A descriptive case study approach and 34 indicators was used to examine the socio-economic impacts of whale watching tourism in the Laguna San Ignacio (LSI) World Heritage Site - located within the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve in Baja California Sur, Mexico. The framework measured both the socio-economic changes, and the economic viability of the local and regional operators. This approach led to a detailed understanding of the underlying, and often complex, inter-related factors that shaped the ecotourism development in LSI between 1994 and 2002. It identified strengths and weaknesses of current ecotourism development making it a valid tool for evaluating and improving these activities in any biosphere reserve. More specifically the objectives were to examine: 1. How existing ecotourism operations and their activities in the LSI have changed since 1994; 2. Whether these changes have made ecotourism a more viable socio-economic development alternative for the local communities; and 3. Which strategies may be useful in overcoming identified barriers to further socio-economic benefits both from existing and future ecotourism activities. The results strongly suggested that the benefits from ecotourism improved significantly between 1994 and 2002. Economically this was reflected in growth of visitor numbers (50%), employment (100%) and local and regional revenue approximately 70% (or 55% in real terms adjusting for inflation). Social benefits were seen in more cooperation among previous antagonistic stakeholders; a wider distribution of ecotourism benefits; some improvement in living standards and increasing local support for the Reserve. Politically, local stakeholders became more empowered through involvement in tourism related management activities. The viability of the local and regional operators also improved significantly as they became more sophisticated in their product offerings, enhanced their facilities and gained a market share of ecotourism relative to the foreign operators. These improvements were particular true for the operators that sold package tours. However, the analyses also revealed a number of barriers with the most important ones being: • Unresolved historic land use conflicts over rights to land with ecotourism possibilities; • Lack of activities diversification possibilities outside the tourism season; • Stagnating visitor numbers; • Uneven business skills among operators; • Poor marketing and promotional efforts; • Insufficient ecotourism infrastructure; • A proposed ecotourism tax; • Low profit margin of the ecotourism operators; and • Lack of funding for further investments To alleviate these threats and barriers 13 general strategies were identified. An elaboration of these resulted in 39 concrete operational strategies on how potentially to implement them.

Participatory design is often linked to community development, but studies seldom explore the ongoing effects the built design can have on a community. This study examined whether a participatory design process and the resulting public space acted as catalysts of community development. A case study was conducted in Barrio Grenada, Nicaragua, where a park was designed and built with community participation in 2010. The study explored participation in the design process, use of the park, and perceptions of subsequent development in Barrio Grenada. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews of external agents and local residents who participated in the park design and construction. Results suggest the design process and park each catalyzed development in distinct ways. Contacts made through the design process aided infrastructure development through financial and logistical support, while use of the park enabled social development through increased communication among neighbours, and recreation opportunities for children and youth. / Estate of Richard and Sophia Hungerford

The Olds Institute for Community and Regional Development (OICRD) Board of Directors is challenged to continue to provide the governance to allow the committee work that is occurring to continue and improve. This inquiry asked; how can shifting the governance model in the OICRD improve community engagement with sustainability planning and implementation? The research engaged the past chairs, current executive, essential member boards and committee members using an Organizational Action Research (OAR) methodology and focus group and survey research methods to complete the readiness for change cycle of the OAR model. The results illustrate that the four organizations that constitute the OICRD need to rediscover their interdependence and re-focus relationships between the four and the OICRD committees. The OICRD must build the physical and virtual infrastructure to engage members in order to generate meaningful possibilities, and employ new action research practices to move possibilities to action, report and celebrate successes.

Greater public participation has been recognized in the socio-political sphere as a growing imperative and a recent phenomenon is a shift in governance towards the "politics of inclusion" at the local and in some cases, the provincial level. Democracy is fundamental to sustainable development because when people participate in the decisions that affect their lives, they are more committed to their implementation. Once community buy-in is garnered, people are empowered to engage in organized action and advocate for the causes they stand for which can affect the necessary changes in moving towards a sustainable community. Our Street London is a grassroots collective that supports alternatives to mainstream modalities of transportation such as biking, walking, and public transportation, as well sustainable urban form. My objective is to understand the richness and detail of the social constructions of the actors in the lived environment. My research explores successful community engagement strategies and how the knowledge generated through the inquiry process can benefit Our Street London members to mobilize group capacity, hence affecting the future directions of the group. My main method of data collection consisted of semi-structured, open-ended interviews with experts on community engagement. Participants consisted of academics, long-time practitioners, and employees of small to medium-sized sustainability/environmental and social justice organizations. This research does have an action-oriented intent to work with Our Street London beyond the scope of this project in translating recommendations into action.

<p>The researcher has been working for CIAT, as a community development facilitator and research assistant for past five years (2001-2006). CIAT has been involved in testing tools and methods for promoting participation and tracking changes at community level under different pilot projects in Eastern and Central Africa in partnership with national research organizations of respective countries. One of CIAT&rsquo / s areas of research is developing participatory monitoring and evaluation systems that are appropriate for rural communities. The researcher has been involved in designing and setting up community-driven participatory monitoring and evaluation systems on a pilot basis with communities in Eastern and Southern Africa.</p>

<p>This thesis explored the empowerment needs of volunteer members of Women for Peace at the Nobantu Centre, Mfuleni in the Western Cape. The volunteer members, the majority of whom are women, come from a previously disadvantaged background created by the Apartheid system used in South Africa from 1948-1994. Apartheid driven education purposefully taught an inferior form of education to the black masses. This case study investigated the needs of the volunteer members, the impact that the four empowerment programmes had on the volunteer members and their future needs after being empowered.</p>

From 1999 until 2008 I worked with offenders making plays at Westville Medium B Correction Centre, using collective techniques to address social issues and involve the audience in debates. This work was inspired by the Southern African Theatre for Development of the 1980s. During 2002 and 2003 the offenders created and performed the two plays which form the case studies for this research. Isikhathi Sewashi (The Time of the Watch), presents their experiences of growing up under apartheid, political faction fighting, and crime and asks the audience to generate solutions to crime. Lisekhon’ Ithemba (There is Still Hope) addresses the prejudice of the correctional staff and offenders towards those living with HIV/AIDS. Offenders were involved in the research process and conducted group interviews with 110 members of the audience. I conducted interviews with 21 performers and used classical Grounded Theory to analyse the interviews. The theory that emerged demonstrates how the offenders, performers and audience used theatre to negotiate social relations. The plays negotiated the stereotyping of offenders, managed conflict, and increased care for offenders who were ill. Offenders also used the plays to negotiate power relations involving the correctional system and the numbers gangs. Collective play-making techniques allowed western and African aesthetics to combine. The aesthetics of Epic Theatre and Theatre of the Oppressed combined with those of isiZulu popular performance. The theories of Freire (1996:64), Brecht (in Willet 1964: 57) and Boal (1979:xix–xxi) had the intention of promoting actions and change of a social and political nature. Both Soyinka (1976: 51) and Kamlongera (n.d. 18-26) argue that theatre that engages an African worldview has its roots in social functions involving man and his environment. The offenders’ identification with characters and situations, their feelings of regret and self-pity, drove their critical engagement with the plays. They then formulated solutions and took action to effect change. Some of their actions challenged the authority of the correctional system and the numbers gang. The binary formulation of Aristotelian and non-Aristotelian theatre in the work of Brecht (in Willet 1964: 281) and Boal (2000: xix –xxi) is contradicted in this case study. Elements from both forms co-exist here. The audience’s responses to the plays reflect what Freire (1996:33) refers to as domesticating oppression but also demonstrate praxis which emerges as forms of resistance, and self-creation. The offenders’ potential to effect change in the correction centre, however, remains limited. My findings address current debates in the field of Prison Theatre (Thompson 1998:11 and Balfour 2004: 1-18) about the potential for theatre to effect change beyond offending behaviour and to include systemic change within the correctional system. Collective play-making provides offenders with a voice in the correction centre. The power of collective play-making is that cultural production remains in the hands of offenders and becomes a means through which they can expresses their concerns and sense of reality. Further research around collective play-making in other contexts and involving communities with different cultural resources is needed to validate the emergent theory presented here or to arrive at further reformulations. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

This dissertation outlines a comprehensive study about Zambezia Agricultural Development Project Phase 2 (ZADP 2). It examines its impact and its relationship to the targeted communities. The study analyses development in the targeted areas and presents an outline of the activities, its conceptual basis, its approaches and its goals. It explores the impact of poverty alleviation and livelihoods between households and their strategies to overcome the food insecurity through on-farm and off-farm income generation. ZADP 2 applied several strategies to help the communities in their struggle against poverty and vulnerability. It was assumed that rural people do not improve their surplus because of the backward technology they use in their farming. To resolve this problem ZADP 2 realized that improved seeds would enable rural people to deal with improved agriculture through an increase in agricultural output, which would increase the quality of life of many. This led to the introduction of improved seeds, which were multiplied on the peasants' farms. It also introduced livestock restocking component. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) is an approach put in place in order to involve the targeted communities to actively participate in development process aimed at them. It is recognized in this dissertation that Participatory Rural Appraisal and problem-solving are crucial to successful outcomes, and that, as a result, PRA approach is a fundamental instrument in motivating the targeted people to be fully involved in prioritising their problems and needs. This dissertation also remarks that PRA can succeed if development practitioners are committed to local problem-solving by not overturning real local needs and not disregarding the local knowledge. Several African and international development models were reviewed in order to see how the applied development has been undertaken and how it can be applied in Mozambique. This dissertation shows that the assumptions held during the ZADP's implementation that all stakeholders involved such as facilitators, livestock promoters, the government and the smallholders would guarantee the sustainability of the project were merely an assumption. It moves on to show that in order to contribute to poverty alleviation, the ZADP 2 should be long-term rather than short-term. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

An attempt is made in this dissertation to ascertain current land use structure and to analyse the development potential of Umzinto North. A comprehensive socio-economic and land use survey was undertaken to establish housing needs, to assess the employment potential, to determine the need for urban amenities and services and to investigate additional, land requirements. The dissertation also tested land use needs in Umzinto North in respect of the cultural perspectives of the Indian community. Final, analysis revealed a range of land use types. There were, however, certain amenities and services which were lacking in terms of their provision and quality. Recommendations regarding these issues have been made. In respect of the issue of land use and cultural values, it was found that the community in Umzinto North is increasingly becoming westernized in its lifestyle and no special, land use needs are required. However, it is suggested that the rigidity in the application of planning regulations must be substituted by a more flexible approach to accommodate the specific requirements of individual, househollds, particularly, in the lower economic strata. It is also strongly recommended that planning authorities encourage public participation in any further planning proposals for the town. In the final assessment it was found that Umzinto North had very limited potential, for growth. Inability to generate employment opportunities could encourage further out - migration which could result in decreased growth rates within the town. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1981.

In South Africa, young people are faced with many challenges such as HIV/AIDS, unemployment, poverty, and access to secure education and skills. In that context, NGOs involved in youth development, through their social intervention programs, can serve as platforms that can help to mitigate some of these social scourges. This research was set out to assess the participants’ perceptions of the effects of World Changers Academy’s life skills program. World Changers Academy (WCA) is a local NGO that operates in the eThekwini Municipality with the aim of empowering young people for life success through life skills-based education. Data were collected through interviews and a focus group discussion at YMCA, Durban and at WCA’s Leadership Centre in Shongweni. According to the findings, many participants perceived that the program was beneficial because it has helped them to increase their knowledge, to develop values and good attitudes, to acquire some job preparation skills, and some other critical skills that will potentially help them to cope better with the challenges they faced regularly. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.