[This assignment is used for program assessment of competency)
This assignment allows students to influence, change, support, or fight against their group’s interest policy. The project may address issues at a micro (person in the environment), mezzo (organizational) or macro (governmental) level of the policy.
For your paper you should strongly consider working with a community partner to maximize the impact of your advocacy. Because you will be selecting the policy to analyze and influence, it will be up to you to find an appropriate partner to work with.
Paper should be a minimum of 7 pages, and APA formatting, citations and protocols should be followed.
At the end of the semester, you will need to summarize and present on the results of your analysis. What was the purpose, methods for your project, what was accomplished, and what you learned from the experience. The presentation should be between 10 and 15 minutes. (15 hours are recommended for completing this project).
The following components must be included in the presentation and should also be a part of your paper:
1. Description of the problem/population
• Description of Agency, Program, and System Affecting the Problem
• Action Plan and What Worked
• Presentation
• Sustainability of Project
• Self-Reflection
Your guidelines for an acceptable project are based on working with community groups by either joining them in their efforts to influence a policy or attempting to influence stakeholders in the policy. This may include community education. Examples of acceptable projects include, but are not limited to, meeting with congressperson/group/institute, volunteering on a policy council (city, county, state, etc.), following an active bill all the way through and testifying for or against it, volunteering with a political action group, engaging in research with political implications, present on policy to group that needs it or fight against a policy.
All projects must have instructor approval to ensure it meets community engagement standards.
1) Select a social issue of concern that is embedded in historical trauma and impacts a vulnerable population. Engage the community partner with this issue.
2) Identify a trauma-informed policy solution (or partial policy solution) to the social issue.
Apply the Policy Process Model from Colby (2018) or the CDC Policy Website
3) Identify the various elements of your social policy solution that you would include if you were to draft a piece of legislation.
a. What are the policy goals?
b. What are the forms of benefit for the social policy?
c. What are the eligibility criteria for the social policy?
d. What are the administrative considerations for the implementation of the social policy?
e. How should this policy be financed and sustained in the long run?
4) Identity what needs to be amended in this policy to address and reduce re-traumatization, victimization, and/or oppression for the identified vulnerable population.
5) Discuss how this policy amendment will increase access to care for those affected by trauma and enhance service delivery.
6) Identify some of the weaknesses in the proposed policy solution. For example, what populations would not be addressed by your partial policy solution?
7) Reflect on the process of engaging stakeholders in advocating, creating, implementing and evaluating this trauma-informed policy to assist the identified vulnerable population.