 1617374. The sample includes 1,005 sense of place participant responses from community members, organizations, and citizen scientists of the IRL. I examined the spatial relationship between participants' interest to volunteer relative to twenty selected CBOs to determine if these interests are higher in areas with an environmental community presence (i.e., CBO) in the IRL using the Multiple Ring Buffer Analysis tool in ArcGIS Pro. Out of 1,005 total responses, 731 sense of place points, or 73% of points, were within 10-miles of CBOs in the IRL. A Two-Sample t-Test assuming Unequal Variances and Regression analysis were conducted to compare future volunteering responses, yes or no, within the 10-mile buffer radius. Results indicate that there is not a statistically significant spatial relationship between the participants' interest to volunteer relative to CBO locations. Statistically significant results from the Chi-Square Goodness-of-Fit Test comparing past and future volunteer responses suggest a relationship between past experiences and future interest. Therefore, recommendations for future studies include modifying the survey questions to investigate the participants' motivation to volunteer in addition to integrating the participant's reason for selecting the sense of place location with the analysis to further understand the participants' connection to the area.

The primary purpose of this study is to develop a model community organizing plan for persons wishing to establish a grassroots citizen action organization. Existential in nature, this model will be geared toward easy and practical application, i.e. a "cookbook” approach to the process of organizing a citizen action organization. A secondary purpose of this study is to provide students and beginning community organizers with a basic theoretical and historical orientation by which to understand the field of community organization.

Several factors influence the social participation of rural migrants in urban structures according to previous studies: (1) origins, (2) education, (3) occupation, (4) auspices of migration, (5) age at migration, (6) length of residence, (7) previous migrations, (8) social mobility, (9) income, (10) geographic mobility, (11) community activities. These variables will be included in the research design of this present study. Review of previous studies indicates that there have not been any studies conducted on the factors associated with urban church participation of former members of rural churches.

The study is based upon five research questions which seek to determine service workers’ perceptions of black life experiences, the causes of black clients’ problems, and possible ways to alleviate these problems. Service workers are asked if present modes of intervention are effective in working with black clients. They are further asked if training regarding black issues would help facilitate their working with black clients, and if so, what areas of training would be most useful. The researchers could have chosen any from among several client groups for this project. It was decided to limit the study to one group, however. Blacks were chosen because: 1.) the researchers have an interest in exploring the issue of racism. It is an assumption of the researchers that racism exists and that all non-white groups are affected by it. Blacks had the unique experience of .being enslaved and colonized in the United States and it is believed that this history of enslavement exacerbated black people’s experience of racism; 2.) blacks represent the largest racial minority group in Portland; and 3.) blacks have had more contact with the urban social service system than other racial minority groups and more literature is available regarding their contact with the system.

In order to understand the motivations and driving factors that encourage individuals to join the political sphere, as volunteers, the individual’s stories and background will be examined through an exploratory study without any initial hypothesis. Utilizing qualitative research methods, this study will directly look at the lived experiences of political volunteers that drive campaigns and candidates in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District. A greater understanding for both the factors that compel an individual to enter the political sphere in the first place as a volunteer as well as variables that persuade the volunteer to continually stay active will be analyzed. Results: Based off of 10 different interviews with registered voters in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, this thesis found significant differences in motivations varying from party affiliations, religious values, as well as relationships with the campaign staff.

This study empirically tested the responses of sixty-one Boys’ Club members to a questionnaire which contained the Nye-Short delinquency scale. Frequency of self-reported delinquent behavior was compared for the youngsters both before and after having joined the Boys’ Club. It was found that the various aspects of Club membership and participation had minimal effect upon the members’ delinquent behavior.

This qualitative study examines the participation of post-Katrina residents in neighborhoods of New Orleans’ Upper 9 th Ward. I examine respondent self-concepts and attachment to the community to gain understanding of how individuals participate in voluntary helping behavior in their locality. Interview data, brief economic and cultural examination of the area, and my observations as a resident of the Upper 9 th Ward inform analysis. The experiences of respondents suggest that there is a tension between an individual’s need to seek selfverificationand their understanding of themselves and others within their own neighborhood. Respondents’ understanding of the impact of their own actions and those of their neighbors reinstates theories of displaced attachment to local context in regards to local community involvement. Findings incite further research as to the division of individuals from their locality within the modern urban context.

Anyone who has traveled through a large metropolitan area is aware of the myriad of transportation problems facing urban America today. Urban transportation problems are highly visible and touch the lives of nearly every resident. Advanced technology strives to meet the increasing demand for more and better transportation, but instead if often creates more complex urban transportation problems than those it intended to solve. Although technological answers have, at times, contributed to the problem, the true source of the problem is people – their attitudes and demands. During the fifties and early sixties it was believed that we could build enough highways to handle demand and reduce congestion. Despite extensive highway construction we still are faced with congestion and the noxious consequences of automotive travel. Today inflation, air pollution and the energy situation dictate that we reduce transportation demand, especially in regard to the automobile. Urban planners, transportation experts and civic organizations are searching for ways to alleviate the transportation problem and plan for future needs. As metropolitan areas continue to search for answers to transportation problems, transportation planners and urban theorists are busy developing technological and humanistic responses to this increasingly difficult situation. Their knowledge and experience has been difficult to communicate to students by conventional instructional strategies. Therefore a simulation game format has been developed for use as an instructional and training technique. METRAPLAN, an urban transportation planning simulation game, explores both the transportation dilemma we face today and the alternatives which may shape urban transportation in the future.

Non-profits that do community-led food justice work with lower income communities face particular constraints and opportunities. This study examined those constraints and opportunities through participant observation of one such organization and interviews with four other organizations. Findings include the diversity of definitions for “community-led,” assets that can help or constrain the organization, and diversity in defining “scaling up” their organization models and missions. The organizations that heavily focused on lower income consumers noted tensions with the board of the non- profit and lack of engagement of consumers. I conclude by critiquing using language such as “models,” “scaling up,” or “replicating” when doing community-led food justice with lower income communities. I propose using the “scaling deep” framework (Moore, Riddell & Vocisano, 2015) and using Social Network Analysis as a tool for community development and developing alternative food initiatives with lower income individuals and communities.

Nisbet's theory of alienation entails three propositions: 1) alienation is a unidimensional phenomenon; 2) alienation is a generalized phenomenon; and 3) power relations foster loss of community which engenders alienation. All three propositions were tested on a population of graduate students at a university in the Pacific Northwest.