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This article describes the design of the "First Comprehensive Strategic Plan for Volunteering and Citizen Participation in Andalusia," which establishes the priorities and strategies for promoting citizen engagement in the Autonomous Community of southern Spain. The drawing up of the strategic plan was developed in two phases. First, a theoretical analysis of the effective practices for promoting citizen participation was conducted. Second, the opinion of a total of 35 representatives of Third Sector organizations was obtained. The review of evidence‐based practices made it possible to identify 13 basic strategies for community awareness, education for participation, volunteer management, and the development of inter‐organizational networks. Next, 19 interviews were conducted with representatives of the most prominent social entities in the region and two participatory workshops with 16 leaders of the volunteer movement in Andalusia were held. The results showed the existence of a consolidated social fabric, with a "community of practice" constituted over two decades in which awareness‐raising and training strategies have been effectively combined to promote volunteering. Representatives of the Third Sector consider educational strategies for participation as a priority, such as service‐learning, early participation experiences during adolescence and the training of volunteers and members of associations. On the other hand, although social organizations are aware of the need to adapt to new forms of participation (more individualized, one‐off, or episodic), they generally defend strategies that contribute to a higher level of organizational commitment. The resulting plan integrates measures to promote participation and volunteering through cross‐cutting actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the role that psychosocial empowerment and social support factors play in the employment status of immigrants who participate in job-readiness programs financed by the European Social Funds and the Welfare Services of Andalusia, a region in the south of Spain. The goal of these programs is to find new ways to improve immigrants' social-labor participation and community integration. By means of a logistical regression analysis applied to data obtained in interviews with 188 participants, a predictor model of psychosocial factors associated with employment status was obtained. Significant psychological empowerment factors included having a positive professional self-concept, having an internal attribution of causality of employment, and having an active job search. Ability to depend on both compatriots and members of the host country in one's support network and the advice and information received from them was a significant factor in social support. Suggestions for future program development include increasing the use of psychosocial resources in interventions designed to improve immigrants' employment status. (Contains 2 tables.)

We analyzed the role that psychosocial empowerment and social support factors play in the employment status of immigrants who participate in jobreadiness programs financed by the European Social Funds and the Welfare Services of Andalusia, a region in the south of Spain. The goal of these programs is to find new ways to improve immigrants' social–labor participation and community integration. By means of a logistical regression analysis applied to data obtained in interviews with 188 participants, a predictor model of psychosocial factors associated with employment status was obtained. Significant psychological empowerment factors included having a positive professional self-concept, having an internal attribution of causality of employment, and having an active job search. Ability to depend on both compatriots and members of the host country in one's support network and the advice and information received from them was a significant factor in social support. Suggestions for future program development include increasing the use of psychosocial resources in interventions designed to improve immigrants' employment status. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 33: 673–690, 2005. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]