Three volumes designed to assist workers in the field who are encouraging the development of self-reliant creative communities.

The book has as its basic philosophy the belief that we should all participate in making this world a more just place to live in. This work integrates the approach of Paulo Freire and how to put his method into practice, Manfred Max-Neef's understanding of fundamental human needs, group methods which are essential for participatory education, organizational development, which stresses how to build structures which enable people to become self-reliant, and social analysis to help groups find the root causes of problems.

This title illustrates the spiritual concept of transformation challenging us in the light of the Gospel and other spiritual teaching. It can be used in basic Christian communities and all Faith traditions which share a vision of a just alternative society.

'Training for Transformation in Practice' brings together the experiences of 17 activists who have adapted these materials to their own social and cultural contexts. The book starts by describing the roots of training for transformation in people's struggles in the global South to gain political and economic independence and to overcome poverty.

"Training for Transformation Book 4" is a practical and accessible workbook for community development workers. It recognizes that the only changes which effectively transform the lives of poor people are those in which they have been active participants--this book, and the earlier books in the "Training for Transformation" series, give many proved and practical ways of getting this process started. Book Four focuses on five issues that have become more and more prominent in the concerns of communities throughout the world: * The environment* Gender and development * Ethnic and racial conflict * Intercultural understanding * Building participatory governanceEach section contains a rich selection of relevant material designed to stimulate interest and debate, including simulations, real life stories, telling statistics, news articles, poetry and drama from local communities. The authors have drawn on their direct experience of working on community development programs in South Africa and the USA, as well as feedback from many other countries where the "Training for Transformation" approach has been adopted.The book is divided into easy to follow modules which can be covered in sequence or in any order. All the exercises have been extensively tested in the field and have been used successfully with groups in many different countries."Training for Transformation Book Four" will be ideal for adult education workers, social workers, community development workers, church workers and trade union educators, and all organizations and individuals concerned with the process of transforming society.Though part of a series, this new volume stands alone as a source of ideas and materials to develop community participation.