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Civic and Community Engagement Commons

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Articles 1 - 19 of 19

Full-Text Articles in Civic and Community Engagement

Never Too Old To Lead: Activating Leadership Among Maine's Older Adults, Jennifer A. Crittenden, Lelia Deandrade Jan 2015

Never Too Old To Lead: Activating Leadership Among Maine's Older Adults, Jennifer A. Crittenden, Lelia Deandrade

Maine Policy Review

As Maine’s population ages, there will be a growing need to mobilize older Mainers to effect change in their local communities. There are few models available nationally that illustrate how to effectively train and engage baby boomers and older adults as leaders within community contexts. This article examines what is known about leadership development generally and highlights how one program in Maine is training and supporting older leaders who are using volunteer work to improve the health and well-being of their local communities.


The Power Of Language In Changing A Community's Story, Linda Cross Godfrey Jan 2015

The Power Of Language In Changing A Community's Story, Linda Cross Godfrey

Maine Policy Review

To revive the community and reverse negative images of the town, community leaders in Eastport, Maine relied on the power of language. This article illustrates their efforts to inspire change by using words from well known leaders and replacing DE-words such as depressed and decline with RE-words such as rebound and renew.


The Fabulous Promise And Practical Need For The Humanities In The Twenty-First Century, Liam Riordan Jan 2015

The Fabulous Promise And Practical Need For The Humanities In The Twenty-First Century, Liam Riordan

Maine Policy Review

Guest editor Liam Riordan in this overview article explores the relationship between the humanities and policy in general terms, identifying the recurring themes in the other articles in this special issue of Maine Policy Review. He contends that the humanities offer fabulous promise to enrich the quality of civic life in Maine and that this promise is firmly rooted in how the humanities address our practical need for meaningful human experiences.


Libraries + Irw = Big Read Success!, Jan Coates Jan 2013

Libraries + Irw = Big Read Success!, Jan Coates

Maine Policy Review

Jan Coates presents a case study of how Island Readers and Writers collaborated with local libraries in the Mt. Desert Island (Maine) area to encourage reading and community engagement through two "Big Read” events.


Libraries In The Community: Changing Opportunities, Stephanie Zurinski, Valerie Osborne, Mamie Anthoine-Ney, Janet Mckenney Jan 2013

Libraries In The Community: Changing Opportunities, Stephanie Zurinski, Valerie Osborne, Mamie Anthoine-Ney, Janet Mckenney

Maine Policy Review

When libraries first began, books were scarce and expensive. We live now in the Information Age. Public expectations about information are rapidly evolving. To remain relevant, libraries are expanding on sociologist Ray Oldenburg’s “Third Place” concept – public spaces which are “anchors of community life and important places for civic engagement”. Libraries have always offered a place for the community to come together. Now, libraries are becoming destinations by offering experiences ranging from the traditional story-telling to creation spaces and business incubators. Even with all the changes occurring in the world, libraries will remain the glue that holds the community …


Two Maine Forest Pests: A Comparison Of Approaches To Understanding Threats To Hemlock And Ash Trees In Maine, Darren Ranco, Amy Arnett, Erika Latty, Alysa Remsburg, Kathleen Dunckel, Erin Quigley, Rob Lillieholm, John Daigle, Bill Livingston, Jennifer Neptune, Theresa Secord Jan 2012

Two Maine Forest Pests: A Comparison Of Approaches To Understanding Threats To Hemlock And Ash Trees In Maine, Darren Ranco, Amy Arnett, Erika Latty, Alysa Remsburg, Kathleen Dunckel, Erin Quigley, Rob Lillieholm, John Daigle, Bill Livingston, Jennifer Neptune, Theresa Secord

Maine Policy Review

The authors describe two invasive insect forest pests; the hemlock wooly adelgid (HWA) has already arrived in Maine, and the emerald ash borer (EAB) has not yet reached Maine, but will have a devastating effect on the state’s Indian basketmakers when it does arrive. With funding through Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative, teams based at the University of Maine and Unity College are bringing together faculty, students, and stakeholders to better understand the threats that infestations pose to the ecology and economy of the Maine’s forests and to longstanding cultural practices.


Introduction, Linda Silka, Bridie Mcgreavy, Brittany Cline, Laura Lindenfeld Jan 2012

Introduction, Linda Silka, Bridie Mcgreavy, Brittany Cline, Laura Lindenfeld

Maine Policy Review

Introduces special issue of Maine Policy Review focused on Maine's "Sustainability Solutions Initiative," an NSF/EPSCoR-funded project that brings together faculty from higher education institutions around the state to work with stakeholders on sustainability issues through the lens of sustainability science.


Advancing Science And Improving Quality Of Place: Linking Knowledge With Action In Maine’S Sustainability Solutions Initiative, Damon Hall, Linda Silka, Laura Lindenfeld Jan 2012

Advancing Science And Improving Quality Of Place: Linking Knowledge With Action In Maine’S Sustainability Solutions Initiative, Damon Hall, Linda Silka, Laura Lindenfeld

Maine Policy Review

The authors give an overview of how research carried out through Maine’s Sustainabilty Solutions Initiative (SSI) improves traditional models of science by providing a fuller picture of the interaction between social and ecological systems. They provide examples of university-community research partnerships, where there is a continuous communication and feedback process that identifies problems and develops projects with a solutions-oriented focus. SSI projects, they argue, “focus on issues that may make lasting improvements to Maine’s quality of place.”


Building Statewide Community-University Partnerships: Working With The Maine Municipal Association, Karen Hutchins, Eric Conrad Jan 2012

Building Statewide Community-University Partnerships: Working With The Maine Municipal Association, Karen Hutchins, Eric Conrad

Maine Policy Review

Karen Hutchins and Eric Conrad’s “dialogue” illustrates the relationship between researchers from the University of Maine and the Maine Municipal Association (MMA). The stimulus for this unfolding relationship was the administration of a survey by the Sustainability Solutions Initiative Knowledge-to-Action group to Maine town officials about their experiences with, interest in, and preferences for university-community partnerships. Although municipal officials are interested in such partnerships, Hutchins and Conrad point out the need for improved communication and relationships with officials, so that they recognize researchers’ abilities (and limitations) in addressing municipal concerns.


Healthy Lakes And Vibrant Economies: Linking History, Sense Of Place, And Watershed Protection In The Belgrade Lakes Region, James Rodger Fleming, Erin A. Love Jan 2012

Healthy Lakes And Vibrant Economies: Linking History, Sense Of Place, And Watershed Protection In The Belgrade Lakes Region, James Rodger Fleming, Erin A. Love

Maine Policy Review

Using interviews, targeted questionnaires, and histori­cal documents, James Fleming and Erin Love show how history and “sense of place” can help encourage individuals to support environmental protection. The project they describe focuses on watershed protection in the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine, and is part of a larger Sustainability Solutions Initiative project in that region. They argue that “connection to place leads to caring about it.”


Research For The Sustainable Development Of Tidal Power In Maine, Teresa Johnson, Gayle B. Zydlewski Jan 2012

Research For The Sustainable Development Of Tidal Power In Maine, Teresa Johnson, Gayle B. Zydlewski

Maine Policy Review

Generating electricity from Maine’s substantial tides has been a dream for generations. Today, the state is poised for a new era in sustainable tidal-power development. A pilot project is already underway in the Cobscook Bay/Western Passage area near Eastport and Lubec. Tidal-power development presents technical, environmental, and social challenges, however, and the authors discuss how the Maine Tidal Power Initiative is working to develop a cooperative framework that integrates stakeholders, developers, and policymakers to tackle some of these challenges.


Building A Sustainable Seafood System For Maine, Robin Alden Jan 2011

Building A Sustainable Seafood System For Maine, Robin Alden

Maine Policy Review

In this article, Robin Alden notes that Maine could have one of the premier marine food systems in the world. However, that means adequate steward­ship of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem and diversifying the fishing industry beyond lobster by creating innovative public policy and a food system that supports community fishing.


By Land And By Sea, Amanda Beal Jan 2011

By Land And By Sea, Amanda Beal

Maine Policy Review

This short article discusses the results of the By Land and By Sea project, in which Maine fishermen and farmers came together to discuss common concerns and to forge new solutions aimed at re-envisioning a unified food system.


Local Food For Lewiston: Exploring The Role Of Food Assessment As Part Of Broader Work In Community-Engaged Food Systems, Kirsten Walter Jan 2011

Local Food For Lewiston: Exploring The Role Of Food Assessment As Part Of Broader Work In Community-Engaged Food Systems, Kirsten Walter

Maine Policy Review

Kirsten Walter’s case study discusses the community food assessment in Lewiston, Maine and the recommendations stemming from it.


Paths Towards Food Self- Reliance: Community Food Councils, Ken Morse Jan 2011

Paths Towards Food Self- Reliance: Community Food Councils, Ken Morse

Maine Policy Review

In this case study the author describes the development of a local community food council, “Healthy Oxford Hills,” and discusses how such organizations can work to rebuild local food systems.


The Community Caring Collaborative: Case Study Of A Grassroots Collaboration To Create A System Of Care For At-Risk Infants, Young Children, And Their Families In Washington County, Maine, Marjorie Withers Jan 2009

The Community Caring Collaborative: Case Study Of A Grassroots Collaboration To Create A System Of Care For At-Risk Infants, Young Children, And Their Families In Washington County, Maine, Marjorie Withers

Maine Policy Review

Marjorie Withers presents a case study of rural Washington County, Maine, where community-agency part­nerships are increasing services for community members and their children affected by exposure to drugs, alcohol, and other risk factors. The Community Caring Collaborative (CCC) is an effective model in part because of its structure. But most important, according to Withers, is the creation of hope and new energy in an area of the state char­acterized by longstanding feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness.


Finding Grace And Hope In Community, Martha Kirkpatrick Jan 2008

Finding Grace And Hope In Community, Martha Kirkpatrick

Maine Policy Review

Martha Kirkpatrick urges readers to focus on sense of community in facing the challenges of scarce energy and fuel sources, unstable prices, and the increasing environmental havoc brought about by human activity. She reminds readers that Mainers are resilient and resourceful, and that a strong sense of community remains in many places that should be nurtured and supported by state government.


The Opportunities And Threats Of Coastal Development: An Mpr Roundtable Discussion, Paul Anderson Jan 2000

The Opportunities And Threats Of Coastal Development: An Mpr Roundtable Discussion, Paul Anderson

Maine Policy Review

In May 2000, nine discussants—each with a unique perspective on coastal development—convened to explore changes occurring on the Maine coast, whether those changes are consistent with what Maine people want, and what looming issues invite further debate and creative problem solving. Their discussion spanned a range of sensitive issues including aquaculture development, the displacement of traditional economies, the effects of development on coastal wildlife populations, and the reality of diminishing public access to the coast. All agreed that with vision and careful planning we have an opportunity to shape the future of the Maine coast, but the jury is out …


Assessing Public Participation In Maine: The Old And The New In Civic Involvement, David D. Platt Jan 1992

Assessing Public Participation In Maine: The Old And The New In Civic Involvement, David D. Platt

Maine Policy Review

Lack of citizen participation in American government is a complaint frequently voiced by politicians, political scientists and media commentators. The steady decline in voting, the rising number of Americans who say they are disaffected with their government, and the increase in two-earner households all have been cited as evidence of this decreased involvement by Americans in public life. Maine, with its long tradition of participatory democracy, reflected in town meeting government at the local level, is not necessarily a microcosm of what is occurring nationally. The state has, however, experienced its share of some of the civic maladies note nationally, …