Beyond Experts: A Guide for Citizen Group Training,_ t:,y Duane Dale with David Magnani an<l Robin Miller, 1979, $5.00 plus $.50 postage, prepaid from: • Citizen Involvement Training Project 138 Hasbrouck University of MassacJtusetJs Amherst, MA 01003 Beyond Experts: A Guide for Citizen Group Training is a manual designed to "help citizens prepare for a broader and more influential role in public policy decisions." Advocating self-reliance and a departure from the traditional, de,Pendence on "experts," the manual is aimed at putting information into the hands of the community, enco-qraging community groups to plan and nm their own training programs. The material is organized to take the group through the steps of assessing needs (be it fundraising, group process, or technical information), developing learning activities (speakers, films, role-plays .. '.), and eval- ,uating the results. There is an abundance of · exercises, work sheets, diagrams and discussion questions to help s'tructtire the proce~s. A resource list is included with an •index to the seven other manuals that CITP h~s written on organizing; meqi.a and public re,ations; citizen involvement mechanisms; federal, .state and local government; group process; and program planning and evaluation. Beyond the obvious skill and information needs of citizen groups, the authors recognize the importance of other proble'ms · faced by citizens--:-:-particularly discrimin'ation. "The people most'prone to get involved in citizen groups are the ones who are relativ~ly advantaged already, in terms of education and other status measures. ... The point is.this: People who need . help to be powerful won't get it if we work only with presen_t participants in citizen groups." Dissemination of information, and thus power; is clearly an effect~ve means of encouraging citizen involvement. But, just as the needs and experiences of people vary, so also does there need to be a variety of strategies for making that infor- - mation accessible. In_many instances individual contact-a facilitator rather than an ''expert"-can transfer information and tools more effectively than a manual or book (see Paulo Freire's work Education for Criti,cal Consciousness and Pedag~gy of the Oppressed) . CITP has taken an important step in presenting this information to the public. The task is now for us to implement and interpret this material~bo~h orally and in written form-,-to better suit our · needs and the needs of our respective communities. -LS NEXUS: resoµrces for persons and poli- 1 tics, 1979, $5.50 from: Self Determination: A Personal/Political Network P.O. Box126 Santa Clara, Ca 95052 For Californians only. This directory is part of the Self Determination Network, a California-:wide effort to promote decentralist and cooperative processes to "encourage self.-reliance, personal responsibility, and mutual interdependence." (They also used to put out the now-defunct Self Determination Journal.) The goal of the Network and the directory is to create what they call natur~l helping networks: "You won't find 'experts' on these pages; what you will find are people who are attempting to make their own·changes in the world, and who are willing_to help ypu do the same." NEXUS covers the same basic topics as most People's Yellow Pages ( see Rainbook, pp. 86, 102), listing individuals, organizations, and publications. In addition, there are short articles on alternatives in education, energy, health/mental health, media,. networking, co~puters, m,ailing lists, politics, and work. -MR The YAT Manual, by Craig A. Sundlee & Willie Stapp, 1979, $4.00 from: Social Action Research Center 18 Professional Center Park Way San Ra~ael, CA 9490~ • The Youth" Action Team (YAT) Manual is both a primer for youth activism and youth employment. The authors draw from their • own experiences as members of a team in • San ~afael, .California. Taking advantage of California's 1976 Independent Study Legislation, the team combines both accredited academic learning and social action. YATs have worked on projects as diverse as a youth-operated and IJl~maged recycling center, a Youth Employment Planning Team, and a Youth Advocacy program in social and legislative issues. Teams are composed of 8-12 members,between the ages of 12 and 21. Two coordinators as5ist • with group.facilitation and structuring the academic component of the project. The authors stress the importance pf having a . group repre~ented by people of varying ages, races and economic background to ''encourage members to confront their per- • sonal biases and stereotypes of others." A particular emphasis throughout the book is the desire to "develop the individual's capacity to think for herself." All of the structures within the team support this aim. The manual includes extensive information on decision making, establishing _learning contracts, and devel_oping strate- 'gies. Resource·s and references are listed throughout the book: Program_development is by far the strongest aspect of the book; other sections are weak by comparison. All in all, the manual provides some valuable information for those working with or who are themselves youth activists. Rather than diffusing the focus by trying to meet a variety of in.terests, the authors could have more effectively directed the manual to the needs of youth activists themselves, and dealt with the problems of coordinators in a supplement. Nevertheless, The X AT Manual is a good beginning in an area that needs much more attention. -LS
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