Opinion
Building communities that strengthen families
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April 2001
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Abstract
Despite the pervasive gloom and doom which seems to be the spirit of contemporary society, there are grounds for hope as there are now the conceptual and empirical components of a strong foundation for developing programs aimed at family strengthening and community building. In this opinion piece, the author outlines these components, gives examples of what she sees as promising programs, draws together the common ingredients, and identifies some of the challenges such programs face in 'going to scale'.
Despite the pervasive gloom and doom which seems to be the spirit of contemporary society, there are grounds for hope as there are now the conceptual and empirical components of a strong foundation for developing programs aimed at family strengthening and community building. In this opinion piece, the author outlines these components, gives examples of what she sees as promising programs, draws together the common ingredients, and identifies some of the challenges such programs face in 'going to scale'.