Originally published in 1979, this book reports on a 3 year action research programme (The New Communities Project) which aimed in increase working-class participation in adult education. Basing their argument on the work of the Project, the authors contend that adult education must begin with the people themselves, to go on and assist their intellectual, social, psychological, cultural and political growth. In their view, adult education needs to be identified as something more flexible than ''classes'', whilst also distinguishing between non-formal education and other kinds of community work or development. Providing different perspectives on the way in which a service relates to a particular area, the book''s conclusions have a bearing on both practice and training in a variety of areas concerned with social intervention.