Community resource evaluation

The purpose of this study was to develop a flexible multidisciplinary participatory development model for practical application. This design emphasized the indigenous information and communication systems for the duration of the project. The model was practically applied to three distinct rural Native American communities. Each community chose a separate development project. Technology, resource awareness and training emerged as the common goals. Project determination was made through multiple session focus groups and written surveys. The success of each of the model application processes and projects was determined by participant outcomes and follow-up surveys. It was found that project participants viewed their project as successful and the process which they had engaged in positively affected their attitudes regarding future projects